July 15, 2025, Filed Under: Academic Integrity, Honorlock, Online Proctoring, Teaching & Learning, TestingHonorlock Guidance for Summer and Fall 2025 Honorlock Guidance for Summer and Fall 2025 Announcing Alternate Testing Locations On-Campus Option for Alternate Testing Location Beginning this summer, the University will offer limited, on-campus seating through the Campus Testing Center (CTC). This option is available for students without access to a suitable testing environment (e.g., a private space, stable internet, and compatible technology). It is intended for exams that are typically proctored through tools like Honorlock. Important: This process is instructor-initiated and requires advanced coordination between instructors and students! Faculty instructions closely resemble the University’s process for scheduling testing accommodations. This Canvas “How-to” guide for instructors illustrates the step-by-step process. Instructor Responsibilities: Submit the exam schedule and instructions in Canvas through RegisterBlast (found in the Canvas Course Navigation Menu) at least five business days before the exam date. Exam title must include the words “Remote/Honorlock – No accommodations” Grant student permission to test at the CTC (a brief email or Canvas message is sufficient) Student Responsibilities: After the exam schedule is approved, students must book their appointment at least three business days before the exam date/time. When asked to upload a “D&A Letter”, students should instead upload a screenshot of the instructor’s permission. Be aware that: Seats are limited and will be assigned on a first-come basis Testing occurs in a shared space with other students taking various exams Set Clear Expectations for Using Honorlock New Syllabus Policy for Remote Proctoring with Honorlock Beginning this fall, faculty must communicate in their syllabi that the option for Alternate Testing Locations is available to students to help them understand requirements for scheduling an exam on-campus. I have prepared sample syllabi language that instructors can use. Sample Syllabi Language: “Alternate Exam Locations for Remote Proctoring: With the exception of the final exam period each semester, students may request to book the option to complete an exam on campus in the Campus Testing Center. To use this option, students must contact their instructor no less than 10 business days before a scheduled exam. Your instructor will then work with the Campus Testing Center to schedule the exam if space is available.” A note on constraints with scheduling on-campus testing at the CTC: Final exam period: During final exams, the CTC is not available as an alternative location because the CTC quickly becomes fully booked with accommodated final exams. The OAT is working to identify new space that could facilitate this testing option during periods where the CTC is fully booked. Available Space: Seats are limited and will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis. Syllabus Language for Requiring Honorlock for Assessments Sample scripts stating requirements: “All students are required to use Honorlock to complete exams for this course.” “Before you take your first exam, you must complete (1) The Honorlock Student Prep Tutorial Assignment and (2) [insert # of] Practice Exams in Canvas.” List any custom requirements for Honorlock exams. Reduce Anxiety for Student test-takers Honorlock Prep Tutorial Assignment We recommend you create a for-credit assignment in Canvas and require students to complete the Honorlock Student Prep Tutorial. Offering practice exams before a live exam setting is proven to be the biggest differentiator between a positive and negative testing experience. If you need assistance setting up an assignment exam for credit, please email the Canvas team to request a consultation. Offer For Credit Practice Exams Taking an Honorlock Exam requires additional steps beyond logging into Canvas and opening the exam. If you launch a live exam without conducting practice exams, students will experience more issues than if you establish several practice exams. To encourage students to participate in the practice exams, we recommend you require them as for-credit assignments. If you need assistance setting up a practice exam for credit, please email the Canvas team to request a consultation. Prepare Pencil & Paper Alternative (For In-class Assessments) Despite best efforts and troubleshooting, it is possible that some students will be unable to access your assignment using Honorlock. We recommend you prepare pencil & paper alternatives for students who are unable, due to incompatible device(s) or for other reasons, to complete their assignment through Honorlock. Promote Academic Integrity Add UT Honor Code Affirmation to All Quizzes and Exams The Office of Academic Affairs strongly encourages all instructors to add an Honor Code Affirmation item as your first quiz question in all Honorlock Exams. We have added this Affirmation item to the Item Bank in Canvas. To add this question to your quizzes, follow these instructions or email the Canvas team to request a consultation. New Features and Tools Updated ID Verification Process This feature is designed to streamline the student authentication process by reducing the need for escalated support from Honorlock. In addition to Name Verification (the workflow that matches the name on the student’s ID with their name in Canvas), the updated ID Verification searches for additional landmarks on the ID to verify the validity of their identification. If a student’s camera cannot capture a clear image of their ID, students can now upload an image of their ID without having to contact support. Hotkey Detection The Hotkey Detection feature is automatically enabled to prevent the use of “hotkey” keyboard shortcuts to take screenshots during a proctored exam. A list of hotkeys that can be detected can be found here. User Questions Question: I’d like to use the new policy for Alternate Testing Locations to schedule space for my student(s) to complete their exam in the Campus Testing Center. Can/should I still use Honorlock to configure this exam? Answer: The presence of on-hand proctors in the Campus Testing Center should offset the need to rely on proctoring tools like Honorlock. Additionally, proctoring features such as “Room Scan” capabilities are not permitted in the Campus Testing Center as other students complete their own assignments. If the instructor would prefer their student(s) to use Honorlock from within the Campus Testing Center, they must create and configure a separate exam using Honorlock with only the Browser Guard enabled. Question: I’d like to use the new policy for Alternate Testing Locations to schedule space for my student(s) to complete their exam in the Campus Testing Center. What if my student(s) also have testing accommodations in addition to needing alternate space? Answer: If student(s) require additional accommodations at the Campus Testing Center, then the instructor for that class must submit a separate exam schedule for the non-accommodated, remotely proctored exams. Question: I’d like to learn more about the customization options located in the Proctoring Settings menu. What resources are available? Answer: Honorlock maintains a Knowledge Base article (link) detailing quiz settings available in the Proctoring Settings menu. Additionally, this tutorial video (below) touches on Instructor best practices (skip ahead to 9:32 for quiz settings): https://utexas.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=b5e8c708-a13b-45c8-83c4-b061012ff2b5
