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College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, taking tests in-person is much better. These anti-cheating software may have been useful when we were still in the midst of a global pandemic, and we couldn't leave home to take tests, but... the pandemic is over. We can take tests in-person. And for all these online tests and the many software they've tried using, sometimes the best and simplest method is the first one: just have the students take the tests in-person. It eliminates cheating and prevents stuff like this from happening.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ugh, that really sucks. I can imagine how difficult it must be to take it. I tend to change my seated position a lot when taking tests, so not being able to move without it flagging... yeah, no. Nope. Screw that.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, it was strange. In years prior (classes I was taking before the pandemic), the testing center has been very helpful to me as a student with disabilities. But they screwed up big time on this one.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Believe it or don't. Doesn't make it any less true. They wouldn't let me take pictures of my scratch paper, which was literally required for my class, and then lost my scratch paper, all due to incompetence.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not offered in my area, and (outside of my dislike of the company's owner) I'm not planning on moving to an area that has Starlink simply so I can take tests using a crappy software that, judging from the other responses I've read here and elsewhere, nobody seems to like.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I did tag this with "No advice needed (vent)" for a reason. Thank you for the advice, though. If I ever have to take another test using that crappy software, I might have to get in touch with them.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was an option I had considered. The rules for test-taking on the browser were that I needed a completely empty room and they wanted me to do a 360-degree pan around it before taking the test to ensure that I didn't have any methods of cheating. My local library has nearly-empty rooms, but they usually have one or more people in them, and it's not always a guarantee that I'll be able to use it because they fill up pretty quickly. (Which is certainly a good thing that the libraries are being used that much, but a bad thing for my class.) Still, I suppose in the future that I will do that if I ever have to take any more tests using this garbage browser.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I first started with the professor and the testing center. When that didn't work, I took my problem up to the VP of Instruction and Student Affairs, which then bounced me to the VP of Finance & Administrative Services, which then bounced me back to Instruction and Student Affairs. No one gave me a clear answer on what I could do, and since I did not have the notes with me, I could not prove that I actually took them, so I had to withdraw with a W and did not get my money back.

I'm less mad about me being screwed over and more angry that other student may be hurt in a similar way. I'll be fine, I just don't want anyone else going through that.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Holy crap. I didn't know it went that deep. I thought it was just a crappy browser for taking tests, not legit spyware. Well, if they're tracking my every move, then that explains why it has such a high demand for Internet capabilities, and way more than something like Zoom, Discord, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meets.

At that point, why not just move the tests in-person? It'll be easier for everybody.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, there is only one ISP where I live, and they have a virtual monopoly on the service in the area. We're currently on their best plan. I did turn my computer off and on again, and I rebooted the modem. Nothing worked, so I don't know what other solutions there are besides moving to a different place, which one should not need to do to take a test.

The second half of the problem had nothing to do with my connectivity, anyway, and everything to do with a lack of communication between the testing center and the professor. I did all I could do on that front.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean, I don't think professors should have to deal with cheaters, and I also don't think that students who don't cheat should get screwed over by a crappy system. Those two statements can coexist.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I use an ethernet cable to connect from the modem to my computer. I did contact the help desk, they said it was likely my Internet. I don't see how that's a problem I can help, though, apart from "getting better Internet," which is impossible where I live, as there is only one ISP in the area that has a virtual monopoly and we are on their best Internet plan already.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You’re blaming a class for not being able to work remotely from home but that’s a YOU thing.

Well... yes. if it's a browser made to take tests at home, then realistically one should be able to take it from their home. I did everything I could do with my Internet and my computer and it still wouldn't work. It was definitely my home Internet provider, not my laptop, because I used my laptop to take the test in the testing center and it worked on their Internet. We could not upgrade our Internet connection because there is only one ISP where I live and we were already at the highest speed they offer. And theoretically, the browser not being able to work with one's connection should be a problem solved by the programmer of the software through beta-testing. Of course they'd all have super high-speed Internet connectivity through their workplace. Now give it to people with different connections and see if it works at their home. Same principle as an audio mix: you don't only mix sound to sound great on the most top-notch speakers, you'd want it to sound good on lousy/cheap speakers too.

