Quizzes: Prevent Cheating by Limiting Access to Quiz Only

(4)
When a student is taking a password protected quiz, the student should not be allowed to browse other areas of Canvas. For example, the student may log in to Canvas on another tab or another electronic device (deliberate cheating). When the student logs in at the same time he/she is taking the password protected quiz, the additional logon should automatically route the student to the quiz only.
 

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44 Comments
bbelew
Community Contributor

I could see some potential issues with this.   One - lets say a student is kicked out of a quiz and just doesn't say anything.  The next class they go to the student wouldn't be able to use Canvas because it would redirect them back to a locked quiz. 

Two, it wouldn't really prevent cheating since they could just go to google or any other site and look up the answers. 

The best solution for this would be for Canvas to release a secure browser like Respondus or Safe Exam Browser.   Since it would compete with Respondus though which I believe might be a partner with Instructure I doubt they would do that.

twaite
Community Novice

This is for tests taken at a testing center. Therefore, a password is set. What we want to prevent is that the student use the course material as reference.

Issue one: In a testing center setting a proctor enters the password when the student comes in. Therefore, the test is not taken randomly. However, the test will also expire. As soon as the test expire, the student should be able to go back in.

Issue two: The student could refer to practice tests and other reference materials in the course. The course material is the best reference and we would like to prevent access in testing centers by cheating.

Issue three: Lock down browsers do not work well on all platforms such as thin clients. Thin clients make very good testing computers and they are easy to lock down in many areas and they are very economical. In addition, lock down browsers do not work for courses in Canvas that links to other sites such as McGrawHill,, Aleks, Pearson, etc. We have several such courses testing in the testing center.

jordan
Instructure Alumni
Instructure Alumni

Thanks for submitting this feature idea  @twaite ​ As Brandon mentioned there is currently a solution like this that one of our Certified Partner - Respondus​ offers. Have you had a chance to try their solution, specifically?

Nevertheless, I will move your idea forward so you and the rest of the community can begin voting for this feature to be "baked in" to Canvas as a core feature, on November 4th.

bbelew
Community Contributor

One thing that canvas probably could do to help with test security would be to write a browser extension for the supported browsers that takes a screenshots randomly during a quiz, publishing them to a page for proctors, teachers, etc - and also to the quiz log for each student. 

twaite
Community Novice

Jordan,

Respondus is the browser I've tested in our testing center. It specifically does not work when students are linked to other sites through Canvas. We have some tests this is the case. Respondus is also hard to implement on thin clients.

kmeeusen
Community Champion

Tina:

We have been a Respondus site for several years now, and that is the one negative I have noticed - if a quiz item requires the students to view another website, Respondus cannot be configured to support that. This feature would be a great addition to the Respondus Lockdown Browser, and is something I have suggested to Nick Laboda on several occasions.

twaite
Community Novice

Kelley,

It definitely would be a nice feature in Respondus. But I wonder if that would mean a major overhaul of their code. However, it is also a matter of cheating in general. Some students could try to open Canvas on their cell phones. The Canvas app is really nice and a convenient.

kmeeusen
Community Champion

Tina:

Respondus Lockdown Browser now supports iPads, and permitting iPad use is one of the settings in the control panel (along with supporting screen readers). No android or phone settings yet, but suspect they are coming.

twaite
Community Novice

Kelley,

Support for electronic devices is going to be great. We use tablet in certain area of testing. However, cell phone cheating is a real issue. When cheaters try to use their cell phone during a test, it makes it easier for them when the apps are readily available and easy to navigate. This is why is suggested this feature in the first place.

bbelew
Community Contributor

It's been years since I had to go to a testing center - but in the ones i've attended it would be pretty hard to use a cell phone without getting caught.  Keeping kids from cheating with cell phones is 100% classroom management in my opinion.   You may be able to prevent them from going to another page in canvas, but you couldn't prevent them from googling or going to notes posted elsewhere.   

I know you've had issues with lockdown browser in your lab, but others needing this type of security could get by with lock down browser and the monitor tool from Respondus, which I believe takes pictures or video from the webcams while the students are testing.

kmeeusen
Community Champion

Agreed, Brandon, but forcing students to go to a testing center removes one of the great advantages of online courses - not having to go anywhere, arrange a sitter, travel long distances, miss work because of testing center hours, etc. Lockdown Browser and Monitor provide a viable if not completely fool proof option.

bbelew
Community Contributor

Kelley, 

I was responding back to the original poster - she mentioned in an earlier post that this was for a testing center.

scottdennis
Instructure
Instructure

This idea has moved to the next stage and will be open for voting among the Canvas Community, from Wed. November 4, 2015 - February 3, 2016.

Check out this doc for additional details about how the voting process works!

mhahnenb
Community Novice

I think this would be a great OPTION for quizzes, whether they are password protected or not.

I think this should be an added OPTION for all quizzes, but not be required for password protected quizzes.

I assign some quizzes/exams that are closed book/resources and others that are open book/resources. So it would be unfortunate not have the option to have a password protected be able to be open book.

twaite
Community Novice

Maybe it should be an option to be set by instructors, as some exams are open book, open notes?

malverez
Community Novice

Oh wow - Today I Learned (TIL) that my students may have been cheating on my exams for the last 5 years.  How is this not standard?  How soon can I see a fix?  I feel like this makes all my password protected and campus proctored exams 'broken' and I should dig up my paper exams.  That is super disappointing!

Jeff_F
Community Champion
asatkins
Community Novice

I completely agree. We don't password protect because we're asynchronous and it would slow students down (from working at their own pace) but we would still like only certain quizzes to be 'locked' like this. Some are meant to be simply review, so we wouldn't want it to be a default, just an option.

We're looking into Respondus as well, but requiring a separate browser download (and support) on top of the adding of all of those settings across an entire K-12 curriculum on top of it really doing WAY more than we need it and then adding the price to all of that... it's daunting. We just want students not to be able to look at other Canvas pages, we don't need (or want Smiley Sad ) the rest.

We feel like we're looking into buying a Lexus for the radio.

asatkins
Community Novice

I think having it only be an option for any quiz, not the default and not just on password protected quizzes (see the comments at the end of the thread) solves all of these concerns.

Also, if the quiz is specific to your content, Google doesn't help, the student needs to know it from your content. We're looking into Respondus- it's going to be a giant pain. All we want is a quiz setting to not let users log in to other Canvas pages during a quiz/test attempt. We don't want, and in some cases can't have, the rest of the features.

Our kindergarten parents would flip if we told them their webcam was being used during a test to monitor their 5 year old and our fourth graders definitely do not have state issued or school IDs. Downloading and supporting a different browser sounds like the worst. We don't want Respondus, we just want this feature.

twaite
Community Novice

It would be nice if Canvas provided an option to "lock" or "not lock" for testing purposes. I hope you share this post with people around you.