This article has been updated to reflect the enhancements that will be available after Friday 25 October as part of the October Release 2024.
The WISEflow lockdown browser is required for FLOWlock and FLOWmulti (with lock) assessment types (often time-limited exams) that use enhanced security measures to support supervised closed-book testing, either on-site or remotely. The lockdown browser is a small application that provides the necessary tools to complete your exam but restricts your computer from accessing unauthorised material during the test period.
This video gives an introduction to the lockdown browser:
Before the First Exam
It is necessary to have the lockdown browser installed on your computer before the start of the exam. Be sure to read the requirements for your computer and install the lockdown browser well in advance of the exam. It is important that you do this well ahead of the date of the exam in order to detect any potential problems such as insufficient memory on your computer, trouble with the lockdown browser or your access to the demo flow. We recommend that you try out a demo flow in WISEflow in advance of any real exams you are due to sit.
On the Day of the Exam
The following guide explains the general process for exams conducted using the lockdown browser and details some simple steps to help you prepare for your exam.
When you are ready to start your exam and once you have established a stable internet connection on your computer, you should start the exam from the flow page on WISEflow. It can be good practice to test whether your computer is able to automatically re-establish an internet connection in case the connection fails during the exam.
- One hour before the beginning of the exam, the Start participation button will become active on the flow page. This button allows you to launch the lockdown browser.
- When the lockdown browser is launched, you will be asked to close applications that may be open and interfere with the start of the lockdown browser. Click on Close application and Continue to proceed. You will then be taken to a page that shows a countdown running down to the start time of the exam. If you click on Exit Lockdown Browser you will be taken back to the flow overview page.
- You must launch the lockdown browser before the beginning of the exam in order to gain access to the flow.
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For iPads only: When you click on Start participation, press yes to open the Lockdown browser app. In the next pop-up window, confirm that the Lockdown app wants to start Single App Mode. After confirming, you will be unable to use other apps on your iPad until the Lockdown app ends Single App Mode.
- For Chromebooks only: All tabs need to be closed before launching the lockdown browser.
- The exam begins automatically once the countdown reaches zero. You may need to input a password depending on how the flow is configured. If this is the case, the password will be supplied to you by your institution.
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FLOWmulti only: Depending on the setup of the assignment, you may see an information page first before reaching the exam questions. You should read the information on this page before proceeding to the questions. Note that it will not be possible to navigate back to this page and re-read the information once you have clicked the Start button (2). The Go to submission button (1) is disabled on this page. You will not be able to submit your work until you have reached the questions within the assignment.
- You can now access the assignment or question paper and start working on your responses. During the exam, WISEflow will automatically and continuously save your work, and you will be able to keep track of this in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
- In the essay-based FLOWlock, a table of contents will be automatically generated based on the headlines in your exam paper. You may use this table of contents to gain an overview and navigate to different parts of your paper.
- If you perform a keyboard combination or touchpad gesture that is not allowed inside the lockdown browser, you will receive a warning message that an illegal keyboard or touchpad gesture has been detected by the system. You will have to acknowledge the message but can continue working inside the lockdown browser.
If an unauthorised keyboard combination or touchpad gesture is detected for a second time, you will receive another warning message and will have to include the invigilator password to continue working.
- Once you are ready to submit your paper, click Go to submission
in the upper right-hand corner. You may need to input another password, depending on how the flow is configured.
- When the time runs out you will be blocked from making any further changes to your work and a small window will appear allowing you to either exit or submit your work. You have up to 30 minutes to submit once the flow has ended.
Your responses will not be submitted automatically when the participation period has ended unless the flow has been set up to allow automatic submissions (see below for more information). You must submit the paper yourself by clicking on Go to submission in order for your responses to be recorded and marked.
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If the manager has set up the flow to allow automatic submissions, your paper will be automatically submitted when your participation end time has been reached. You will be informed once the submission has been completed and you can then return to the flow page.
You can manually submit your paper, as described above, before the participation end time.
Automatic submission will only occur in the following circumstances:
- you have an internet connection and are online,
- you are actively participating in FLOWlock or FLOWmulti,
- the latest revision has been saved.
If these conditions are not met, you either have to submit your work manually or follow the instructions on how to download and upload an offline backup.
- For iPads only: You can exit the lockdown browser by pressing the home button. Click on the browser app (Chrome, Safari etc.) to return to WISEflow.
- If your internet connection fails during the exam, you can continue to work uninterrupted. If your computer is able to re-establish the internet connection, the WISEflow connection will automatically be re-established and your paper will be saved to the server continuously as before. You should inform the invigilator if a connection is not established after a significant amount of time.
You will be notified directly inside the lockdown browser if your connection is lostand when it has been re-established as well as real-time information on the save status of your paper.
- If your internet connection is lost, you will be given the option to download your paper to your own computer. If the internet connection is unable to be quickly re-established, we recommend that you use this option to manually store a backup version. This will prevent any loss of data for example, in the event that your computer shuts down.
Important: Manually choose the location where an offline backup of your paper should be saved to. Some drives are restricted and files cannot be saved there - e.g. Macintosh HD on Mac. Always ensure you choose a location you can save files to, e.g. the desktop.
- If the internet connection is re-established, you will not need to use this backup version, you can save and submit your paper through WISEflow in the normal way.
- If the internet connection is lost around the time you have to submit your exam paper, you will not be able to hand it in directly through WISEflow. In this case, you must conclude the exam by saving an offline backup of your paper to your computer. Once the lockdown browser is closed down and you have access to the internet again, the saved file can be uploaded, validated and submitted from the original flow page up to four hours after the submission deadline.
You cannot receive direct messages as long as you do not have an internet connection.
More information on how to download and upload an offline backup
Take a look at our troubleshooting guide for the lockdown browser if you experience any issues.