Testing Browsers for Non School Issued Computers

Josceline Reardon

Does anyone add lockdown extensions to non-school-issued computers for student test-taking? Our Upper Sch. is BYOD.

Brian Gray

@Josceline Reardon - We started using DigiExam this fall. You can request a full trial of the service to use with your teachers and students.

It runs on Mac, Windows, iPad, and managed Chromebooks. They are planning to release a version that will run on non-managed Chromebooks in a few weeks. We're a Google school, so we use the single sign-on option. (A launch icon is added to the Chrome waffle menu.) Permissions for teachers and administrators are managed through the Google admin console.

Every teacher can also be a student, so it's easy for a teacher to see what students will see (using two computers - one as a teacher and one as a student).

Our teachers have been very happy with it. Our English teachers use it for in-class writing assignments stretched over several days. This prevents a student from copying AI-generated text into the writing.

They are based in Sweden. Language is no barrier to excellent support.

The only problem we have run into is that some anti-virus programs on student computers will see the program's lock-down mode as an attack and block the program. Adding some exceptions to the ant-virus program or pausing it during a test solves the problem.

Josceline Reardon

@Brian Gray Thank you as always for your feedback!!

Megan Day

@Brian Gray Thanks for sharing what your teachers are using! We're starting to have conversations about adopting a lockdown app next year. With Digiexam, do teachers have to create their exams in the Digiexam software or can you use it with other platforms? In particular, our English department uses Blackbaud LMS online assessments for quick reading checks and also have students complete in-class writing on Google Docs (submitting through our Turnitin integration with Blackbaud). Any extra info you can provide about how teachers are using it would be great! (We're 1:1 school-owned MacBooks)

Brian Gray

@Megan Day - You can't access an LMS assessment from within Digiexam.

You should think of Digiexam as a lockdown program - not a lockdown browser. It is an installed program that has an web page to go with it.

When the student starts the exam, it will force all unauthorized programs (including web browsers) to close, and then take over the computer to prevent restarting any of those programs.

You can allow students access to websites from within the lockdown program. This works for reference sites that don't require a sign-in. The student can't get past the LMS sign-in screen. I think that it would not be a practical solution even if you could figure out how to get beyond the sign-in screen.

Digiexam does NOT have an integration with TurnItIn.

Megan Day

@Brian Gray Got it. Thanks for that info! Sounds like we'll need to keep looking elsewhere.

Petra Hall

@Josceline Reardon The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test package comes with a Safe Exam Browser link, that we install on every student machine.

Annemarie Merow

@Megan Day

Hi Megan. I just got off a call with Digiexam and they are separating their platform and designing a Blackbaud integrated feature for the fall which sounds very promising. I'll let you know as I learn more.

Megan Day

@Annemarie Merow Wow! That would be ideal! Yes, please keep me in the loop. I'll also probably reach out to Digiexam as well and see if I can get on some sort of email notification about the release. Thank you!

Nancy Kierstead

@Josceline Reardon Did you choose a lockdown program? We are exploring DigiExam. There is an Idea that states says it is “planned” on blackbaud's end. Anyone know what is on the horizon? https://community.blackbaud.com/products/k12/ideas

Josceline Reardon

@Nancy Kierstead
We did not. I recently saw that post too. Hopefully sooner than later it will be pushed out!!

Megan Day

@Nancy Kierstead I reached back out to Digiexam at the beginning of October. They are working on a “lockdown module for running secure exams in the Blackbaud LMS” in other words using existing Blackbaud LMS assessments with the Digiexam lockdown module. It's slated for early next calendar year. If you reach out to them, they will put you on a waiting list.

I also was in communication with Michael Morrisette around the same time about this idea. He didn't have anything he could share at the time but they were “investigating" ways to prevent students from accessing outside resources during testing.

?

Annemarie Merow

@Megan Day We did a trial of Digiexam last spring and signed on for the year for our US. Excited for their individual lockdown module with hopes it will be out around the end of the year. If that part goes well, we’ll probably expand - unless BB joins Digiexam and makes it part of their platform!!

Megan Day

For anyone looking for lockdown features with Blackbaud LMS assessments, Digiexam is starting beta testing for their Lockdown tool. You can sign up for more info here.

Steven Bailey

@Megan Day Hi Megan: I have signed up for Digiexam this fall but wondering it you know or have contact with Blackbaud Person who would know if will link with BB next year? I would be great if all my classes and students were automatically in BB instead of me having to enter them all. Thanks for any information. Steve