Respondus Monitor

What is Respondus Monitor?

Respondus Monitor is “a webcam feature for LockDown Browser that records students during online, non-proctored exams. When this feature is enabled for a quiz, students are required to use a webcam and microphone with LockDown Browser. In addition to recording the student, Lockdown Browser monitors a student’s computer during testing, preventing copying, printing, accessing other applications, or visiting other websites during online testing. After the exam is complete, an instructor can review details of the assessment including the recorded videos”.

We recommend that Respondus Monitor be used judiciously. We encourage the use of authentic assessments to support students’ preparedness for industry. It is recommended that summative assessments, particularly those that are heavily weighed, focus on tasks / skills that students need in industry. Respondus Monitor should be considered only when necessary, as in cases in which regulatory bodies require proctored assessments.

Respondus Lockdown Browser and Respondus Monitor Settings


Set up Respondus Lockdown Browser to access Respondus Monitor

To use Respondus Monitor, you’ll need to set up Respondus Lockdown Browser for your quiz or test. To help familiarize yourself with these tools have a look at these Respondus Lockdown Browser resources.


Basic steps to use Respondus Monitor:

  1. Create your test or exam in Quiz tool in DC Connect
  2. Set up Respondus Lockdown Browser
  3. Set up Respondus Monitor
  4. After test or exam, review prioritized flags of suspicious behaviour

Important note

  • It is recommended that you host a trial quiz in Respondus Monitor for your students before you use the tool for a high stakes test or exam. This gives students a chance to try the tool and ensure their equipment is compatible with the tool and gives students a chance to get comfortable with the tehcnology.
  • Students have access to live chat provided by Respondus. Using Lockdown Browser, students will see a “help centre” button. Encourage students who are having technical issues to troubleshoot based on the resources available, and then contact “help centre” as needed.

Technical Compatibility

  • Respondus Monitor does NOT work with phones (iPhone or Android).
  • Respondus Monitor does NOT work on Chromebooks.
  • Respondus Monitor does have an iPad application. Faculty will need to turn on “allow students to take this exam with an iPad” setting, this setting is not on automatically.

System requirements for Students

  • Windows: 10, 8, 7
  • Mac: OS X 10.10 or higher
  • iOS: 10.0+ (iPad only). Faculty must have set permission for iPads to be used. Details.
  • Web camera (internal or external) & microphone
  • A broadband internet connection

Faculty Resources

  • Everything you need to know to set-up Respondus Lockdown is available in this QuickStart Guide.
  • After test/exam: How to review the prioritized flags of suspicious behaviour?
    • Wait 8-24 hours for videos to be processed
    • Videos can be reviewed in the Lockdown Browser Dashboard in the Quizzes area of your DC Connect course, then select "Class results" - step-by-step resource
    • It is important to understand that flags don’t necessarily indicate cheating. The flags and Review Priority are tools to help faculty identify suspicious behaviour.
    • To review prioritized flags, you will need to understand the results, please see this document for details.
    • For an addition detailed description of how students are prioritized, please read this document.

Upcoming Respondus Monitor Webinars (Hosted by Respondus)

Respondus is hosting comprehensive training webinars intended for instructors who plan to use LockDown Browser and/or Respondus Monitor with online exams. Please consider participating in a webinar or watching a pre-recorded session. Please register at: https://web.respondus.com/webinars/

For a pre-recorded version, visit http://web.respondus.com/monitor-training/


Student Resources

Faculty, please use this Quick Start Guide for Students to support your students.

  • Respondus Monitor provides live chat support for students by using the “Help Centre” button which appears on the Lockdown application. For details, click here.
  • Students can also submit a helpdesk ticket at the following link.

Troubleshooting

What if a student loses their internet connection?


Accessibility

For more information, visit Respondus Monitor accessibility (or knowledgebase article)

Windows Users

The Windows version of LockDown Browser allows a student to use some screen reader programs, such as JAWS and Windows-Eyes. For further details

Mac and iPad Users

The Mac and the iPad version of LockDown Browser works with VoiceOver (the standard screen reader that comes with the Mac OS and iOS) and requires no additional effort by the user.


Best practices

If you plan on requiring your students to use Respondus Monitor for your DC Connect quizzes, there are some recommended best practices to follow.

Documentation

Be sure to distribute the Respondus Monitor – Quick Start Guide for Students documentation to your class as well as the link to the knowledgebase This document explains minimum computer requirements, how to prepare for a Respondus Monitor quiz, how to download and install the application, and what to expect when taking the quiz. Be sure to review the document yourself.

Practice

Try Respondus Monitor with a sample quiz first in order to familiarize your students with downloading, installing, and using the application, create a simple, no/low-stakes quiz at the beginning of the semester that your students must complete. Ensure students know how to access Respondus’s Helpdesk for technical support.

WIFI

Ideally, all your students will be able to use a wired internet connection when completing the Respondus Monitor quiz. However, as this is unlikely, have your students turn off any device (mobile phone, tablet, etc.) that connects to the wireless network that they are not using to complete the quiz. This will help minimize the load on the wireless network supplying your test environment, and thus minimize the chance of a service interruption.


Student questions about Respondus Monitor


Notice of Collection and Use

The following statement is on the Student Terms of Use when using Respondus. Students must agree to the terms before being able to proceed. This information is being included on this page for faculty awareness as well.

“Durham College has an institutional license to use Respondus Monitor as a remote proctoring tool to support the administration of electronic examinations and assessments. Respondus Monitor is a cloud-based service and software that captures video, audio, and other data during student assessment sessions for use in monitoring students. This data is accessible to, and may be used by, authorized individuals at the college to administer student assessments and manage the academic integrity of such assessments. The Student Terms of Use for Respondus Monitor must be agreed to by users (e.g. students) prior to each use of the Respondus Monitor, available at https://web.respondus.com/tou-monitor-student/.

By accessing and using Respondus Monitor, you agree to the collection, use, disclosure and retention of your personal information (including personal images) by Respondus Inc. in accordance with its Privacy Policy, available at https://web.respondus.com/privacy-policy/. Questions regarding the collection of your personal information may be directed to: Durham College Privacy Office at 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, ON L1H 0C5, 905.721.2000, ext. 3292, email: melissa.pringle@durhamcollege.ca.”