Gabe teninbaum, a professor at Suffolk University Law School, is calling on ExamSoft to fix a serious bug with its test-taking software. It’s a problem that can delay test takers – or bar them from starting their exams altogether. Per reports, it disproportionately impacts people with dark skin tones.

Examsoft’s software records students while they complete remote exams and monitors for signs of academic dishonesty. The software monitors test-takers who they say they are.

Facial-Recognition algorithms make more errors in identifying black faces than they do white ones. Multiple non-white exam-takers told the New York Times that the software could n’t identify them due to’poor lighting’.

The @ ExamSoft software ca n’t’recognize’ him due to’poor lighting’. The software could n’t work for people of color.

Examsoft is in a board room with all of the lights turned on and the sun was still up. The system can not recognize me.

Teninbaum believes such errors add undue stress to an already stressful time period period.’these are students who are about to take a high-stakes exam with a lot on the line, and that is very unwelcome,’ he said.

Every time you go into an exam you just want to focus on the exam,’ he said.’you do n’t want to feel like you have these added challenges’.

Teninbaum believes that schools owe it to marginalized students not to rely on a category of software that’s known to be discriminatory.’students deserve to feel that their institution is doing what it can to protect their rights, interests, and dignity,’ he says.

Teninbaum’s report is published in the Journal of robotics, artificial intelligence, and law. teninbaum outlines the workaround he found in his report.

He proposes to ask ExamSoft to enable’deferred identification,’ a feature built into the software that allows students to proceed with exams even if ID fails. This feature is basically hidden – it’s not mentioned anywhere on ExamSoft’s website.

Examsoft will send the selfies to the school afterwards, and automatically verify everyone.’we know who our students are,’ says teninbaum.

Examsoft makes the’deferred identification’ available to customers. He also suggests that ExamSoft make the feature accessible to customers.

Teninbaum hopes the changes will last beyond the covid-19 pandemic, and can help students feel more comfortable taking remote classes.

Students have experienced a range of hiccups with ExamSoft’s proctoring software. Over 3,000 people who took California’s bar exam had their videos flagged for potential rule violations.

A group of six us senators – including Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren, and Corey Booker – wrote an open letter to ExamSoft in December. They highlighted potential harms to students of color and students with disabilities, among other concerns.