University will stop using controversial remote-testing software following student outcry

University will stop using controversial remote-testing software following student outcry
By Monica Chin

Students head to class at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. | E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announced that it will discontinue its use of remote-proctoring software Proctorio after its summer 2021 term. The decision follows almost a year of outcry over the service, both on UIUC’s campus and around the US, citing concerns with privacy, discrimination, and accessibility.

Proctorio is one of the most prominent software platforms that colleges and universities use to watch for cheating on remote tests. It uses what its website describes as “machine learning and advanced facial detection technologies” to record students through their webcams while they work on their exams and monitor the position of their heads. The software flags “suspicious signs” to professors, who can review its...

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January 29, 2021 at 06:51AM
via The Verge - All Posts