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For questions, assistance, or to report an issue, please contact the COLTT Help Desk at 956-665-5327 or 956-882-6792.
Browse Help Articles Submit a TicketRespondus LockDown Browser Best Practices
- Before taking an exam, make sure that you are running the latest version of the Respondus LockDown Browser. You may download and install the latest version from the “Student Support” tab within Blackboard.
- Before launching Respondus, shut down all other applications other than Respondus LockDown Browser. This will help reduce the bandwidth being used by other applications running in the background. You may also restart your computer to make sure no other applications are running.
- To test Respondus, open the Respondus LockDown Browser application, log in to Blackboard, and select the Help Center button from the toolbar. Then run the Webcam Check and the System & Network Check to make sure everything is working correctly.
- If Respondus fails to load or unexpectedly shuts down after you have updated to the latest version, disable your anti-virus/anti-spyware software while you access your exam.
- Once you start the exam, avoid the repeated saving of questions. A request is sent to the LMS every time a question is saved. If there are lots of these requests in a short period of time and the student doesn't have a lot of bandwidth, it's possible that all those requests will consume all the available bandwidth. This could result in a video interruption. Blackboard automatically saves your answers. Make sure to click on the “Save and Submit” button to finish and submit your exam.
- Avoid double-clicking in the test environment or clicking buttons while the page indicates that it is loading, saving, or submitting.
- Use a reliable internet connection, preferably a wired connection. If only a Wi-Fi connection is available, make sure you are closer to the wireless modem. If using a shared Internet connection, ensure that others on the same connection don’t use bandwidth-hungry services during the exam (such as online movies, games, file sharing, etc.)
- If allowed to take Respondus LockDown Browser exams from an iPad, we highly recommend taking only low stake tests such as quizzes with a small number of questions. For more information visit the Respondus Knowledgebase.
- Take a mockup test to get familiar with the testing process and test out your computer equipment. Ask your instructor to give you access to a mockup test if you don’t see one available in your course.
- If you run into technical issues and need your exam to be reopened, please get in touch with your instructor for approval.
- When accessing LockDown Browser please DO NOT access the exam through a "reminder" entry in a toolbar or calendar. It's important for the students to access the exam by first navigating to the course and then going to the appropriate test area or content area.
- When trying to view test results from a Respondus LockDown Browser Test you must access it using Respondus LockDown Browser.
- Contact the COLTT Help Desk support team at 882-6792 or 665-5327 or submit a case at edu/coltthelp for any technical assistance.
