The University of Wisconsin-Madison has decided to renew its contract with online proctoring software company Honorlock, which has attracted some criticism from students and members of the campus community who disagree with the software’s limitations for students.
Honorlock is digital supervision software that professors use when giving online tests to their students. Honorlock was first used at UW-Madison in 2020 when the pandemic hit and classes went fully online. The university is signing another one-year contract with Honorlock that runs through the end of this school year and covers 20,000 users, said John Lucas, assistant vice chancellor for university communications. The estimated cost is $ 267,800, which is roughly the cost of the contract last year when the school was online.
The software uses technologies like artificial intelligence, facial recognition software, and eye tracking technology that displays behaviors that can indicate that students are cheating on their tests. Students are required to show ID prior to the exam and, as a precaution, scan their room to show that there are no other students in the room to help them with their exam.
Some campus community members have raised concerns about the use of the test technology because it is “creepy”, “invasive” and discriminatory. Critics disapprove of Honorlock because the technology is compromising student privacy and adding to the fear of students who are already taking a test. The software also discriminates against certain test takers who are color students, and their behavior or skin color may be downgraded by the software.
“Honorlock makes me so anxious and I can’t concentrate on my test because I’m so worried and aware that the software is logging me in for suspicious behavior, even though I really only look down for a second to think” , UW -Madison Junior Lucy Kresia said.
Students have complained that Honorlock fails to recognize colored students and compromises privacy as the software records students and their surroundings as they take an exam. Honorlock can mark the appearance and behavior of students as abnormal. Honorlock and colleges deny these claims and believe that Honorlock provides a fair testing environment.
The software was successful in detecting fraud. According to the UW system data reported by Wisconsin Public Radio, malpractice cases increased from 317 cases in the 2019-20 school year to 608 in the 2020-21 school year.
However, since the classes are in person, community members are unsure why UW-Madison extended their contract with the software.
“UW-Madison has signed a contract with Honorlock to provide digital proctoring services to the campus from July 2020 through the 2021-22 academic year. While most of the courses will be offered in person this year, some will be virtual or hybrid, ”Meredith McGlone, spokeswoman for UW-Madison, said in an email.
Professors and faculties use honor lock for online exams for the remaining term of the university contract with the software. However, professors can turn off the face recognition setting.
“The instructor can adjust the honor lock settings based on the overall goals of the exam,” said McGlone, highlighting features like a scientific calculator and browser protection.
“All of the students who mentioned this testing platform to me had only negative things to say,” one academic advisor wrote to the Wisconsin State Journal. “It is an unnecessary extra burden on students who are already having difficulty learning virtually, and it is more harmful to already disadvantaged students. It has to go!”
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Some students are surprised that UW-Madison is extending their honor lock contract. Not only because of privacy concerns and resumption of in-person lessons, but also because of the settings and tools used by the software.
“I don’t like Honorlock because it stresses online learning and taking online tests even more. Also, students will find other ways to cheat, so it’s better not to use a discriminatory software system, ”said UW Madison Junior Marla Mitchell. “I am very surprised that the university is extending its contract with Honorlock.”
Despite student feelings, the university remains committed to the tool to ensure academic integrity.
“UW-Madison continues to take a thoughtful approach to digital proctoring that balances privacy and stress concerns with fairness and academic integrity. Honorlock’s offering as a centrally supported digital proctoring tool supports this approach. It’s also better in terms of accessibility and cybersecurity – and it improves the student experience as students don’t have to learn how to navigate different courses using different digital tools, ”said McGlone.
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