At a Glance

Welcome to the Respondus LockDown Browser Pilot for Fall 2026 at MIT Sloan! We’re thrilled to have you on board as we explore ways to support the use of Canvas-based exams as an alternative to paper blue books for in-person, proctored exams. Thank you again for your willingness to incorporate something new into your classroom—we look forward to learning together.

We’re piloting Respondus LockDown Browser in select courses in Fall 2026. This page contains information for courses that are taking part in the pilot program.

Pilot Guidelines

For courses participating in the pilot:

  • LockDown Browser is intended to only be used for in-person exams.
  • Teaching teams should create exams in Canvas using New Quizzes. Do NOT use Classic Quizzes.
  • Students must install LockDown Browser on the laptop they will use for the exam.
  • We strongly recommend having students complete a practice quiz several days before the exam.
  • STS Teaching & Learning Technologies (TLT) cannot provide live support during in-person exams. Teaching teams should have students test their setup in advance and plan a backup option in case LockDown Browser cannot be used during the exam, such as during a Wi-Fi outage or a Respondus service issue.

How LockDown Browser Works

LockDown Browser restricts the testing environment on the laptop students use to complete an exam.

When a student launches an exam that requires LockDown Browser:

  • The exam is displayed full-screen and cannot be minimized.
  • Access to other websites and applications is restricted.
  • Screen-capture, printing, copying, and pasting are disabled.
  • Many keyboard shortcuts, function keys, and right-click options are disabled.
  • Applications such as messaging, screen-sharing, and screen-capture tools may be blocked.
  • Students cannot exit the exam until they submit it for grading.
  • The exam cannot be completed using a standard browser.

LockDown Browser only restricts activity on the laptop being used for the exam. Students could still access other devices, such as mobile phones, during the exam, so teaching teams may want to account for this as part of their usual in-person proctoring practices.

Before Using LockDown Browser

Create a Practice Quiz

Before using LockDown Browser for a graded exam, create a simple, ungraded New Quiz that also requires LockDown Browser. This gives students an opportunity to install and test LockDown Browser and resolve any technical issues before exam day.

We recommend:

  • Making the practice quiz available several days before the exam
  • Setting it to 0 (zero) points
  • Allowing unlimited attempts
  • Including one or two simple questions
  • Asking students to complete it using the same laptop they plan to bring to the exam
  • Keeping the practice quiz available through the exam date

Share Instructions with Students

Let students know in advance that the exam will require LockDown Browser and that they will need to install software on the laptop they plan to use for the exam. Ask students to review the LockDown Browser system requirements to confirm that their laptop is supported.

IMPORTANT: The LockDown Browser download link is unique to each institution. Before the practice quiz, provide students with the MIT-specific download link. If you’re not sure where to find the link, submit a ticket.

Students access their exam from a regular browser, such as Google Chrome. They log in to Canvas, navigate to the quiz, and then launch LockDown Browser. If LockDown Browser is not already installed, they will need to install it using the MIT-specific download link provided by the teaching team.

Students should complete the practice quiz early enough to get help if they encounter an installation or device issue.

Plan for Exam-Day Issues

Because our team can’t provide live support during in-person exams, teaching teams should have a backup plan in case LockDown Browser cannot be used as expected. This could include an issue affecting an individual student, a campus Wi-Fi outage, or a Respondus service disruption.

Having students complete the practice quiz in advance can help identify installation and setup issues before exam day.

How to Set Up LockDown Browser in Canvas

Step 1: Create a New Quiz

The exam must already exist in Canvas before you can configure it to use LockDown Browser.

To create a new quiz:

  1. In your Canvas course, click Quizzes from the Course Navigation menu.
  2. Click + Quiz.
  3. Select New Quizzes, and then select Submit.
  4. Create and configure the quiz as needed.

To learn more, see How do I create a quiz using New Quizzes?

IMPORTANT: Teaching teams participating in the MIT Sloan pilot should use New Quizzes, not Classic Quizzes.

Step 2: Require LockDown Browser for the Quiz

Once your New Quiz is ready:

  1. Click LockDown Browser from the Course Navigation menu.
  2. Locate the New Quiz you want to configure.
  3. Open the menu next to the quiz and click Settings.
  4. Select Require Respondus LockDown Browser for this exam.
  5. Review any additional LockDown Browser settings and adjust them as needed.
    • For in-person exams, select Lock students into the browser until the exam is completed. This prevents students from leaving LockDown Browser before submitting the exam.
  6. Select Save + Close.

To learn more, see Respondus’s Quick Start Guide for Instructors.

Step 3: Verify the Setup

After saving your settings:

  1. In your Canvas course, click LockDown Browser from the Course Navigation menu.
  2. Locate the quiz you configured.
  3. Confirm that Required appears next to the quiz.
  4. Click Quizzes from the Course Navigation menu.
  5. Confirm that Requires LockDown Browser appears with the quiz title.

Tip: LockDown Browser settings do not always carry over when you duplicate a quiz or copy a course. After copying, open the LockDown Browser Dashboard and confirm that the quiz is still set to Required. Do not rely on the quiz title alone—it may still say Requires LockDown Browser even when the setting is off. For duplicated quizzes, you may also see a Fix It button in the Dashboard.

What Students Should Expect

When students are ready to take a New Quiz that requires LockDown Browser, they will:

  1. Log in to Canvas using their regular web browser (e.g., Google Chrome) using their laptop.
  2. Navigate to the course and open the quiz.
  3. Download and install LockDown Browser using the MIT-specific link provided by your teaching team, if it is not already installed.
  4. Return to the quiz and launch LockDown Browser.
  5. Close any applications that LockDown Browser identifies as incompatible or blocked.
  6. Complete and submit the exam.

Once the exam has started in LockDown Browser, students cannot exit normally until they submit it for grading.

To learn more, see Respondus’s The Student Experience page or Quick Start Guide for Students.

IMPORTANT: Students should use the MIT-specific LockDown Browser download link provided by the teaching team before the exam.

How-to Guides

Teaching Teams

Students

IMPORTANT: Some Respondus documentation also includes information about Respondus Monitor, which uses webcam-based proctoring. Respondus Monitor is NOT part of the MIT Sloan Fall 2026 pilot.

How to Get Support

Teaching Teams

For questions or technical issues with LockDown Browser, teaching teams can:

Students

Students who have trouble downloading, installing, or setting up LockDown Browser should contact the STS Help Desk before the exam:

  • Email: stshelp@mit.edu
  • Phone: 617-253-2000

Students can also review Respondus’s student troubleshooting resources for LockDown Browser.