Using Respondus Monitor with Students in Face Masks

The best location for students to take an exam using Respondus Monitor would be one that is private (no other people walking by), quiet and free from distraction. The best location for a student to take their exam would be at home or in their dorm room, however, some students may need to take their exam on campus based on their schedule. Library study rooms are a good option, as well as any open classroom spaces, which can be found on the Campus Calendar.

If a student is taking their exam on campus, unless they are in their own dorm room, they will need to continue to wear a mask. Students needing to wear face masks during an exam may not be able to achieve the facial detection that is a key component of how Respondus Monitor works. This could result in additional flags and higher priority results as a face cannot be identified during the recording. This isn’t a problem, if it is what you expect to see. Just ignore flags associated with a student in view of the camera wearing a mask.

With this in mind, you may choose to turn off the following settings for Respondus Monitor:

Screenshot of Facial Detection Options within Respondus. At the top left there is a black outlined square with a horizontal line in it. The text to the right says Facial Detection Options. There are two checkmark buttons below (both checked with a blue background and white checkmarks). The options are Prevent students from starting the exam if face cannot be detected during Startup Sequences (explain); and Notify students during the exam if face cannot be detected (prompt for a fix) (explain). There are two pink arrows that point to each of the checkmark options.

Prevent students from starting the exam if face cannot be detected: Some students may be able to remove their mask briefly for this and the other pre-exam steps, but if this is a concern you can turn this optional setting off.
Notify students during the course of the exam if face cannot be detected: This will ensure students can continue to progress through the exam even if their face is not detected.

Turning these settings off will allow a student to complete their exam even if facial detection is not achieved. In this scenario, the instructor must review the flags and video playback with this mind.

When using educational technology tools, be FERPA aware. To learn more, visit the Registrar's FERPA Guidelines site.