How uLearn’s proctoring platform makes online tests bias-free

It is fair to say that not everyone is an admirer of remotely proctored exams. There are several problematic aspects of the digital tools that carry out remote proctoring for online exams — the likelihood of candidates getting incorrectly flagged for cheating, the prospect of privacy violation of candidates and a few others. Arguably, the problem that dwarves these issues is candidate discrimination.

What are the discriminatory problems associated with online proctoring tools?

Proctoring tools closely monitor student movement during a remote proctored exam. Computer vision and facial recognition are used before students are allowed to access a given test. As you may know, there have been several instances of algorithmic bias associated with facial recognition tools in the past. When such bias creeps into the tools used for remote proctoring for online exams, the tools will be unable to differentiate one person of color from another. In many cases, the tool may simply fail to identify Black candidates and may ask them to go to bizarre lengths — such as turning the lights on or increasing the screen brightness — to become ‘visible’ to the system.

Apart from discrimination in terms of race and sexual orientation, candidates with physical and mental disabilities also may face unique issues. For example, candidates with limb-related disabilities or mental conditions such as cerebral palsy, Tourette’s Syndrome, and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) have movements that are different from candidates without disabilities. Flagging such candidates for cheating is another example of bias in proctoring systems.

How does uLearn tackle algorithmic bias?

Surely enough, AI is the answer to address bias-related issues in online proctoring software. The key to preventing algorithmic bias is to include people of color and those with physical and mental disabilities in the development process of AI-based proctoring software. For instance, uLearn makes sure that such inclusivity is maintained during the creation of its online proctoring software. Additionally, uLearn’s remote proctoring tool undergoes timely updates to improve its facial recognition and other imaging tools, keeping the application consistently free of bias.

Apart from making your online assessments cheat-proof, uLearn’s digital tool for remote proctored exams also maintains data integrity with its end-to-end encryption feature. This ensures that the sensitive student data is protected and only the educator conducting the test possesses it at all times.

Kindly get in touch with our customer service team to discover more about our AI-based tool that ensures first-class remote proctoring for online exams.

To know more about uLearn visit: https://ulearn.io/