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Respondus Lockdown Browser

In this post, you will find an overview of the one of the most useful pieces of software available in the Blackboard toolkit: Respondus Lockdown Browser.

Respondus Lockdown Browser is a web browser just like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge, but with a few extra features designed for assessments in the modern classroom.

Respondus Lockdown Browser works with Blackboard to make exams more secure. When using the Respondus Browser to take an exam, students are unable to open other computer programs, windows or tabs in the browser, and copy, paste, or print.

This makes Respondus Lockdown Browser ideal for proctored environments, such as a computer lab or classroom, where students take the exam together and at a common time.

For fully online courses where you may never meet your students, Respondus offers an additional layer of security to help ensure academic integrity: Respondus Monitor. In addition to the features of Respondus Browser, Monitor enables a student's webcam and microphone while they complete their exam. Doing so verifies the student's identity and work environment, and provides a significant deterrent for academic dishonesty.

Dr. Gregory Crider, chair of the Department of History, has used Respondus Lockdown with Monitor
in his 100% online HIST 111 and 113 courses. Here is how he described the experience of using Respondus Lockdown Browser with Monitor:

"Respondus is an easy way to make sure that the student taking the test is the same as the student enrolled in the course. Also, in requiring students to show their work environment, the instructor can get a sense of what kinds of materials or devices students have at their avail. Students are aware that they are being recorded, so this deters many from trying do anything outside the rules.

At first, it can feel a little awkward zeroing in on individual students, but it usually takes only a minute or less to check each student for questionable behavior."

Take a look at the videos below for an idea of how Respondus Lockdown Browser and Respondus Lockdown Browser with Monitor work.

Respondus Lockdown Browser

Respondus Monitor


Respondus is already available to all instructors using Blackboard from the Course Tools menu, and students can download Respondus Lockdown Browser at the link below.

https://www.respondus.com/lockdown/download.php?id=158741422

While you can begin using Respondus Lockdown Browser at any time, there may be certain considerations to make for adjusting the parameters for your specific course needs.

For in-depth training and guidance on using Respondus for your course, please contact the Office of Online learning at instructionaldesign@winthrop.edu, or book a meeting with your department's instructional designer.


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