New RSA in-Course Camera Fraud Prevention Program seem as the answer to Fraud in Delivery and Assessment for States
Urban Global’s new technology allows students to sit Courses for RSA and Whitecard at home at their computer monitored with their webcam and microphone functionality to ensure they can’t cheat.
It has long been said that exams should be sat in comfort in loose-fitting clothing and with a glass of water handy. Finally the world of Online Education has really arrived with delivery and assessment in the comfort of your own home.
This revolutionary software from Urban has taken this a step further and found a way for students to take tests from their bedrooms at any time of day or night. This was developed originally for their Nationally Recognised Compliance programs such as White Card Construction Induction and Responsible Service of Alcohol where the national regulatory bodies felt there was exposure for Registered Training Organisations for fraud.
Ironically in a world of pretty much open book exams and assignments where the emphasis is on students knowing where to look for the right answer, how to interpret the right answer and how to apply it to the situation is the new world.
Even doctors use Google for research and diagnosis and we accept that.
A number of University’s are implementing the new technology, which has built in anti-cheating software which accesses the webcam and microphone system taking images throughout the delivery and assessment phases. It has been developed by an Australian Firm Urban Global and works directly via its E-Hub web system.
Once a student is ready to sit the exam, the technology takes a photo of the participant and matches it to the facial recognition software validating their identity via their webcam. Throughout the exam, the webcam picks up whether the student is trying to cheat by receiving help from others. The software also has the capacity to “locks down” the computer so that the student cannot search the internet or their files for answers.
University and Registered Training Organisation invigilators can then watch the footage, whenever they choose to. Some may decide to watch each individual student taking their exam, while others will only view a sample of candidates, or speed through the footage to check nothing looks suspicious.
The technology via is facial recognition software can also lock out the student if they try and substitute someone else into the exam.
With record numbers of students at university and training institutions at an all-time high globally, organisations are struggling to find enough teachers and trainers meet everyone’s needs. This technology would solve this problem and save on the cost of hiring invigilators reducing the costs of education and course delivery substantially.
Urban Global also states that this technology would help disabled students and those who live in remote areas around the world to take their exams and would make employers less sceptical about distance learning courses.
Universities are welcoming these practical measures to develop “alternative approaches to assessment” to allow this to teach more students per annum.
The beauty of this new software is that by offering a new range of assessment methods ensures that more students get the opportunity to perform at their best. This is done by anticipating students’ needs and implementing different and flexible assessment methods where institutions are actively demonstrating their commitment to inclusion for all students.
Urban offered two methods of identification verification for RSA to ensure that a wider student base are able to participate in the course regardless of their abilities, equipment and services or geographical location.
To enable to students to verify the identification completely online, Urban developed an innovative verification process which utilises the students’ webcam to capture numerous photographs of the student at random intervals throughout the assessment process. The student is also required to face the webcam whilst holding a form of government issued photo ID until Urban are able to capture a clear image to confirm that student who registered for the course is the person who has also completed the course and assessments and will receive the RSA certification. All students will be advised to utilise this option if available, the student will enter registration details (such name, date of birth etc.), following which they will be instructed to perform a ‘Webcam Test’. If the test is successful they will continue with this method of verification.
Should the test fail i.e. if students are unable to complete the verification using this method due to ability and/or equipment constraints such as device incompatibility or poor internet connection, they will be advised that they must verify their identification by submitting a certified copy of a government issued photo ID, completing an integrity declaration and participating in a short verbal verification in which the assessor will contact the student to confirm various identification questions.
This all forms part of a wider approach developed by Urban Global for Governments nationally to get back into the realms of real world technology and delivery.
For more information go to www.rsacourse.com