New remote invigilation innovation to legitimize online education

Remote invigilation – otherwise known as online proctoring – might just be the critical factor when measuring the success of online education. Online education without digital supervision would naturally be a sticking point for education accreditation boards across the globe. It is not surprising, therefore, that online proctoring solutions are growing.

Curtin University and the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) have been hard at work developing the Intelligent Remote Invigilation System (IRIS). It is a cloud-based platform which utilizes machine learning to monitor students during online examination and eTests.

During an examination the software records audio and video in real time. The machine learning studies these records and red-flags any suspicious behaviour. This evidence is automatically sent to the relevant examiners.

Screenshots are taken at intervals and sent to the invigilating program, this is to double-check what students are seeing on their screens. If anything, other than what should be there is detected, the program flags this as suspicious.

IRIS is cloud-based – this means that no heavy software is required on a student’s device; in fact it is so lightweight it can run on a web browser. Furthermore, because the machine learning is largely responsible for identifying potential cheaters, the requirement for staff involvement drops off significantly.

A big benefit to the system is the learning analytics that provide incredibly detailed insight into educational trends and patterns based on real student data. Curtin University told IT News that they hope to see the invention make its way to the ‘rest of Australia’s 700 Vocational Education and Training providers’.