Biometric Signature ID announced the results of a study which involved the use of "biometric only software for student authentication."

In a release Jeff Maynard, CEO of Biometric Signature ID said, “The study was very successful with 100% of participants from 9 campuses able to enroll and validate multiple times throughout the course.”

“BSI’s biometric technology is a new twist compared to the more traditional biometrics like fingerprint scanners as they do not require any special hardware or installation. The technology was found to be extremely effective with 99% of surveyed students having a positive experience. BSI has become a leader in remote authentication to verify student identity,” Lori McNabb, assistant director at the University of Texas System TeleCampus added.

According to BSI sources the re-authorized Education Act requires an institution that offers distance education to implement processes that can establish if the student who registers in a distance education course is the same student who participates in and completes the program and receives the academic credit.

Maynard added that if there is a need to find a cost effective replacement for proctoring exams to ensure academic integrity. The need is to implement identity proofing solutions that can be used efficiently in all distance learning environments including discussion groups, attendance checking, paper submissions, or accessing personal student files.

The pilot project launched by BSI involved eight academic and one medical branch campus and testing was done over a five week period where students had to authenticate their identity remotely 10 times. The purpose of the pilot project was to gauge user acceptance and test the technology.

The pilot enrollment process involved 167 students of which 52 percent were undergraduates and 38 percent were graduate students. Fifty percent of participating students were from math and sciences, business and education courses, while students from humanities, fine arts, nursing, and various medical disciplines formed the rest of the group.

BSI sources revealed that out of the students who completed the project which encompassed enrollment, ten validations, and a feedback survey, 97 percent felt enrollment was easy and 93 percent felt the same about the validation process.

Also most of the students felt that the BioSig-ID provided more protection than passwords. Participating students opined that the system was very easy to use and appreciated its value in increasing security. Enrollment and validation required very less time requiring an average duration of 21.5 seconds for the authentication process. Administration and help desk calls were minimum, noted BSI sources.

Dallas-based BSI specializes in identity proofing solutions to reduce identity fraud through its’ patented BioSig-ID Online biometric signature and gesture technology. The technology works with any mouse, stylus or touchpad on any PC anywhere and at anytime. BioSig-ID offers multiple levels of security and reduces or eliminates help desk calls for password resets.