LockDown Browser

NOTE: Due to technical issues with the current version of Respondus Lockdown Browser, it has been disabled in the Citrix environment and is not currently available for any Brightspace Quizzes.

If you are seeing “Requires Respondus Lockdown Browser” in the title of a Quiz that previously had Lockdown Browser enabled: this is simply an edit made by Lockdown Browser when initially enabled for a quiz. Lockdown Browser is not actually required. To avoid confusion for your students, we recommend editing the Quiz title to remove the text.

 

LockDown Browser is a custom browser that locks down the test environment within a learning management system such as Brightspace by D2L. When students use LockDown Browser, they are prevented from printing, screen capturing, visiting other websites, accessing other applications, or closing a quiz until they have submitted it. Tests created for use with LockDown Browser cannot be accessed with standard browsers.

LockDown Browser is only available on campus, in Citrix labs and in A219 which is a PC lab. It cannot be used for off-campus examinations.

LockDown Browser functions similar to a standard browser except some options have been removed or operate differently. Following are the major differences:

  • Toolbar – the condensed toolbar includes only Forward, Back, Refresh and Stop functions.
  • Assessment Mode  – assessments are shown full-screen and cannot be minimized, resized, or exited until submitted for grading.
  • Disabled  Controls – all printing, keystroke combinations, screen capture, function keys, and right-click menus are disabled.
  • Links – links to other websites do not compromise the secure testing environment.
  • Blocked Features and Applications – the Start button (Windows), system tray, and menu bars are hidden.

Preparing for Exams

  1. Open a browser window using Chrome or Firefox. Please avoid Internet Explorer.
  2. Go to your course either through the myLangara portal or directly through Brightspace.

TIP: How to log in

See Employee Accounts to find out more about your user IDs and passwords.

  • MyLangara Portal: log in with your employee ID and password. See How to find your Brightspace Course for more details
  • Brightspace direct link: log in with your computer ID and password
  1. For LockDown Browser to work, you must have all three tools listed below enabled under the Assessments menu:
  • Quizzes
  • Self Assessments
  • Surveys

TIP: How to Enable Assessment Tools

If these three do not appear under Assessments, enable them:

  1. Under Course Admin menu, select Tools
  2. Toggle on necessary tools
  3. Close Brightspace and log in again

See Setting Assessment Tools to Active or Inactive for more details

  1. Activate LockDown Browser for quiz
      1. From the orange navigation bar click on Assessments and select Quizzes
      2. Click the LockDown Browser tab.
      3. A prompt appears stating “Application Respondus v4.0 by Respondus Inc is trying to access your information. Would you like to proceed?”
      4. Check Do not ask me again for this application and click Continue.
      5. If you have quizzes already set up, you should see a list of the items.

        TIP: Why don't I see any quiz items?

        When quiz item(s) does not show in the LockDown Browser Dashboard, it’s typically due to an empty value in the quiz “Message” field. This field is displayed to students after answers are submitted. This is a sporadic issue with Brightspace and might occur after a course copy. Navigate to this field by clicking Edit Quiz > Submissions Views tab > Default View > View Properties >”Message”. The quickest way to resolve the problem is to enter some text (even a blank space using the space key) in the “Message” field and save the quiz again.

        If all quizzes in the course have this same problem, you will likely see this message when opening the LockDown Browser Dashboard:
        “There are no deployed tests in this course.”

      6. Click on the dropdown arrow to the left of a quiz title and select Modify Settings.
      7. Select “Require Respondus LockDown Browser for this exam”
      8. In general, we do not suggest you use any of the Advanced Settings unless your students need access to a calculator for the exam or you have provided a link to a specific external web page. We do, however, recommend that in Advanced Settings, you uncheck the “Require LockDown Browser to view post-exam feedback and results” option, otherwise students will have to be on campus and in a Citrix lab to see their results in the exam.
      9. Select “Don’t require Respondus Monitor for this exam”. (Respondus Monitor is disabled in Brightspace at Langara College).
      10. Click Save and Close
      11. Note the changes to the quiz description. The LockDown Browser column is now indicating “Required”.

Please be prepared for unforeseen technical failure. On rare occasions, the browser may freeze during the exam. If this occurs you may need to take a picture of students’ answers with a mobile device. For more tips, see LockDown Browser FAQ.

You can disable LockDown Browser for individual students.

Under some circumstances, you may need to disable LockDown Browser for one or more students, for example:

  • if the quiz is being invigilated elsewhere
  • if the student is in the lab but is having other technical difficulties

You can disable LockDown Browser for specific students using the Special Access option on the Restrictions tab in the quiz settings. Just go into Edit Quiz for the quiz, and under Restrictions, create a Special Access condition for the student. At the bottom of the screen, under LockDown Browser, tick the box that says “Not required to take this quiz.”

You can disable LockDown Browser for the entire quiz.

If you need to disable LockDown Browser for the entire quiz, just go to Assessments > Quizzes and click on LockDown Browser at the top of the screen to access the LockDown Browser Dashboard. Locate the quiz on the Dashboard, click the menu item to its left, and click on Modify Settings.

This will open the settings box for that quiz. Click the radio button that says “Don’t require Respondus LockDown Browser for this exam.” Click Save and Close.

Student View

To see a student view and to see student-specific instructions, visit the Help with Student Learning Tools site.

If you have any questions, contact Ed Tech at edtech@langara.ca or phone 604-323-5403.