Online Student Identification

Publication: Catalog

Policy Statement

Online student identification is based on course syllabus policy statements, student affirmation on every assignment and examination, chat room participation, telephone interviews, institutional email addresses, and password protected course and portal access. The student must be notified of any projected fees associated with student identity verification. Responsibilities for the consistent application of student identity verification procedures must be clearly stated and described.

Rationale

Carolina University (CU) must operate in compliance with the provisions of the United States Federal Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008, Public Law 110-315 that requires the verification of student identity in distance or correspondence education. This policy ensures that Carolina University operates in compliance with the provisions of the HEOA concerning verification of student identity in distance and correspondence education. All methods of verifying student identity must protect the privacy of student information in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and any other applicable laws or regulations regarding the confidentiality of personally identifiable information.

Policy Procedures

Verification Methods:

CU uses a secure single sign-on (SSO) login to ensure that the student who enrolls in a course is the same student who participates in the course.

• Upon admission, the student receives a unique student identification (ID) number.
• Students receive a set of login credentials to access the Learning Management System (LMS), email, Google Apps, Office 365, payment portal, etc.
• Initial login provides users with a set of security questions to further verify their identity in order to use the password reset service.
• The MyCarolinaU system requires regular authentication through SSO. A default timeout is set so that users are required to authenticate within a set period and mitigate risk of fraudulent activity.
• All coursework is to be submitted through the LMS to further ensure student identification and facilitate use of technologies that will further aid in identity verification which may include synchronous engagement and the implementation of learning tools such as Turnitin, GoReact, or Zoom.

Student Privacy:

All methods of verifying student identity must protect the privacy of student information in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and any other applicable laws or regulations regarding the confidentiality of personally identifiable information.

• Students can manage their education records and courses through secure login.
• Students can manage their password resets through the MyCarolinaU portal using the security questions set up upon initial login.
• Carolina University maintains firewalls, anti-virus software, and intrusion prevention methods designed to negate the threat of unauthorized access. Students are encouraged to maintain their personally-owned devices with appropriate technology to enhance personal privacy.
• If a student requires assistance from the technology department, identity verification will be required using identifiers from the student information system (SIS). Possible identifiers are student ID, birthdate, last 4 digits of their Social Security Number (SSN), and address. In-person assistance may include an official photo identification to expedite the verification process.
• Passwords are never emailed directly to users. A password algorithm such as PassMMDD (where MMDD represents the 2-digit month and 2-digit day of the birthdate on file for the user) allows the technician to provide sufficient data to the verified user without compromising security. In cases where an algorithm cannot be used, a third-party encryption service will be used to provide secure communication.
• CU reserves the right to adjust the timeout on MyCarolinaU and other password-protected areas to further mitigate risk of academic misconduct and fraudulent activity.

Fees:

Carolina University does not charge additional fees for student identity verification. However, it is routine practice for students in an online course to have a headset and camera for audio and video capabilities. Faculty provide this specific information in their course materials and syllabus.

Compliance

SACSCOC standard 10.6

United States Federal Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008, Public Law 110-315