A company has gone out of its way and created a device that will allow instructors to monitor the test taking behavior of their online students. I find this invention nearly laughable, I mean we have the ability for on-demand learning, but we still are hung up on traditional assessments? I guess with the high-stakes testing atmosphere promoted by No Child Left Behind it should come as no surprise that some educators cannot find a better way.
Here is the device's capabilities: "It locks down a computer while the test is being taken, preventing students from searching files or the Internet, and the latest version also includes fingerprint authentication, to help ensure the person taking the test isn't a ringer. But the new development is a small Webcam and microphone set up where a student takes the exam. The camera points into a reflective ball, which allows it to capture a full 360-degree image. When the exam begins, the device records audio and video. Software detects significant noises and motions and flags them in the recording."
To top it off, Troy University of Alabama is actually going to start using the device. Even the for-profit competitors University of Phoenix, Capella University, and Walden University said they do little student testing online. Instead they rely on student written assessments. For shame! The questionable academia of for-profit education even knows better than to use traditional tests. Too bad they cannot figure out that authentic learning activities does not always mean a paper.
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