The Respondus tools have officially been enabled for use on tests within Blackboard's Ultra Courses. For an overview of the purpose of Respondus tools in Scholar, navigate here. For a guide on using Respondus tools within tests on Original courses, head here.
On Ultra courses, all potential tools that can be added to a course outside of basic course content are housed within Books and Tools. Select Books and Tools to open the menu, and select the Respondus Browser Dashboard from the list.
This will bring you to the basic dashboard. This dashboard includes additional tutorials, guides and support for users to utilize while inside the tool. The section of the tool labeled with the specific label "Dashboard" will contain a list of all tests within the course, along with information on whether they have Respondus tools enabled. Select the dropdown next to a test's name.
Click "Settings" to edit the settings for that specific test.
The initial settings that will appear are only for Respondus LockDown Browser. If you select "Require Respondus Lockdown Browser for this exam", more advanced settings will appear to let you further customize how students will use the LockDown Browser on this test.
Additional settings for Proctoring will also appear.
- To enable remote, automated proctoring, select "Require Respondus Monitor for this exam". This form of proctoring will utilize Respondus Monitor to make private recordings of students taking the exam in real time, using their computer's webcam.
- If you intend to use live proctoring, use "Allow Instructor live proctoring for this exam". This option will allow you to set up live, remote proctoring where students have a platform such as Google Meet or Collaborate on in the background while they take the test, allowing you to monitor them in real time using their webcam.
If you select "Require Respondus Monitor", a series of settings will appear allowing you to customize your student experience. This includes the stages students will have to go through in the Startup Sequence at the beginning of a test, additional options regarding facial detection, and the ability to also allow the exam to be proctored in-person in a lab.
When you have selected all the desired settings, click "Save+Close" at the bottom of your settings. For a more complete guide to the settings and options inside the Respondus dashboard, head to the guide for Original courses here.
The test will still be visible in your Dashboard, but with the activated settings listed in green.
An additional notification will be attached to the test itself to notify students that the test is being proctored if the proctoring tools have been activated. This notification will be visible to your students as soon as the test itself is made available to them.
Student View–Taking A Test In Respondus
When it is time for a student to take a Respondus test in an Ultra course, they simply need to navigate to the test in their normal preferred web browser. If a student tries to start the process from directly within the Lockdown Browser, they will receive the below notice.
Please note that the student will still need to have the Lockdown Browser installed on the computer, as it will be automatically launched at a later point in the process. Failing to have the Lockdown Browser installed and still attempting to navigate to the test will result in the below notice. (If a student has questions about Respondus tools, their purpose, and what is required of them in order to engage with a test using Respondus tools, use the Student FAQ guide here. )
The student should navigate to the test and select it using their normal browser. Upon selecting it, a sidebar will open containing the test information, including a second reminder that the LockDown Browser will be needed after this point.
When the student selects to start the test, their browser will provide the option to launch the Lockdown Browser (shown below in Chrome). Approve the launch, and the test will open in the Lockdown Browser for the student to take. The student will then complete the test in the Lockdown Browser.
Reviewing Proctored Exams
When you return to the Respondus Dashboard, new options will be available for any test that has recordings from student attempts-- Class Results, and Exam Stats.
Selecting Class Results will provide a list of the student attempts that have been made. You can then navigate through each attempt similarly to any test made within an Original course.
Exam Stats will provide aggregate results for the test based on all student results.