As Folio becomes the new online course tool, Georgia Southern University students and faculty will be introduced to new software called the Respondus Lockdown Browser.

The Lockdown Browser software was designed to stop cheating on exams and quizzes. It is integrated with Folio, which was developed by Desire2Learn.

“It is not mandatory to use. It’s completely voluntary for instructors. There’s no campus wide mandate,” Assistant Director of the Center of Academic Technology Support Robby Ambler said.

“The Lockdown Browser is simple and easier to use. It’s a very good solution for teachers to enforce so that they don’t have to worry about their students to use any type of help to cheat,” Nazim Ali, chemistry major and Google ambassador of GSU, said.

The Lockdown Browser will not harm students’ computers, Ambler said.

“The software was being implemented to help deter cheating and preserve academic integrity for online quizzes. It’s not dangerous at all. It just prevents copying and pasting answers from Google,” Ambler said.

The issue with Lockdown Browser is that it freezes due to an interruption to Internet connectivity. Interrupting the assessment to go to the Internet multiple times will cause the software to malfunction and freeze, according to the Lockdown Browser’s website.

“Until you click submit you cannot open any other program,” Ali said.

To solve the freezing issue, you must restart your computer and continue the assessment.

“A wired connection is best because losing the Internet connection will make it freeze. The software does have its issues when it freezes, but overall you just have to follow instructions on closing all other programs out and avoid opening them when using the Lockdown Browser,” Naima Ozier, student technician for the center of academic technology support, said.

When the Lockdown Browser does freeze, students will have to start the assessment all over if they do not save each answered question.

“If the computer freezes on you, you can just ask for assistance, and you can continue where you were left off,” Ali sad.

“It’s sometimes good to use these other resources to help you with assessments, but Lockdown Browser eliminates the use of these resources,” Ozier said.

When using the Lockdown Browser, all other active programs are disabled and task manager cannot be accessed at all.

“Its purpose is to provide an environment where you’re able to take a quiz in a secure system,” Ambler said.

Ambler said Folio will completely replace GeorgiaVIEW in January 2013.