Respondus Blackboard Download
For some tests that are proctored remotely using Zoom, students must use the Respondus LockDown Browser. During proctored testing sessions, this customized browser restricts access to other programs, websites, and files on their PC.
Before starting any tests that use this browser, students taking them must download and install the required software, with teachers configuring their settings to prevent test-taking fraud.
LockDown Browser
For Blackboard testing environments, Respondus LockDown Browser is a unique web browser that prevents students from printing, copying, changing the URL, or accessing other programs when taking tests made with the Respondus toolkit. This feature can be especially useful in lab settings with proctored tests, where proctors keep an eye on the students to make sure no one is cheating. Unfortunately, this feature does not work with standard web browsers and only supports assessments made with the Respondus suite.
The Respondus Lockdown Browser can be downloaded to personal computers for use during a required UB Learns assessment as well as finding installed on the majority of UB lab and classroom PCs. To download, follow steps 1-6 below to the official university website of your school and step 7 to the relevant link. Run the software’s installer file after downloading it, then follow the onscreen instructions to install it on your computer.
Respondus LockDown Browser makes it simple to take quizzes or exams: just log into UB Learns, find the course with the test, click its title to open it, enter their assigned password to access the assessment (not shared or changed by anyone), take your exam, then close down and resume regular work on your computer afterwards; however, during an exam period all auxiliary programs on their PC are disabled so that only Blackboard and its course with its assessment remain.
Instructors can build assessments using Respondus Monitor that include on-demand examinations and self-proctored choices. Students will be led through a number of screens before beginning an on-demand or self-proctored assessment if this option has been chosen. In order to prevent cheating during an exam that does not require proctored monitoring, these procedures may include identification verification, video of computer screen captures, or any other measures.
If they choose to enable Respondus Monitor, instructors can use it to view student voice and video during an exam. This feature only activates if a quiz or exam has been configured to employ Respondus Monitor; if a teacher believes a student has cheated on a test, they may swiftly turn it off at any time.
Secure Assessments
Additional advantages for promoting academic integrity in online submissions are provided via secure assessments. In order to prevent students from accessing prohibited information while preparing for or writing an exam, such as other websites and programs, applications/browsers, or files on their computers, UB Learn’s secure assessment feature enables teachers to employ this feature on all assessment kinds. It can be used by teachers to evaluate assignments, grade work, and offer comments for these assessments.
During online tests, lockdown browsers prevent students from printing, copying, changing to another URL, or accessing other programs on their computer. Any exam or assessment generated in UB may require the Respondus Lockdown browser, at the instructors’ discretion. Learn how instructors can utilize the Respondus Monitor tool to prevent cheating in non-proctored exams as well as live proctoring of students through Zoom. When an instructor demands LDB for an assessment test, the test becomes inaccessible from standard web browsers or applications.
Navigate to the course you want to add the assessment to and click Edit Settings / Modify Settings on its page. This will set the assessment to need Respondus LockDown browser. Check the box next to Require Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor for this exam to add Respondus Monitor to the list of requirements for testing.
If the Lockdown browser software has not already been downloaded, students will be requested to do so once they enter into Blackboard and access the course that contains the assessment. On desktop computers, it first appears as an icon after installation. When it is activated, a full-screen window displaying assessment questions emerges. Students are unable to leave this browser until their test has been turned in for marking.
On a student’s computer, Lockdown browser and assessments are seen as a single program. When an assessment is finished, Lockdown browser likewise ends and the user is taken back to the Blackboard login screen. If students have access to a password, they may enter early to exit an assessment and, if they so want, continue working on their tasks. Students may also stop an assessment instantly by displaying their ID.
Monitor Your Students
Blackboard’s default web browser cannot be accessed by students taking examinations that need Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor, limiting printing or copying while taking the exam as well as blocking other programs and websites. They will be required to install software using a webcam when accessing one that requires Monitor; once done, they won’t be able to exit their browser until they’ve submitted and closed their test submission page in Blackboard.
Teachers may simply construct and give secure tests to students using resources from Blackboard and Respondus, ensuring that they participate in them without citing outside sources in their submissions.
Select Course Tools from the control panel of the course you want to administer the test in to construct a secure assessment. Select Respondus from the list of tools when it appears, then change its attributes. Check the box next to “Require Respondus Monitor for this exam” as necessary, and then click More Options if you want to add any additional customizations.
After finishing your secure assessment, click Save and Submit. After finishing your test, make sure to log out by closing the browser and Blackboard. Your result is then displayed under My Grades; downloading your score prior to closing Blackboard is also necessary for retaking tests.
With the Respondus Monitor add-on for LockDown Browser, you may capture video of a student taking an online test. By confirming they aren’t reading other resources or conversing with anyone throughout the test, this technology helps to ensure they aren’t using plagiarism.
Before logging into Respondus Monitor, a student must first download the LockDown Browser from myMason utilizing the Courses module of their website and then click the link to access it. As soon as they have downloaded the browser, they should follow the installation and login steps to gain access to Blackboard and their course, which contains their exam.
Reporting
Using a simple Windows interface, Respondus enables teachers to create assessments offline and upload them directly to Blackboard. In addition to importing questions directly from MS Word documents, Respondus offers more question kinds than the default Blackboard browser (including mathematical and algorithmic formats). Additionally, Respondus transforms data between CMS types, allowing switching between systems for online exams straightforward.
Professors that want to prevent students from cheating on unproctored exams should mandate that students use Respondus Lockdown Browser, which forbids printing, visiting another URL, or using computer programs, during exams. Instructors can record and watch video of assessment sessions using Respondus Monitor.
The Archive Wizard can be used to archive assessments once they are finished. A copy of your whole assessment file, including any accompanying media files or equations, is saved using this procedure so that you can store it on your computer or forward it to a coworker for review. Each file will also include a time stamp that indicates the date and location of its archiving.
The program may indicate that two questions have the same title, but since question titles are constructed using only the first 20 characters of the question content, it is safe to ignore this warning message. Archive Wizard generates a number of warning messages throughout its operation.
When a test is archived, instructors can access and download its report by choosing “Retrieval and Reports” from the Grade Center. It usually takes a few minutes to download the feature’s file and needs a Respondus full license. This report can then be finished and shown on the screen for instructors to print or export for statistical analysis as well as build tests or surveys in Blackboard using “browser emulation”, giving educators reports that are comparable to those available when viewing Grade Center directly in Blackboard.