The design of a software architecture solution to address impersonation in online assessments in higher education

Abstract

The advent and accelerated development of computer and Internet technologies have resulted in the simplification, automation and integration of tasks. In education and training, the influence of these technologies includes the introduction and growth of online education and training or eLearning. Parallel to such positive developments caused by these technologies has been the rapid development of novel ways to engage in academic malpractices or cheating such as plagiarism from online and electronic sources, collusion or unauthorized collaboration, and impersonation. The eLearning mode of education means that there may be no physical contact at all between the provider and consumer of education. This mode allows educational transactions to happen over a physical distance. This separation can result in the student being an anonymous entity within the system. Academic fraud has drawn much attention as it threatens to undermine the credibility of online qualifications and assessments. This study was on the challenge of student impersonation and the authentication technologies that can be used against impersonation. Stakeholder concerns were solicited and various authentication technologies explored to design a software intensive, architectural solution that could reduce impersonation in online assessments. The research revealed the prime challenges faced by current anti-impersonation measures. The challenges faced include cost issues such as the acquisition of new hardware, the threats to personal data, data security and threats to privacy. This knowledge provided a foundation for the design of a software architecture for a secure online assessment system that can reduce impersonation. The low-cost solution would not demand new hardware implements beyond the basic configuration of a personal computer. The research employs a mixed method approach to solicit the concerns of stakeholders in online Higher Education assessments. The product of the research is a proposed software architecture description of a secure online assessment system that reduces impersonation. The proposed architecture combines different types of authenticators to deliver a “technologically secluded” student assessment environment. This proposed online assessment system is effective in reducing impersonation, is not expensive as it only requires basic computer hardware, and is less intrusive than other existing online assessment security systems .