Aws Lockdown Browser
ITS has been made aware of an Amazon Web Services outage affecting Respondus LockDown Browser and Panopto products. As more details become available, we will provide updates.
If your webcam is experiencing difficulties, try the Help Center button located on the toolbar to conduct a check to identify whether an anti-virus or firewall program may be blocking its operation.
Features
Respondus Lockdown Browser is a secure browser designed to block students from accessing websites, the Messages function in Blackboard, and other applications while taking exams. It meets web content accessibility guidelines, is compatible with assistive technologies, is available for Windows and Mac, and also works with Blackboard’s file upload question type.
This browser was developed to prevent cheating by restricting student access to other tabs and applications while taking an exam, printing or copying during test sessions and recording students for review by an instructor to identify instances of misconduct.
AWS (Amazon Web Services) provides businesses with an online cloud computing platform with numerous features for them to take advantage of, including cloud storage, virtual machines and security. Their platform enables companies to scale resources quickly while administrators easily track performance of servers and services; their logging and monitoring capabilities also aid rapid troubleshooting efforts.
AWS provides multiple security measures to safeguard your data, including encryption, network and infrastructure protection, deployment of advanced security technologies and more. They even offer a Security Specialty Certification designed specifically for experienced security professionals looking to validate their skills and knowledge.
Respondus and Panopto proctoring tools used in several of our courses were among the services affected during Amazon Web Services’ recent outage, so students are advised to access either practice quizzes or course material where these products are mandated. Both services have now resumed their operations; we recommend you direct students toward practice quizzes or information for their course where these products are mandatory.
If you are having difficulty with launching your exam and don’t see a “Help Center” button in the LockDown Browser toolbar, this indicates that your computer or network are blocking access to our AWS servers hosted on AWS servers; most likely due to overly aggressive anti-virus or firewall settings. For information on how to resolve this issue please consult AWS documentation.
Benefits
Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor are two tools designed to prevent cheating during proctored online exams in Blackboard. Their custom browser prevents students from printing, copying, going to other URLs or accessing applications during an assessment as it takes place – while simultaneously keeping their attention focused on their task at hand – or closing it before it has been graded by graders.
While these tools can serve as effective deterrents against cheating, they cannot fully prevent it, especially for remote or take-home exams. When dealing with remote or take-home exams, an exam that features built-in checks to detect violations is the ideal tool to use; however, these tools should only ever be used alongside an on-site proctor to provide oversight – not as replacements!
Students do not incur a cost to use this software, which can be downloaded directly from Canvas course pages and installed onto any computer they intend to use for an exam that requires LockDown Browser or Monitor. Before beginning an examination session with this application installed on it, be sure to close all other programs first before starting to take your examinations. Once installed, students can open it directly through myMason/Blackboard courses to begin taking their examinations.
Once a student begins an online test using Respondus Monitor, video and audio are recorded of both their face and screen; data collected by this program is then summarized into a report which their instructor can review. Neither store biometric facial data in a database, nor compare mappings with existing datasets of faces mapped already.
CIT has recently become aware of an issue with Amazon Web Services which is impacting several features and tools within Blackboard, including Respondus LockDown Browser dashboard and Panopto. Students may not be able to use these tools until it has been resolved – students could receive error messages when trying to open either, while instructors also cannot see Respondus dashboards within their courses; ITS is working closely with Amazon in an attempt to address the situation as quickly as possible.
Pricing
CIT is aware of an Amazon Web Services outage which is impacting multiple campus systems, including Blackboard Learn and Panopto dashboards as well as Respondus Lockdown Browser. CIT is working closely with Amazon to restore these services as soon as possible.
Monitor’s facial recognition technology does not store or compare biometric data with an existing database of faces, since its algorithm was not trained to detect these specific features and does not attempt to identify anyone from photographs or videos.
Videos created with Monitor are stored securely within Amazon Web Services facilities and do not appear as part of an export/archive package, meaning they are only visible to faculty who are authorized to view a student’s course.
Requirements
Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor programs prevent students from accessing other applications on their computers during proctored online exams administered in-person in a classroom or computer lab environment. Students are prevented from opening other tabs, apps on their computer, copying, printing, saving screenshots while taking quizzes – though these tools don’t completely eliminate cheating they help make in-person testing more reliable than remote/online testing.
LockDown Browser and Monitor are desktop software programs that require a user to launch them before taking an examination in Blackboard. When this occurs, LockDown temporarily blocks other programs or functions from running while not collecting any personal data when not active.
While the program can be used on any computer with a webcam, for optimal results it is recommended that a laptop or desktop running either macOS or Windows is used. Students should ensure they have fully charged batteries and reliable internet connections when taking an exam.
Students should ensure their browser and software installed on their computer are up-to-date, arriving to appointments with full batteries as there may be limited electric outlets in classrooms.
LockDown Browser and Monitor programs rely on Amazon Web Services platforms, so a computer with compatible operating system and webcam are required for optimal functioning. ITS has been made aware of a worldwide Amazon Web Services outage that is currently impacting several services including Blackboard Learn, Panopto and Respondus Lockdown Browser – we will share any updates from AWS as they become available.
Students should also be mindful that if their video recording feature in Monitor is not functioning during a test, this may be a telltale sign that their computer or network has blocked access to our servers – typically due to aggressive anti-virus or firewall settings on a personal computer. In these instances, students should work closely with IT support staff in order to address and address this problem as soon as possible.