Only users with a “teacher” role in Canvas courses are able to access the Respondus LockDown Browser Link in the course navigation. Users with “Instructional Designer” or “Teaching Assistant” role can still create quizzes but only users with “teacher” role can enable the RLDB or access the dashboard to see results.

Yes! Administering a practice exam before having your students take an actual quiz or test in RLDB will allow them to test their equipment and learn to use the system in a no-stakes setting. Because we know your time is valuable, eLearning has created a practice exam that you can import into your courses.

Accessing the Practice Exam

Everything you need to successfully download the practice quiz onto your computer and upload it into Canvas is included in the Box folder link below. Please read the instructions before attempting to download the .zip file.

In the folder, you will see the following files:

1. Read- 1. READ ME: Downloading a .zip file
2. Download- 2. DownloadME_RLDB_practice_quiz.zip
3. Read - 3. READ ME: Importing RLDB Quiz into Canvas Course
4. Read- 4. READ ME: Using the RLDB Practice Quiz

Contact eLearning

If you encounter any issues trying to import and use this quiz, please reach out to us for assistance.

The sample text below can be used in your course or syllabus. It explains that students must use LockDown Browser for their online tests and possibly use a webcam.

Using LockDown Browser and a Webcam for Online Exams

This course requires the use of LockDown Browser and a webcam for online exams. The webcam can be built into your computer or can be the type that plugs in with a USB cable. Watch this short video to get a basic understanding of LockDown Browser and the webcam feature. A student Quick Start Guide is also available.

Then download and install LockDown Browser.

Setup

To ensure LockDown Browser and the webcam are set up properly, do the following:

• Start LockDown Browser, log into uab.instructure.com, and select this course.
• Locate and select the Help Center button on the LockDown Browser toolbar.
• Run the Webcam Check and, if necessary, resolve any issues.
• Run the System & Network Check. If a problem is indicated, see if a solution is provided in the Knowledge Base.
• Exit the Help Center and locate the practice quiz named [NOTE TO INSTRUCTOR: CREATE A BRIEF PRACTICE QUIZ AND INSERT NAME OF QUIZ HERE; IF NECESSARY, INCLUDE LOCATION OF QUIZ].
• Upon completing and submitting the practice quiz, exit LockDown Browser.

Taking the Exam

When taking an online exam that requires LockDown Browser and a web cam, remember the following guidelines:

• Ensure you're in a location where you won't be interrupted.
• Turn off all other devices (e.g. tablets, phones, second computers) and place them outside of your reach.
• Clear your desk of all external materials not permitted — books, papers, other devices.
• Before starting the test, know how much time is available for it, and that you've allotted sufficient time to complete it.
• Remain at your computer for the duration of the test.
• If the computer or networking environment is different than what was used previously with the Webcam Check and System & Network Check in LockDown Browser, run the checks again prior to starting the test.
• To produce a good webcam video, do the following:
• Avoid wearing baseball caps or hats with brims.
• Ensure your computer or tablet is on a firm surface (a desk or table). Do NOT have the computer on your lap, a bed, or other surface where the device (or you) are likely to move.
• If using a built-in webcam, avoid tilting the screen after the webcam setup is complete.
• Take the exam in a well-lit room and avoid backlighting, such as sitting with your back to a window.
• Remember that LockDown Browser will prevent you from accessing other websites or applications; you will be unable to exit the test until all questions are completed and submitted.

The average time for an exam video to be processed and available to an instructor is eight hours. The time can be greater during periods of high volume, and may take up to 24 hours. During periods of low volume, the time to process the video is roughly equal to the actual length of the video.

LockDown Browser includes a tool that enables .xls/.xlsx spreadsheets (csv not supported) to be viewed and manipulated during an exam session. This functionality is available for Windows, Mac, and iPad editions of LockDown Browser. This functionality is not available for the Chromebook beta edition of LockDown Browser.

