Respondus LockDown Browser is a custom browser that locks down the testing environment within Canvas. When students use Respondus LockDown Browser they are unable to print, copy, go to another URL, or access other applications and/or files. Instructors do not need to download the browser to set up an exam.
Respondus LockDown Browser is a custom web browser that is used to access quizzes in Canvas. When the LockDown Browser is enabled, students are prevented from opening additional tabs, accessing other applications on their computer, and taking specific actions while on the quiz (e.g. taking screenshots, copying, printing).
Respondus Tools are only deterrents and cannot fully prevent cheating. Additionally, Respondus LockDown Browser is intended for in-person exams, and should, therefore, not be considered an ideal solution for remote/online exams. The best way to prevent academic integrity violations is with a well-designed assessment. If you suspect cheating behavior is occurring, contact the Academic Integrity Office.
Please note that Respondus Monitor will not be available after August 1, 2021.
Respondus has daily webinar trainings for instructors, including a detailed rundown of the LockDown browser settings and student experience. View the full training schedule.
Distribute information to your students by embedding instructions in Canvas, sending reminder emails, and directing students to the Respondus Resource Center.
Put it on the SyllabusInform students you will be using a proctoring service for their exam(s). Provide instructions on how to install Respondus LockDown Browser on their device. Remind students of the requirements needed for proctoring and what they need to do if they cannot meet the requirements. See 'Students' below.
Sample Syllabus Statement:
Direct students to the 'For Students' section of this page, or provide the information directly to your students by embedding instructions in your Canvas course.
Be sure to add this to your course materials so students can access and reference the instructions.
Provide alternate accommodationsRespondus LockDown Browser has minimum system requirements in order to run properly. Students who aren't able to meet these requirements will be unable to use Respondus, and will need alternate accommodations to take their exams.
You can access the LockDown Browser dashboard in the left-hand navigation menu of your Canvas course. If you do not see this in your menu, you can enable it within the Navigation menu of your Canvas course settings.
Enable LockDown Browser for QuizzesIn the LockDown Browser Dashboard, you will be able to see a list of your course’s quizzes.
In order to take a Quiz that requires the use of Respondus, you must download the LockDown Browser before you can begin the exam. The Canvas quiz will prompt you to download the LockDown Browser if you attempt to take it from any other browser.
You must use either Windows or Mac in order to install Respondus LockDown Browser. Chromebooks may be able to make use of LockDown Browser. However, the Chromebook offering is available through a Beta trial and may not be fully supported. Windows tablets are not supported. View the full Systems Requirement list for more details.
If you are unable to meet the system requirements, reach out to your instructor or IA as soon as possible to arrange for alternate accommodation.
If you are prompted to select a version, choose Student Version
Important: You must download the browser from the link above. Even if you have used the LockDown Browser at another school, it will not work unless you use the UCSD version.
Depending on how your instructor configured the exam, you may not be able to leave the webpage until the Quiz has been submitted. Be sure to take the Quiz at a time when you will be uninterrupted.
Respondus LockDown Browser is an internet browser that has certain minimum requirements in order to run properly. View the system requirements below:
LockDown Browser does not support Windows tablets nor 10S devices.
LockDown Browser may continue to run in older operating systems that have reached “end-of-life” but students may encounter unexpected results.
You must be connected to a stable internet connection. Connecting to the internet via Ethernet is highly recommended.
LockDown Browser is a client application that is installed on a local computer. Both the Windows edition and the Mac edition of the browser are based on Chromium, Google's open-source framework. Students do NOT need Google's Chrome browser installed; nor will this version affect a Chrome browser that's already installed.
All exams using LockDown Browser must be hosted through UC San Diego’s main instance of Canvas at canvas.ucsd.edu, and rady.instructure.com for Rady graduate courses.
LockDown Browser prevents access to other applications and files during an exam, but it doesn’t access any of your files or documents, nor does it transmit those files to a Respondus server. Once an exam has started, LockDown Browser is designed to block access to other applications and functions to prevent the use of unauthorized materials for the duration of the exam. When the assessment is complete, the locking and blocking features are turned off.
Protecting student privacy remains a top priority. If you have concerns about the usage of Respondus in your course, please reach out to your instructor to discuss what alternative accommodations may be available.
If you need help troubleshooting a technical issue with Lockdown Browser, view Respondus’s Knowledge Base articles, or submit a support ticket with Respondus.
If you are an instructor or a TA are experiencing a non-Respondus issue with Canvas, contact the EdTech Support Team.
If you require more information related to live proctoring solutions, please contact the Digital Learning Hub at online@ucsd.edu.
The Respondus LockDown Browser (RLDB) is a locked browser that prevents students from printing, copying, going to another URL, or accessing other applications during an assessment. When the RLDB is enabled for a quiz, students will be required to download and use RLDB to take the quiz or exam. Watch an overview video on LockDown Browser.
Respondus Monitor is an automated proctoring feature that can be turned on when using the LockDown Browser that uses a student’s webcam and video analytics to help instructors catch cheating. Watch an overview video on Monitor.
See comparison of proctoring services available at UAB.
Features:
Faculty can enable Respondus LockDown Browser & Monitor for a Canvas Quiz by following the following directions:
See the guides below for more instructions and options.
When students land on the quiz page of a RLDB enabled quiz, they will be provided a link to download RLDB. Students will not be able to access (start) the quiz until they are accessing the quiz page from the RLDB.
Students can download the RLDB for their computer or iPad app. The app is currently available as a Beta on Chromebooks. Your instructor will inform you if iPads or Chromebooks are an option for their Exam/Quiz.
Note: Chromebooks are supported in a Beta only if your instructor allows. Please refer to your instructor to see if iPads are allowed for your quiz as this setting must be enabled by the instructor.
Guides:
Tutorials:
Resources
Guides:
Tutorials:
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
There is a Chromebook Beta of LockDown Browser available. Students can use LockDown Browser on a Chromebook if you allow them to. This software is in Beta, there are limitations to be aware of that are listed below.
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.
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.
Respondus offers webinars on this topic periodically.
Group, one-on-one, or virtual sessions are also available to faculty.