Lockdown Monitor
Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor tools are designed to assist instructors with proctored testing in Canvas. These tools can prevent students from printing, copying, visiting another URL, and accessing other applications during an exam.
This tool can be combined with a webcam for video surveillance of an assessment and flagging any suspicious activities during it. Instructors can use the tool for quizzes by following these steps:
How to use Lockdown Monitor
LockDown Browser and Monitor are used with OC’s Learning Management System (Blackboard) to provide remote automatically proctored testing. When an instructor requires their use, students are guided through a series of screens which require them to download, install, verify their identity, show themselves in front of their webcam for identification purposes, block other programs on their computer as well as monitoring software to detect possible cheating behavior.
Once a student has the tool installed, they can access online exams in their OU courses like any regular web page; however, LockDown Browser must be used when opening it in order for it to function correctly. If opened using any other browser it will not function correctly and the exam may fail as a result.
If an instructor has enabled Monitor, students will be required to take a short practice quiz prior to any graded exams. This allows students to get acquainted with the software and ensure it works as intended while giving an opportunity for internet connectivity and hardware testing in a low stakes environment.
Once students have passed the practice quiz, they can access any exam that requires using tools. If an exam is unavailable in LockDown Browser, students will be advised to try again later.
To take an exam, click “Take This Quiz” in Canvas’ navigation bar. When the quiz appears, choose to take it in Respondus Lockdown Browser dashboard.
After selecting their quiz, students will be directed to download and install Respondus Lockdown Browser software. After installation is complete, students can sign in using their Andrew credentials to Canvas.
Respondus’ contract for Monitor option expired August 20, 2021 and Indiana University has returned to its previous policy of remote proctoring, which only applied to fully online programs. For more information about using tools on IU’s proctoring website and for instructors implementing Monitor in their courses via Proctoring with Respondus resource site; instructors should consider including a link in their course syllabus/test instructions as a source for more details about using it.
Installation
Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor are tools instructors may require their students to use when taking online quizzes or exams in Cougar Courses (Canvas). The LockDown browser is a special browser which prevents students from printing, copying, going to another URL, using other applications or opening a new window during tests; in addition it limits access to keyboard shortcuts and mouse functions which could potentially facilitate cheating during an exam; its Proctoring feature uses webcam video recording of each test taker allowing instructors to review this video later for any suspected suspicious behaviors during tests.
If your instructor requires Monitor, they will provide you with a link on your student portal to download it and follow its installation prompts to install it on your computer. It is advised that any pending updates do not create issues when starting an exam session and it would also be prudent to restart and close any unnecessary programs prior to starting it.
After you have completed the installation process, launch LockDown Browser and log in to Blackboard. Navigating to any quiz or exam that requires monitoring will reveal a “Launch LockDown Browser” button; by clicking this, your examination will commence.
Before beginning a test with Monitor, please ensure your laptop or desktop features an active webcam, microphone and high-speed internet connection. Furthermore, ensure your computer is healthy as any pending system or application updates could significantly slow down performance or prompt unexpected restarts – should any problems arise please reach out to your instructor immediately for additional support. In addition, keep in mind that LockDown browser does not support screen readers which makes any attempt at circumvention risky and unlikely to succeed; do not try any such attempt regardless of its moral implications or potential results!
Troubleshooting
If you plan to use Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor tools in online assessments, it is vital to plan in advance to minimise technical issues. The Best Practices Before an Exam section offers suggestions that will ensure students have a positive testing experience while Syllabus Statements offers policies which address technical concerns from students.
Before taking a quiz or exam, students should install Lockdown Browser software (or use the provided link for student-owned Chromebooks), to make sure it works as intended and prevent them from receiving an “Link Blocking” error message while taking their assessment. In addition, all other programs running should be closed out before commencing taking an assessment test.
Browsers also act as barriers, blocking all other applications and prompting the user to close any conflicting programs when necessary. Unfortunately, it can often happen that users forget to close certain applications, leading them to an exam failing or leading them to encounter an “Error Code: Link Blocking” message instead.
Students should ensure they use a campus network instead of personal wireless connections and mobile hotspots when taking exams, to avoid disconnection error messages from Canvas during tests. They should use wired Ethernet Internet connections rather than USB modems or laptop connect cards so as to minimize connectivity issues during exams.
Before beginning their quiz or exam, students should test both their connection and webcam to ensure it will record correctly. To do this, they can open their browser and click the Help Center button on the toolbar; from here they can run a Webcam Check to ensure their webcam is recording as intended; otherwise they may need to adjust camera settings or clear cache before restarting browser – once exam completion occurs however, their webcam will stop recording automatically and they can leave Lockdown Browser behind.
Final Words
Respondus provides tools (LockDown Browser, Monitor and Instructor Live Proctoring) designed to reduce digital cheating during online assessments and work seamlessly within UNT Dallas Canvas learning management system (LMS).
Respondus products are designed to protect test integrity and verify student identity while upholding academic privacy. Instructors are advised to administer a practice assessment prior to an exam where Respondus software will be required, so students can experience it before exam day arrives.
Practice assessments provide students with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the software and identify any potential issues that could surface during an actual examination. Furthermore, practice exams allow students to download the program ahead of time and become acquainted with its functionality.
Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor may be required for exams or quizzes in Blackboard that require it, prompting students to install it before taking their test. Once installed, students won’t be able to take it using standard web browsers; rather they must first have it running before accessing LMS content.
LockDown Monitor is an optional companion tool designed to supplement LockDown Browser in order to detect academic dishonesty in non-proctored online exams. It can record ambient sounds as well as student faces, and notify instructors about any suspicious activities such as leaving or entering frames, for instance.
Respondus can be an extremely useful tool in combatting academic dishonesty; however, it cannot provide 100% security against all external factors influencing an assessment process. Therefore, students need to be made aware of all security measures implemented and given resources if any problems arise during assessments. Respondus provides several webinars for students, instructors and administrators interested in its products to learn more; additionally ITS maintains a FAQ page which covers commonly asked questions as well as training via Respondus itself or our own ITS help staff.