Whitelisting Permitted Internet Resources (Lockdown Browser Exams)
Overview
Whitelisting allows students to access specific resources online while still preventing them from accessing the broader internet during an exam which is using the lockdown browser. Whitelisted resources can be read only, or they can contain material that students are required to interact with and edit (e.g. an Excel spreadsheet).
The following resources are not suitable for whitelisting:
Desktop applications (not possible technically)
Browser based applications which require a sever connection to run locally, e.g. Jupyter Notebook (not possible technically)
Webpages that require multifactor authentication (MFA) to sign in (these create a disruptive/ poor exam experience)
The more specific the URL/ web address is, the more highly restricted student access will be.
IMPORTANT: It is essential that you test any whitelisted resources that you add to WISEflow to ensure they will work as expected for students on the day of the assessment.
It is also recommended that you keep the number of links needed fairly concise; requiring a large number of tabs to be opened is likely to cause performance issues within the Lockdown browser.
Links to Content in OneDrive or Sharepoint
If the links provided are to files or folders hosted in OneDrive or Sharepoint, it is very important that you ensure they are set up so that:
Anyone with the link can access the content.
Users with the link can either view or edit the material as appropriate. You will only need to allow someone with the link to edit the material if this is a link for an individual student.
Adding and editing whitelisted internet resources for all students
Access the flow as a Manager. Scroll down to the Participation panel and click All participation settings.
In the list of settings, find Permitted internet resources and click the Pencil button.
Tick the box to enable permitted internet resources and click Add link. Paste the link into the URL field and optionally add a Title and/ or Description in the appropriate fields. Click Apply.
Repeat the process of adding links as needed. Click Save to finish.
Adding and editing whitelisted internet resources for individual students
IMPORTANT: It is strongly recommended that you avoid providing individually whitelisted URLs for cohorts larger than 50 students.
Individual whitelisting is a highly manual process and there is a higher risk of error associated with providing unique links to a large number of users (e.g. giving multiple students access to the same editable spreadsheet, thus opening up the possibility of collusion or confusion over whose work has been recorded). Errors like this can be complex and difficult to resolve, proceed with caution.
Where students are required to interact with a resource hosted online (e.g. an Excel spreadsheet where they can add data and use formulae), these can be provided at an individual level.
Access the flow as a Manager. Scroll down to the Participation panel and click All participation settings.
If all students are to be given individual links: in the list of settings, find Permitted internet resources and click the Pencil button. Tick the box to enable permitted internet resources. (If there is also a link all students need to access, you can add this now - otherwise continue to the next step.)
Scroll down to the list of Participant settings at the bottom of the page and click the Pencil button to amend settings for the relevant student.
Find the setting for Permitted internet resources and enable it if you did not do this at a global level earlier in step 2. Click Add link.
Paste the link into the URL field and optionally add a Title and/ or Description in the appropriate fields. Click Apply.
Repeat the process of adding any individual links as needed. Click Save to finish. Repeat these steps as needed for the rest of the cohort.
Top tips: minimising errors in individual whitelisting
Where possible, follow a clear naming convention for resources hosted online that are intended for individual students. You may choose to include the student’s corresponding Flow ID number or their candidate number in the file name, for example:
Use a spreadsheet to keep track of which students have been given whitelisted links. Mark off the students as you go (i.e. by putting an X in the column next to them or highlighting the cell in a different colour) and paste the link used into the spreadsheet too. You can then use conditional formatting to reveal any duplicates and identify instances where multiple students have been given the same link in error.
Take regular breaks! Try to give yourself time to assign whitelisted URLs to students in smaller batches so that you remain focused and any mistakes are easily spotted at the point they are made.
Testing whitelisted internet resources
Minimal Testing (Essential)
Open an incognito or private browser window. Paste the URL into the address bar and press Enter.
Confirm that you can access the webpage as expected, without the need for a user login or MFA.
Full Testing (Recommended, requires the lockdown browser)
Create a flow using the same flow type and settings as the real assessment.
Tip: Write the automatically generated passwords down or set the passwords to something that you can remember so that it’s easy to access and exit the flow during testing!
Add yourself to the flow as a Participant and add the whitelisted resource(s) to the flow using the appropriate process described above (i.e. for all students or an individual, as needed).
Activate the flow and access it as a Participant. Click Start participation and launch the lockdown browser.
Click Permitted internet resources and attempt to access the provided link(s). These will open in a new tab. Repeat as necessary.
Resolving whitelisting issues
WARNING: The information below describes what is technically possible, however it is always best practice to get whitelisted resources set up correctly well before the assessment starts. Be aware that changes made at very short notice are more likely to create additional errors, which will make the issue far more complex and difficult to resolve.
Please seek assistance from a Digital Assessment Advisor or Faculty Learning Technology Lead if you are not confident in correcting a whitelisting issue. Remember that a lot of issues can be avoided by testing things thoroughly beforehand.
In the event that a whitelisted internet resource has not been set up correctly and students are unable to access this during an exam, it is possible to edit or replace the incorrect link while the exam is running by following the steps outlined in the relevant part of the guidance on this page.
Participants (students) will need to refresh the lockdown browser in order to see any changes made.
Case Studies and Examples
WISEflow examinations using individually whitelisted resources at Brunel University London: Authentic assessment? In MY exam? It’s more likely than you think.
Several WISEflow exams using both global and individually whitelisted resources have successfully run at UCL:
PHAY0085 and PHAY0025 (Preparation for Practice and Clinical Pharmacy and Policy Practice 2; Faculty of Life Sciences) provided all students with a globally whitelisted link to the British National Formulary
PHDE0068 (Psychology: The Science of Behaviour; Faculty of Education and Society) provided all students with a globally whitelisted link to a folder in Sharepoint containing several weeks' worth of lecture notes and slides.
IEHC0032 (Demographic Analysis; Faculty of Population Health Sciences) provided all students with individually whitelisted links to Excel worksheets to allow them to use formulae to answer complex questions.
If you aren’t sure whether the website or material that you want to provide to students is suitable to be whitelisted, or if you require further information: raise a ticket via MyServices to discuss further.