| During the school year 2003 to 2004, a case | | | | operation, such as the ability to give warnings to |
| study was conducted in a high school to | | | | the user, or to close the down the application in |
| determine (a) what problem existed on the use | | | | use. It allows varying modes of operation to be |
| of school computers and (b) solutions to the | | | | applied to different individuals and groups. It allows |
| problem. | | | | individual settings to be made for Internet access. |
| The study had three objectives: | | | | It allows the building of individual user profiles. |
| - Provide a safer and more effective environment | | | | In this instance, the school asked every student |
| for internet users in the school environment; | | | | and their parent/guardian to sign a new |
| - Fulfil the school's request to provide software | | | | Acceptable Use Policy, which included the use |
| that provided monitoring and auditing capability, | | | | software to monitor for violations. Users were |
| enabling more flexible internet access; | | | | warned on screen when a violation had taken |
| - Fulfil the school's concern regarding chat room | | | | place and informed that a screen capture of the |
| activity on school computers; | | | | violation had been stored on the server. If a user |
| - Remove undesired communications from the | | | | continued to misuse the computer system, |
| schools computers such as pornography, racism | | | | services for that user were suspended. This |
| and bullying. | | | | decision was not taken by the software, but by a |
| | | | senior member of staff. In order to regain |
| Test Setup | | | | access, the user had to approach this person to |
| The school suspected that extensive computer | | | | explain why they had misused the computer. |
| misuse was taking place by a large number of | | | | Imagine the surprise and embarrassment to a |
| their students, approximately 1600 students | | | | student to be confronted with a screen shot of |
| sharing 480 computers, but could neither prove, | | | | their activity on the computer and have to explain |
| nor quantify, their suspicions. Detection and | | | | it. |
| analytical software was installed to determine the | | | | Results of the Implementation |
| range and extent of this misuse. The analytical | | | | |
| element of software was configured and installed | | | | After the school instituted an Acceptable Use |
| in order to:a) Log the computer activity of each | | | | Policy and configured effective monitoring |
| student on a per user basis.b) Monitor and record | | | | software to active mode, the school experienced |
| existing traffic across the system architecture | | | | a significant change in the usage behaviour: |
| that did not comply with the school's Acceptable | | | | |
| Use Policy. | | | | - On average, there are now less than 10 |
| Analysis Results | | | | violations per week; |
| Within minutes of the first day of implementing | | | | - A significant improvement of network |
| the test, a violation icon was flashing. The test | | | | performance was gained by the removal of |
| was conducted in stealth mode to prevent the | | | | inappropriate material - at least 60%; |
| users of the computers knowing that their | | | | - Teachers spend more time teaching and less |
| activity was monitored. By the end of that day, | | | | time policing children's computer activity; |
| more than 2000 violations had been detected. | | | | - Current analysis of Internet sites visited by |
| The volume of violations kept growing; to the | | | | students shows a massive swing towards |
| staggering number of over 20,000 in two weeks. | | | | educational and technical sites. More then 80% of |
| Consider that these violations occurred on only | | | | web sites visited are education or technical sites |
| 480 computers within a school of 1600 students. | | | | verses only 40% prior to the installation of the |
| The violations averaged GREATER than one | | | | monitoring software; and |
| violation per student per day. The school | | | | - Students are using computers well and |
| administrators were not prepared for this level of | | | | examination results have improved significantly |
| misuse of the school computers. | | | | across the curriculum. The school has seen a 10 |
| Additionally, the range and seriousness of the | | | | point increase in grades since the installation of |
| violations was unexpected. | | | | monitoring software. |
| · Offensive language was being used in | | | | Imagine this, the students started using the |
| chat rooms, e-mail, message boards, instant | | | | computers for their school work rather than |
| messaging and mobile phone text messaging. | | | | unacceptable activity and as a result their grades |
| · Students were attempting, and all too | | | | went up. |
| often succeeding, to access pornographic | | | | Conclusions |
| websites. This was particularly worrying, as the | | | | |
