What is Respondus software?

Respondus LockDown Browser includes the following features:

• Exams are displayed full-screen and cannot be minimized

• Task switching or access to other applications is prevented

• Print Screen and capturing functions are disabled

• Copying and pasting anything to and from an exam is prohibited

• Right-click menu options are disabled (Windows); key + click options are disabled (Mac)

• Function keys (F1-F12) are disabled

• URLs cannot be typed by the user

• Links in questions are accessible within the browser and don’t compromise the “locked” quizzing environment.

• Hundreds of screen capture, messaging, screen-sharing and network monitoring applications are blocked from running

For students - Setting up Respondus software

Preparing your laptop and installing software:

Respondus software will run on any computer with Windows 8 or newer, macOS 10.12 (Sierra) to 11.1 (Big Sur 11.1). Computer must have a web camera (internal or external), microphone (internal or external) and access to a stable internet connection.

You can download Respondus software here.

Preparing before the exam:

Test Respondus software by taking a test exam found in the Student Test Course on E-Learning platform. This will help you to make sure that software is working and you will familiarize yourself with the exam taking procedure.

Before taking an exam prepare your working space. Make sure you have appropriate conditions in which to take the examination:

• a computer with LockDown Browser installed, working web camera and microphone, stable connection to the internet

• no one disturbs you in the room and room is otherwise silent

• there is enough light and light source is not behind you

• clean working space with no unnecessary items

• webcam can be moved freely to show your surrounding area

• student ID card prepared in advance - it will be needed during remote proctoring setup

• if exam includes pen-and-paper questions, prepare necessary amount of empty white sheets of paper.

It is advised to close all programs apart from your browser before opening the Respondus software.

Exam procedure

• On exam day, use "sseriga_public" WiFi network if exam is taken on SSE Riga premises or stable internet connection if exam is taken remotely

• Log on to E-Learning platform, open the course page and navigate to the exam

• At exam start time, open exam activity and click on Launch LockDown Browser to start Respondus software

• If prompted, close background programs (e.g. screen capture, instant messaging)

• Go through remote proctoring setup steps

• After remote proctoring setup is done click on Attempt quiz now

  • If you see white screen for more than 2 minutes after finishing the remote proctoring setup and no button to start the exam is visible, close the browser and start exam again.

  • If you see notification that your face cannot be detected for more than 2 minutes after finishing the remote proctoring setup even if you are directly in front of the camera, close the browser and start exam again.

• Proceed to take the exam. At the end of the exam, click Submit all and finish button. This will submit the exam on e-learning platform. Afterwards you can safely exit LockDown Browser.

Note: E-Learning platform is automatically saving your answers every minute. If you experience technical problems and need to close the browser, after you return to the exam all your answers will be recovered. So you won't lose any previous work.

Note: If an interruption occurs while you are writing the exam, briefly explain what happened by speaking directly to your webcam.

If exam includes pen-and-paper questions:

• Prepare a clean working space before the exam and keep your working space in view while writing the exam

• While writing pen-and-paper answers, make sure that your hands and written materials are clearly visible

• When you are ready to turn in both the digital and written parts of the exam, submit the exam, exit Respondus software and immediately afterwards, within a 5 minute period, take photos/scans of your written answers and submit them in separate activity on E-Learning platform course page.

Note: If you experience problems with uploading your photos/scans to E-Learning platform, immediately send them in an e-mail to faculty along with the description of the issue you are facing. This will show that you have finished your exam in time and nothing has been written after you have finished the exam. Then proceed to upload them on E-Learning platform as soon as possible.

FAQ

What if during the exam I encounter issues that don't allow me to continue writing the exam (software is frozen, computer shuts down etc.)?

Exit Respondus LockDown Browser and, if necessary, restart your computer. Return to your regular browser and start exam again. You will be able to access the exam and continue right where you left off.

Can I lose my work if something goes wrong during the exam?

