Respondus Lockdown Browser Student
Respondus Lockdown Browser is software that prevents students from printing, copying, accessing other URLs or applications while taking an assessment, as well as screen capture software from working.
Faculty can use Respondus module of Canvas to distribute software to their students and give instructions for use. Please refer to Student Quick Start Guide for further details.
Features
Respondus Lockdown Browser’s main advantage lies in preventing students from accessing other websites, apps or content while taking an online assessment. Furthermore, this program disables printing software, screen capture software, keyboard shortcuts and right-click menus while its full-screen window cannot be minimized, resized or exited until after submission has taken place.
To use the Lockdown Browser, students should log into Canvas and navigate to a quiz that requires it. When they arrive at that quiz, they will see an invitation that states: “Download Respondus Lockdown Browser.” When prompted to save it somewhere on their personal computer, they should select their preferred location on their personal computer before extracting and unzipping an.zip file containing an installation of software which must then be accepted upon and followed according to prompts for successful installation.
Once Respondus software is in place, students can easily take any online assessments required (like those found within Cougar Courses quizzes). Students cannot use their regular web browser to access these tests; additionally, an instructor may enable its Monitor feature in order to monitor student behavior during tests.
While the core functionality of the program may seem straightforward, there are a few lesser-known features that help enhance students’ testing experience. One such feature is inserting links within questions which launch secure pages so students can refer to images, videos, or additional data without breaking out of lockdown environment.
Another convenient feature is the capability of automatically downloading and installing any necessary updates prior to taking a test, which reduces the chance that students encounter technical issues during examination and frees instructors from having to manually update files for every student individually.
Students should ensure they install any required Respondus tools early enough in advance of a quiz or exam to allow enough time for troubleshooting before test day. They should also make sure they have a reliable high-speed internet connection (preferably wired versus mobile hotspot or cellphone data) and stay away from using any other programs on their computer during an examination or quiz.
Installation
Respondus Lockdown Browser Student software enables students to take exams securely online within Canvas quizzes or Blackboard Learn courses, preventing printing, copying, visiting other web addresses, instant messaging or accessing other applications on their computer during an exam session. Furthermore, Respondus prevents minimizing or exiting programs until after their instructor has verified completion. Respondus may be necessary for certain assessments; instructors often require Respondus alongside a webcam (Respondus Monitor).
Instructors creating quizzes that require Respondus should use Canvas’ LockDown Browser and Monitor options when creating exams for their students, providing them with download links to the browser as well as instructions for taking the exam. Students must then follow this link to download, install and launch Respondus following their instructor’s directions – in some cases this may even include Webcam support!
Faculty should ensure students are familiar with this process by creating a short, ungraded practice quiz requiring Respondus before administering graded tests. Instructors should also include policies in their syllabus concerning reliable Internet (wired rather than mobile hotspot/data) connectivity as well as approved webcams for remote proctoring.
LockDown Browser presents a simplified toolbar featuring only Forward, Backward, Refresh and Stop functionality. Users cannot minimize or resize their browser window; additionally they are not permitted to enter other web addresses unless provided as links in test questions; additionally its toolbar will be changed so as not to include search, print and save functions.
Respondus Monitor is an optional add-on feature of LockDown Browser that requires a Webcam for proctoring purposes. Once a test is taken, an instructor can review recorded video from student computers to decide if retaking or scoring should take place.
Troubleshooting
Students taking exams through the Lockdown Browser may encounter various technical and behavioral issues, from technical to behavioral in nature. To troubleshoot these problems, students should first ensure that they have installed and running properly the latest version of their browser, using its “About” button in the Lockdown Browser to view available versions; if one of them does not correspond with what was expected click “Download” button to start installing a more recent one; in addition to this they must make sure that all other programs on their computer have been shut down prior to starting an exam through Lockdown Browser as this will also ensure any technical issues related to running smoothly during an examination session.
Once an exam begins, Lockdown Browser is designed to prevent other applications from using a student’s computer until its conclusion. This includes web searches, instant messaging, minimizing browser and hundreds of other functions. If it seems as though other programs are accessing student computers without blocking by Lockdown Browser itself, perhaps an obscured security popup window may be interfering. Reopening it might resolve this problem quickly.
When taking an exam, if a student experiences issues they must notify both their instructor and proctor as soon as possible to prevent losing time during taking the test. If these two sources cannot resolve an issue quickly enough, students may contact the UNT IT Helpdesk for additional support.
CETS recommends that instructors have their students use Respondus Lockdown Browser on a practice quiz prior to undertaking it on a graded assessment, as using it during graded exams could result in both time and grade losses. Furthermore, all students should ensure they have paper back up plans available should any technical difficulties occur during a quiz.
Updates
Your instructor may assign a quiz with Respondus Lockdown Browser enabled in Cougar Course (Canvas). When this occurs, a special browser is required which prevents printing, copying, moving pages or using outside tools during an activity in Canvas quiz activity. Some instructors may enable Respondus Monitor – which uses web cameras to record what happens during tests – so your actions during them can be tracked through Respondus Monitor.
If your instructor requires Respondus Lockdown Browser, it is advisable to download it early so as to test whether or not it works on your machine, take a practice quiz and ensure the software will function efficiently when taking an exam graded by a grader.
To verify you have the most up-to-date Respondus Lockdown Browser Student version, open up the program and click “i” or About on its toolbar. It will show your current version number; if a more recent one is available it will offer to download it automatically.
Though most functionality in the browser is shared between platforms, there are some subtle distinctions between Mac and Windows operating systems that affect some aspects of its use – for instance screen recording is currently only supported on computers running Mac OS X 10.10 or later while Chromebooks with Google Apps for Education disabled cannot use it as it cannot access these services through it’s browser.
Additionally, your browser only functions with an active internet connection. If you become disconnected while taking a test, the browser will close and you won’t be able to retake it until reconnecting to the internet again.
If you encounter issues with the software, it is recommended that you contact your instructor as soon as possible for help. In addition, Respondus Support website can be visited for additional support – typically the team usually responds within 24 hours (excluding weekends and U.S. holidays ). If this still doesn’t resolve your problem please call the UNT IT Help Desk for additional help.