Verification of Student Identity
Per federal law, institutions offering online or remote education (hereinafter referred to as distance education) must have processes to establish that the student who registers in such courses is the same student who participates in and receives academic credit.
The University meets the federal requirement by authenticating student identities through an individual secure login and password (i.e. User ID and password). The University may also authenticate student identities through a combination of the following methods:
- Proctored examinations (i.e. Respondus Monitoring - http://louisville.edu/delphi/blackboard/help/instructor-help/respondus-lockdown-browser);
- Pedagogical and related practices that are effective in verifying student identity (faculty review, questioning students, etc.); or
- Other technologies and practices approved by the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning that have been shown to be effective in verifying student identification.
Institutions failing to comply with verification of student identity requirements could potentially be required to return financial aid disbursed for courses found in violation and may be responsible for covering all costs for verification of student identity (ex. proctored exams) for a course that does not notify students of such charges prior to enrollment
Associated Fees
The University is required, through federal regulations and SACS, to notify students of any additional student charges associated with the verification of student identity at the time of registration or enrollment. Federal regulations also require the University to make readily available to enrolled and prospective students the cost of attending the institution (34 CFR § 668.43).
The University notifies all students of projected additional costs in the Schedule of Classes as follows:
Additional Costs for Your Course – You may incur additional charges for your course, such as fees for textbooks, other materials, proctored exams, and technology. Please check with your course instructor for a list of possible additional items or services you will need. You may also click on the title of class for the section you have selected. This will take you to the Course Catalog page where you can click on the "View Required Books" button.
The University recommends that course instructors notify students of any projected additional student charges associated with verification of student identity (such as proctoring fees or the purchase of a webcam) in the course syllabus or the course shell in Blackboard.
Instructors who do so may include the following statement in the course syllabus or course shell in Blackboard:
“[Indicate the number exams/projects that will be proctored.] Students may incur a fee depending on the proctor selected or whether they already own the required equipment.”