Verifying Identity at Newlane

Because of our ability to meet frequently in live video conferences where we store a student’s government-issued ID together with a growing string of images (with a new image of the student captured during each live session), the degree of our security is stronger than conventional measures in typical colleges and universities. Moreover, it is very unlikely that someone who has not mastered all the objectives of a course would pass a course at Newlane. This is often not the case in conventional colleges and universities—they are either ambiguous about the objectives, or they don’t really hold students to them.

The steps to verifying your identity at Newlane include the following:

• Counselor reviews image of government-issued ID (must include a picture) at registration. This image remains part of your student record.
• Counselor reviews image of Second Form of government-issued ID. This image also remains part of your student record.
• Signed Student Identity Statement (included in enrollment agreement)
• Signed Student Academic Integrity Statement (included in enrollment agreement)
• Verbal Agreement to Student Identity and Integrity Statements
• Verify Student against government-issued picture ID

Details on these steps are included below: 

In order to get started at Newlane, you’ll first need to verify your identity. This will also result in the creation of your student ID profile. In order to verify your identity, you’ll need to have two forms of government ID with you, at least one must have a recent picture. This can be a passport, a driver’s license, or another form of government-issued ID with a picture. The other form of government ID does not need to have a picture (thought it’s fine if it does), but it still must be government-issued (e.g. a social security card, a birth certificate, etc.) If you don’t have these documents with you currently, you can submit them later, but you cannot enroll for credit in any course or degree without these.

Once you have gathered the requisite government-issued IDs, you’ll meet with a counselor. The counselor will walk you through the identity verification process: The counselor will take a picture of you. The counselor will compare your government IDs with your current appearance. They will ask you to sign the student agreements, and to verbally agree to them (they will record this). As you meet with counselors and experts at Newlane as you work through your coursework, they will (with your permission) take additional pictures that will comprise a collection of images attesting to your identity over time on your student record. For example, every time you have a course hearing, the expert in the hearing will review the images attesting to your identity, and add to it by taking an additional picture for each course hearing.

Signed student agreement(s): 

Identity:

I verify that I am who I am presenting myself to be, and that I, and I alone will conduct all required coursework for which I am responsible for any course in which I enroll at Newlane. 

Academic Integrity:

I affirm my commitment to the standards of academic integrity in the Newlane community. I will be honest and truthful and will strive for personal and platform integrity — that I will be honest in my purported identity and I pledge to uphold the integrity of the platform so that it can be trusted to validate mastery by the individuals purporting to have mastered learning content. I will abide by the Academic Honor Policy at all times. I recognize that in submitting any project, taking any test, quiz, or exam of any kind at Newlane, I am implicitly affirming this pledge:

“On my honor I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work, nor am I aware of others doing so.”

This comprises the process for initially verifying your ID at Newlane. We’ll update it on occasion by adding additional profile pictures that administrators capture as you participate in tutoring sessions, project reviews and course hearings.