Respondus Monitor supports switching to MS Excel during an online exam.

• Only the desktop version of Excel is supported (Excel for Web is not).
• This feature is limited to Windows and Mac computers. Students using a Chromebook or iPad will be unable to access an Excel-enabled exam.
• If the exam previously used the built-in spreadsheet tool for LockDown Browser, follow these online instructions to change it to Excel
• A practice test that uses Excel is highly recommended.

Enabling Excel for an Exam

From the LockDown Browser Dashboard, instructors should select Webcam + Screen, then Allow switching to MS Excel during the assessment.  The [explain] link has more details.

Test-taking Experience

• If the MS Excel setting is enabled, students that do not have a desktop version of Excel installed on their computer will be denied entry to the exam.

• During the exam, students can access Excel via a spreadsheet link provided by the instructor, or by clicking the Excel icon on the LockDown Browser toolbar.

• To return to LockDown Browser, minimize the Excel app or click the LockDown Browser icon on the taskbar (Windows) or dock (Mac).

• Students should periodically save their Excel file, especially after completing work.

• As directed by the instructor, students can upload a saved spreadsheet file during the exam session.

Note for Mac Users

Students taking the test on a Mac computer will see a prompt that asks them to give permission for LockDown Browser to access the Documents folder. This permission is necessary so that Excel files can be downloaded and saved to the computer. The prompt will only appear the first time a student enters an Excel-enabled exam.

Linking to an Excel file

If providing students with a pre-populated Excel file, upload it to an appropriate location (often a content area for the course) and include a link to it within the exam. Excel will automatically open when the test taker initiates a download of the Excel file. If a pre-populated file isn’t being provided, students can access Excel from the LockDown Browser toolbar.

Having Students Upload an Excel file

If students are required to upload their spreadsheet during the exam session, use a question type and/or file upload setting that enables this. The following question types allow students to upload a file: 

• Canvas (New Quizzes): Use the File Upload or Essay question type
• Canvas (Classic Quizzes): Use the File Upload or Essay question type
• Brightspace: Use the Long Answer question type and select “allow learners to insert images and add attachments”
• Moodle: Use an Essay question, and select “Allow attachments” under “Response Options”
• Blackboard Original: Use a File Response question type
• Blackboard Ultra: At the current time file uploads are not possible in LockDown Browser, and any files would need to be uploaded after an exam using a process of the instructor’s choosing.

Student Instructions for Uploading an Excel file

Instructors should provide a clear explanation of how students should upload their Excel files. These instructions should appear within the question that enables the file upload itself. Here is a starting point for those instructions:

Be sure to save your work in Excel! The default location for that file is your Documents folder. When ready to upload the file, [add instructions appropriate for the uploading step; see previous section]. 

Proctoring Results

The proctoring results will include a “milestone” each time the student switches from LockDown Browser to Excel. The screen recording will show what the student did while outside of LockDown Browser.