In classrooms all around campus this school year, some teachers have transitioned to using a web extension to prevent cheating on online tests. The extension LockDown Browser forces students to close all tabs except for AP Classroom during exams.
Teachers wanted an easier way to eliminate cheating by producing a secure testing environment. Since the browser only currently works with AP Classroom, not all teachers have been able to try the new system, yet many seem to have adopted it for simplicity.
The main complaint of many students is that the feature forces them to sign out or shut down their Chromebooks after an exam. There is a button with an X symbol on it, yet clicking on it does not close the application, so the students remain locked to their one AP Classroom tab.
Kseniia Antipina (12) explained her biggest issue with LockDown Browser: “After you finish a test, you have to shut down your Chromebook to reopen your account.”
With many tests having multiple parts to them, the feature is a serious annoyance to consider that reduces test-taking time, as well. On my AP Biology exams, I have to shut down my computer after the multiple choice section through AP Classroom, then resign in order to finish the other set of multiple choice questions and the free response questions on Canvas, drawing time away from the class period.
Besides students being annoyed with the added security of tests, there are genuine concerns about the functionality of LockDown Browser. For example, while the extension is closing all extra tabs and locking the student to the full screen of their one tab, it takes away from the time given on AP Classroom.
LockDown Browser has also been known to occasionally malfunction. During a timed write in my AP Literature class, LockDown Browser started asking me irrelevant questions about favorite foods, seemingly to determine if the extension was working on my computer, blocking me from working on the essay until I shut down my whole Chromebook, which took time and focus away from the test.
Technology is constantly changing, as some students find more creative ways to cheat. However, it is the truth that most exams, including most AP exams, have moved fully digital. Therefore, there must be a system in place to regulate online testing.
Mrs. Rose, an AP Literature teacher at Aliso Niguel High School, said, “People used to write in class on paper. I think that LockDown Browser is necessary because the test is online, so it is more like the AP exam.”
Students need to practice testing on AP Classroom with questions created by the same source, so there needs to be a way for teachers to properly administer the tests with online tools. LockDown Browser is simply the latest program to help teachers guarantee that their students complete the work on their own, yet it seems excessive.
Antipina questions the need for extension as teachers could check the screens of students for years before the addition of LockDown Browser: “The teachers can already monitor our screens; why do we need a separate application for them to do the same thing?”
There is no doubt that teachers should have the ability to ensure that their students do not cheat on tests. However, LockDown Browser’s numerous issues and the fact that teachers can already monitor their students’ screens, outweigh the need for a new Chromebook extension to be utilized in many AP classes.
