Use Respondus LockDown Browser for assessments
Respondus Lockdown Browser locks a student in a quiz on myCourses. Students cannot navigate away from the quiz and are unable to open a browser window or access files on the computer. This browser can be installed in designated computer labs or on students’ personal computers for use during invigilated exams delivered via the myCourses Quiz tool.
McGill does not recommend online proctored exams for the following reasons:
There is a serious risk of technical failure due to the necessity for extended, sustained internet access. If something goes wrong, there is no backup. If a student’s WiFi drops out, their computer crashes, etc., there is no way to do the exam in an alternate way.
Anxiety. Exams are already stressful. Adding observation in their personal workspace could contribute to making students feel overwhelmed with anxiety.
Students may not have access to laptops, and even if they do, they may not have the permissions needed to install the required software.
In this article:
Enable Respondus LockDown Browser
Navigate to the Quizzes tool on your course Navigation Bar.
Select LockDown Browser from the tabs at the top of the main Quizzes page.
(Optional) Read through the LockDown Browser resources, including video tutorials and instructional guides.
Click Continue to LockDown Browser at the bottom-right of your screen. The following page will display a list of your quizzes and whether they require the LockDown Browser.
Click the downward arrow beside a quiz name and select Settings from the drop-down menu.
Choose to Require Respondus LockDown Browser for this exam.
(Optional) Select Password settings and other Advanced settings as desired.
Click Save and Close.
Student view of Respondus LockDown Browser
Students navigate to the Quizzes tool in myCourses and select a specific quiz, they then click Launch Respondus Lockdown Browser. Students must download and install the latest version of LockDown Browser to begin the assessment. They will use the LockDown Browser to view and answer questions online.
Students cannot navigate away from the assessment after they begin.
Have a question that was not answered in this article? Visit our FAQs.
While this resource is accessible worldwide, McGill University is on land which has served and continues to serve as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. Teaching and Learning Services acknowledges and thanks the diverse Indigenous peoples whose footsteps mark this territory on which peoples of the world now gather. This land acknowledgment is shared as a starting point to provide context for further learning and action.
McLennan Library Building 3415 McTavish Street Suite MS-12 (ground level), Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C8 | Tel.: 514-398-6648 | Fax: 514-398-8465 | Email: tls@mcgill.ca