Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Andres Peiro Palmer
I've always thought that one of the best parts of online learning is the opportunity to take tests in your pajamas. But, apparently, not everyone agrees.

A new facial recognition software program is being tested for possible use in online learning. Wired Campus reports:

"Many professors who teach online complain that they have no way of seeing whether their far-away students are following the lectures - or whether the students have fallen asleep at their desks. But researchers at the University of California at San Diego say they have a solution. They recently tested a system that can detect facial expressions of online students and determine when they find the material difficult, so that cues could be sent to the professors telling them to slow down."

Want to see how it works? Take a look at this YouTube video.

Personally, I'd feel rather self conscious if I had a camera pointed at my face while trying to learn. While facial recognition seems to have some benefits, there must be better ways to estimate a student's understanding.