| Access | You can access LockDown Browser setup through Canvas. You can also download LockDown Browser to test it out. | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free. | |
| Bandwidth | Low demand on internet connections. | |
| Canvas Integration | Works in coordination with Canvas. | |
| Privacy | Verified by UBC’s Privacy Impact Assessment process, provided you follow the steps noted below. | |
| Similar UBC-Supported Tools | N | LockDown Browser is the only centrally supported tool for limiting what students can do in their browser during an online assessment. |
What can I use it for?
You can use LockDown Browser to help preserve academic integrity in Canvas assessments:
- Restricting student access in the assessment browser (e.g., no printing, copying questions, accessing other websites)
- Sharing exam results and feedback with students in a locked-down environment
LockDown Browser is not meant to be used as a remote proctoring or invigilation tool.
A note about LockDown Browser
- LockDown Browser cannot be used with Zoom. The tools are not designed to be used in coordination, and students will not be able to have both open at the same time.
- To comply with privacy requirements, you will need to use an advanced setting to lock students into LockDown Browser until the assessment is submitted. This setting keeps student data protected throughout the assessment. For details, see the accordion section “Require LockDown Browser for a Canvas assessment” below.
This tool guide was last reviewed in November 2024.
What do I need to use LockDown Browser?
A desktop or laptop computer with LockDown Browser (optional but recommended)
You can set up assessments in Canvas that use LockDown Browser without downloading it. However, your students will need to download LockDown Browser, and you may wish to do the same in order to test it using the “Student View” in Canvas.
LockDown Browser can be downloaded for Windows or Mac. It can also be downloaded as an app for iPad, although we recommend discouraging students from using LockDown Browser on iPad, due to the technical difficulties and incompatibilities that can occur.
Chromebook and other mobile devices, including phones, do not work with LockDown Browser at UBC. You can view the minimum technical requirements for LockDown Browser on LockDown Browser’s support site.
A Canvas quiz
Canvas will always call your assessments a “quiz”, regardless of whether you want to assign a quiz or exam to your students. LockDown Browser works only with Canvas quizzes.
Tips
- LockDown Browser only restricts what students can do on the device where they are taking the assessment. It does not prevent students from using other devices or resources during an assessment. To ensure academic integrity, additional invigilation is recommended for high-stakes, closed-book assessments.
- UBC’s license does not include access to Respondus Monitor—a webcam feature designed to work with LockDown Browser—or its “Instructor Live Proctoring” option. This limitation is in line with the March 2021 Senate decisions to restrict the use of remote proctoring software on both campuses.
- LockDown Browser can be set up for use in computer labs. To get started with the “Lab Edition” of LockDown Browser, please contact us at the LT Hub.
How do I use LockDown Browser?
You first need to enable LockDown Browser in your Canvas course, then apply it to the specific Canvas quizzes that you want to be locked down.
Click any accordion bar below for instructions and tips for using LockDown Browser.
Enable LockDown Browser use in your Canvas course
You can enable Lockdown Browser for use in your Canvas course by adding it to your Course Navigation. This step is necessary for you to use LockDown Browser in Canvas and will not impact what students see.
- Log in to your Canvas course and click Settings in the Course Navigation.
- Click the Navigation tab.
- Find the "LockDown Browser" menu item, click the three vertical dots (options icon), and choose Enable.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.
- You will now see the Lockdown Browser option in your Course Navigation. This navigation item is for managing the use of LockDown Browser in the course and will not be visible to students.
Prepare students for LockDown Browser assessments
- Be clear and specific about your intent for using LockDown Browser. Consider explaining these points to students:
- LockDown Browser is used to ensure that the assessment experience is fair for everyone by restricting your assessment browser and disabling other applications.
- LockDown Browser runs as a separate program. You will need to download it ahead of time and can uninstall it when you are done.
- LockDown Browser has passed UBC's Privacy Impact Assessment process, meaning it follows UBC and provincial privacy policies.
- Provide a no-stakes mock quiz for students that uses LockDown Browser. This mock quiz will allow everyone to download LockDown Browser and get familiar with the assessment experience before using it in a high-stakes situation.
- Explain how students will be able to access any external files, websites, or tools that they will need for the assessment. For example, specify where you will upload files (e.g., spreadsheets), what web domains you will allow access to, or where a calculator can be found.
Tips
- Label a LockDown Browser mock quiz clearly. This labelling should assure students that they do not need to study, and that the quiz will not count towards their final grade (e.g., “Practice Your LockDown Browser Setup”).
- Consider offering a small incentive for completing the mock quiz. The more students who practice, the fewer who will need help from you or the teaching team during the assessment period.
- Encourage students to try lots of actions during the mock quiz, mimicking what they might want to do in a real assessment. These actions allow students to experience what may happen during an assessment if they try to do anything that you have restricted (e.g., open a website).
