💡 ID Tip • Respondus LockDown Browser
You Can Allow Excel or Word in a Proctored Exam
LockDown Browser doesn’t have to lock students out of everything. Here’s how to permit one app — while keeping the exam fully secure and monitored.
What this does: With one setting in Respondus, you can allow students to switch to Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word during a proctored exam — while LockDown Browser blocks everything else and Respondus Monitor records their screen.
When would you use this?
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📊 ExcelBudget models, financial analysis, data tasks, or any assessment built around a spreadsheet.
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📄 Word Timed essays, case analyses, or in-class writing where students work in Word instead of Blackboard’s text box.
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How to set it up
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1
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Open your assignment → click the gear icon (⚙) → scroll to Assessment Security → click LockDown Browser Dashboard. |
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2
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Find your assignment → click the dropdown arrow → select Settings. |
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3
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Select Require LockDown Browser, then under Respondus Monitor choose Webcam + Screen or Screen Only. Screen recording must be on to unlock the next step. |
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4
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Expand Advanced Settings → check “Allow switching to another application” → select Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word. |
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5
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Click Save + Close → close the Dashboard → Save Assignment Settings. Done! |
⚠ Before you use this — tell your students
| Desktop app required — Office 365 in the browser won’t work. Students need the installed version of Excel or Word. |
| Windows & Mac only — Chromebooks and iPads are not supported with this setting. |
| File submission — Students can’t upload files mid-exam in Blackboard Ultra. Build a separate submission step and explain it clearly in your exam instructions. |
| 🎥 | Watch the screen recording: Setting Up Excel or Word in Respondus LockDown Browser (Google Drive — Daemen login required) |
| ✉ | Reach out for assistance: id@daemen.edu. |