Student Verification in Distance Education Courses

Stratford University operates in compliance with the provisions of the United States Federal Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), Public Law 110-315 concerning the verification of student identity in distance learning courses.

All credit-bearing courses and programs offered through distance learning methods must verify that the student who registers for a distance education course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the course or program and receives academic credit. One or more of the following methods must be used:

1. A secure login and pass code;
2. Proctored examinations; and/or
3. New or emerging technologies and practices that are effective in verifying student identification.

Stratford University uses Moodle as its learning management system. The Moodle system integrates with Stratford authentication services to ensure appropriate and secure student access to courses and other systems. All users of Stratford’s learning management system are responsible for maintaining the security of User ID and passwords, or any other access credentials as required. Attempting to discover another user’s password or attempts to gain unauthorized access to another person’s files or email is prohibited. It is against University policy for a user to give someone his or her password or to allow others to use his or her account.

In addition, Stratford’s Moodle learning management system provides student photos associated with accounts and this is visible to the instructor in areas of the course, including the discussion. Live audio and video of students interacting in the course is also a feature of the learning management system. As technology and personal accountability are not absolute in determining a student’s identity, instructors are encouraged to use these technologies and to design courses that use assignments and evaluations that support academic integrity.

All methods of verifying student identity in distance learning must protect the privacy of student information. If any fees associated with the verification of student identity will be charged to students, they must be notified of these charges in writing at the time of registration or enrollment.