Device prevents cheating on online exams

Imagine this: A student is taking a test alone -- no professor, no teacher, no watchful eyes. Cheating is only a lab book away, so what's there to stop the student?

Long distance cheating is one of the many issues that the Congressional Higher Education Act of 2008 is trying to address.

Director of Instructional Design and Development Marie Barber said long distance cheating is not a problem at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Here, long distance education classes require their exams to be proctored.

For other universities without a proctored situation in place, the Act might require other ways of keeping an eye on the test takers.

For that, Software Secure, Inc. has a solution: Securexam Remote Proctor. It's a device that keeps an eye on students while they take tests from home.

The Securexam Remote Proctor helps raise both credibility and confidence of the independent study student, said Brendan Bellefeuille, business development manager of Software Secure, Inc.

The proctor, which costs $150, is about the size of a large paperweight and plugs into a standard port on a home computer and records students during exams.

The device includes a groove for scanning fingerprints, a tiny microphone and a camera. The camera picks up a 360 degree view of the test-taker and the environment.

Students begin using the device by sitting in front of a computer and placing a finger on the pedestal. Then the gadget checks whether the digital fingerprint and the image of the student match those submitted at registration.

During the test, the students are unable to cheat because they can't visit any other pages online.

For students, the device's convenience factor may be the reason to spend their cash on it.

Bellefeuille said with the proctor, students can take tests at their leisure and not worry about the testing center's hours of operation.

UNL does not use Securexam Remote Proctors. Students take their tests at the Burnett Testing Center during specific hours.

Any exam taker who lives within 25 miles of the university has to complete their tests at the Testing Center.

Barber said she has confidence in the proctors at UNL.

UNL is not planning on using new technology for long-distance test takers, Barber added. But the university is keeping their options open, she said.

"The university is continuing to explore electronic remote exam proctoring systems that would be more flexible for students yet maintain test security."

lisafischer@dailynebraskan.com