Proctoring

Your distance education course may require one or more proctored exams. Please check with your instructor and read the course syllabus closely. If your course requires an exam to be taken in a proctored physical location setting, please see the options available at ncta-testing.org or consult with your instructor for recommendations and options. 

For SBCC students, you may be required to take an online proctored exam. Respondus is the officially provided service for SBCC students. Respondus is a remote proctoring service software that works with web browser, and also on iPads (not mobie phones) to monitor test takers for suspicious behaviors. Please check with your instructor to determine if they are using the Respondus service. If Respondus is being used, it will be integrated into your class within Canvas. 

We are required by both the Federal government and our accreditation agency to perform student verification, particularly in our online classes, and the use of proctored exams is one such method for verification. 

Respondus installs a separate application. It does not access any information on your device, and is only active when an exam is taking place within Canvas. You may uninstall Respondus bewtween exams if you wish.

I encourage you to watch this video to learn more about the Respondus. In addition, here are a few responses to some common questions. 

No.  It integrates seamlessly with the LMS's assessment engine. If the exam settings require students to use Respondus Monitor, it guides them through the process of using the webcam. And for the instructors, once the exam session is complete, everything is available to them from within the LMS --  the videos, the flagging, information about the exam session, all of that.

Respondus will not sell the personal information they collect, nor share it with third parties for cross-contextual behavioral advertising.

Only authorized school officials can unlock and view the exam recordings, not Respondus. 

Respondus and Privacy

Respondus FERPA Statement for LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor The Licensee agrees that, for the purposes of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Respondus will be considered a “school official” with “legitimate educational interests” in the Student Information to whom functions and services have by been outsourced by the Licensee.  During the course of these functions, Respondus may have access to personally identifiable information of student education records, as defined by FERPA, and to other records that may have specific protections under Privacy Laws.  When Respondus receives such Student Information, Respondus acknowledges it will use it only for the specific purpose of fulfilling its obligations under its Agreement with the Licensee. Respondus may not disclose Student Information to any other party or use Student Information for any other purpose except as necessary to fulfill its obligations under the Agreement with the Licensee. Respondus further acknowledges it will not attempt to re-identify any de-identified Student Information. Upon request of the Licensee, Respondus shall destroy all Student Information it received during the performance of its services of the Agreement. 

Note: Proctorio implements a zero-knowledge encryption scheme to keep your information safe.

Avoid Respondus Lockdown Problems

The Respondus LockDown Browser (RLDB) with Respondus Monitor provide online proctoring to prevent and detect cheating. The software must be installed on the student’s computer before taking an exam.

We strongly encourage instructors to create a simple one-question practice quiz that uses Respondus LockDown Browser. This allows students a stress-free way to make sure that RLDB is working properly on their computer prior to taking an actual quiz.

Please make sure students install the software well before any exam deadline to avoid any last-minute problems.

Students Should Check for These Issues

Here are some common problems students encounter when using Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor.

Software Out of Date

Respondus software used for an exam in the fall may not work during the spring semester. Be sure the Respondus software is the latest version.

MAC INSTRUCTIONS: Start Respondus LockDown Browser, select “About” from the toolbar, and then click “Check for Update.” A newer version can be downloaded if one is available.

WINDOWS INSTRUCTIONS: Start LockDown Browser and select the “i” button from the toolbar to display the version. Click on “Check for Newer Version.” A newer version can be downloaded if one is available.

Don’t Use a Cell Phone or Tablet*

The software does not work with cell phones or tablets at this time.

*However, an iPad can be used with an RLDB exam with instructor approval. The instructor must set up the exam in D2L to allow use of an iPad. The student must download Lockdown Browser (from Respondus Inc.) from the Apple App store.

Chromebooks

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS: To install the new extension to a student-owned Chromebook, students will need to use the regular LockDown Browser installation link for your school (they will NOT be able to search for the app directly from the Chrome web store.) The LockDown Browser installation link will direct students to the Chrome web store, at which point they should select “Add to Chrome” to install the LockDown Browser Extension.

Known Chromebook Issue

 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
– “Allow access to specific external web domains” option is currently not supported
– Pop-ups need to be enabled in Chrome for the server otherwise the student gets stuck on the “Start Quiz” page. Please refer to this article.

Mac Users Must Provide Software Access

Webcam and Microphone Problem

  • Check for the newest RLDB version or update.
  • Shut down other utilities such as Dropbox, Spotify, Skype, etc. and reboot the computer.
  • Virus protection software may need to be shut down during the exam.

When using Mac OS X 10.14.1 (Mojave) or newer and are using Respondus LockDown Browser for the first time, the student will likely need to manually grant LockDown Browser permission to access the camera and microphone.

  1. On a Mac, select the Apple menu > System Preferences, open Security & Privacy, then click Privacy.
  2. Select Camera (from list on the left).
  3. Click the checkbox next to the LockDown Browser app (from app list on right).
  4. Do the same with the Microphone and select the checkbox next to the LockDown Browser app on the right.

LockDown Browser Does Not Launch

If nothing happens when a student clicks on the “Launch LockDown Browser” button in the quiz, it’s possible that they may not have set the browser to open the LockDown app. Depending on the browser, it’s also possible the wrong app is designated to open the LockDown Browser required exam.

The first time a browser is used, click the “Launch LockDown Browser” button. A dialog window will appear. This window will continue to appear every time LockDown is used unless “Remember my choice” option is selected.