Respondus Browser
Respondus LockDown Browser is a specialized browser designed to prevent students from printing, using other programs on their computers or visiting any websites while taking an exam or quiz that requires it. They can download this free browser via the link below and refer to their Student Quick Start Guide before taking an examination that requires it.
Security
Respondus LockDown Browser with Monitor provides online proctoring in a safe testing environment. It blocks students from accessing other browsers or applications while taking an assessment in Blackboard, printing or copying during exams and printing out results during an exam session. Instructors can use various security features and monitor student activity during an examination process while students have access to their exam results through My Grades area in Blackboard.
Respondus Browser is a separate program that is installed on your computer that prevents you from copying, printing, going to another URL or accessing other programs while taking an assessment in Blackboard. It is found on most lab computers at UCA as well as being available for personal download on computers or mobile devices.
Contrary to standard browsers, Respondus Browser cannot be minimized or exited – instead it functions as a full-screen program that won’t allow mouse or keyboard movements or cached pages to remain stored in history lists – making cheating during exams much harder. Unfortunately it uses up a significant portion of system resources and may cause slow downs on some systems.
If your computer has limited memory, attempting to take an assessment with Respondus Browser could present difficulties. This is particularly the case if multiple applications or files are open on your system at once; to alleviate these issues you may need to uninstall some programs in order to take an assessment.
Respondus Browser requires an update every now and then; you can do this through either its “About” button in the toolbar or selecting “Check for Newer Version” from its drop-down arrow. Ensuring you have the latest version is essential to taking accurate assessments.
Respondus Browser for Mac OS is compatible with VoiceOver (the standard screen reader for the OS). To utilize this feature, instructors must enable it. iOS app versions are available from Apple App store.
Privacy
Respondus does not require students to create accounts or submit personal information, and does not use any data collected by its products (LockDown Browser in particular) to track or target advertising directly to individual users; rather it’s used only to optimize performance of its products and troubleshoot as needed.
Students taking quizzes that require Respondus LockDown Browser on either their own device, or one owned by Yale can take them at various labs across campus; two such labs include St. Joe room 103’s Mac Lab and 3M Resource and Mentoring Center in Library 1st floor respectively. Individuals needing Respondus LockDown Browser can download it ahead of time from here.
Respondus LockDown software prevents students from copying or printing answers, browsing other pages on the Internet or using other external tools during a quiz that requires it. Students should first ensure their LockDown Browser is up-to-date before taking an exam; any open programs should also be closed out before starting. Should anything become outdated while taking their exam, the software will notify the user and prompt them to download a more recent version.
Instructors can add links into a quiz question that will open in a secure window in LockDown Browser, enabling the student to visit any web pages without breaking out of the locked testing environment. An instructor might include links that take them directly to an image, video, or additional data which helps answer a particular question.
LockDown Browser will display a warning message during an exam if there are multiple tabs open or any external programs running, to ensure all student work will be saved when closing or shutting down their browser or computer. If there is another program running not listed in the warning message, they can manually close it using Task Manager or End Process.
If a student experiences issues during an exam, they should immediately reach out to the technology support desk. While support staff may offer limited technical assistance, submitting tickets may delay responses for more urgent problems.
Accessibility
Respondus LockDown Browser was designed to make testing in proctored environments safer. Students taking exams or quizzes with this browser cannot print, copy, access other URLs or applications on their computer – thus preventing cheating by making it more difficult to search for answers or see other students’ work. Furthermore, screen capture software and right mouse click functions are disabled in addition to right mouse click functions being restricted.
The browser also stops students from navigating Canvas quizzes using their keyboard, enabling them to focus solely on answering the questions correctly and avoid distractions like images, videos and websites that might otherwise distract them.
Students need to be logged into Canvas and on a computer with administrator rights (ie, not their personal laptop) in order to use this browser. All computers at Founders Memorial Library and 3M Resource and Mentoring Center already have Respondus LockDown Browser installed; if students take a quiz or exam outside the campus they can install Respondus LockDown by following these instructions.
Students must also ensure they possess a device meeting minimum specifications for the course, with webcam capabilities enabled and must thoroughly understand all technical requirements before taking an examination test. Please referring to your syllabus will help you.
Students requiring special accommodations to write tests may find that using their browser makes completing quizzes or exams more challenging, leading them to consult their Disability Services representative to see if there are accommodations which would allow them to utilize it without jeopardizing its integrity.
Students utilizing assistive technologies to access their education will find LockDown Browser compatible with most screen readers, conforming to WCAG 2.0 standards and making use of Apple VoiceOver built into Mac OS, JAWS, and Windows-Eyes programs accessible. However, please be aware that certain browser-based assistive technologies do not work when used alongside the Instructor Live Proctor Add-on in a proctored setting.
Convenience
Students can rest easy knowing their assignments set up in Canvas will only work with this specific browser – meaning no other web browser can access these assignments and cheat on assessments. This keeps assessments fair.
Instructors who create tests requiring Respondus Lockdown Browser will send their students a link to download it onto their computers and log into Blackboard with it before beginning an assessment, meaning they will not be able to copy, print or access other applications or websites during it until submission time.
To help minimize student distractions during an exam, the browser of a managed Chromebook disables many common functions including printing, keyboard shortcuts, mouse commands, screen capture apps and other features such as printing. Furthermore, Windows Start button, system tray and menu bar usage is restricted and external links open in new windows without being clickable – meaning they do not allow students to navigate beyond that page.
A managed Chromebook browser also protects unauthorized access to its camera and microphone, which could allow students to gain unauthorized access during exams. Should a student attempt to use their device’s camera during an exam session, their browser will alert both themselves and their instructor that it’s not permitted and close automatically before notifying both parties that a student may need live monitoring during that exam period.
As part of an exam, browsers send System Check data and log files directly to a Respondus server for processing and analysis. This data helps respondus improve its software and provide technical support services to Respondus customers – it will not be sold or given away to affiliates or third parties.
Before taking an exam, students should review both the Respondus LockDown Browser Student Quick Start Guide and Brightspace’s general online test-taking guide for assistance. In particular, Dell Dock, Google Desktop and Skype should be closed prior to beginning an assessment that requires using RLDB. Those using managed Chromebooks should update the settings once an assessment has been successfully completed in order to ensure another attempt will succeed with RLDB settings being updated accordingly in their copied course after their last successful attempt with it was successful.