In 2008, the College of the North Atlantic decided to confront an issue many educational institutions struggle with — students attempting to cheat on exams. This was not one of the classic methods of cheating, where students pull out a cheat-sheet or steal glances from a classmate’s exam. It was digital cheating during online examinations where students searched the web for answers, used electronic copies of previous exams from fellow students, and used other electronic resources. The examinations were held in proctored computer labs. However, students were still able, on occasion, to cheat on their assessments.
The initial response to this issue was to re-evaluate and reinforce the exam proctoring policies and procedures. However, this did not resolve the problem as proctors are unable to see all students’ screens simultaneously. To address this, the College of the North Atlantic decided to conduct a pilot using Respondus LockDown Browser — a browser that locks down the computer during an online exam. Rhonda Beck, a member of the review team, recalls their decision to keep the pilot relatively small in scope. “Initially, we used it with only two classes. We wanted to see how it would work in a real examination environment, and how instructors and students would react to it,” she says.
The training required for instructors was less than originally anticipated, primarily because Respondus LockDown Browser was tightly integrated with CNA’s Learning Management System, Desire2Learn. “You mainly need to explain to instructors that a new checkbox appears with the [LMS] exam settings. If the setting for LockDown Browser is selected, students will be required to use LockDown Browser for the exam. If it is not selected, LockDown Browser is not required for the exam. It’s pretty straightforward,” Rhonda explains.
The biggest surprise during the pilot was how effective Respondus LockDown Browser was at stopping cheating during online exams. “Sure, we expected to see a decrease in cheating during the pilot, but the difference was immediate and dramatic. Simply preventing students from going to other web sites or accessing other applications made a huge difference.” The successful pilot led to a full rollout on all 17 campuses. Today, four years later, a large number of instructors use Respondus LockDown Browser to combat cheating. “It gives instructors confidence in online testing that simply wasn’t there before,” adds Rhonda.
When we asked Rhonda if she had advice for other institutions planning to use Respondus LockDown Browser, she broke it down to two areas: communication and training.
“Instructors and students are sometimes afraid to take on new technology. But Respondus LockDown Browser is about as easy as it gets,” Rhonda says. “One of the key things we try to communicate is LockDown Browser doesn’t replace your browser or change any of its settings. It also doesn’t mess with your computer’s anti-virus software. It’s safe and easy to use.”
In terms of training, “we simply include a small segment on LockDown Browser with the training we provide for the LMS itself. Beyond that, we rely on the training resources [such as the Quick Start Guide] and videos available from the Respondus website.”
Cheating on online exams is a problem many institutions struggle with, even those with proctored testing labs. Respondus LockDown Browser offers a simple and effective way to reduce cheating during online exams. Best of all, the solution is light-weight, and it’s easy to roll out on campus.
Contact us if you would like to pilot Respondus LockDown Browser at your institution. We’re happy to help.
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