E-LEARNING

In the rapidly growing world of eLearning and online certifications, platforms and providers are increasingly grappling with sophisticated identity challenges. As these online education avenues become more prevalent, ensuring the integrity and authenticity of the learning experience is key.

In this article, we dive into the identity verification challenges that these platforms face and explore how biometric authentication technologies are emerging as a potent solution to these problems. Plus, we cover what educational institutions need to consider when it comes to choosing the best biometric solution for optimizing demographic parity.

Identity Verification in eLearning and Online Certifications Today

For organizations in the eLearning and online certifications industry that have not yet embraced biometric solutions, identity verification processes primarily rely on traditional methods (like passwords, security questions, and SMS verification) or newer, non-biometric technological solutions (like 2FA, digital tokens, and secure browsing sessions). These approaches aim to maintain the integrity of online learning and assessment environments, though they often face challenges in terms of security and user convenience. Plus, none of these methods can fully ensure that the person enrolled in a course or taking an exam is the one actually doing the work throughout the entire process. They offer layers of security that can deter casual cheating and unauthorized access, but determined impersonators can often find ways around these measures.

In contrast, biometric methods offer a more direct and difficult-to-forge means of verifying identity.

Identity Challenges in eLearning and Online Certifications

The core of the issue lies in verifying the identity of online learners and ensuring that the person enrolled in the course or exam is the same individual who completes the coursework or certification process. Traditional verification methods, such as passwords or security questions, have proven inadequate for several reasons, including:

Impersonation:

There’s a rising concern about students hiring impostors to complete courses or take exams (aka proxy testing) on their behalf, compromising the integrity of the certifications.

Credential Sharing:

Students may share their login credentials with others, allowing unauthorized individuals to access course materials or even take exams.

Fraudulent Activities:

The anonymity of online platforms can facilitate various fraudulent activities, including the submission of work that is not the student’s own.

Lack of Physical Supervision:

Without physical supervision, it’s challenging to ensure that the registered individual is the one attending the course or taking the test.

These challenges pose significant risks to the credibility of eLearning platforms and the value of online certifications, prompting the need for more robust identity verification mechanisms.

The Role of Biometrics in Addressing Identity Verification Challenges

Biometrics offers a sophisticated solution to these challenges by utilizing unique biological characteristics to verify identity. This technology ensures that the person accessing the course or taking the exam is indeed the enrolled student. Here’s how eLearning platforms and online certification providers are leveraging biometric technology:

Facial Recognition:

Students simply submit a photograph or video using their webcam or smartphone during the enrollment process and facial recognition software analyzes this data to create a biometric template that will be used for future verifications. This technology can also continuously verify a student’s identity during testing, ensuring that the registered student is the one appearing in front of the screen. Advanced algorithms can detect changes in appearance and flag potential impersonations.

Voice Recognition:

In cases where voice interaction is part of the course or examination process, capturing a voiceprint can serve as a unique identifier, useful for both initial verification and continuous authentication.

Fingerprint Recognition:

While more common in physical settings, fingerprint recognition is also being integrated into digital devices used for eLearning. This method ensures that access to course materials and exams is tightly controlled.

Keystroke Dynamics:

This method analyzes the way a user types, including rhythm and typing speed, to create a unique behavioral biometric profile. It’s particularly useful for ongoing verification throughout an online course or exam.

Eye Tracking and Iris Recognition:

Advanced methods like eye tracking and iris recognition are used in high-stakes testing environments to ensure that the test taker remains focused on the exam and to verify identity through unique iris patterns.

What’s Important to Consider When Implementing Biometrics?

It’s important to note that not all biometric solutions are built the same. Key concerns today include privacy, security, and the accuracy of these technologies, especially around their ability to correctly identify individuals of different ethnicities, ages, and genders. The data sets used to train biometric systems can themselves be biased, leading to errors in identification that might disproportionately affect certain groups. For providers, this means training on diverse data sets and continuous evaluation for improvement of these technologies are necessary to ensure they serve their purpose effectively and fairly. For educational institutions, it means choosing wisely when partnering with a biometrics provider.

So, what’s important to keep in mind when it comes to choosing a biometric solution? A few questions to consider include:

1. Are the biometric solution’s algorithms trained on diverse data sets? The top performing algorithms are over 99 percent accurate across a variety of demographics, which helps create a biased-proof system.
2. Does the biometric solution offer multiple modalities, like face, voice, iris, and fingerprint? It’s important to offer multiple modality options to support individuals with differing accessibility requirements.
3. Has the biometric solution been evaluated by a reliable source? Tests like the NIST Face Analysis Technology Evaluation (FATE) can provide insights on the performance of passive, software-based Presentation Attack Detection (PAD) algorithms.