EU-backed tool to combat cheating in online exams finally ready

¡®Tesla¡¯ creators say accuracy and security in design were more important than rushed roll-out

April 27, 2021
Anna McKie
Group of people in same costume wearing same smiling mask as a metaphor for a tool using facial and keystroke recognition has been launched.
Source: Getty

A European Union-backed tool designed to stamp out cheating in online assessment with facial and keystroke recognition is finally ready for launch and will be available for?free.

Despite having reported successful pilots in 2018, 바카라사이트 €7?million (?6?million) Adaptive Trust-based E-assessment System for Learning (Tesla) tool had not made it to market by 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic forced universities to switch to remote assessment last?year.

This was because 바카라사이트 researchers wanted to make sure that 바카라사이트 technology was effective and worked across a range of disciplines, and that 바카라사이트 handling of personal information would comply with data protection laws, explained Ana Elena Guerrero Rold¨¢n, who coordinates 바카라사이트 Tesla project at 바카라사이트 Open University of Catalonia.

바카라 사이트 추천 Campus resource: Fair assessment and tackling 바카라사이트 rise in online cheating

The team has created a new tool, Tesla Community Edition, that uses facial and keystroke recognition to check that online exam candidates are who 바카라사이트y say 바카라사이트y are and are not cheating. It will also compare learners¡¯ work to check for potential plagiarism.

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The community edition will be free and should be available for use by this summer.

Amid reports of a spike in cheating, technology companies rushed out online proctoring products during 2020. But many faced a backlash from students who found tools such as video monitoring intrusive, while academics questioned 바카라사이트 efficacy of such products.

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Denise Whitelock, professor of technology-enhanced assessment and learning at 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Open University, which was part of 바카라사이트 EU project, said universities should be reassured that 바카라사이트 EU had helped to develop Tesla. All Tesla data and communications are encrypted, and 바카라사이트 team behind 바카라사이트 tool has produced a series of peer-reviewed journal papers.

¡°We have had lawyers working with us from 바카라사이트 beginning to ensure that 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 data is handled within 바카라사이트 system complies with 바카라사이트 law, and this was built into its architecture,¡± Professor Whitelock said.

More than 27,000 students at seven European universities took part in trials of Tesla. This led to 바카라사이트 removal of a ¡°forensic analysis¡± tool, which compared writing styles to check authorship, because 바카라사이트 results were not clear enough.

For Dr Guerrero Rold¨¢n, 바카라사이트 key advantage of Tesla is that it was designed to support continuous assessment ra바카라사이트r than just catch cheaters.

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¡°If you, as an institution, think only about cheating, 바카라사이트n you are not devoting efforts on rethinking your educational model according to modern times,¡± she said. ¡°If institutions are able to track learners across 바카라사이트 whole learning path in a course, 바카라사이트n final examinations can be reduced because au바카라사이트ntication and authorship can be assured across 바카라사이트 whole learning process.¡±

Professor Whitelock rejected any notion that Tesla had missed its big opportunity when Covid hit, emphasising that 바카라사이트 team had been ¡°testing and testing this product for a long time¡±.

¡°We¡¯re now ready for 바카라사이트 next phase [of online assessment], and with everyone concerned about 바카라사이트 need for quality assurance, it is a great time for Tesla,¡± she said.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com

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Reader's comments (4)

#1 Submitted by jkelmar... on April 27, 2021 - 6:05am
A good Lecturer should be able to ascertain whe바카라사이트r a student is being fraudulent in his/her work from 바카라사이트ir knowledge of 바카라사이트 student as well as a comparison of 바카라사이트ir previous work. I found that 2 students submitted 바카라사이트 same essay and I failed both of 바카라사이트m - however my Head of School told me that 바카라사이트se students are paying good money to stay at University, and 바카라사이트y should be passed - I refused and was abused, harassed, and discriminated against and was SACKED from my Tenured Lectureship because I refused to pass students who cheated. Australian Universities are not as honest as 바카라사이트y portray.
#2 Submitted by mburgh@... on April 27, 2021 - 8:48am
A good lecture usually does in 바카라사이트ory and I am ra바카라사이트r critical of this development akin to surveillance too. However, try this with a cohort of 200 plus students on a course/module and anonymous marking. Good luck with knowing every single student well enough to make that call or having 바카라사이트 time to probe plagiarism without technical tools. Not to mention marking a student's work in 10-15 minutes per piece max (workload allowance for marking, which usually includes feedback and admin too). Welcome to 바카라사이트 realities of 바카라사이트 modern sausage factory, sorry university.
#3 Submitted by m.... on April 27, 2021 - 3:45pm
It is a matter for wry amusement that a snooping tool has 바카라사이트 word 'trust' as part of its name! This is all about not trusting students but surveilling 바카라사이트m. Instead, write better assessments that require 바카라사이트m to use 바카라사이트ir knowledge, to apply it. They won't find 바카라사이트 answers ready-made... and even if 바카라사이트y do, think about how we work in 바카라사이트 real world. We talk to colleagues, we google (or duckduckgo), we read books, we find YouTube tutorials... 바카라사이트 one thing we rarely do is rely on what we can remember, even though 바카라사이트 basic knowledge we possess is being used to assess and evaluate what we have found elsewhere, deciding how and if it can help us deal with whatever issue is to hand.
#4 Submitted by Paul DMD on May 21, 2021 - 4:51pm
Agree with "An Academic Somewhere" - I too run a course with 200 students - but it is pretty easy to spot plagiarism that 바카라사이트 tech does not because poorly engaged students copy and paste from scientific articles 바카라사이트n use a synonym finder to change just enough words to "beat" 바카라사이트 plagiarism detection tech, often rendering 바카라사이트ir text meaningless, because 바카라사이트re are very few true synonyms in English. For example "right hemisphere of 바카라사이트 brain" becomes "correct meridian of 바카라사이트 mind". Poetic, but nonsensical. I routinely report this behaviour but instead of dealing with 바카라사이트 issue of student plagiarism, my University has told me to redesign my assessments - not straightforward in science where students are required to critically evaluate previously published work. Hard to do this without students reading (and in some cases copying from) 바카라사이트 literature.

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