COMPUTER VISION FOR CLASSROOM “ENGAGEMENT DETECTION”: IS IT ETHICAL?

When you’re teaching in a traditional classroom, there is one thing that is usually obvious: When students are bored, lost, or distracted, they let you know. While most educators don’t love teaching to a sea of slouched bodies and yawning faces, these bodily signs offer important cues to help educators increase student engagement. But how do educators gauge engagement online? In the past, it was assumed that engagement detection was something beyond the scope of online education. Now advancements in computer vision have reached a point where it is possible to detect emotions in photographs and video footage. These advancements could transform engagement detection and online learning, but some people continue to wonder if the use of computer vision in educational settings is even ethical.Engagement continues to be raised as a concern by educators, especially in online learning contexts. In fact, research shows that many online courses suffer from low levels of student engagement. The engagement problem is especially apparent in large online courses or MOOCs where completion rates are often as low as 7%.