Respondus Lockdown Browser Google Chrome
Respondus Lockdown Browser, compatible with Respondus Monitor proctoring system, is now available as a Chromebook extension and allows students to take exams without being faced with black screens during examinations.
Students seeking access to this new version of the plugin should either follow a special installation link for your school, or search the Chrome web store and select “Add to Chrome.” See below for further details.
What is Lockdown Browser?
Respondus Lockdown Browser is a customized web browser designed to prevent digital and on-screen cheating during exams. It prevents access to other websites or applications on your device and runs assessments in full screen mode – perfect for graded quizzes in Canvas where instructors have required its use.
Lockdown Browser runs in full-screen mode and disables printing, browsing and menu options as well as toolbar and browser function keys. Furthermore, external ports are disabled to prevent access to unauthorised applications; furthermore it is designed for use with webcams so students can verify their identity.
Browser lockdown software may help prevent some forms of cheating, but it cannot detect screen sharing or multiple monitors. Instead, remote proctoring should be utilized to confirm student identities during an online exam session.
Lockdown Browser is available as an application on Windows, Mac and Chromebook (beta). To download it, login into Blackboard and click on any test that requires Respondus Lockdown Browser – when prompted for download of Respondus Lockdown Browser extension select “Yes” then follow instructions provided to complete test.
Once the test is finished, your browser will close itself automatically and ask whether all other programs currently running on your device should also close themselves or cancel so you can handle this manually.
Lockdown Browser can be used with Chromebooks by installing its Google extension first. Next, navigate to your course in Blackboard and find any quiz or test requiring Lockdown Browser; once found, it should prompt you to download the application or provide you with access via its Student Support tab link.
Please be aware that Respondus Lockdown Browser requires administrator rights on the device you’re using for testing; without this access, you won’t be able to install or access the browser app or browser itself.
How to Install
Respondus Lockdown Browser stands out amongst a sea of internet browsers as one designed specifically to meet educational institute needs, preventing students from cheating their exams by looking up answers online or consulting fellow classmates via chat apps.
Chrome users can take advantage of an extension for RLDB that makes accessing it on managed school computers even simpler. To install, students should visit its official extension page on Chrome Web Store and select Add to Chrome to begin their download. Once their extension has been added to their browsers, students can launch it from links provided by instructors in Canvas or Blackboard Learn and start taking quizzes that require it.
On launching the application, students will be asked to grant access to their microphone and camera to ensure an adequate test environment is created. Students will also be directed through several pre-checks designed to ensure they are situated in an ideal testing area such as taking photos, videos or scanning their face – these checks may depend on which Startup Sequence was chosen by their instructor.
After successfully completing the startup sequence and all pre-checks, a student can begin their exam. Some features of the application are currently unsupported, such as “Allow access to specific external web domains”, Calculator/Spreadsheet functionality as well as feedback viewing or using extended keyboard functions (i.e. symbols/special characters).
Students can find more details regarding support for various features on Respondus website’s Known Issues page. However, students should expect some minor issues when using Respondus application; however if they follow the steps outlined here they should be able to take exams without any trouble at all.
Getting Started
Respondus Lockdown Browser for Chromebook has now entered its final beta phase and can now be installed as a browser extension, providing students with an easier way to take quizzes or exams that require using Respondus Lockdown Browser without installing separate applications on their Chromebooks. Simply accessing the installation link (listed above) and following its instructions to download and install Respondus Lockdown Browser as an extension on their browser will do.
Once installed, students simply access their Canvas course and click “Take Quiz” when ready to begin an assessment. If an exam for RLDB has been enabled by an instructor, Chromebook extension will launch it and lock down browser – once exam completed it will unlock browser again! In addition, new Chromebook version supports various additional features not currently found in standalone app e.g Calculator/Spreadsheet features as well as enhanced keyboard functions which allows students to add symbols or special characters directly into text documents.
Students should note that the Chromebook version of RLDB has some restrictions, including an inability to support use of an optional password field in exams and the lack of Help Center and Live Chat features for students, while exam feedback for classic quizzes will only be visible within their Lockdown Browser session where the test was administered.
Chromebook-based RLDB will also forego screen capture functionality or instant messaging programs, such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, so as to keep students fully focused during assessment without being tempted by Google Answers or cheating via message apps such as these. This way, students remain fully engaged with assessment without getting distracted from what’s at stake by messages such as these containing answers they could find elsewhere or offering help through text or instant message applications.
So as to ensure students adhere to these restrictions, instructors are advised to implement a practice quiz using RLDB but without webcam use in their course. This will give students a taste of an assessment using this system before taking a real one and will enable them to familiarize themselves with how it works before any issues may arise during an actual assessment.
Known Issues
Respondus LockDown Browser (RLDB) is a custom browser designed to restrict quizzing environments within Canvas. When students take assessments in an RLDB session, they are restricted from printing, copying, visiting other URLs or accessing applications on the computer – they must present their school ID card as well as face in front of webcam. Unfortunately, this software does not work with iPads or cell phones.
UNG’s LockDown Browser utilizes the open-source Chromium framework, so students don’t require Google’s Chrome browser for use. When students access a formative assignment requiring use of RLDB, they will be prompted to download its file; after which a confirmation message will appear and any applications running in the background that need closing will produce prompts to do so; once all required applications have been closed off successfully, students will be directed back into starting their formative assignment.
There are some known issues with RLDB on Chromebook devices. To reduce these problems, instructors should test their browser on classroom computers prior to giving a quiz in order to ensure all software is up and running correctly – for instance a virtual machine could slow down browsing experience during exams, while antivirus software can impede its proper functioning causing it not to run as intended.
Students can try restarting their device to resolve any software-related issues, and if that doesn’t help they may need to reach out to either their instructor or OIT Help Desk for additional support. It is also essential that students install their software well ahead of any exam deadlines so that any potential issues can be dealt with before quiz day; alternatively they can take a one-question practice quiz under “Instructions for Students” tab of RLDB and Monitor webpage to test out software before an actual exam occurs and avoid stress and potential mistakes; for this option simply visit RLDB and Monitor webpage and find an online one question practice quiz under “Instructions for Students.