Information about ITX Flex

The purpose of digital exam monitoring is to collect data on examinees’ computers which can document whether the exam has proceeded according to the rules, or whether cheating has taken place. This data can also be used in connection for applications for exemptions from exam rules. The data documents what has taken place on the examinee’s computer during the exam. For more information about what kind of data is collected during the exam, see the FAQ below.  

ITX Flex is a program you as a student must download and install before taking a digital exam. The program is used for monitoring your computer e.g. whether you communicate during the exam.

As astudent you use a unique individual exam code to activate the programme which you access via the Digital Exams system. As soon as ITX Flex is activated using the code and the exam begins, the system initiates monitoring of your  computer. Monitoring continues until 15 minutes after the hand in, even if you disconnect from the internet. When you have submitted your exam paper, it becomes possible for you to close the programme and end the monitoring. The system can only monitor your  computer if you have activated it using your personal code.

A very limited group of employees (1-2 employees) at each faculty as well as a very few employees at AU Student Administration and Services have access to the students’ data.

Data can be used by the administration in connection with cases related to the exam for which the data has been collected. Few employees have direct access to the data, and no one else can retrieve data from the system for use by the rest of the administration.

No teaching staff, examiners or co-examiners can access the data.

In connection with digital exams using ITX Flex, the following will be registered during the exam:

• That the examinee has registered his or her participation via an ITX Flex client via personal code and PIN code
• When the following was last registered from the student’s computer:
  • Heartbeat to the ITX server
  • A screen grab to the ITX server
    • Use of multiple physical or virtual screens is not permitted. Monitoring can work with multiple monitors, but requires permission from the study administration. As a student, you must ensure that the ITX Flex's red frame is present around the screen. If not, you must contact the invigilator. When using multiple monitors (virtual/physical), the student should ensure that the computer's monitor settings are set to extended desktop. You check it by seeing if there is a red frame around all screens.
• The latest screen grab from the student’s computer can be seen by the exam supervisor during the exam via an exam supervisor interface

This data can only be accessed by the exam supervisors who are present during the written exam.

The following data about each student is collected and archived during an ITX Flex exam:

• The program actively takes randomized screen grabs
• While the program is running, it takes snapshots of the process list on the computer
• The programme registers the period during which it is active on the computer

Note: If sensitive personal data is found when the student’s data is reviewed, it will be possible to delete it.

The program continues to register data while the exam is in progress and fifteen minutes after the student have handed in their exam. After this time, the program ceases to register data on the computer on which it is installed, even if the program continues to run.

Data is stored for six months, after which it is deleted. If a student logs on to the Digital Exams system after this point and clicks the link in the exam submission receipt to the data, the data will have been deleted, and no data report will be visible.

The data is stored securely and confidentially by the supplier of ITX Flex, a data processor.

A student can see the data which has been collected about him or her by logging on to the digital exam platform eksamen.au.dk, where it is possible to access the exam submission receipt for the exam in question. The receipt contains a link to a webpage where the data can be accessed. The student can see the following:

• All the screen grabs taken by the program
• A log of processes which ran on the computer during the exam
• When the program was active on the computer