Your answers are saved on the e-learning platform every 1 minute. If your laptop restarts etc. your answers will remain saved. In case you lose internet connection during exam, you will see a warning that your answers could not be saved and you should solve connection issues.

In case you encounter issues at the very end of the exam, all of your answers will be automatically submitted on your behalf at exam end time.

I entered Respondus LockDown Browser and I can't complete the setup process. It only shows white screen or it's frozen on one of the steps before starting the exam. How do I fix this?

Exit Respondus Lockdown Browser (by clicking the red X button in top right) and make sure that you have no other applications running except your browser. Then on your regular browser go back to the course page and start exam again.

I finished the remote proctoring setup and LockDown Browser closed without opening the exam. How can I start the exam?

You clicked on Check your LockDown Browser Setup. Open the exam activity on E-Learning platform and click on Launch LockDown browser. You will have to go through remote proctoring setup again.

Will exam include Respondus spreadsheet tool?

Due to unsatisfactory performance of the tool no future exams will include Respondus spreadsheet tool. If exam includes tables they will be created in exam response boxes or exam will consist of pen-and-paper parts.

If you need to create tables in the digital part of the exam, use text editor's Table tool.

Can I go back to the previous questions in the exam that requires Respondus software?

This is set up by the faculty in the exam settings. Faculty can allow students to move freely through the exam questions or allow students to move sequentially through the questions without the possibility to move back to the previous ones.

Is my screen recorded during the exam?

LockDown Browser uses your webcam to record everything you do. Your computer screen is not recorded but LockDown Browser itself don't allow you to open programs or visit other websites.

Can exam be taken on my phone or tablet?

If exam requires Respondus software, it can be taken only on Mac or Windows computer.

Can I use a second screen while writing this exam?

No. Software will show the exam on one monitor and will block the other or the software won't start unless you unplug the second monitor.

Can I use my phone's or tablet's camera with Respondus LockDown Browser?

No. Respondus software will ask you to close all background programs and you will lose access to your phone's or tablet's camera.

What happens with videos recorded with Respondus software? For what purposes are they used?

Videos recorded with Respondus Monitor are used to find out whether student has cheated or otherwise dishonestly improved their results during the exam. These videos can be accessed only by the course faculty and selected people from administration. Videos are not used for any other purpose than to review students performance during the exam. You can review our Privacy Policy in here: https://www.sseriga.edu/privacy-policy.

For more answers to the questions about the exam using Respondus LockDown Browser visit Respondus Student Support FAQ.

For faculty - Preparing exams

Preparing the exam:

All of the questions for the exam are created using E-Learning platform's quiz activity. Any option like time limit, number of attempts or question order are set up using quiz activity settings.

For more information about quiz activity, visit Quizzes.

After exam is prepared inform SSE Riga IT Department (itdep@sseriga.edu) to switch on Respondus LockDown Browser and, if necessary, Respondus Monitor for the exam.

Respondus LockDown Browser locks down student's computer so they can't copy and paste anything to and from the exam, print the exam, browse the web for answers, access files and programs on their computer or chat with other students during the exam. LockDown Browser also blocks hundreds of common and advanced methods of digital cheating, such as the use of Virtual Machines, remote desktops, screensharing, screen recording, keystroke combinations, launching applications with timers/alerts, browser cache exploits and much more.

Respondus Monitor is a fully-automated proctoring solution and uses student's computer webcam to record their activities during the exam.

Additional options for the exam:

It is possible to enable access to Respondus Calculator for students during the exam. This calculator is located in Respondus browser toolbar. Please inform SSE Riga IT Department if this option should be enabled for the exam.

For more information about Respondus Calculator, visit Respondus knowledgebase.

Another option is to allow students to access the course page or specific external webpage during the exam. They can access them from within Respondus LockDown Browser. By clicking on a link in the exam text a page will open. In case of external webpage students can view it but all links and navigation from this page are blocked. In order to allow this, a link to the course page or external page must be included in the exam question and SSE Riga IT Department must be informed in order to make changes in Respondus proctoring settings.