Impero Software, a leading provider of online student safety, classroom management and secure remote access software, today announced during ISTELive 2023 that it has incorporated AI and machine learning into its newly debuted “Impero Wellbeing” student safety software, dramatically elevating its capabilities of safeguarding learners.
When installed on student devices, Impero Wellbeing actively and automatically monitors for harmful keywords – such as those having to do with self-harm, bullying, violence, drugs, weapons, pornography or radicalization. If the software detects a student typing potentially dangerous keywords, it then records the incident by snapping a series of screenshots and flagging them in real-time for teacher and administrator review. The AI component is able to sort through the potentially thousands of flags and intelligently cut through false positives to give teachers immediate visibility to any concerning student behavior.
“The launch of machine learning for Impero Wellbeing is taking our goal of ensuring the safety of every learner to the next level,” said Justin Reilly, CEO of Impero Software. “Even the most intricate, nuanced filtering solution can have potentially thousands of false positives. We recently had a great example - perhaps a student is typing to their friend that they’re excited to go to the theater and see the new ‘Suicide Squad’ movie. That’s obviously a very different situation than looking up information on suicide. Our AI-powered solution is able to achieve a dramatic reduction in these false positives that would take up valuable staff time and alert teachers to only the truly dangerous phrases and searches – saving precious time that can make all the difference for a student in crisis.”
In addition to this active online monitoring, Impero Wellbeing can be paired with Impero Safeguard, a digital toolbox allowing teachers to record observed, “offline” events. If a student comes in without a jacket during a harsh winter or has visible bruises, teachers can log these concerns into a student profile for further investigation. Impero Wellbeing & Safeguard are unique in that they combine the “offline” and “online” flags into a single holistic view that gives teachers and school staff a full picture of a student’s physical and mental wellbeing.
“It’s impossible to overstate how much of a difference having this technology at their back makes for teachers in today’s classrooms,” said Impero’s Product Engagement Manager Channing Anderson, who has previous experience as a teacher and school IT director. “Teachers today are being asked to fight against a mental health crisis while half their students are only visible through a screen. They can’t always see what’s happening, and these software solutions are transformative in catching red flags and taking proactive action well before any real danger presents itself.”
Other key features of Impero Wellbeing include:
-
Granular permission levels for school staff to protect confidential student information.
-
A constantly reviewed database of over 7,000 concerning keywords and phrases covering mental health, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and more.
-
Integration with Impero Safeguard, enabling the online captures to be included in student-specific chronologies. These chronologies can be securely shared, making it easier than ever to support referrals and aid specialist intervention.
-
Intuitive reporting that paints a picture of individual student behavior, as well as trends across a class, year group and whole school - giving you valuable context to plan appropriate intervention tactics.
-
Full GDPR compliance with a firm commitment to student data privacy and security.
-
Full compatibility with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and ChromeOS.
About Impero Software
Impero is a global leader in digital solutions for safe and efficient studying and working environments, keeping students on-task and safe, and providing secure and efficient platforms for employees working remote.
In 2022, Impero acquired ContentKeeper, considered one of K-12's best web filtering solutions. Today we work directly with technical teams, schools, MATs, and Fortune 500 companies in more than 90 countries.