Outschool is committed to being the safest and most trusted online learning platform.
To ensure the safety and security of our community, we have established a mandatory ID Verification process for educators. This verification confirms the identities of our teachers, enhancing overall community safety and trust. It also helps us guard against the growing problem of identity fraud, ensuring that individuals controlling the accounts are who they claim to be and contributing to a secure learning environment for all.
We use a service called Persona to perform identity verification. Persona is a secure, industry-standard service for identity verification. You can learn more about their information security practices here.
How it works
Clicking on the "Verify" button in your teacher account settings will take you to Persona's website. Persona will initiate a verification process with 3 steps:
Scan the front of your ID document
Scan the back of your ID document
Take 3 selfies to verify "Liveness"- one facing front, then two turning your head from side to side
Once you complete the verification through Persona, you will be brought back to Outschool's website.
Accepted Documents
Passport
Passport card
US or Canadian driver's License
National ID card
US state ID card, or Canadian provincial ID card
How long does my account take to become verified?
Completing the Teacher Identity Verification process should take no more than 3-5 minutes.
How often will I need to complete Teacher Identity Verification?
Teacher Identity Verification will be a one-time process. Background checks are annual because an individual's record could change over the course of a year - but their identity would not.
Data Security
We do not use this information for anything other than verifying your identity. The information you provide is encrypted and stored securely on Persona’s servers. Persona’s servers are certified for SOC 2 Type II, a leading global security framework.
How does Persona handle bias in facial recognition technology?
Persona has built their technology to be mindful of human & societal biases in machine learning data sets. Their technology is focused on comparing a selfie and ID for a single user (in other words, comparing a user's face to their own), rather than facial comparison across users, the latter of which is where facial recognition software has historically shown bias.
How is this different from the Background Check?
Where a background check validates that there are no offenses on an individual's record that might risk the trust and safety of the Outschool community, Identity Verification ensures that a given teacher is indeed the individual on whom we ran the background check.
Troubleshooting
To ensure you complete the process with minimal issues, please take clear photos that have an appropriate level of lighting. This will make sure that the information on your ID is legible and your photo is distinguishable. You may need to turn off any pop-up blockers on your browser to initiate the process. ID Verification must be completed from one of our supported countries. If you see a location error, please double-check that you are not using a VPN.
If you are having trouble completing the ID Verification, you may consider the following suggestions:
Ensure Proper Lighting: Place your ID on a flat and dark surface to prevent backlighting from windows or bright light sources. This will help capture a clear image.
Focus Adjustment: If the ID image appears blurry, slowly move your ID towards the camera until it comes into focus.
Frame Alignment: Make certain that your ID is positioned within the four corners of the frame for optimal capture.
Try Alternate Devices or Browsers: If the issue persists, try using a different browser and/or device to see if that resolves the problem.
Additional support can also be found in Persona’s help center.
For additional assistance, you can contact Outschool support using the Help button from the top right dropdown menu.