November 19, 2024, Filed Under: Honorlock, Media & A/V, Online Proctoring, Teaching & Learning, TestingHow to get help You need help. But maybe you’re not sure whom to contact. So… who you gonna call? Below are three resources you can always turn to for assistance: The School of Nursing Contact (Julia Wolfe, Instructional Technology Specialist at julia.wolfe@austin.utexas.edu or 512 471 4552.) The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services (LAITS) Julia Wolfe – Support within UT Austin School of Nursing Instructional Technology support Need help with Canvas, Zoom, Honorlock, Panopto, Qualtrics, PowerPoint, or… dozens of other software and teaching tools? Not sure if a particular tool or software is approved for use at UT? If I don’t know the answer, I will find it or find someone who does. Instructional Design support Instructional Designers create things that help people learn. So, if you need ANY teaching-related assistance, not just with technology, I’m here to help. I can share ideas from other faculty or help you come up with a custom solution for your class and your students. More information and lots of resources are available here on my blog: https://sites.utexas.edu/son-edtech-design/ CTL – UT Faculty Development & Instructional Support The CTL provides all of UT faculty with many of the same services that I provide within the School of Nursing. But they also have the ability to do much more. Instructional Strategies Teaching with Technology Grad Student Development New Faculty Symposium Grants and Fellowships All these and more are offered by the team at the CTL. And much more information is available on their website: https://ctl.utexas.edu/ LAITS – Desktop & Classroom Support LAITS primarily helps us maintain our computer hardware and our physical equipment. They are also here to help us install and update software, ensure computer security, and more. Desktop support – need assistance with your office or work computer? Maybe you need to software installed or it’s time to upgrade you to a completely new computer. Classroom support – need help in a Nursing classroom with ANY of the audio/visual hardware in our classrooms? Maybe the projector isn’t working, or the microphone is malfunctioning, or you can’t find a USB port for the computer. Contacting LAITS They are available in-person in their 2nd-floor office (NUR 2.104P), please contact them by phone or email. You can call 512-471-5000 or email laits-help@utexas.edu.
December 6, 2023, Filed Under: Academic Integrity, Honorlock, Software & Apps, Teaching & Learning, TestingArtificial Intelligence, Plagiarism, & You Artificial intelligence (AI), and specifically “Generative AI” tools such as ChatGPT, have quickly become everyday words. If you’re teaching a Nursing course with any significant writing component, whether it be a writing assignment, or even a Canvas discussion board, you should be prepared for the possibility that some number of students might be using these tools in inappropriate ways. And, unfortunately, we still do not have any meaningful way to stop it from happening. … read more
August 11, 2023, Filed Under: Academic Integrity, Honorlock, Online Proctoring, Software & Apps, TestingHonorlock Getting Started Guide for Faculty Getting Started Basics New Syllabus Policy for Remote Proctoring with Honorlock Creating Quizzes from Scratch Quiz Settings Overview Student View Quiz Results Support and Help Options … read more
August 8, 2019, Filed Under: Media & A/V, Software & Apps, Teaching & Learning, TestingIt’s Fall 2019! Ready or not, the Fall semester is upon us. That means it’s time to put the finishing touches on your syllabus, get your Canvas course up and running, make sure all your slideshows are finished, and so much more. In addition to the 10,000 other things on your to-do list, here are a few resources that will help you start the semester strong. … read more
May 1, 2019, Filed Under: TestingThe New Canvas Gradebook The New Canvas Gradebook went live May 28, 2019. And, while most features and functions are the same, there are also some new features. New Features The new Canvas Gradebook includes many features designed to improve the grading experience, especially in classes with large numbers of students and/or assignments. To learn more about the new features, and learn how to use them, click here. You can also learn more here. And, if you’d like to learn about all the different things you can do in the new gradebook, click here. If you’d like to discuss what you’ve read here or anything at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
March 15, 2017, Filed Under: Media & A/V, Software & Apps, TestingGetting Started with Kahoot! One thing instructors frequently mention is a lack of student engagement in their classes. Or, they’re looking for ways to increase interaction with and between students. Maybe instead, you’re looking for a way to “check in” with your students during a long lecture and check their understanding; or, you just want to break up the monotony of a 3-hour lecture (as much for yourself as for your students). Or maybe you just want to liven things up in your course and help students relax a little before a stressful exam. AND, what if on top of all that, you’re looking for a tool that’s not only easy to use, by free? … read more
February 28, 2017, Filed Under: TestingNCLEX-RN Practice Questions In the short time I’ve been here in the School of Nursing, I’ve heard several conversations about the need to find good NCLEX test questions to help students prepare for the exam. Well, recently, I stumbled upon a resource that I hope will be helpful to you and your students: Khan Academy. … read more
February 20, 2017, Filed Under: Software & Apps, TestingClassroom Response Systems If you’re looking for ways to increase interactivity and get more student feedback in your courses, classroom response systems are a great tool and there are lots of options available to you. This article will cover some pros and cons of 6 of the most popular and commonly used systems at UT. Hint: scroll all the way to the bottom for details about the “best” option(aka: most fun and it’s FREE). … read more