GENERAL
EXAM INFORMATION
USING LOCKDOWN BROWSER FOR THE EXAM
The exam will be on HuskyCT using LockDown
Browser (not Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) which everyone should now have
installed on their devices. Remember Lockdown Browser is REQUIRED for doing the
exams in this class, as is a FULLY CHARGED laptop or iPad (no other tablets or
phones will work). And while I'm at it, remember to also bring your ID and a pencil
(not pen).
All of the information about getting and using
LockDown Browser is on the class page, at this link near the top of the page:
http://media.pluto.psy.uconn.edu/1101
LockDown Browser Information.htm
All of the information about taking HuskyCT online
exams in this class is on the class page, at this link near the top of the
page:
http://media.pluto.psy.uconn.edu/1101
HuskyCT Online Exam Information.htm
LOCKDOWN BROWSER
Download link for Lockdown Browser:
http://www.respondus.com/lockdown/download.php?id=856213959
About getting Lockdown Browser (if you're
interested in more details):
https://irc.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/77/2019/10/Student-Guide-for-LockDown-Browser.pdf
Getting the Lockdown Browser app for iPad:
BORROWING LAPTOPS
The Babbidge Library iDesk:
https://lib.uconn.edu/location/homer-babbidge-library/idesk/
Info about signing out laptops at the iDesk, for
up to four hours (so go get it up to two hours before the exam, which will take
you less than two hours to finish -- probably even less than one hour):
https://lib.uconn.edu/location/homer-babbidge-library/homer-babbidge-technology-services/
Current availablility of laptops at the iDesk:
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
PRACTICE LOCKDOWN
BROWSER AGAIN, IF YOU WANT
If you didn't do the "UConn Trivia Practice
Test" in class or if you had any problem that day or if you'd just like a
refresher on how it will work, I recommend doing the practice test AGAIN,
because it's still available. Open LockDown Browser first, which will take you
to HuskyCT, then go to our course. In the menu on the left find the folder
labeled "ONLINE EXAMS"; click that and choose the only option, "UConn
Trivia Practice Test". When it asks for a password, it's "pluto".
A NOTE ON THE HUSKYCT ONLINE EXAM "FORCE
COMPLETION" SETTING THAT SAYS "THIS TEST CAN BE SAVED AND RESUMED LATER."
Actually, you are NOT allowed to do that: Even
though that HuskyCT setting allows it, the LockDown Browser does NOT allow it,
nor do I! If you exit LockDown Browser for any reason (deliberately or
accidentally) before Saving and Submitting your responses, I will get an
immediate notification that you've done so. If you exit deliberately, the
browser will require you to supply a reason ("Provide the reason you are
closing the browser before the exam has been completed (required)."),
which must be legitimate, and verifiable! If you exit accidentally due to a
glitch and aren't shown the "Provide the reason" dialog box -- or for
that matter, even if you do provide a reason -- you must call me over
immediately so I can see what happened and allow you to resume the exam with a
new password. And I mean me, not a proctor, because proctors will not be able
to address this.
For the especially curious...
The warning I get is detailed and time stamped,
like this:
FIRST NAME: Jasper
LAST NAME: McGillicuddy
DATE: 9 Feb 2020 @ 11:28AM
WARNINGS: Student exited LockDown Browser early
Reason stated: "I felt compelled to click
the red X and see what would happen"
(Um, FYI that student's reason would not be
acceptable.)
Well then why do I have HuskyCT lying to you,
saying you can exit and then resume the exam? It's because forcing completion
of the exam in HuskyCT can create more problems than it solves. So I leave the "Force
Completion" part up to LockDown Browser, but if there's a legitimate
problem I make it so HuskyCT will still let me fix it.
EXAM PROCEDURE INFORMATION
The actual exam will not have a time limit but
will require you to submit your answers before closing LockDown Browser, so you
can't do anything else till you're done. Only one attempt will be allowed
(obviously), and no immediate feedback will be provided at the end. Even feedback
telling you your raw number of questions correct would be uninformative,
because my grading scale is different than what you'd expect based strictly on conventional
percentage scores; those raw scores would therefore be misleading. No grades
can be assigned till I've done some analysis of the scores in Excel, but I'll
report your scores and grades as soon as I can get that analysis done. Then
I'll add it myself to the HuskyCT grade book for you to see.
MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU BRING YOUR ID
The proctors will check IDs at the end of the
exam. We will check every computer to be sure responses have been submitted
correctly. You can't leave without having this verified!
MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOUR COMPUTER IS FULLY
CHARGED
If a machine shuts down during the exam,
responses are lost and you will have to complete a backup exam on paper with a
bubble sheet.
BRING A PENCIL (NOT PEN) TOO
Everyone will receive a sheet of paper to make
notes or diagrams during the exam, and this paper will be turned in at the end
of the exam with your name and ID on it, whether you've written anything else
on it or not. No other paper is permitted.
You might have thought the point of electronic
exams is to save paper, which is only partly the case. But still, one sheet per
student is a lot better than 5 sheets per student for a paper exam, isn't it?
Not to mention, if anything goes wrong with your laptop, you'll have to do a
paper exam anyway, of which I'll have a few copies with me just in case. So be
sure you have that pencil (not pen) for the scantron bubble sheet.
DON'T BRING ANYTHING ELSE
I mean, bring a water bottle if you insist, but
maybe try to avoid bringing a whole backpack. Phones will be put away AND
TURNED OFF and never used or checked or seen at all at the exam. I say "and
turned off" because students have reportedly had problems with automatic Bluetooth
phone or headphone or other connections interfering with their laptop and
booting them out of LockDown Browser, which is not allowed! You could leave
your phone home for an hour, it wouldn't kill you. Pretend you're swimming or
something.
DON'T GET KICKED OUT OF LOCKDOWN BROWSER
In addition to turning off phones and Bluetooth
devices, you should also disable any settings that make your computer go to "sleep"
after a certain amount of time. That has caused LockDown Browser to quit in the
past, and students have lost the work they did up till that time. Also be sure
you choose the UCONN SECURE campus Wifi network, not the UCONN GUEST network,
since UCONN SECURE has been much more stable. When a student's connection has
been dropped during an exam, they were almost always on UCONN GUEST, and when I
got them started again using UCONN SECURE they had no more problems.
WHEN YOU FINISH THE EXAM
Do the entire exam, then click "Save And Submit" to submit your answers. Then STAY on that "Test Submitted" screen until a proctor verifies that you've submitted your answers – DO NOT CLICK "OK" and DO NOT exit LockDown Browser yet! Once they've verified that, you'll give the proctor your Notes Sheet (even if it's blank aside from Name, ID, and Seat Number) and show them your ID. Then you can go live your life.
THE SORT-OF-NECESSARY IMPLICIT PROHIBITION OF
BAD BEHAVIOR, MADE EXPLICIT
Just to emphasize this: Anyone submitting the
exam electronically without also submitting the paper name-and-ID sheet to a
proctor will be presumed to have taken the exam at another location, perhaps
with the aid of someone sending them the exam password. In that case both
students will be guilty of academic misconduct, with the attendant consequences
specified in the Student Code (see Academic Misconduct, https://community.uconn.edu/academic-misconduct/). And the same goes
for anyone who finishes and submits their exam answers AFTER leaving the exam
room, which is why we'll verify that your answers are submitted before you go.
And the same goes for anyone who logs into the exam at any time before their
scheduled make-up exam time.
I believe every one of you is an academic saint
and would never engage in such nefarious behavior but there are people who try
to get way with all kinds of stupid stuff like this, it's nuts. I mean jeez,
big picture, it doesn't even MATTER! Potentially gaining a few points on an
exam in college while risking expulsion, yeesh. Couldn't they just study? But I
do my best to prevent cheating, out of concern and respect for all of you who
would never try to cheat.
Oh yeah, keep your eyes on your own screen too!
EXAM INSTRUCTIONS THAT WILL BE DISPLAYED AT THE EXAM
Print your Name, StudentAdmin ID, and Seat Number on your Notes Sheet
Connect to wifi network "UCONN SECURE", not "UCONN GUEST"
Turn OFF phones and other Bluetooth devices that might connect to your laptop
DISABLE any automatic "sleep" timer settings on your device.
Open LockDown Browser
Log in to HuskyCT
Go to our class site "PSYC-1101-1103-SEC001-1203"
On the left menu go to "ONLINE EXAMS"
Choose the exam "1101&1103 SPRING 2020 EXAM 1" [or EXAM 2 or 3 as appropriate]
Click "Begin"
Enter the Exam Password (announced at start of the exam)
Do the entire exam, then click "Save And Submit" to submit your answers
STAY ON THAT "Test Submitted" SCREEN TO SHOW TO PROCTORS – DO NOT CLICK "OK"
Turn in your Notes Sheet (even if blank aside from Name, ID, and Seat Number) and show the proctor your now non-exam LockDown-Browser screen, and your ID.