Test Integrity (and Other Anti-Cheating Features)
Nobody likes cheaters! Professors least of all. Fortunately, Populi can help profs stick it to sneaky students with a wide range of built-in anti-cheating features and a couple integrations that'll keep dishonest pupils looking over their shoulders. Here's the full run-down.
Test Integrity

Test Integrity lets you add a combination of controls to the student test-taking experience.
- Require Fullscreen: If the browser window isn't in fullscreen, the student won't be able to answer test questions.
- Track copy-and-paste: If the student copies and/or pastes text into the test, Populi takes note of it.
- Webcam monitor: At frequent but random intervals, the student's webcam will snap a picture of him for your review.
You can use these controls in any combination you like. When the student submits the test, the Log provides you with an exhaustive diary of his attempt: every question answered (and re-answered), every webcam picture, every fullscreen exit, every time text is copied or pasted. If an incident really requires your attention, it's flagged and highlighted on the To Review tab in Tests so you can jump straight to the good stuff when reviewing his suspiciously swift journey through your stumper of a midterm.
Proctoring

You have a couple options for proctoring tests in Populi.
The built-in proctoring feature requires a proctor to enter a check-in code (emailed or texted to her by Populi) before the student can take the test. Before the student submits the test, the proctor has to enter a check-out code. In between entering those codes, the proctor has hopefully been keeping a keen eye on the student and preventing any tomfoolery or shenanigans. You can require proctoring for individual tests—or single out individual students for proctoring:
- You can add a proctoring exception for a particular student on the test, requiring him to be overseen even if no one else is.
- On the Student Info panel on the student's profile, you can require that he be proctored for all tests at all times, whether or not the prof requires it.
We also have an integration with Proctorio, a remote proctoring tool with a range of features including browser lockdown, ID verification, and webcam monitoring. The integration uses the LTI 1.3 technical standard, which lets Populi users securely connect with other tools and services without an additional login. That's a long-winded way of saying that if your school has a Proctorio account, you can set up the integration and use its various features to proctor tests in Populi courses.
Plagiarism Similarity Checking

Plagiarism is a perennial favorite of the corner-cutting cheater, and while you can't technically detect it with software, you can at least use tools like Turnitin to find similarity. And that's a good wedge to start prying into suspicious answers. If your school has a Turnitin or PlagiarismCheck.org account, that integration will let you check test essay questions for similarity with but a flick of your finger.
Availability, Passwords, and IP Filters

Test availability simply refers to when a student can access the test and actually take it. Outside of the availability window: no dice. Inside the availability window: dice.
A test password is just what it sounds like: to take the test, the student needs to enter the password in order to get started. If the test is proctored, it'll get sent to the proctor instead.
An IP address tells the Internet what device you're using and where it's connecting to the web. On tests, you can set up an IP address filter that will require students to take the test in a certain physical location—your classroom, the school library, even the local pool hall (hey, just because you can doesn't mean you should). If a student tries to access the test elsewhere, he won't be able to get in. Simple!
Enterprising profs can combine these settings in various ways. F'rexample, you could require that your students show up to Room 101 in the Science Building at noon on May 1st and finish the Final Exam by 2 PM, accessing the test using the password Pool Hall
.
Question Banks

While not an anti-cheating feature per se, each course has a test question bank—any question used on a test, imported from another course, or added directly to the bank itself will be found within its vaults. If you organize them into categories, you can then add a block of questions to a test as follows: 10 questions from the "Literature" category worth a total of 30 points. Let's say you have 40 questions in the Literature category... that means that every student will get their own unique combination of Literature questions (in their own unique order), making it all but impossible for one student to whisper to another, "Psst, what'd you get for Question #3?" or "Hey, watch out for Question #8... it's a real humdinger."
Tools for the vigilant
The best defense against cheating—whether catching it or preventing it in the first place—is a vigilant teacher. Populi is happy to provide tools to help in this effort, but there's only so much you can do with lines of code. Ultimately, it's up to the professor to dissuade students from taking unethical shortcuts and determining whether they did. We like to think of these tools as a simple, convenient augment to, and not a replacement for, the attention and care you give to your students and courses.