Webinar Week on Online Assessment

1. Trust, privacy and ethics
Dr. Ekaterina Muravyeva, Open Universiteit

2. When the pandemic started…
• Educational institutions  educational services without delay and the loss of
quality
• OUNL  online assessment with online proctoring
• Personal data  identity and/or authorship verification
• Educational institutions, students, teachers, employers, quality assurance
agencies…..  all want to be able to trust
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3. Trust
In the context of (online) e-assessment trust is a multi-layered
concept (Edwards et al., 2018), encompassing trust in:
1. technology;
2. the deployment of technology;
3. the organisation deploying e-assessment;
4. privacy and personal data processing;
5. reliability and fairness of the assessment process.
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4. Privacy: legal ground and proportionality
The GDPR identifies six grounds for lawful processing of personal
data (González & de Hert, 2019):
1. consent of the data subject;
2. the performance of a contract;
3. a legal obligation of the controller;
4. the vital interests of the data subject;
5. a task carried out in the public interest or by an official authority;
6. the legitimate interest of the controller or another third party.
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5. Ethics come into play…
• …because academic integrity is at stake here,
• but privacy as well because of the use of personal data
(some groups of users may feel to depend on these
technologies (e.g. due to special needs) and hence,
more or less ‘pushed’ to consent)
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6. Trust in technology
• Usability and ease of support
• Guidelines and support for students
on the technical process to reduce stress
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 Test exam
 System check
 Clear step-by-step instruction
about the procedure (ID-check,
materials check, wrist/ear check)
Evaluations at OUNL: provide
feedback at the end of the
assessment process that assures
students of proper receipt and
storage of their answers

7. Trust in the deployment
of technology
• Transparency
• Trust in the competence by
teachers, assessors, proctors,
exam committee, staff involved in
complaints and appeal procedures
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Irregularities are defined as “(…) any event
as a result of which the knowledge and ability
of the candidate cannot be determined or the
quality of the interim or final examination
cannot be guaranteed” (Education and
examination regulation, 2020).

8. • Institution’s general reputation in terms of quality of
teaching and learning services
• Protection of academic standards and ethical
considerations related to students feeling stress
• Protection of academic standards is… very much in
the interest of students as well
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Trust in the organisation
deploying e-assessment

9. Trust in personal data processing
• Transparency
• Cybersecurity
• Licences, compliance with the GDPR,
data sharing agreement…
• Diversify: continue digital examination
and allow students to choose
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10. Online proctoring at OUNL: legal ground
During the pandemic:
• Prohibited any face-to-face exams
• Record & review proctoring at OUNL
• Necessity to perform a task carried
out in the public interest, i.e.
certification.
After the pandemic:
• Option to take exams either at a
study centre or at home
• Legal ground for personal data
processing changed to ‘consent’.
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11. (Informed) consent
… is any freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication of the data
subject’s wishes by which he or she, by a statement or by a clear affirmative action,
signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to him or her
(art. 4 GDPR).
Informed consent procedure includes:
• providing relevant information to students through an information letter, and
• documenting students’ consent through a consent form
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13. Trust in reliability and fearness
of the assessment process
Does a room scan by a second camera at the start of the assessment suffice to
assure reliability?
To what extend is a students’ performance influenced by stress induced by a fear
that the technology is not working properly?
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Threats Approach
Firstly, that the person taking the exam
is not the intended candidate
Identity verification
Secondly, that the candidate is
somehow assisted in responding to the
assessment tasks
Authorship verification in relation to
various types of academic dishonesty

14. The question is…
Which approaches are most effective to foster academic integrity?
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