Introduction
In a world where technology constantly evolves, it’s essential to keep up with the latest trends. Schools and corporations now use surveillance software to track students’ eye movements and keyboard strokes to detect cheating. While some might see this as an invasion of privacy, others believe it can make students more ethical. In this post, we’ll explore why online education providers are turning to these programs—and what it means for teaching and learning in the 21st century.
Proctoring software is a growing trend with schools and corporations trying to keep students honest.
Proctoring software is a growing trend with schools and corporations trying to keep students honest. Some schools have used it for years, but more and more are adopting it.
Corporations that use this kind of software are likely doing so because they want their employees to be as productive at work as possible. These tactics cannot be accessible if the company has people working remotely from home offices or coffee shops during certain hours each day (or night). Some companies also use proctoring software so supervisors can watch over employees during training sessions – anywhere where supervision might not otherwise be available between shifts, for example.
These programs can track everything from eye movements to keyboard strokes.
You might have heard about “trackers” or “counters” when looking for a program to help you stay on task. These programs can track everything from eye movements to keyboard strokes. Some even monitor what your mouse is doing, like if you’re hovering over something or clicking it. They can also keep track of how many times your cursor has moved within a specific window, how many times the scroll bar moves up and down, etc.
The bottom line is that these programs are watching your every move—and they’re not particularly interested in the fact that you may be trying to get work done.
For some people, this might be a good thing.
The fact that young students are watched by their teachers is well-intentioned in their adolescence. They need to learn how to be honest and ethical adults. These are necessary qualities that should be developed early on. Yet, the pervasiveness of surveillance education now reaches beyond the classroom and into many students’ adulthood. The Internet is a
beautiful tool but presents many opportunities for wrongdoing and malice. Students must understand the consequences of online actions to use technology responsibly as they grow up.
In today’s society, where everything you do is recorded, having some semblance of privacy seems like an impossible luxury—but it doesn’t have to be that way! You can still make mistakes without feeling like everyone will discover them eventually (although some people will find out).
People learn in different ways.
People learn in different ways. Some people are visual learners, others are auditory learners, and some are kinesthetic learners. That is to say that they know better when they see it, hear it, or do it.
The best way to determine your learning style is by taking this questionnaire: https://www.pyramidpublishinggroup- images.com/content/pdfs/learningstyles_test_online_poster_.pdf (also available online)
Another way of determining your learning style is by looking at how you process information when reading a textbook or watching a video lecture from an instructor on campus or online. Do you take notes as you read? Do you like to pause the video frequently to summarize? Do you watch all of the videos before taking any notes? These answers will indicate your preferred method for learning new material and should help guide future decisions about classroom attendance versus distance education options for yourself or others in your life.
Learning styles are not set in stone and can change with time and experience. For example, some people may be kinesthetic learners at first but become more visual or auditory learners over time as they mature. Some people who were always auditory learners suddenly learn better when they see it instead of listening to someone explain something new.
These programs don’t account for the neurodivergent.
While the growing popularity of online education is a welcome development for many students, it is essential to note that these programs don’t account for the neurodivergent.
Some students have learning disabilities, social anxiety, and other mental health issues that make taking tests difficult. Others aren’t good at testing material in general. Many factors are at play when attempting to administer an online test, including the platform used to create it and individual students’ time spent preparing for it.
Some believe surveillance education could lead to increased cheating as students try to protect their privacy.
Some believe surveillance education could lead to increased cheating as students try to protect their privacy.
There are many ways that students will try to protect their privacy:
- Privacy-protecting software, such as Tor and VPNs.
- Virtual private networks (VPNs).
- Tor browser.
- Ad blockers/firewalls can be downloaded on browsers like Chrome or Safari; these websites block third-party content from loading when you visit a page through an ad blocker/firewall installed in your browser.
Are we teaching students to be unethical?
Suppose the teacher is the person who introduces and teaches ethical issues. In that case, it’s also the teacher’s role to ensure students are aware of the ethical implications of their actions. After all, teaching children about ethics is a way for them to understand better what it means to be human. The goal here isn’t simply to get kids not to cheat on tests or steal from stores; our goal should be to help them understand how they can use this knowledge in real-life situations without crossing any lines.
If students aren’t given proper guidance concerning their online behavior and privacy rights, they could make poor decisions down the road—and those poor decisions could have lasting effects on their lives. As educators (and as parents), we need more than just short-term solutions; we need long-term resolutions that help instill lifelong values in our young people so that they will grow up knowing how important it is for us all to respect each other’s privacy rights and honor personal boundaries at all times!
A reflective look at surveillance software in online education and what it means for teaching and learning.
The privacy of online students is under increasing threat. While this is an issue that many teachers have been aware of for some time, it’s become increasingly apparent in recent years as the number of schools adopting lockdown browsers has increased dramatically.
Lately, I’ve noticed that my students seem more concerned about surveillance software than ever before—and not just because they know I’m writing this article. They’re worried about how much information their instructors can access from their computers and accounts, which is understandable given their past experiences. As a teacher, I’m also highly aware—and disturbed—by how easy it can be for my colleagues to access information about any student who takes one of my courses at any time (and vice versa).
Offline instructors don’t want us using ordinary browsers like Chrome or Firefox because they don’t trust us enough! The problem isn’t just technical anymore; it’s now social too because these programs help keep tabs on your behavior while using educational technology tools so that all users are treated equally across platforms.
I am making a case for privacy in online classes.
The right to privacy is not just a nice thing; it’s essential. It has been said that “privacy is the most important of all rights because, without privacy, you cannot exercise any other rights” (Greenfield). Privacy enables individuals to make decisions about their own lives and bodies without fear of shame, judgment, or punishment by others. When applied to online education environments, students should be able to explore topics and subjects in ways free from scrutiny or interference by administrators or faculty members—significantly when those behaviors do not interfere with academic standards or objectives.
Privacy can also be beneficial for student retention because more significant levels of privacy may improve overall mental health among students who are more likely than their peers at traditional institutions (those who attend classes on campus) to feel stressed out due to time constraints and workloads associated with distance education programs.
Conclusion
What does this mean for our students and us? As we forge ahead with new technologies, we must remember that they are not neutral tools. They have a tangible impact on the learning environment and how students learn. Surveillance education has its place, but there should be limits set on its use so that we don’t turn into Orwellian overlords who dictate how everyone else learns best.