Straighterline New Proctor Policy Change

[StraighterLine Team]

Pjbarney you bring up a few valid points. While it may be true that if someone is going to cheat, they can try...That is hardly justification to not improve academic integrity. Only one pricing model is affected for an increased cost of $10 which will be less than the cost of your gas to drive to take an exam at an in person proctored location. (Not even account for the time spent driving.)

StraighterLine courses are great for any self-paced learner. Those that are already knowledgeable can prove it by taking the assessments. Those that need to learn the material are greatly benefited by our course content that uses McGraw Hill and other high quality resources. The fact that there is no time limit on the class completion is a benefit all of its own. You can't find this kind of flexibility anywhere else. Other services we are going to start offering include the ability to optionally add a professor to your course who will guide you through the content and be able for help. (This is above and beyond the 10 hours of free tutoring per course already currently offered.) You can read about the additional professor service here: Startup that provides online college courses wants to help professors expand reach, while students save - baltimoresun.com

As for your invasion of privacy concerns, what sort of policy could we implement to make you or other students feel comfortable? How is our choice to use a proctoring service which we can monitor any different than other colleges requiring online or in-person proctoring services? The proctor doesn't get control of your computer like you're describing, they can just see what you see. The webcam you use isn't location specific and you can take it on a public computer at a location of your choosing, or in the comfort of your own home. Some students may be concerned about privacy, others will prefer the convenience this service offers. Both types of students have choices.

If I've inadequately addressed anyone's concerns please let me know. We're here to help students. Again, we apologize for the lack of information on this upcoming change and we recognize that we could have done a better job in the release of its information. But in all fairness it hasn't even been a full business day since the change was made public.

SLT, if someone is going to cheat, they will find a way, and they will still cheat. No one on this forum believes SL policy change is directed toward "integrity."
A month ago, I thought SL would be a good deal. I'm glad I didn't sign up. It's a much better deal for self-paced study students to take a CLEP or DSST and have a choice in who will proctor the test. I see no advantage and many disadvantages to using SL now.
In none of your replies here or on FB have you addressed one major concern: invasion of privacy, as in allowing a stranger access and control of our computers. Proctor U is a business, and it seems anybody can become a proctor. I question Proctor U's and SL's ability to address these concerns to my satisfaction. I would rather study elsewhere, spend gas money to drive an hour and take my CLEP.