LockDown Browser & Proctoring Privacy F.A.Q.s
What is proctoring?
Proctoring means to have an observer monitoring the testing environment as students take a quiz. For online courses, this usually means that students take the quiz in a lockdown browser, and possibly have their webcam recording as they take the quiz.
The proctoring service is automated– nobody is actively watching the student's screen or webcam feed as they take the test. Respondus' automated system will analyze a student's footage and look for potential signs of academic misconduct, flagging anything it thinks may be a sign of cheating.
The University of Wisconsin-Parkside utilizes Respondus LockDown Browser as its online proctoring service for Canvas quizzes. We have also used Honorlock in the past before switching back to Respondus.
In the case of Respondus, its primary functionality is its lockdown browser. Respondus LockDown Browser is a standalone web browser that the student needs to install on their Windows or Mac computer in order to take their quiz.
How do our online proctoring tools work?
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Students take the quiz with Respondus LockDown Browser– The actual process of taking the quiz is unchanged for students when proctoring is required. The only difference is that they'll need to launch the quiz within Respondus LockDown Browser to access the quiz in the first place. They will be given a link to download or launch Respondus LockDown Browser if they are not already in it.
Nobody is actively watching the student take their quiz as they fill it out. Respondus is an automated system that scans for potential infractions and may warn the student about them if it notices one, such as the student leaving the room or looking at their phone. Their autoamted system will flag the student's quiz attempt for the instructor to review later, if they deem it to be necessary.
Once the quiz is finished, the student can close the browser and return to using their computer like normal. -
Analyzing the quiz attempt – Respondus uses an automated system to scan the student's quiz attempt and webcam footage (if it was required). It gives each student a priority rating based on how many times it flagged their quiz attempt and how severe those potential infractions were. In some cases, Respondus will actively warn the student if it believes something is suspicious. For example, if it notices that the student is looking at their phone, it will warn them to put it away or else they will be given a high priority review rating.
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Instructor checks & verifies the results – Finally, the instructor opens the list of quiz results and determines whose quiz attempt, if any, received high enough of a review rating that they need to check for potential violations. If an instructor checks these flags and verifies that cheating did occur, any changes to grades or further disciplinary actions will be up to their discretion. Respondus will not affect the student's grade in any way, regardless of what it may or may not have detected.
Is every online quiz proctored?
No. Once Respondus has been added to a quiz, it will add "(Requires Respondus LockDown Browser + Monitor)" to the end of the quiz title. The "+ Monitor" will only appear if the quiz also requires webcam recording during the quiz. It is up to the instructor whether the webcam will be required for a particular quiz assignment.
Do I have to pay to use Respondus LockDown Browser?
No. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside pays the licensing fee for Respondus's proctoring service.
If Respondus Monitor is required, who sees the footage?
Just like student grades and assignment submissions, the only person who will see a student's proctoring results is the instructor(s) of the course. UW-Parkside Canvas administrators also have access to proctoring results by virtue of being an administrator, but they will never look at any quiz or proctoring results without the instructor first asking them to check something on their behalf.
Student privacy laws protect student identities and therefore prevent any information or footage from being shared or sold to third parties.
Respondus Monitor uses an automated process to flag timestamps in footage where it believes violations may have occurred. It's entirely up to instructor discretion on whose footage they view, if any at all. If the student's quiz attempt isn't given a high priority review rating for potential cheating, then chances are that no one ever looks at that student's footage in the first place.
The only reason that additional parties would gain access to recorded footage would be for disputing evidence of academic misconduct. Other university staff may be given access to view the footage if a student is disputing a claim of academic misconduct. Finally, footage can be legally subpoenaed if bizarre circumstances led to a crime being recorded in the background of a student's proctored webcam footage.
How long is Respondus Monitor data saved?
A quiz's Respondus Monitor data is stored for 30 months, or 2.5 years, after the quiz is taken. After this period, all personal identification information and media are deleted from storage. The data is stored only to serve as evidence in the case of an academic misconduct dispute.
What data gets recorded?
Most of the data provided to Respondus is your typical information that gets shared with any website you visit. This includes things like your username & ID number, your IP address, and what type of device you're using to view the webpage. Full details can be found at the Respondus Privacy Center page, linked below.