BLACKBOARD - ONLINE COURSES

Blackboard tools: Respondus for secure exams

Faculty

 

To download and install Respondus for the creation of secure Blackboard exams call Travis Paulson in the Testing Center: 541-962-3788. He will provide you with the required software.

Students

 

Introduction
Respondus LockDown Browser™ is a secure browser for taking exams in Blackboard. It prevents you from printing, copying, going to another URL, or accessing other applications during an assessment. If a Blackboard exam requires that Respondus LockDown Browser be used, the exam won’t be accessible with a standard web browser. For assistance with Respondus, call Travis Paulson in the Testing Center: 541-962-3788.

Installation
Respondus LockDown Browser provides a custom interface for the web browser that is already installed on your computer (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox for Windows or Safari for Macintosh). It does not modify an existing copy of the browser, but rather, installs a separate program that will display a customized version of your browser when it is started. Respondus LockDown Browser uses the same security features and service packs that are currently installed for Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari. Installing Respondus LockDown Browser won’t modify your current browser in any way.

 

To download and install Respondus LockDown Browser, simply go to: http://www.respondus.com/lockdown/informationb.pl?ID=461234628 and download the software for Windows or Macintosh. There are also brief instructions for downloading and installing the software at this site. The software at this site has been customized for EOU and can only be used to take exams from EOU’s Blackboard site.

Startup
Follow these steps to start Respondus LockDown Browser and to take a Blackboard exam.

1) Close all programs, unless one is used to connect you to the Internet.

2) Start Respondus LockDown Browser.

(For Windows user locate the LockDown Browser shortcut on the desktop and double-click it. (Alternatively, click Start in Windows, select Programs, select Respondus, and then click Respondus LockDown Browser.)

(For Macintosh users, launch LockDown Browser from the Applications folder.)

(A pop-up box titled: Choose Server will appear. Use the drop-down menu to select EOU Blackboard Server)

3) Upon starting, the browser will go to the login page for Blackboard.

(A warning message may appear indicating that one or more applications must first be exited, such as instant messaging application. The browser will offer to close the applications for the user. Alternatively, the browser can be exited and the blocked application can be closed manually before restarting the browser.)

4) Log into Blackboard by entering your User ID and Password. Select the appropriate course and then select the exam.

 

5) Prior to the start of the assessment, a pop-up window will ask you whether the exam requires a password. (If this window doesn’t appear, it means that you aren’t running Respondus LockDown Browser.)

 

If your instructor provided a password for the exam, select Yes and enter the password. If a password wasn’t provided to you, then no password required.

 

The next screen will display preliminary information about the exam, including a password field with a set of ••••••••• characters. Do NOT edit this password field. Doing so will prevent you from accessing the exam! Click Submit to start the exam. (Note: If you attempt to use any browser other than Respondus LockDown Browser to access the exam, the password field will appear blank and you will be unable to start the exam).

 

Once the exam has started using Respondus LockDown Browser, you will be unable to exit the exam until the Finish button is clicked. It will confirm that you are ready to submit your answers, and then allow you to review your results.