Posted on Apr 7, 2022Updated on Apr 13, 2022, 1:37 pm CDT
A viral TikTok has college students up in arms after a professor revealed that Canvas—a popular learning management software—allows teachers to see when students leave a quiz page.
The TikTok, which has amassed over 20 million views and 2.3 million likes, shows a student’s quiz data involving when the student started and answered questions on a quiz. However, as the creator points out, the data also shows when students leave a quiz page.
“When you leave a Canvas quiz-taking page and go somewhere else, to a Powerpoint or Google to search for the answer, it tells the teacher when you stopped viewing the Canvas page and when you returned,” the creator, @genx_professor, said in the video.
Commenters had mixed reactions to this realization.
“Good! Shows that they will know how to look up answers in the real world,” one commenter wrote.
The creator clarified in the comments that she doesn’t hold it against students when they leave the quiz.
“Idc if they use notes,” she wrote. “Even in person, my tests/quizzes are open note/open book because irl people just look up answers they don’t know.”
Other commenters pointed out how they get around this feature.
“That’s why I have two computers,” one commenter said.
“This why you take the quiz or test on your laptop and use your phone as the cheat sheet,” wrote another.
Canvas itself is a popular course-management platform used at universities that saw a sharp rise in popularity during the pandemic for its remote tools: Instructors can post grades and materials, much like Blackboard. It also tracks more than students realized, apparently.
Surveillance by private learning management systems (LMS) is not new but came under increased scrutiny during the pandemic. LMS systems must comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal policy intended to safeguard the privacy of students and their guardians and give students some control over the disclosure of private information. However, LMS’s can comply with FERPA without consent from the end-user under a “school official exception” loophole that allows schools to disclose information to educational services.
Time spent on each quiz question: Canvas tracks the amount of time a student spends on each quiz question [1]. This information allows professors to assess the student's engagement and understanding of the material. Leaving the quiz window: Canvas can detect when a student leaves the quiz window [2].
Through the Quiz Log function, the system will detect when the person taking the online test opens a new tab or browser, recording and reporting any suspicious action. Canvas can also avert cheating by locking the browser during the exam.
The short answer is no. Canvas itself cannot discern whether content has been written by a human or AI. Canvas focuses on providing tools for coursework management and delivery rather than policing content origin.
Proctored tests: In proctored exams, Blackboard or Canvas can detect the switching of tabs through the use of a proctoring software known as Respondus monitor. Switching tabs might result in the software flagging the user and redirecting them back to the test page.
According to Canvas's official website, the platform doesn't specifically detect split screens during quizzes. Canvas relies on measures like tracking inactivity and window/tab selection in the quiz log history to counteract potential cheating.
In reality: Canvas does not identify direct copy-paste actions. It means that if you copy a question or a piece of content and paste it into Canvas, the system itself doesn't flag this action. However, the content pasted can still be checked for plagiarism by tools like Unicheck.
Students will only be able to view the results immediately after they have completed the quiz—results include both their responses and the correct answers.
When taking a quiz, Canvas saves responses as a student progresses. Canvas can only record question response data as long as the student is online. If a student “goes offline,” his or her quiz responses will be saved up to the moment before the lost connection.
To View Survey Results • Click Quizzes in the Course Navigation pane.Click the survey title. To view individual submissions, click the settings icon and select Show Student Survey Results; select a student from the list to see the individual responses.
Canvas provides professors with a series of data points and graphs that rate student performance. These include showing how often students click on each page within a Canvas course, actions taken once there and the number of overall minutes spent on the class website.
Proctored tests: In proctored exams, Blackboard or Canvas can detect the switching of tabs through the use of a proctoring software known as Respondus monitor. Switching tabs might result in the software flagging the user and redirecting them back to the test page.
Copy/paste can't be detected by the Canvas system. A lecturer can, however, search for plagiarism in the submitted work. This can be avoided by first paraphrasing the document, making it original, and then copying and pasting it into Canvas.
The system won't automatically notice a split screen unless the student actively clicks away from the active Canvas test page. It's important to know that Canvas becomes more capable in detecting and even restricting split screens during proctored tests when tools like Respondus Monitor and Proctorio are used.
Introduction: My name is Frankie Dare, I am a funny, beautiful, proud, fair, pleasant, cheerful, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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