| school accessed the Internet via filtering and | | | | The flexibility of operation and the information |
| blocking systems installed by the School District. | | | | provided by effective monitoring software |
| · There were descriptions of violence and | | | | enables the school staff to use their professional |
| examples of bullying and racism. | | | | judgment in dealing with violations of the |
| · Students abused the computer network | | | | Acceptable Use Policy. Screen warnings remind |
| in all applications, not just in accessing the Internet | | | | students about the need to use the computer in |
| and email. Violations were detected in word | | | | an acceptable manner. Internal monitoring at the |
| processing files and spreadsheets. | | | | school has concluded that students' better use of |
| · A culture of inappropriate use of the | | | | computers has made a significant contribution to |
| computer equipment was prevalent. Typing | | | | improving academic standards and that project |
| inappropriate words about teachers was | | | | had exceeded the school's objectives in full. |
| commonplace. | | | | Points to Consider with Monitoring Software |
| · A significant number of violations | | | | |
| originated outside the school, for example, via | | | | · It allows full and safe access for all to |
| hotmail. | | | | the school's computer network; |
| The school administration established an | | | | · It enables enforcement of the school's |
| Acceptable Use Policy to govern the use of the | | | | Acceptable Use Policy; |
| school computers. At the end of the two week | | | | |
| trial period they decided to publish and make | | | | · It keeps decision making in the hands of |
| known to all students and staff that the school's | | | | the school's teaching professionals; |
| Acceptable Use Policy was being enforced. | | | | · It lets teachers teach rather than police |
| At log-on, and in order to continue, every user | | | | computer misuse; |
| had to confirm agreement to work within the | | | | · It prevents inappropriate Internet, e-mail |
| school's Acceptable Use Policy. To allow the | | | | or internally communicated material reaching |
| education of the students to continue, it was | | | | students and staff; |
| decided to show and discuss with offenders proof | | | | · It provides protection to students and |
| of their violations, rather than to take immediate | | | | staff from the potential consequential liabilities |
| disciplinary action. The software was directed to | | | | derived from accessing the Internet; |
| operate in active mode which prompted the | | | | · It has reduces the instances of |
| software to immediately notify the user of | | | | inappropriate misuse of computers; |
| violations and disrupt the chat room, instant | | | | · It helps teachers prepare students for |
| messaging, email or other application that the | | | | the working world by encouraging proper and |
| violation occurred in. Initially students challenged | | | | more effective use of computers; and |
| the Policy and continued with their activity. | | | | · It helps raise academic standards by |
| However, when computers were immediately | | | | encouraging proper use of school computers for |
| shut down when a violation occurred and students | | | | academic studies. |
| were confronted on the spot by school | | | | Summary |
| administrators, compliance occurred rapidly. The | | | | |
| direct consequence of this approach was a | | | | As staff and pupils grow more confident in their |
| noticeable drop in violations. | | | | use of new technologies across the curriculum, |
| Conclusions | | | | the potential dangers and benefits grow in similar |
| This test and analysis was able to identify the | | | | proportion. All computer users in school must be |
| range and extent of the problem. Alone, it | | | | protected from the ever-widening range of |
| provided a broad brush method of supporting the | | | | threats. Students must be encouraged to make |
| school Acceptable Use Policy and went some way | | | | the most effective use of school computers for |
| towards eliminating the misuse of computers in | | | | learning. Effective monitoring softwareprovides a |
| the school. The analytical software identified the | | | | unique, flexible and simple to use management |
| problem and provided part of the solution. The | | | | tool that combines comprehensive protection and |
| response and enforcement element of the | | | | with a better learning environment. What was |
| software provided the rest | | | | uniquely disturbing in this case study was learning |
| | | | that the school district had installed district level |
| Implementing the solution | | | | filtering software that proved to be totally |
| | | | ineffective. The administrators had tried to |
| Effective monitoring software provides the | | | | resolve the problem but were employing the |
| flexibility to configure different modes of | | | | wrong technologies. |