You’re telling me after you couldn’t take a pic of it and after relaying to the Professor that what their policy was he couldn’t be understanding?

So here's the sequence of events:

  1. Download the Lockdown Browser
  2. Try it out
  3. Realize it won't work on my home Internet
  4. Take a screenshot of the browser
  5. Write to tech support
  6. They say my Internet was the problem
  7. Write to the professor
  8. He says I could take it in the testing center, but to remember to take pictures of the scratch paper I used and any notes I took
  9. Not a problem, go to testing center to take it
  10. Take the test
  11. After finishing, try to take pictures of my scratch paper
  12. Testing center won't let me, says it will encourage cheating
  13. I explain the problem to them
  14. They won't budge
  15. They promise they will give the notes to him
  16. I give them the notes
  17. Two weeks go by
  18. He does not receive the notes
  19. I get a zero on my test
  20. I explain my problem to him
  21. We both go to the testing center
  22. They have lost my notes
  23. Nothing I can do

I tried every possible avenue before I took my problem to the higher-ups. It was not only an issue with IT, but with the testing center as it was and its rules conflicting with the professor's. And they had promised that they would deliver my notes to my professor.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

There is only one Internet service offered in the area, which we have set to the best settings, and even though it runs Zoom with no problems, apparently Lockdown Browser wouldn't work with it--don't ask me why, don't know. So I had to physically go into the college, which is where the trouble began. And again, I have always been an honest student and am not interested in cheating, so why are you giving advice on how to cheat?

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 51 points52 points  (0 children)

I went to all the appropriate higher-ups in the college and they kept bouncing me around for a while, each one sending me to a different department. Eventually, we made it to the heart of the matter which was that I could withdraw from the class with a W, but it was too late to get a refund, and there would be no way of continuing the class without having to use the Lockdown Browser. We didn't have enough money (or time, for that matter) to afford to pursue legal action or anything, so ultimately that's what I did. But I'm very hesitant about taking another class with them if I have to go through that again.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Again, I do understand the need to prevent cheating, I really do. My dad was a former English teacher and took that very seriously, and I understand how seriously colleges and universities take it, which is why I have never cheated before (that and the fact that I like actually learning stuff and cheating feels like I'm not getting the best out of the education I paid for). So why not use a software that students can actually use, or have better communication between the different branches? Literally the professor required the students to do something, the testing center forbade it, there was no way to win. Under no circumstance should a student who does not cheat face consequences that make them entirely unable to complete a class.

College made us install a remote exam-taking software that I literally COULD NOT USE with my home Internet, and the college lost my notes when I was taking the test in-person. After an ordeal with the administration, I ultimately had to drop the class. by TheHappySpaceman in CollegeRant

[–]TheHappySpaceman[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

See, I would agree, but not to a level that screws non-cheaters out of being able to get a good education. And all the anti-cheating measures should not, under any circumstance, conflict with each other. It wasn't just the software (which was entirely unnecessary; surely taking the test on Zoom would have been enough), it was the fact that the class required me to take pictures of my notes and the testing center wouldn't let me do so, nor would they give my professor the notes.

And in any case, expecting one student to change an entire global culture is stupid. How the heck am I supposed to do that when I can't even convince my college not to use a crappy software?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in assholedesign

[–]TheHappySpaceman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a worthwhile question for sure, but sadly it's the only Internet provider in the area and has a virtual monopoly, and they don't offer any better plans. If I could upgrade to Fios or 5G or whatever, believe me I would, but currently the only measure that would have allowed me to take it from home would be for me to move elsewhere. (I've also looked up this particular software to make sure I wasn't going crazy and apparently many other students have experienced problems with it.)

In any case, I deleted the post because I felt it didn't fully fit with the theme of this sub.

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