Open Book proctored exams

[Merlin]

I already took Aleks courses a while back, but out of curiosity what exactly is locked down browser? Do you need a laptop with webcam now for their courses? Is it similar to RPNow where you can take the final exam 24/7 or more like procturU where you have to preschedule the exams?

They use a lockdown browser which is basically a customized web browser that is used for test taking and required for the ACE knowledge checks. They are not proctored so you can still take the knowledge checks any time you like. However, while the lockdown browser is running, it takes full control of your computer, so you cannot surf the web or open other applications on your computer. It is designed to make sure you don't use external resources to help you complete the ACE knowledge check.

With the new restrictions, you're only supposed to use the resources that ALEKS provides, which is basically a calculator. So no notes, books, or personal calculator. That said, as far as I know, it doesn't use a webcam or anything to verify that you don't use a second computer, ipad/tablet/phone, books, notes, or your own calculator.

Thanks Merlin!   Glad to hear you can still take those anytime as well. It's one thing I like about any course provider that offers RPNow. It's just so much more convenient than the idea of having to pre-schedule with a proctoring service, particularly if you are a night owl like me lol

Yes, I agree for the same reasons. I'm also a night owl, doing most of my studying at night after the family goes to bed. This means I generally planned my exams to begin after 11:30 pm to avoid conflict with family. RPnow was nice since I could just start the exam whenever I was ready. For ProctorU I had to plan ahead (a couple of days ahead if I didn't want to pay a surcharge) and if the proctor was delayed or there were any issues, that could add 30-45 minutes to my test start time. There were a few cases where I didn't finish an exam until nearly 5 am because of ProctorU's delays.

I'm not looking forward to going back to ProctorU (or Examity) which is what WGU uses for its proctored examinations.