FILL OUT MY DEVICE AVAILABILITY FORM
I've made a little Google form
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vcdr2aOUD_wYXw7lQPkc6555am_lz5kBbLgzPDb07ws (log in to Google with your @uconn.edu email and password)
to assess how many of you have a computer or other device with which to do the online electronic exam IN CLASS, because the exam is NOT at the Testing Center! For the exam you will need a laptop (Windows or Mac) or an iPad; you can't use a non-iPad tablet computer, a Chromebook, or a smartphone. So we have to figure out how many will need to borrow a device from Babbidge or something (info on that below). There are a couple other things I want to find out too as you'll see, but it's still a really short form that will take about a minute to complete. Do it now! NOW!
You have to sign in to the Google form using your @uconn.edu email and password, NOT your personal @gmail.com email or any other account -- that is, Jasper.McGillicuddy@uconn.edu, NOT Jasper.McGillicuddy@gmail.com. If it tells you "You need permission" and shows the "REQUEST ACCESS" button, ignore it -- that's only for people who collaborate with me on editing the form, which you are not. If you see that, you're probably signed in with your personal @gmail.com email, so you have to "SWITCH ACCOUNTS" then "Sign in to another account" and log in with your @uconn.edu email and select that account, then "CONTINUE". Then fill in the form and click on "submit" when you're done.
DOWNLOADING AND INSTALLING LOCKDOWN BROWSER
In order to do the exam in class on your own computer, you will use a browser that prevents you from going to any locations other than HuskyCT where the exam is, unlike Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc. which would let you look at whatever you want during the exam. It's called Respondus LockDown Browser. You MUST download and install LockDown Browser on your device in order to take the exam, and you have to do it right away so we can do a PRACTICE TEST at the start of class Monday. (Don't worry, it's not graded, it's just a quick couple of questions to make sure the exam system is set up right and we know what to do -- so be in class Monday, and bring your laptop!)
Here's how to get LockDown Browser:
The correct download link is
http://www.respondus.com/lockdown/download.php?id=856213959
where that "id" part at the end is what specifies the UConn link.
In case you happen to not have this note handy when you go to download it, you can also find it on your own:
1) You can log into HuskyCT and on the main page (the "Institution Page" tab on the left side menu) scroll down to "Useful Links for Students" where you'll see a link to "Download Respondus LockDown Browser". (Respondus is the company that makes it.)
2) You can also find the download link without going into HuskyCT just by googling something like "LockDown Browser UConn" (no quotes), which might lead you to any of several pages containing the same download link.
3) DO NOT download LockDown Browser from any OTHER location than the link provided above and on those sites (like, if you find it somewhere other than UConn through google or something), because you could be downloading some other university's link, and then instead of seeing UConn's HuskyCT, it would only let you see that other university's site -- where our exam will not be, obviously. The link above is the ONLY correct link to use, regardless of where else you may find it, so the easiest thing is to get it right now while you're looking right at it.
There is some useful information about downloading, installing, and using LockDown Browser at
https://irc.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/77/2019/10/Student-Guide-for-LockDown-Browser.pdf
though you don't have to read it.
To install LockDown Browser, you will have to have admin privileges on the device you're installing it on; that just means some accounts on your computer can't do things like install new software and change certain settings, but some ("admin") accounts can. If you only have one account on your machine, it's an admin account. If there are different accounts you can log into, choose one that's an admin account.
There are a few common problems that come up when students are doing an online HuskyCT exam with LockDown Browser, so keep these in mind:
1) maybe they downloaded the wrong version of LockDown Browser and they're seeing some other university's information as described above
2) maybe they couldn't install LockDown Browser because they're not logged in as an admin account on their machine
3) maybe they're having miscellaneous wifi connectivity problems with their device
4) maybe their device is not fully charged, and it shuts down part way through the exam time
Now that you know about those issues, maybe we can make sure they don't occur. Monday's practice test should help! Do my survey and install the browser before then... hopefully right now!
Once you have LockDown Browser installed you might as well try it out. It should bring you to HuskyCT with no option to go anywhere else at all with your computer, till you quit the browser with the standard red button or X or whatever in the top corner. While you're there you can actually do the practice test on your own, if you like:
Open LockDown Browser, which will take you to HuskyCT. Go to our course. In the menu on the left find the link labeled "ONLINE EXAMS"; click that and choose the only option, "UConn Trivia Practice Test". When it asks for a password, it's "pluto".
You can do this practice test as many times as you want, whenever you want. Unlike our actual exams, it has a 5 minute time limit at which point it will automatically save and submit your answers (which I will then ignore of course, because it's just an example and counts for nothing), and then close; the actual class exams will have no time limit. Also unlike our actual exams, it gives you immediate feedback on scores and correct answers. So at the very least you may learn the answers to some UConn trivia questions.
PEOPLE WHO ARE USING IPADS FOR THE EXAM:
You have to download an app for LockDown Browser which is available free on iTunes; you'll have to specify that it's for UConn. I found this instruction page that seems to cover it:
Again, that's for Apple iPads ONLY -- Chromebooks and other tablets won't work, nor will smartphones.
PEOPLE WHO SAID ON MY GOOGLE DEVICE AVAILABILITY FORM THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO A LAPTOP OR IPAD:
As I indicated, you can borrow a laptop from Babbidge Library's iDesk, which is the main desk on the ground floor. Here's a link for the iDesk:
https://lib.uconn.edu/location/homer-babbidge-library/idesk/
Here's their info about borrowing a laptop -- looks like you have to go get it as a walk-in that same afternoon because I don't see where you'd reserve one for a certain time, and you can check it out for four hours (e.g., from 3 till 7 pm would cover the exam time of 4:40-5:55 or however long you take):
https://lib.uconn.edu/location/homer-babbidge-library/homer-babbidge-technology-services/
And here's their info about what's available to borrow -- looks like they have plenty of laptops to offer:
https://lib.uconn.edu/services/technology-services/borrow-technology/homer-babbidge-library/
These borrow-able laptops should have LockDown Browser installed, but you may want to check the one you borrow while you're there to be sure -- a couple of students have gotten ones that didn't!