Home > Faculty & Staff > Policies & Procedures > Policy 9.7.2
Policy 9.7.2
Policy and Procedures Manual
Classification Number: 9.7.2
Revised: August 9, 2017
SUBJECT: DISTANCE EDUCATION: VERIFICATION OF STUDENT IDENTITY, NOTIFICATION OF ANY ADDITIONAL COST RELATED TO VERIFICATION OF STUDENT IDENTITY AND PRIVACY OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSES
Purpose - The purpose of the policy is to outline requirements for students taking distance education courses, including verification of student identity, the requirement to notify students of any additional costs associated with verification of student identity and protection of privacy of students enrolled in distance education courses.
Individual with Primary Responsibility for Implementation of This Policy: Director of WBUonline
Verification of Identity of Students Enrolled in Distance Education Courses
The Director of WBUonline will establish procedures for verifying identity of students enrolled in distance education courses that align with acceptable practice in higher education. At a minimum, students are issued a unique identifier that can be updated to something known only to the student to ensure a secure login to the learning management system. Instructors are encouraged to utilize a system that allows for two-way audio/video exchange to meet with their students face-to-face at leave once during the term. Additionally, in classes with exams, instructors are encouraged to have at leave one proctored exam during the term that allows live authentication by the proctor either face-to-face or remotely using a remote testing system with live authentication. Identity in this forum can be verified through both photo ID and keystroke technology, as well as recorded or live monitoring of students during exams.
Notification of Additional Costs Associated with Verification of Student Identity in Distance Education Courses
Students must be notified of any projected additional costs associated with verification of student identity. Such notices will be provided at the time of registration and will describe policy and procedures for online classes. These notices will include information concerning the possibility of the requirement for proctored exams, along with an explanation of options available for proctoring. Students will be advised that they are responsible for any fees associated with proctoring if they elect off-site or remote proctoring
Protection of Privacy of Students Enrolled in Distance Education Courses
Students enrolled in online courses will be afforded protection of their privacy through multiple means. All provisions of the Family Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA) apply to online students. WBUonline will maintain the site for information on courses and instructors for online courses. All registration and gathering of data will be through a password protected site unique to the student or instructor. All data will be stored in the institution's integrated student management system. The learning management system will pull data from the student management system (student ID, email, and course enrollment) to populate the courses for the student. Each student will have access only to the courses associated with the login assigned to that individual student (specific student ID). Upon initial login to the learning management system, which runs under SSL to ensure data privacy of transmitted data, students will be encouraged to create a new, unique password, and they will be prompted to review individual security settings which limit the release of personal information such as email addresses only upon approval of the student.
Contact for Interpretation: Vice President of External Campuses
This policy statement supersedes all previous policy statements on this subject.
Revisions:
- 08/09/2017 - Inception of policy
Printable Policy 9.7.2
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