Respondus Security (for Faculty and Staff)

  • Faculty & Staff

In its most basic, common everyday usage, Respondus Lockdown Browser closes all applications on a computer and removes Internet access so that the user cannot refer to outside resources in a Respondus exam. At its core level, Respondus prevents the use of ChatGPT and other AI tools, however, there are still several opportunities for cheaters to cheat:

 

Windows

  • VM (Virtual Machine) - Students can set up a VM on their laptop and run an Internet-enabled environment on the VM (and thus use ChatGPT or other AI tools) and then switch back to the VM with the Respondus environment.
  • Desktops.exe - Students can access Desktops.exe to run applications, such as ChatGPT or other AI tools, on a remote computer. This is similar to the VM idea. The remote environment will be Internet-enabled. Students can snapshot pictures of the exam using their mobile phones or devices and an accomplice could work on the answers to questions remotely and communicate to the student using this remote environment.

Macs

  • Secondary User - Students can set up a secondary user account on their Macs that is Internet enabled. They can then switch between the Respondus and Internet-enabled environments and access ChatGPT or other AI tools via the secondary user account. 

 

Other Ways to Cheat (and Solutions!)

  • Students can close their laptop without submitting their exam. They can then leave the room with the exam running and finish it later outside class. Recommendation is instructor look at all screens before they leave to verify the exam is submitted. The instructor can also force the submission of a student exam by going into Moderate quiz and clicking on the time elapsed for the student. There will be an option to submit the exam on the student's behalf.
  • Students can refer to their mobile devices while taking a restroom break. Recommendation is for any student who wishes to leave the room to place their mobile devices on the instructor's desk. This does not discount the possibility that students will access other devices that they did not bring with them to the exam. A public workstation, perhaps located outside the exam room, could be used to gain Internet access.
  • Students can store class notes on their mobile devices or write information on themselves in some form. See the previous entry for mobile device recommendation. Instructors and TAs should keep an eye on any suspicious activity in the exam room.

 

What You Can Do to Mitigate Cheating

  • Instructors and TAs can walk around the room and look at students' laptop screens to ensure that they are looking at only the course exam in Respondus.
  • Have students put their mobile phones and devices away for the duration of the exam. They are only allowed to use them for two-factor (Duo Mobile) authentication.
  • Have students turn off their smartwatches. Some smartwatches can transmit small amounts of data on their screens. In so doing, please have our "When you are taking the test with Lockdown Browser" page (located in your course's Respondus Lockdown Browser module) open to show the time.

 

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