A note about lockdown browsers

Lockdown browsers record everything on the student’s screen, record everything it can see with the webcam, and record all audio through the computer’s microphone – all while purportedly keeping the student from opening up anything else on their computer.

Lockdown browser marketing is very good. In practice, there are a number of issues with using them.

First, there’s the equity issue. Those kind of tools only work on a laptop or desktop. Our own data show that a healthy proportion of our students are only accessing the Internet with their phones. The Pew Research Center has found that the lower a student’s income, the greater the likelihood that their web-enabled device is their phone.

Graphs showing digital "homework gap"

Source: Pew Research Center Links to an external site.

One-in-four lower-income teens don't have access to a home computer

What percent of adults "do not use broadband at home but own smartphones? Links to an external site."

  • 22% of 18-29 year olds
  • 25% of Hispanics
  • 23% of Blacks
  • 12% of Whites
  • 26% of those who make less than $30,000/year
  • 24% with high school diploma as their highest education

Second, lockdown browsers are creepy. In addition to recording everything on the computer screen, they record the video from the webcam and audio from the mic. I can envision a whole bunch of students who don’t want their professors to see their living conditions. For whatever reason. Oh, yes, students also need to have a webcam/mic that work.

Third, students run into technical problems when using them. We had an instructor try Respondus. We had another who had students record with Panopto (yes, just as you can use Panopto to record, so can students). Both instructors reported that the technical problems students ran into made it not worth the trouble. If you have students who are unable to record, what do you do with their exams?

Fourth, such tools are not cheat-proof. Do a Google search: “How to cheat using Respondus”—Respondus is one of the more popular lockdown browsers. You’ll get some pretty good ideas on the first page. With step-by-step instructions.

Lockdown browsers give instructors a false sense of security, while being creepy and excluding a huge chunk of our student population who don’t have the required technology.