Respondus: Expectations of the Instructor

Instructors who choose to use Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor need to:

  • Indicate the utilization of invigilation software in the course outline. If this is not included on the course outline, instructors must tell the students as soon as possible.
  • Create opportunity for students to prepare themselves for their use of the software prior to the exam by following the sub-points below. This will ensure that students have the appropriate hardware and settings to succeed in the environment and will reduce anxiety.
    • Include a practice test within the course early in the semester so that students have time to become familiar with the technology and ensure their computer and environment it is set up correctly. A practice test is available for instructors to download and import into their CourseLink course site. It is recommended to follow up with students who do not complete the practice test to encourage them to do so before the formal assessment.
    • Inform students through a statement in CourseLink or through dialogue that if their computer does not meet the technical requirements, they may borrow a computer from the University by contacting CourseLink Support.
    • Explain to students how to disable the Respondus Monitor alerts so that they are not distracted or delayed during the assessment but tell them the software is still monitoring and flagging behaviours that are not consistent with what is expected.
    • Provide at least 30 minutes for students to get into the environment before beginning the assessment.
  • Provide the Respondus: Information for Students list to students.
  • Accommodate students impacted as a result of a human rights ground (disability and race). This will involve arranging for and invigilating in another form.
    • On-campus, face-to-face invigilation in a classroom with social distancing for small numbers of students may be an option in the future, pending Public Health directives.
    • Currently, alternative forms of invigilation include, but are not limited to, real-time observations using Zoom or Teams.

Students who wish to have an alternative form of invigilation due to concerns about bias are asked to present their request to the instructor three business days in advance.

Details on how instructors or their TAs can invigilate students via Zoom or Teams are found on the Tips for Live Remote Invigilation with Zoom or Teams page of the OpenEd website. Instructors can contact CourseLink Support if they need assistance to set up the Zoom or Teams meeting.

We are committed to ensuring that our instructors have access to the support and resources needed to deliver on our commitment to students. Instructors who are concerned about additional invigilation workload are encouraged to work with their departmental chair and associate dean (academic) to request additional TA support.

  • Be online and accessible for the scheduled exam time including the pre-exam setup time to answer questions or assist CourseLink in addressing technical issues.
  • If students need to access external resources during the assessment, please provide a link within the assessment to open a new window.
    • In quizzes with LockDown Browser enabled, this approach can only be used for web-based resources (web pages, not document files).
    • The instructor will need to enable the Allow access to specific external web domains option in the LockDown Browser settings of the quiz and provide the specific web domains for the resources.
    • CourseLink Support can provide further direction on this process.