Internet Connection Tips

Here are key points about lost connections in Canvas:

• Canvas will generally notify students if their internet connection has been lost.
• Canvas can only save answers when an internet connection is active. Any answers submitted after the internet connection has been lost will not be saved; students should refrain from trying to continue the exam until the connection is restored.
• Without an internet connection, Canvas will either not allow students to move to the next page or the next page will fail to load.
• The exam timer will continue to count down for students, even when the internet connection has been lost. Since students cannot submit answers nor advance to the next page, this timer will not be an accurate reflection of the time they have spent on the exam.

We do not recommend using LockDown Browser on wireless networks with heavy traffic (e.g., ubcsecure) or using LockDown Browser with Zoom, as such use is more likely to result in internet connection issues.

If students lose their internet connection, LockDown Browser will attempt to re-establish a connection every five seconds. However, if the internet connection is lost for an extended period, here are key points to know:

• LockDown Browser will freeze; students will not be able to save answers, move to other questions, submit the exam, or exit the exam.
• To resolve freezing, students must exit out of LockDown Browser, re-establish an internet connection, and re-open the exam in LockDown Browser. If students are unable to re-open the browser or exam, their computer may need to be restarted.
• You may see a warning in the “LockDown Browser” area of your Canvas course when a student exits LockDown Browser during an exam. You can review this notification by clicking the down arrow beside the quiz name and selecting “Review Early Exits”. Because students may need to exit the browser for purely technical reasons (as noted above), these warnings should not be taken as evidence of misconduct.

Student can follow these general steps:

1. Turn your internet connection off and on. You can do this again after trying any of the steps below.
2. If you do not require access to systems or applications over a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for the exam, please disconnect from VPN (e.g., UBC’s myVPN).
3. Close any other unnecessary applications. Ideally, the browser for accessing the exam is the only application running on your device.
4. If you are using a tablet or mobile device, switch to a desktop or laptop computer.
5. Disconnect any additional screens or displays connected to your device.
6. Temporarily disable any extra spyware detection or anti-virus software you have added to your device.
7. Update your web browser to the latest version or, if possible, try a different browser. We recommend using Chrome or Firefox for the most reliable experience.
8. Disable any extensions, add-ons, or ad-blockers in your web browser.
9. If you are at home, reset your internet connection or, if you are in a public space, forget and re-join the public network.
   • If connecting to UBC wireless, first try connecting to ubcsecure. If that does not work, connect to eduroam; your username will be cwl@ubc.ca (where cwl is replaced with your UBC CWL username) and your password will be your UBC CWL password. If that does not work, connect to ubcvisitor. You can also check the UBC IT Enterprise Services Status Page to see if UBC wireless is down.
10. If no wireless connection works, try connecting with a wired connection if possible.
11. Restart your device. You can force a restart by holding down the device’s power button for 5-20 seconds or longer. After you restart, make sure to close any programs that start up automatically.

• If students report seeing “Saving…” in Canvas, they may have been disconnected from the internet in the process of saving:
  • First check the student’s quiz log to see how long the answers have not been saving. Ask the student to note down any answers that are entered in the student’s browser but have not saved on your end.
  • Have the student close the browser, turn the wireless off and on, then re-open the browser and attempt to resume the quiz. The student can use the question list in the sidebar of the Canvas quiz to go back to the question they were on.
• If students report seeing the Canvas exam timer show “NaN minutes, NaN seconds”, the student may have temporarily disconnected from the internet but since re-connected:
  • Have the student refresh the page and the timer should update to show the remaining time.
• If students report time lost due to internet connection issues on a timed exam, you can give students extra time on their Canvas exam.
• Students can always try the steps in the “General troubleshooting” tab to resolve issues in Canvas.

• If LockDown Browser closes for students, have them open it again and attempt to re-enter the exam. They can go back to the question they were on using the question list in the sidebar of the Canvas quiz.
• If re-opening the browser works but accessing the exam does not, students can check that LockDown Browser is updated to the latest version. In LockDown Browser, they can click the info button (the “i” button) to update.
• If re-opening the browser does not work, students can uninstall LockDown Browser and download the latest LockDown Browser version to install it again.
• For students still struggling, you may also consider offering a new attempt at the exam that does not require LockDown Browser.
• Students can always try the steps in the “General troubleshooting” tab to resolve issues in LockDown Browser.