Can Professors See My Activity on McGraw Hill Connect?
Understanding exactly what data your professors can access on McGraw Hill Connect helps you make informed decisions about how you study. Here's the complete breakdown of professor visibility.
What Professors Can See: The Complete List
McGraw Hill Connect provides instructors with extensive reporting capabilities. Understanding what's visible helps you manage your academic workflow better. Here's everything professors can typically access:
Assignment Data Professors Can View:
- • Scores and grades on all assignments, quizzes, and exams
- • Submission timestamps showing when you started and completed work
- • Time spent on each assignment and individual questions
- • Number of attempts used on each question
- • Answer history showing what you submitted on each attempt
- • Late submissions and how late they were
- • Completion status for all assigned work
Performance Analytics: Professors can view detailed performance breakdowns showing which concepts you've mastered and which need work. This includes learning objective completion rates and topic-by-topic performance comparisons.
Login Activity: Instructors can see when you log in to Connect, though they typically don't monitor this closely unless investigating specific issues.
SmartBook-Specific Data Professors Can Access
SmartBook assignments generate additional data beyond standard homework. Here's what's tracked in the adaptive learning system:
Reading Progress: Professors can see how much of assigned reading you've completed, including which sections you've viewed and for how long.
Confidence Levels: When SmartBook asks how confident you are in your answers, this data is recorded. Professors can see patterns in your self-assessed knowledge levels.
Knowledge Gaps: The system identifies concepts you're struggling with, and this information is available to instructors. They can see which topics require the most relearning attempts.
Study Session Data: How often you study, session duration, and engagement patterns are all tracked and potentially visible to your professor.
Highlighting and Notes: While professors typically can't see your personal highlights and notes, aggregate data about your interaction with the text may be visible.
What Happens During Proctored Exams
Proctored exams through McGraw Hill Connect (often using Proctorio or similar services) provide significantly more data to instructors:
Video Recording: Your webcam footage is recorded and can be reviewed by your professor. This includes your face, eye movements, and immediate surroundings.
Screen Recording: Everything on your screen during the exam is captured. This includes any tabs you open, applications you switch to, or websites you visit.
Audio Recording: Your microphone captures ambient sounds, which can be flagged if voices or unusual noises are detected.
Behavioral Flags: The proctoring software automatically flags suspicious behavior like looking away from the screen, multiple faces detected, or browser navigation attempts. Professors receive these flags with timestamps.
Browser Lockdown Data: Information about any attempts to access other applications, use keyboard shortcuts, or circumvent the lockdown browser is logged.
What Professors Cannot See
Despite extensive tracking, there are limits to what instructors can access. Here's what remains private:
Browser Extensions (Non-Proctored): On regular homework and non-proctored quizzes, McGraw Hill Connect cannot see what browser extensions you have installed or are using. Learn more in our guide: Does McGraw Hill Detect Chrome Extensions?
Other Browser Tabs: During non-proctored work, Connect cannot detect or report what other tabs or websites you have open.
Your Physical Environment: Without proctoring software, there's no visibility into your physical study space or who might be nearby.
Personal Notes: Your personal study notes, whether digital or physical, remain completely private.
IP Address Location: While McGraw Hill logs IP addresses, this information is generally not shared with individual professors and is used only for account security purposes.
How Professors Actually Use This Data
Understanding how professors typically use Connect's reporting features can help ease concerns:
Identifying Struggling Students: Most professors use analytics to identify students who need extra help, not to catch cheaters. Low engagement or poor performance triggers outreach, not punishment.
Adjusting Instruction: When many students struggle with the same concept, professors use this data to spend more class time on difficult topics.
Grade Disputes: Detailed submission data helps resolve grade disputes fairly, showing exactly what was submitted and when.
Academic Integrity Investigations: Data is typically only closely examined when there's already suspicion of academic dishonesty from other sources. Random deep-dives into student data are rare.
Reality Check: Most professors have hundreds of students and don't have time to scrutinize individual activity logs unless there's a specific reason to investigate.
Tips for Managing Your Connect Activity
Here are practical tips for students who want to maintain good standing while using Connect efficiently:
Start Assignments Early: Beginning work well before the deadline shows good time management and avoids the suspicion that can come with last-minute submissions.
Maintain Consistent Engagement: Regular, steady progress looks better than completing everything in one marathon session. Spread your work across multiple days when possible.
Use Available Resources: The "Help Me Solve This" feature and eBook references show you're actively learning. These legitimate resources leave positive activity trails.
Don't Rush Through: Extremely fast completion times can raise flags. Take reasonable time on assignments even if you know the material well.
Know the Difference: Understand which assignments are proctored versus regular homework. Your approach should differ accordingly, with proctored work requiring strict compliance with all rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my professor see if I copy and paste answers?
On regular homework, Connect cannot detect copy-paste actions. However, unusual answer patterns (like perfectly formatted responses that don't match your other work) might raise questions during manual review.
Does McGraw Hill track my IP address?
Yes, McGraw Hill logs IP addresses for security purposes, but this information is typically not shared with individual instructors. It's mainly used for account security and investigating serious issues.
Can professors see if I'm using multiple devices?
Login data may show different device types or browsers, but using multiple devices (like switching from laptop to phone) is common and generally not flagged as suspicious.
Will my professor know if I use SolveMyBook?
On non-proctored assignments, McGraw Hill Connect cannot detect browser extensions like SolveMyBook. The platform only sees your final answers and submission data, not how you arrived at those answers.
How long does McGraw Hill keep my activity data?
Activity data is typically retained for the duration of your course and may be kept for several years afterward for institutional records. Specific retention policies vary by institution.