Within the quiz tool of the learning system, an instructor should embed/insert the spreadsheet file in the question wording. When a student selects the link within LockDown Browser, an Excel-like spreadsheet tool will open. The spreadsheet can be pre-populated with content or it can be a blank spreadsheet created in Excel that students use to prepare their answers.

As an example, the spreadsheet tool might be used with a multiple choice question. As shown below, a link provides access to a pre-populated spreadsheet. The student calculates the answer and then selects one of the answer choices.

The image below shows the spreadsheet that was used for this exam question.

Alternatively, an instructor can require students to create or modify a spreadsheet and submit it for grading. The example below shows how a short answer or essay question can be used for this purpose.

The question wording itself should provide guidance on the steps a student should follow. As shown above, students are instructed to:

1. select the link that opens a pre-populated spreadsheet,
2. create the required formula or calculation,
3. select the button “Click here to save your work”, and
4. paste the resulting URL into the answer field for the essay or short answer question.

After the spreadsheet file has been saved, a dialog will remind students to copy the resulting URL to the answer field using CTRL + V.

Following the exam, the instructor will see a unique URL within the LMS for each student who provided an answer for the essay or short answer question. Upon selecting the URL with a standard browser (not LockDown Browser), the Excel-like spreadsheet tool will open and the student’s work will be shown for that question.

Yes, when a quiz that has Respondus LockDown Browser or Monitor enabled is copied or imported into another course, the instructor must visit the Respondus LockDown Browser Tab in the destination course one time so that it will authorize those settings to transfer to that course.

If this step is not completed, students may receive errors similar to the ones shown below that prevent them from taking the exam.

To fix this issue:

1. Go to the Canvas course, click Respondus LDB and Monitor in the course navigation on the left.
2. You should see the success message shown below.

Note: It is not necessary to re-save each individual quiz's settings. Once you visit the dashboard, the errors will typically cease for all students who subsequently take their exams.

The issue of images not loading in Canvas Quizzes is most commonly attributed to students having low bandwidth. There are 2 recommendations when utilizing a lot of images in Canvas quizzes that can help prevent any issues with them loading.

Compress image size

We recommend compressing your images so that they are small files and can therefore be loaded quicker even with lower bandwidth internet connection. See this wiki on possible methods of compressing your images.

Change Canvas Quiz Settings to show one question at time

Canvas Quizzes show every question on a scrolling page by default which makes the web browser load all the images and may take a while. If instructors have a lot of images, they can change the quiz settings so that questions display one at time.

Use this Canvas guide to see more information.

Respondus LockDown Browser for Chromebook is now available. However, feature limitations to be aware of are listed below. To obtain technical support, or to report a bug/issue, open a support ticket with Respondus.

Known Issues

Limitations and/or known issues with LockDown Browser for Chromebook:

• Quiz passwords (specified via the "optional password" field in the LockDown Browser Dashboard) aren’t currently supported for exams that use only LockDown Browser. For exams requiring Respondus Monitor, the optional password field is supported.
• LockDown Browser’s Calculator and Spreadsheet features aren’t currently supported
• The extended keyboard functions (for adding symbols and special characters) isn’t currently available
• LockDown Browser’s “Help Center” is currently unavailable, and there is no Live Chat support for students taking exams that require Respondus Monitor.
• "Allow access to specific external web domains" option is currently not supported
• “Google Chrome OS can’t open this page” error will occur. Click the "close" button on the error, and you should be able to proceed.
• Exam feedback for "classic" quizzes is not compatible yet, if viewed at a later time. Feedback is viewable if seen in the same LockDown Browser session that the exam was taken in.

Respondus LockDown Browser for Chromebook is now available. However, feature limitations to be aware of are listed below. To obtain technical support, or to report a bug/issue, open a support ticket with Respondus.

