Many teachers at BHS and throughout Barrington 220 value these and many other functions embedded in the Respondus LockDown Browser. LockDown Browser connects with Schoology and offers apps for both iOS 11 on iPad devices and macOS High Sierra on MacBook Air devices and brings added functionality to any type of assessment. However, it is important to understand a few issues inherent when using Respondus LockDown Browser.
Several teachers, Teacher Librarians, LTAs, iDAL coaches, and others have combined forces to share some of the minor issues with the Respondus LockDown Browser, along with some ideas for avoiding major problems. Barrington 220 has already logged support tickets with Respondus for each of these issues.
Can the Respondus LockDown Browser be set as the default option when teachers create an assessment?
Since Respondus—not Schoology—created the Respondus LockDown Browser, Schoology does not currently have the capability to set the Respondus LockDown Browser as the default browser option for assessments.
Do teachers need to turn on the Respondus LockDown Browser manually for each section?
Yes, the Respondus LockDown Browser must be turned on manually for each section.
When students attempt to take an assessment in the Respondus LockDown Browser, they receive this error message, "No servers found for the institution that match the auto launch URL."
This error occurs whenever a student attempts to start an assessment through the Respondus LockDown Browser when they are not logged into Schoology. Students must be signed into the Barrington 220 Schoology portal to access an assessment created within a Barrington 220 Schoology course.
When a teacher creates an assessment in the Respondus LockDown Browser and limits students to one attempt, when they get locked out or kicked out of the assessment they cannot attempt the assessment again. How can we keep the one-attempt limit and still allow students back into the assessment?
This is a tricky one. We recommend setting the number of attempts to 2 or 3 for each assessment until after the assessment has been given. The teacher can then change the number of attempts to just 1 and remove the extra attempts in the test settings.
Sometimes teachers administer their assessments one page at a time to maintain a high level of integrity of their test questions. Can this be done through the Respondus LockDown Browser?
Yes, teachers can administer a test a single page at a time, but each page needs to be set up as an individual assessment.
Some teachers of world languages seek the ability to keep students locked within the assessment so they cannot access translation software like Google Translate during their assessment. How can teachers lock students into the Respondus LockDown Browser?
Teachers can use the Advanced Settings to ensure students are locked into the Respondus LockDown Browser by checking the box: "Lock students into the browser until exam is completed."
Some students report their MacBook Air devices restarting without prompting upon submission of an assessment. Why is this happening?
We are currently testing some theories, but no concrete explanation for this issue. Please contact an LTA should a student experience this issue.
During an assessment, an embedded YouTube video within the Respondus LockDown Browser began buffering (taking a long time to load with no video playing) and the student was unable to view the video.
Embedded videos can cause loading issues depending upon the length of the video, the quality of the video, and the amount of bandwidth needed for the entire class to access the Internet at the same time. Please consider this possibility when embedding videos into an assessment.
Can students access pausable, rewindable Text-to-Speech within an assessment in the Respondus LockDown Browser?
Currently, the built-in text-to-speech options do not allow for pausing or rewinding within text being read. The audio can be stopped, but restarting results in the audio starting again from the start of the text. The macOS version of the Respondus LockDown Browser works with VoiceOver, a text-to-speech tool built into macOS, the MacBook Air device's operating system. Students can access these Accessibility options in System Preferences.
Why do students sometimes encounter problems downloading the Respondus LockDown Browser?
Problems might arise when attempting to download the Respondus LockDown Browser if the app already exists on the device. If a student has already downloaded the Respondus LockDown Browser, they do not need to download it again.
Why does the Respondus LockDown Browser not prevent access to the Internet or other apps after students submit their assessment?
The Respondus LockDown Browser only locks students into the Respondus LockDown Browser during an assigned assessment. After students submit their assessment, they are no longer under the control of the Respondus LockDown Browser.
For more information, resources, and tutorials for solving some of the issues above and more, please consult our Troubleshooting the Respondus Lockdown Browser Reference Guide.
No comments:
Post a Comment