Keystroke biometrics for online course ID
10 January, 2013
category: Biometrics, Education
Free online class provider Coursera will start offering identity verification so that students can claim their class accomplishments, according to a report in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Coursera is launching a pilot project to check the identities of its students and offer verified certificates of completion for a fee. In order to validate the identities the company will use keystroke biometrics, which analyzes a user’s pattern and rhythm of typing to serve as identification.
The verification system will involve several steps, including taking a picture of a photo ID in front of a Web cam and then having the student pose for a second photo for an initial identity check.
A Coursera employee will compare the two images to see if they match. Students will then be asked to type a short phrase to register their keyboarding pattern with Coursera. Each time students submit assignments they must type the same short phrase for the system to check whether it matches their initial sample.
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