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ABOUT THE ROOM SCAN FEATURE:
We wanted to offer a response to address faculty concerns regarding news pertaining to proctoring room scans.
First, it is important to note that the decision in the Cleveland State case was a trial-level decision in Ohio. We believe this decision is the first on this specific subject matter and recommend being mindful of it. As such, the university continues to support instructors administering remote exams as they see fit, within certain parameters. However, please note that this perspective could change as further legal developments manifest.
Second, our campus proctoring software, YuJa Verity, does have the Room Scan capability. Instructors can choose to enable this feature on a per-assessment basis. If you are personally uncomfortable utilizing this feature based on the potential for any violation of rights, we recommend not enabling it.
If you do want to use this feature, we recommend first considering if other methods to deter academic dishonesty could be used and the efficacy of those methods. Then, if you remain interested in using this feature, consider conducting only a “desk” scan rather than a room scan, and notify students in your syllabus and again at least several hours before each exam that a scan will be used. This should allow students to choose which space they’d like to take the exam in and time to put away any personal items they don’t want visualized during the scan. We do not recommend allowing other students in the class to view the scans, either live or recorded.
If you have any questions about this feature, please contact the Instructional Technology Center at itc@utm.edu or at 731.881.7877