Known Issues

Limitations and/or known issues with LockDown Browser for Chromebook:

• Quiz passwords (specified via the "optional password" field in the LockDown Browser Dashboard) aren’t currently supported for exams that use only LockDown Browser. For exams requiring Respondus Monitor, the optional password field is supported.
• LockDown Browser’s Calculator and Spreadsheet features aren’t currently supported
• The extended keyboard functions (for adding symbols and special characters) isn’t currently available
• LockDown Browser’s “Help Center” is currently unavailable, and there is no Live Chat support for students taking exams that require Respondus Monitor.
• "Allow access to specific external web domains" option is currently not supported
• “Google Chrome OS can’t open this page” error will occur. Click the "close" button on the error, and you should be able to proceed.
• Exam feedback for "classic" quizzes is not compatible yet, if viewed at a later time. Feedback is viewable if seen in the same LockDown Browser session that the exam was taken in.

See below for the full system requirements.

Operating Systems

Windows: 10, 8, 7

Mac: OS X 10.12 or higher

iOS: 11.0+ (iPad only). Must be enabled by the instructor in the Respondus LDB settings.

Note: LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor may continue to run in older operating systems that have reached “end-of-life” but students may encounter unexpected results. Students running OS X 10.13 (High Sierra) should use LockDown Browser version 2.0.2.05 or newer for best performance.

Memory

• Windows: 2 GB RAM
• Mac: 512 MB RAM

Hard Disk Space

• Windows: 75 MB of free hard disk space
• Mac: 120 MB of free hard disk space

Find out more here.

There isn’t a specific kb/s requirement for using a webcam with Respondus Monitor because the recording quality automatically adjusts when a slower connection is detected.

Generally speaking, if the user has a decent broadband connection that doesn’t result in significant delays when accessing the learning system, the bandwidth will be fine for Respondus Monitor. If using a shared Internet connection, students should ensure that others on the same connection don’t use bandwidth-hungry services during the exam (such as online movies, games, file sharing, etc.).

Below are some tips to help ensure the best results:

• If possible, plug an Ethernet cable into the computer to ensure the best possible network connection/speed. Otherwise, be as close to the Wi-Fi router as possible.
• Shut down all other applications other than LockDown Browser. This will help reduce the bandwidth being used by other applications running in the background.

The Mac version of LockDown Browser works with VoiceOver (the standard screen reader that comes with the Mac OS). LockDown Browser's functions and security remain the same when VoiceOver is used. Be sure you are using LockDown Browser version 2.0.3.03 or newer.

As of LockDown Browser 2.0.1.07 for Windows, accessibility is enabled for all users. Improvements to accessibility were added to version 2.0.3.00 for Windows. Please have all students on Windows platforms upgrade to version 2.0.3.03 and newer. The Windows version of LockDown Browser allows a student to use some screen reader accessibility programs, such as NVDA, JAWS, MS-Windows Narrator, ReadSpeaker webReader, and Windows-Eyes. In our experience, NVDA works the best. NVDA is free and available to download.

• Zoom Text is compatible in regards to increasing the text size, but the reader is not currently compatible.
• Read&Write Gold, Kurzweil 3000 are not compatible with LockDown Browser. Most "literacy" programs like these have a number incompatibilities and potential exploits that cannot be addressed in LockDown Browser. These programs are standalone Windows programs which cannot be brought on top of an active LockDown Browser exam. Also, for use with a browser, these programs require a custom browser plug-in that is not compatible with LockDown Browser.
• For "speech to text" with Dragon Naturally Speaking, users have reported adjusting the settings to "not use the dictation box" in Dragon Naturally Speaking, will allow it to work with LockDown Browser.

To upgrade LockDown Browser, either download and install the full installation package, or start LockDown Browser, select the “i” button from the toolbar (Windows) or "about" button (Mac) and then click “Check for Newer Version”. The version will be displayed and you will be able to download a newer version if one is available.

Keep in mind that the security level of LockDown Browser is lowered when screen readers are used.

LockDown Browser (LDB) is a completely separate browser not a plug in. After downloading the LDB, the student needs to open the LockDown Browser software (found in applications) and access the exam through that browser. If the student is getting a message saying to download LDB, then they are still accessing the exam through a normal browser like Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari.