This session will demonstrate how remote proctoring services can expand access to inclusive education for all students. Session leaders will provide a snapshot into the future of education technology for students with disabilities and the path toward more inclusive and accessible online learning.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the 2015-2016 academic year, 19% of male undergraduate students and 20% of female undergraduate students in the United States reported having a disability. This is a staggering portion of the student population, yet many remote proctoring services lack the resources to level the academic playing field for students with disabilities. As a result, many students are forced to explain their disabilities to instructor after instructor in class after class.
With features like head movement-flagging, fully automated proctoring services pose a unique challenge for students with disabilities. For example, due to technological limitations, proctoring software cannot differentiate suspicious (and potentially dishonest) movements from the uncontrollable movement of a student with a tick. Even though settings like head movement-flagging are adjustable by individual exam administrators, repeatedly explaining their disability to professors can be stressful for students.
What if we could eliminate the need for students to explain their challenges to every exam administrator? What if we could limit the discomfort up to 20% of students face when they must disclose their disabilities to strangers?
If a student’s disability-friendly remote exam settings are consistent across all their courses, they won’t have to disclose personal circumstances to their instructor before they take every exam. Any exam setting adjustments that accommodate student disabilities are saved automatically with their institution, so they can be applied to all of a student’s exams throughout their time at a university.