[phas-faculty_staff_others] Strengthening Academic Integrity Through Standardized Online Proctoring

Thu Aug 6 16:17:03 CDT 2026

Hi all instructors in Physics and Astronomy,

I talked about this many times during faculty meetings, but let me repeat it because we have to implement the Respondus tools.

Basically, none of online proctoring tools will work.

Just Google this: "how to avoid Respondus Browser Lockdown and Respondus Monitor"

There are many ways to cheat.

A popular discussion is here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/uoguelph/comments/jer6el/how_to_cheat_using_the_respondus_lockdown_browser/

One says:

[u/Dry_Somewhere3135 avatar]<https://www.reddit.com/user/Dry_Somewhere3135/>
Dry_Somewhere3135<https://www.reddit.com/user/Dry_Somewhere3135/>
•2y ago<https://www.reddit.com/r/uoguelph/comments/jer6el/comment/lxai7m2/>

Get ChatGPT Plus. Create a set up with a small camera in an angle (blind spot of the respondus camera), pointing to your screen and connected to another PC. Take a picture of the question from your computer and upload it to ChatGPT. Get the answer in a few seconds, on a display or tablet behind your test display. Select the answer from the multiple choice or write it down. Repeat until finish your test. You will ALWAYS get 100 points.

There are many even easier options.
With help from a friend, using dual monitors with a physical screen split would make it much easier.
We should stop spending funds on online proctoring tools.

If we keep these policies, honest students will receive lower grades while dishonest students will get "A" grades.

We should discuss this again at a faculty meeting.

_____________________________
Heungman Park, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Physics & Astronomy
East Texas A&M University (formerly Texas A&M University-Commerce)
Commerce, TX 75429, USA
www.etamu.edu/physics

________________________________
From: phas-faculty_staff_others <phas-faculty_staff_others-bounces at tamuc.edu> on behalf of Kurtis Williams <Kurtis.Williams at etamu.edu>
Sent: Thursday, August 6, 2026 3:02 AM
To: 'phas-faculty_staff_others at tamuc.edu'; Jeffrey Wilson; 'Austin Vent'
Subject: [phas-faculty_staff_others] Fw: Strengthening Academic Integrity Through Standardized Online Proctoring

Hello everyone,

I want to remind you of the new online proctoring initiative we are initiating this fall.  Please be sure to put the following in your syllabi:

  *   that Respondus Browser Lockdown and Respondus Monitor will be used in online quizzes/testing
  *   That a webcam will be required during online tests/quizzes

I do not yet have instructions on how to implement these; I will let you know as soon as I do.

If you have already turned your syllabi in to Sandy, there is no need for you to send her a new version, but you MUST have statements to these effects in your syllabi that you post on D2L (if you will be using online testing/quizzes).

Kurtis

Dr. Kurtis A. Williams (he/him/his)

Professor and Department Head

Department of Physics & Astronomy<https://www.etamu.edu/physics>  |  McFarland Science Bldg, 106A

P: 903.886.5488

[East Texas A&M logo]<https://www.etamu.edu/>

________________________________
From: Kurtis Williams
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2026 4:38 PM
To: Anil Chourasia; Bao-An Li; Billy Quarles (Billy.Quarles at tamuc.edu); Blake Head; Carlos Bertulani; Heungman Park; Kent Montgomery; Matt Wood PhD; Robynne Lock; William Newton
Cc: Jeffrey Wilson; Steven Allemang; Dale Loughmiller; Hilary Kakanis; Lee Powell
Subject: FW: Strengthening Academic Integrity Through Standardized Online Proctoring

Hello everyone,

Many of us have noticed that cheating during online exams, especially through the use of AI, has gone beyond rampant to ubiquitous – such a large fraction of students use these cheats that it actively hurts the grades of students who do not use these tools.

While many of us have attempted to find means of fighting this deluge of cheating, the policies and actions differ so widely that students can claim they do not know what the rules are in any given course section.

For this reason, Dean Graham and the leadership of the College of Science and Engineering have decided to create and implement a uniform policy regarding online exam proctoring through the use of Respondus browser lockdown and Respondus Monitor. Please see the dean’s email below for the official statement.

These tools and this policy is not perfect, but we are constrained by the desire to be consistent and to stay within our budgets of both money and faculty time.

Respondus LockDown Browser is software that attempts to prohibit the use of multiple browsers and tabs when the exam is underway.  Respondus Monitor uses the student’s webcam to track their eyes and records the student if they look away from the screen; I believe you then can review that footage to see if it is a clear case of cheating or just a glance out the window.

I presume that full details and instructions on how to implement this will be forthcoming.  For now, just know that it is coming, and be prepared to add a statement to your fall syllabi stating that online exams will use Respondus LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor.  (We’ll probably get a boilerplate statement to include.  Yay.)

Cheers,

Kurtis

Dr. Kurtis A. Williams (he/him/his)

Professor and Department Head

Department of Physics & Astronomy<https://www.etamu.edu/physics>

P: 903.886.5488

[East Texas A&M logo]<https://www.etamu.edu/>

From: Andrea Graham <Andrea.Graham at etamu.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2026 3:26 PM
Subject: Strengthening Academic Integrity Through Standardized Online Proctoring

Good Afternoon Department Heads,

   As a follow-up to our leadership meeting last week, I have given further consideration to our discussion regarding the use of proctoring for online course assessments.

To strengthen academic integrity and reduce opportunities for academic dishonesty in online courses, the College will move toward establishing a policy requiring the use of Respondus for all online course testing and major assessments. This requirement will include both Respondus LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor, unless an approved accommodation or documented exception applies.

This initiative is intended to promote consistency across the College, protect the integrity of our academic programs, and ensure that students are assessed in a fair and secure environment. Over the coming weeks, we will work with as a leadership team to develop implementation guidelines, identify any discipline-specific considerations, and establish a timeline for adoption.

Please begin discussing this expectation with your faculty and identify any anticipated challenges or support needs. Additional information, including implementation procedures, faculty training resources, and the effective date of the policy, will be communicated as they become available.

Thank you for your continued leadership and commitment to maintaining the highest standards of academic excellence and integrity.

Andrea

Dr. Andrea M. Graham

Dean

College of Science and Engineering  |  AG/ET, Room 116G

P: 903.886.5390

Mail: P.O. Box 3011, Commerce, TX 75429

We Transform Lives.

[TAMUC logo]<https://www.tamuc.edu/>

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