UWI students, admin in ‘privacy’ tussle over ‘lockdown browser’

Students at the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill are fuming over a move by campus administration to implement a “lockdown browser” – but it has nothing to do with the coronavirus.

The online proctoring software, Respondus Lockdown Browser, is a customised web browser that locks down the testing environment within a learning management system.

But in a statement Tuesday, the university said it was complying with requirements for international accreditation that it could lose if it cannot ensure the integrity of its exams.

A petition on change.org was started and up to the time of publication has garnered 2,196 signatures in their claim that the browser is a breach of privacy.

Ryan Harris said: “Nobody, not UWI, not the prime minister, not the president, not the pope, not anyone can tell me to download something on my device that I do not feel comfortable with…. The University of the West Indies just thinking about themselves and the image of the university and not the students who are under immense pressure already.”

Another student, Aaron Haynes, said: “I’m signing because this new implementation of the camera system, microphone system and browser system is a breach of my privacy not only for me but those around me.”

Mikayla Hinds questioned the university’s motive. She wrote: “This software is a breach of one of UWI’s core values – integrity. It states, and I quote, ‘The UWI will perform in an honest, caring, ethical and trustworthy manner…’ In what way can this be considered honest, caring, ethical or trustworthy behaviour?”

The matter has also caught the attention of the Guild of Students. In a letter to the campus’ Deputy Principal Professor Winston Moore, Guild President Kyle Holder-Leach outlined three main concerns of the student body.

The letter which was posted to the student union’s social media pages outlines concerns over safety and privacy, technical issues and inequity.

Holder- Leach wrote: “The implementation of the Respondus software has placed the student body under serious mental strain, this serves as a further layer of worry and concern that students aren’t in a position to handle. The Guild of Students believes in preserving and protecting the academic integrity of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus. However, we cannot support the administration in that mission, if it is done at the very high cost of the student body.”

The Guild president cautioned the university’s administration about adding additional pressure to students. “Furthermore, in alignment with the overarching interest of students’ wellbeing during this already difficult season, It is best that the university considers more feasible and conscientious alternatives that do not involve great risk than reward,” he continued.

After being contacted by Barbados TODAY, the university said in a statement it was implementing the software as a way to protect the integrity of the examinations.

The statement said: “The administration of The UWI Cave Hill campus has been made aware of a petition that is currently in circulation, where students are protesting using a “lockdown browser” for some courses in the Department of Management Studies. This software program is aimed at ensuring the utmost integrity of our examinations process.

“Several programmes in the Department of Management Studies, particularly Accounting; Marketing; and Human Resources, are internationally accredited by various professional bodies. These bodies require all exams to be proctored. Failure to enforce this mandatory proctoring exposes the University to the risk of losing international accreditation for its degrees.”
kobiebroomes@barbadostoday.bb