Respondus LockDown Browser (for instructors)

Respondus LockDown Browser is a special web browser that helps prevent cheating during in-person proctored online exams (that take place in a classroom or computer lab) . Students take the exams using Canvas, but cannot use other programs, take screenshots, copy, paste, print, or navigate to other websites while the exam is in progress.

Note: LockDown Browser cannot be used for remote exam delivery; it is available only for in-person exams.

Before You Start 

  • LockDown Browser can only be used for in-person exams
  • LockDown Browser cannot be used for remote exam delivery take-home exams or quizzes, as only supervision can ensure that students are not using an additional device.
  • If students will use LockDown Browser on personal devices or in a computer lab, contact the Courseware team at courseware@wharton.upenn.edu at least two weeks before the first online quiz/exam, preferably. 
  • Plan to deliver a practice quiz using Respondus LockDown Browser beforehand to help familiarize students with the tool, so that students do not take extra time to set up on exam day. 

Enable Respondus LockDown Browser

Before your students can take quizzes/exams using LockDown Browser, it must be enabled for the course.

Using Excel with LockDown Browser

LockDown Browser includes a basic spreadsheet tool that enables .xls/.xlsx spreadsheets to be viewed and edited during an exam session. LockDown Browser has its own basic, built-in spreadsheet function that allows students to use a spreadsheet, but with limited functionality. This functionality is available for Windows, Mac, and iPad editions of LockDown Browser.

To enable the spreadsheet function in LockDown Browser, use these steps:

Day-of-Exam Troubleshooting

If students are having trouble opening the quiz/exam with LockDown Browser, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can take on your own. You can also contact the Courseware team for assistance. 

We recommend having paper copies of the exam as a backup for students who are unable to open LockDown Browser or log in with two-factor authentication.

Additional Resources

  1. If you are wondering when to use Respondus LockDown Browser versus other approaches, watch Courseware's on-demand session, Which Canvas Tool Is Right for My Exam?  [49:24] which discusses Respondus at length with a number of useful tips. 
  2. The following resources are helpful when applying the LockDown Browser to specific quizzes:
  3. In addition, these resources are helpful for students:

Questions?

Contact: Courseware team

Email: courseware@wharton.upenn.edu