Identity verification for online education

• US 9,342,675 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coursera, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Coursera, Inc.
• Inventors: Suresh, Bipin, Heather, Christopher B., Ngiam, Jiquan, Kim, Minjeong, Fox, Pamela S., Ng, Andrew Yan-Tak
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAIFER HARRIMAN, DANT B
• Application Number:
  US14/456,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20140351914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 726/7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes prompting a user to provide an authentication typing sample by entering an authentication phrase on a keyboard, in order to authenticate the user submitting coursework in an online education course. The method involves determining whether the authentication typing sample matches an enrollment typing sample captured earlier. In the event the authentication typing sample matches the enrollment typing sample, the method involves authenticating the user'"'"'s identity and accordingly determining whether the coursework is successfully submitted and signed by the user. Conversely, in the event the authentication typing sample does not match the enrollment typing sample, the method involves prompting the user to provide a second type of authentication information for matching with an enrollment sample of the second type of authentication information, and accordingly authenticating the user'"'"'s identity and determining whether the coursework is successfully submitted and signed by the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by an online education course operator, whether submitting coursework by a user in an online education course is an event requiring authentication;

if submitting coursework by the user is determined to be an event not requiring authentication, accepting, by the online education course operator, the coursework as being submitted by the user;

if submitting coursework by the user is determined to be an event requiring authentication, initiating, by the online education course operator, an authentication process including;

prompting the user to provide an authentication typing sample by entering an authentication phrase on a keyboard in order to authenticate the user submitting the coursework in the online education course, wherein the online education course that corresponds with a database that stores user identification profiles specific to the online education course, the user identification profiles including collected enrollment/registration and authentication information including one or more of keystroke biometrics, webcam headshots, webcam capture of photo ID documentation, and personal user identification information, and wherein the authentication phrase the user is prompted to enter on the keyboard is selected by the online education course operator, and the user, or is a hybrid phrase where part of the phrase is selected by the online education course operator and another part is selected by the user;

determining whether the authentication typing sample matches an enrollment typing sample captured earlier, using a processor configured to compare the authentication typing sample to the enrollment typing sample that includes a profile of the user'"'"'s unique typing pattern measured on a time scale of an order of a millisecond;

in the case that the authentication typing sample is determined to match the enrollment typing sample, authenticating the user'"'"'s identity and accepting the coursework as being submitted and signed by the user; and

in the case that the authentication typing sample is not determined to match the enrollment typing sample, prompting the user to provide a second type of authentication information for matching by the processor with an enrollment sample of the second type of authentication information in the database storing user identification profiles specific to the online education course, and based on the matching of the second type of authentication information authenticating the user'"'"'s identity and accepting the coursework as being submitted and signed by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the coursework of the user comprises a quiz.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to compare the authentication typing sample to the enrollment typing sample using keystroke matching software.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second type of authentication information is taken from the group consisting of:

a headshot of the user, a capture of identification documentation associated with the user, and personal information associated with the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication typing sample and the enrollment typing sample correspond to entries of identical phrases.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the authentication typing sample matches the enrollment typing sample involves matching keystroke biometrics of the authentication typing sample against the enrollment typing sample.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein matching by the processor with an enrollment sample of the second type of authentication information involves comparing a headshot photo of the user provided as the second type of authentication information with a photo ID captured during the enrollment phase.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the event that the authentication typing sample is not determined to match the enrollment typing sample and before prompting the user to provide a second type of authentication information, prompting the user to re-enter the authentication phrase using the same style of keyboard that the user used to enter the enrollment typing sample.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the prompting to provide the authentication typing sample is presented to the user via a browser application installed on a client device of the user.

10. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine, by an online education course operator, whether submitting coursework by a user in an online education course is an event requiring authentication;

if submitting coursework by the user is determined to be an event not requiring authentication, accept, by the online education course operator, the coursework as being submitted by the user;

if submitting coursework by the user is determined to be an event requiring authentication, initiate, by the online education course operator, an authentication process including;

prompting the user to provide an authentication typing sample by entering an authentication phrase on a keyboard in order to authenticate the user submitting the coursework in the online education course, wherein the online education course that corresponds with a database that stores user identification profiles specific to the online education course, the user identification profiles including collected enrollment/registration and authentication information including one or more of keystroke biometrics, webcam headshots, webcam capture of photo ID documentation, and personal user identification information, and wherein the authentication phrase the user is prompted to enter on the keyboard is selected by the online education course operator, and the user, or is a hybrid phrase where part of the phrase is selected by the online education course operator and another part is selected by the user;

comparing the authentication typing sample to an enrollment typing sample captured earlier in order to determine whether the authentication typing sample matches the enrollment typing sample, wherein the enrollment typing sample includes a profile of the user'"'"'s unique typing pattern measured on a time scale of an order of a millisecond;

in the case that the authentication typing sample is determined to match the enrollment typing sample, indicating that the user'"'"'s identity has been authenticated and accept the coursework as being submitted and signed by the user; and

in the case that the authentication typing sample is not determined to match the enrollment typing sample, prompting the user to provide a second type of authentication information for matching by the processor with an enrollment sample of the second type of authentication information in the database that stores the user identification profiles specific to the online education course, and based on the matching of the second type of authentication information authenticating the user'"'"'s identity and accepting the coursework as being submitted and signed by the user; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions on how to compare the authentication typing sample to the enrollment typing sample and how to compare the second type of authentication information with the enrollment sample of the second type.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the coursework of the user is taken from the group consisting of:

a quiz, an exam, a homework assignment and a survey.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to issue the user a verified certificate in the event that the user'"'"'s identity has been authenticated and the user has completed the coursework of the online course.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the enrollment typing sample comprises keystroke biometrics of the user'"'"'s typing behavior.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor determines whether the authentication typing sample matches the enrollment typing sample by matching keystroke biometrics of the authentication typing sample against keystroke biometrics of the enrollment typing sample.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the second type of authentication information is taken from the group consisting of:

a headshot of the user, a capture of identification documentation associated with the user, and personal information associated with the user.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the authentication typing sample and the enrollment typing sample correspond to entries of identical phrases.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to prompt the user to provide the authentication typing sample by presenting a webpage to the user via a browser application installed on a client device of the user.