Require LockDown Browser for a Canvas assessment
Canvas will always call your assessments a “quiz”, regardless of whether you want to assign a quiz or exam to your students. Follow the steps below to set up a Canvas quiz that requires students to use LockDown Browser.
- First, make sure you have an assessment prepared in Canvas. Follow the steps for creating an assessment in Canvas for help.
- Ensure that no emojis appear in the quiz titles of your Canvas course, as emojis will prevent the LockDown Browser settings from loading in Canvas. This restriction on emojis applies to all quizzes in your course, whether or not they use LockDown Browser.
- Once you have a quiz in Canvas, click LockDown Browser in the Course Navigation of your Canvas course.
- If you don't see this option, follow the steps in the accordion section above for enabling LockDown Browser in your course.
- Click to Authorize Respondus (the company that runs LockDown Browser) and, if prompted, click Continue to LockDown Browser.
- Find the quiz you would like to require the use of LockDown Browser for, click the down arrow to the left of it, and select Settings.
- Select Require Respondus LockDown Browser for this exam.
- To comply with UBC privacy requirements, click Advanced Settings and check the Lock students into the browser until exam is completed box. This setting keeps student data protected throughout the assessment.
- With this setting selected, you will also see a warning in the "LockDown Browser" area of your Canvas course when a student exits LockDown Browser during an assessment. You can review this notification by clicking the down arrow beside the quiz name and selecting Review Early Exits. Warnings should not be taken as evidence of misconduct; LockDown Browser may be closed for purely technical reasons.
- Modify optional settings as appropriate to your context, which may include the following:
- Access code for this exam - Add a password that students must enter before taking the assessment.
- Require LockDown Browser to view post-exam feedback and results - Lock down students when they view quiz outcomes, to prevent them from printing or copying the assessment questions. This setting only appears for Canvas Classic Quizzes, as results for Canvas New Quizzes must be viewed on LockDown Browser. Note that this setting does not impact students' ability to see grades and comments in the "Grades" section of the Canvas course from a standard browser.
- Allow access to specific external web domains - Allow students to open specific websites in LockDown Browser during the assessment.
- Enable Calculator on the toolbar - Enable a standard or scientific calculator in the LockDown Browser toolbar.
- When you are done, click Save + Close. After you save, the assessment will appear with "Requires Respondus LockDown Browser" after the title, and students will need LockDown Browser to complete the assessment.
Tips
- LockDown Browser cannot be used during an exam invigilated with Zoom. The tools are not designed to be used in coordination, and students will not be able to have both open at the same time.
- In the settings for your Canvas quiz, we recommend adding extra time for students to deal with any technical issues that may arise from using LockDown Browser. It is best to add at least 15 minutes to the "Time Limit" and 30 minutes to the period that the quiz is available (the "Available Until" field).
- Please remove any special characters, as well as emojis, from your quiz titles. LockDown Browser will try to localize the language of the assessment, and special characters—like those from non-English languages—will interfere.
LockDown Browser FAQ
Find UBC-specific answers to frequently asked questions by clicking any accordion bar below.
No. Quiz logs in Canvas do not necessarily reflect academic misconduct. Numerous factors can cause LockDown Browser to close, many of which are purely technical. A student leaving a quiz cannot be equated to academic misconduct, and LockDown Browser should not be used on its own to ensure academic integrity.
To access the quiz log for an individual student in Canvas Classic quizzes, click the quiz name in Canvas and click the three vertical dots (options icon) next to the "Edit" button. Click Show Student Quiz Results, click the student's name, then click View Log.
You can test a quiz that uses LockDown Browser by using the "Student View" in Canvas. You will first need to download LockDown Browser on your operating system (Windows or Mac) and set up your quiz in Canvas to require LockDown Browser.
You can try taking the quiz by opening the LockDown Browser application, following any instructions to close blocklisted applications, and logging in to Canvas with your UBC CWL (Campus-Wide Login). Once you are logged in, go to your course, click the Student View button, navigate to the quiz you would like to test, and take the quiz as if you were a student.
If you would like to know more about your students' experience, check out our LockDown Browser student guide.
Where can I get more support with LockDown Browser?
Technical support
If you have trouble with Canvas or LockDown Browser:
- Contact your faculty’s Instructional Support Unit as your first point of contact.
- Contact us for further assistance:
604 827 4775 or LT.hub@ubc.ca or visit the LT Hub online.
Pedagogical support
- The UBC Online Teaching Program shares recommendations for academic integrity, such as educating students about academic integrity and designing assessments that encourage academic integrity (Module 3.7).
Student support
- Share UBC’s LockDown Browser student guide with your students.
Learn more
- For more information, explore the LockDown Browser Quick Start Guides:
- When you click “LockDown Browser” from your Course Navigation in Canvas, you will see tabs with additional training materials that include video tutorials.