What the Respondus LockDown Browser is and how it works
The Respondus LockDown browser (LDB) prevents students from printing, surfing the Internet, using browser-based AI assistants, taking a screenshot, or opening applications during a quiz. If the instructor selects to make the LDB required, students will need to download and install it to take Brightspace quizzes/exams.
To add a video and screen proctoring feature. See the UVM Knowledge Base article, Brightspace – Respondus Monitor for Quizzes (for Instructors).
In short, how it works
Instructors must first designate a Brightspace quiz as requiring the LDB.
When students click on that quiz, if they haven’t used the LDB before, they’ll be prompted to download and install it. In some cases, they may already have it, but they may be prompted to update it.
After it’s installed and/or updated, when they click on a quiz, it will go to a page that contains a button labeled, “Launch LockDown Browser,” and then they’ll be able to click “Start Quiz.”
While they’re taking the quiz, the computer they’re using will be locked so they can’t browse to other pages or use other applications on their computer. (Note: Instructors have the option to allow a specific web domain to be accessible.)
How to set up the LockDown Browser
View the steps to setting it up in this Respondus video.
- Build your quiz (exam/test) in Brightspace as usual. Be sure to set the due date and availability dates as usual. If you set availability date/time to open specifically at the start of class, you will not need to “hide” the quiz link. If you do hide it, be sure to manually unhide it before they need to take it.
- Once the quiz has been created, go back to the Manage Quizzes page. Locate and click the tab at the top called “LockDown Browser.”
- You’ll see a list of all of your quizzes. To designate one for the LockDown Browser, click the chevron button next to it and choose “Settings“
- Click “Require Respondus LockDown Browser for this exam“
- The prompt for a password is an optional choice for a specific situation. For instance, if you choose to use it, you could convey it to students in the classroom just as they are about to take the exam. Hypothetically, students who are in a dorm will never see the password. Caveat: a student in the classroom could text it to another student with a mobile device.
- Click “Advanced Settings”
- Check the box: Require LockDown Browser to view post-exam feedback and results
- Check the box: Lock students into the browser until exam is completed
- Optional: Allow students to take this exam with an iPad (using the “LockDown Browser” app from the Apple App Store). See this Respondus article for information, LockDown Browser + Respondus Monitor > iPad.
- Optional: Allow access to specific external web domains. If you click this, you can then enter the top level domain you want them to access, such as http://www.nytimes.com. You cannot isolate this permission to a specific webpage within a given domain. They will be able to go to any page on that domain.
- Optional: Enable Calculator on the toolbar
- Optional: Enable Printing from the toolbar
- Click Save + Close
Avoid problems by doing a test run
A few days before the exam, do a test run. Create a non-credit quiz with just one easy question. This will ensure that students have downloaded (or updated as necessary) the LockDown Browser and successfully used it before the actual exam.
Resources
Resources Provided by Respondus
- Submit a help request with this form.
- Respondus Video about Setting up LockDown Browser
- Respondus videos and help articles
- Quick Start Guide for Instructors [PDF]
- Review Exam Submissions
Troubleshooting
- Respondus Error Message “Sorry, too much time elapsed to start this quiz.”
- Why the LockDown Browser Dashboard is Not Opening for One Course
What is the student experience?
Students will log in to their Brightspace course using their normal browser. Once they click to open the quiz, it will display a button on the quiz page for them to launch the LockDown Browser. The first time they use it, they will be prompted to download it. They may later be prompted to update it before they can start the test. This is one of the reasons why it’s imperative to do a test run described above.
If you check the option to Require LockDown Browser to view post-exam feedback and results, students will only be able to view attempts through Course Tools > Quizzes, not within Class Progress.