Online Test-Taking For Today’s Students
Technology has changed the way students take tests. My daughter was able to extend one of her holiday breaks by scheduling her exam at home. FAU actually uses two different online test-taking services to prevent online class students from cheating on their online exams; Honorlock and Lockdown.
The company Honorlock was actually created by FAU students who felt it was unfair for students to take the class online and cheat. Honorlock is based out of Boca Raton. The way Honorlock works is by monitoring your computer screen/computer actions and recording a video of yourself throughout the test. To begin the test you have to take a picture of yourself, your student ID, and do a 360 scan of the room you are taking your test in. Once you do this, the exam will start. You are screen sharing with Honorlock for the entire length of the test to prevent students from looking up answers on their computers.
Lockdown Browser is a similar type of program to Honorlock. Lockdown Browser also videotapes you taking the test and they monitor your screen. Lockdown Browser launches its own internet for you so you can take your test in a secure location. The Lockdown Browser prevents you from looking at other websites and from cheating using the device you are taking it on.
With Honorlock, you do not need to schedule as it is on-demand proctoring. Since it is 100% browser-based, there is no software to download.; however, you do have to make sure the Honorlock extension is installed. And, it only works with certain operating systems and internet speeds so students will want to make sure their computer meets the minimum requirements. For a list of dos and don’ts using Honorlock.
Lockdown does require students to install the software. It does not work on standard browsers including IE, Firefox, or Safari. For installation, demos, and tutorials on how it works. When the service works, it’s fine. I had a situation where the program randomly quit and shut me out. I had to log back in and continue taking the test. It was extremely stressful because I did not want them to think I was cheating when the program quitting was not my fault. The best advice is to contact Honorlock immediately when you log back in and tell them what happened. In my case, they were able to see that it was indeed the program’s fault and not mine. All of the teachers write in the syllabus that if we are experiencing issues with Honorlock, we contact Honorlock and not our teacher, because apparently there is nothing they can do. You have to go through the program so that if you really did nothing wrong, they will make sure to notify your professor that it was a mistake on their end. Honorlock does offer technical support before, during, and after the proctored text via phone or live chat.
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