Here are simple yet effective strategies you can implement today to make your ICON quizzes more secure:
- Limit to a Single Attempt
- For high-stakes assessments, allow one attempt. This prevents students from previewing questions or checking notes.
- In the quiz settings, select Allow only one attempt.
- For students with technical issues, exceptions can be made manually.
- Set a Time Limit
- Restrict the time students have to complete the quiz. This reduces the opportunity to look up answers and encourages students to prepare in advance.
- Use the Time Limit option and set it to ~1 minute per question.
- Instructors who use ICON Classic Quizzes no longer need to manually adjust the time allowed on quizzes for students who elect to use Student Disability Services extended time accommodations.
- Control Availability Windows
- Use the “Available from” and “Until” settings to define a window during which the quiz can be taken. This minimizes the chance of students sharing questions with others who haven’t taken the quiz yet.
- Shuffle Answer Choices
- Enable the “Shuffle Answers” option so that each student sees answer choices in a different order. This is especially useful for multiple choice and multiple answer questions.
- Avoid using answers like “All of the above” or “None of the above” that rely on order.
- Randomize Question Order
- Use Question Banks to shuffle the order of questions for each student. This creates a unique version of the quiz for everyone.
Respondus LockDown Browser
The Respondus LockDown Browser is a custom browser that locks down the testing environment within ICON. How it works:
- Assessments are displayed full-screen and cannot be minimized.
- Browser menu and toolbar options are removed, except for back, forward, refresh and stop.
- Prevents access to other applications including messaging, screen-sharing, virtual machines, and remote desktops.
- Printing and screen capture functions are disabled.
- Copying and pasting anything to or from an assessment is prevented.
- Right-click menu options, function keys, keyboard shortcuts and task switching are unavailable.
- Assessments that are set up for use with LockDown Browser cannot be accessed with other browsers.
For more guidance or help setting up secure quizzes, visit the Exam Services website.