Restrictions imposed due to the pandemic have resulted in adjustments in how classes are run, and expanded use of technology. In the Spring, during the first lockdown, my classes were made entirely remote, but as we had little advance time to prepare, we didn't have remote proctoring set up for giving exams and quizzes. I was surprised that the averages on the tests I gave were not much higher than usual, but there are a lot of possible explanations for that. By the time we got to final exams, some restrictions had been eased, and we had students come to campus for proctored finals. Averages dropped like rocks.
We could conclude that our students were "cheating" during the unproctored exams. Although they had to take the exam at the scheduled time, and had limited time to complete the exam, there was no way to limit access to textbooks or other resources. We also expect that some student copied the questions. Easy to do using a phone. So is searching the Internet for answers if you can use your phone during the test. Students couldn't do that for the finals. But if that is the reason, then why weren't the test averages higher on the midterm tests?
I have an alternate theory for why the final exam averages were so low. I think the students were under stress, having to return to school, and being around teachers they didn't really know. Some of my students are in their first quarter, so they don't know the campus, either. I expect that contributed to the lower scores. But I don't discount the effect of the loss of all that access to course resources during the midterms.
Now we are again giving remote tests, which we didn't do in Summer or Fall. We tried a kind of hybrid lecture, with some students opting to attend lectures remotely, and some live on campus, but tests were all live. That was hard for some students, because of travel times. It meant that on the days of tests, everyone had to be on campus pretty much all day, so there were only a few days when the students who chose the remote option could actually stay away from campus. And then Ohio went Purple. More restrictions were imposed. All lectures were remote, again, and students weren't allowed to be on campus except for the tests. Travel time became a nightmare for some. So this quarter, starting under restrictions, we found an app that works with our computer-based testing program, so we can have electronically proctored tests given remotely.
The app requires a picture of each student for a Facial Recognition app, to ensure each student is taking her own test. Another app records audio and video during the test. An AI program reviews the recordings, and creates a report, identifying any anomalies in apparent student behavior.
It sounds okay. It should mean that students take their own tests, and won't get away with using their textbooks or smart phones during the tests. If they leave the chair, they get caught. If they read the questions aloud, that is recorded, and they get caught. That is because we can't control what is in the room outside the range of the computer's camera, so we tell students they aren't allowed to read aloud.
I occurred to me that this means some algorithm will be getting pictures of all our students. And video and audio of their behavior during exams. I don't know what use an algorithm can make of such data, but I expect it could mean something at some point. What stops the test proctoring algorithm from selling the recordings to the NSA? Could this create a permanent record that could be used to identify any of our students in the future? I mean, the system uses AI. I have no idea how intelligent Artificial Intelligence can be, either now or in the future. I feel like I'm participating in a large project to share huge piles of data about thousands of people with the algorithms that may one day rule the Earth. I might be contributing to progress toward the singularity.
I am also making it safer for students to continue their studies. For now, I think that is the more important consideration. Maybe someday I'll ask what becomes of the recordings and collection of photos, but not today.
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