TypingDNA and Tremend Unveil Biometric Online Proctoring Solution

TypingDNA has teamed up with Romania’s Tremend to protect the integrity of the student exams. The new observED app is essentially a digital proctor that leverages typing biometrics to guarantee the identity of someone taking a written exam.

Keystroke dynamics is one of several anti-cheating measures in observED. For example, the app utilizes document recognition to facilitate the onboarding of new users, asking them to hold up an official ID to the camera of the device they are using to take their test. That camera will then snap periodic photos of the user once the exam has started to ensure that the right person is sitting in front of the screen.

Tremend’s software will also scan the device’s browser history to make sure they are not checking other websites. The platform will send an alert to administrators if it spots any suspicious activity during the exam.

“We developed observED to help the universities and educational facilities adopt modern technologies that enable them to extend their educational footprint and offer more opportunities to students worldwide,” said Tremend Innovation Director Alexandru Paraschiv.

The two companies note that the demand for secure online testing solutions went up dramatically when schools shut down physical classrooms in response to COVID-19. TypingDNA previously offered a three-month free trial to educational institutions in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“observeED will propel the use of typing biometrics in the education industry as an alternative to face to face proctoring, which is no longer feasible,” said TypingDNA Chief Revenue Officer Tudor Goicea. “We hope that more online learning providers will facilitate the continuity of education for students of all backgrounds.”

The observED app is deployed through the Moodle plugin. Moodle is a Learning Management System that currently has upwards of 100 million users.

Tremend and TypingDNA are not the only companies trying to leverage biometrics for academic purposes. Examity’s online proctoring solution also uses keystroke dynamics, and has already been adopted by major institutions like UC Davis and Texas A&M.

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July 9, 2020 – by Eric Weiss