How we monitor
Timeback includes monitoring features that involve three things: the screen, the camera built into your child's computer, and the microphone. Some of this is optional, and some is required, and the rules are different for daily learning than they are for testing. Here is how it all works.
Why now?
StudyReel could not record through the camera or microphone at all. That capability was simply off. Timeback can, and it uses that capability in two very different ways: one set of rules for daily learning, and another for testing.
Daily learning
For daily skills work, the camera and microphone are off by default. We recommend turning them on, and here is why:
When monitoring is on, the system checks in roughly every 10 seconds and logs how your child is engaging with their work.
Is your child focused? Looking away from the screen?
Talking to a sibling or someone else?
Did they walk away, or are they flipping between things?
The AI behind this is sophisticated enough to recognize patterns that can point to integrity issues. That may sound like a lot until you see what it produces for you.
Where to find your monitoring data
You can see all of this on your landing page. To get there:
Click the Home button in the top left.
Select the meter-style icon at the bottom.
Monitoring Categories
Monitoring is organized into five focus levels:
Level 1: Student Presence Coaching
Level 1: Student Presence Coaching
What? Determines whether the student is present and engaged.
Examples: Distinguishes breaks (bathroom, short pause) from active but idle behavior (re-reading, working on scratch paper).
Level 2: Focus & Intensity Coaching
Level 2: Focus & Intensity Coaching
What? Assesses and coaches focus and engagement during learning app use.
Examples: Visual attention on screen vs. shifting elsewhere; wearing headphones; signs of concentration or frustration.
Level 3: Environmental Distraction Coaching
Level 3: Environmental Distraction Coaching
What? Detects and coaches distraction from the student's environment.
Examples: Looking away from screen; socializing; using a phone/device; noisy surroundings.
Level 4: On-Screen Distraction Coaching
Level 4: On-Screen Distraction Coaching
What? Detects and coaches when students are distracted by on-device content.
Examples: Switching to games, social media, videos, shopping, messaging; visible distraction from secondary screens (e.g., smartphone).
Level 5: Learning App Coaching
Level 5: Learning App Coaching
What? Optimizes how students use learning apps.
Examples: Use of help features after mistakes; working on appropriate lessons; avoiding too-easy/too-hard content; reducing "waste in lessons" (activity without completion); productive use of off-screen resources (calculator, paper).
You will also find these in the data collection settings inside Timeback, along with short descriptions of each type of monitoring on the left and privacy control information at the bottom.
A few notes on the monitoring settings:
Screen recording is required in all cases and cannot be turned off. This is the minimum data Timeback needs to collect.
The camera and microphone can be toggled on and off for daily learning.
Turning the camera and mic off means coaching is degraded, so some coaching features are disabled.
Monitoring on Tests
For testing, the camera and microphone must be switched on. You can do this easily with the toggle in settings.
This applies to both mastery testing and MAP testing, and it ensures the results have strong integrity.
The cheating and integrity detection tools help confirm the program is delivering what we say it does, whether your child is testing at a campus, at home, or anywhere else.
Insights for parents and caregivers
You have additional access to these insights using the tool in the bottom left. It shows you specifically what time was used toward learning and what time was not, broken into bar charts you can view across different time windows.
Waste Meter Dashboard
Waste Meter Insights
This is data we simply did not have with StudyReel. It goes beyond whether a question was answered correctly. It helps inform how the program tailors material to your child, and it helps you stay informed about how your child is actually learning.