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<p>Hello everyone,</p>
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<p>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:</p>
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<li>that Respondus Browser Lockdown and Respondus Monitor will be used in online quizzes/testing </li><li>That a webcam will be required during online tests/quizzes</li></ul>
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<div>I do not yet have instructions on how to implement these; I will let you know as soon as I do.</div>
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<div>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).</div>
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<div>Kurtis</div>
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<span class="firstname-container" style="">Dr. Kurtis A. Williams</span><span class="pronouns-container" style=""> (he/him/his)</span></p>
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<span class="department-container" style="margin:0px"><a href="https://www.etamu.edu/physics" title="https://www.etamu.edu/physics Ctrl+Click or tap to follow the link" style="color:rgb(0,85,170); margin:0px; text-decoration:none!important" id="LPNoLP">Department
of Physics & Astronomy</a></span><span class="department-adress-container" style="margin:0px"><span class="department-building" style="margin:0px; display:inline-block"><span class="bar" style=""> | </span>McFarland Science Bldg</span><span class="department-room" style="margin:0px; display:inline-block">,
106A</span></span></div>
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<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" color="#000000" style="font-size:11pt"><b>From:</b> Kurtis Williams<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, July 14, 2026 4:38 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Anil Chourasia; Bao-An Li; Billy Quarles (Billy.Quarles@tamuc.edu); Blake Head; Carlos Bertulani; Heungman Park; Kent Montgomery; Matt Wood PhD; Robynne Lock; William Newton<br>
<b>Cc:</b> Jeffrey Wilson; Steven Allemang; Dale Loughmiller; Hilary Kakanis; Lee Powell<br>
<b>Subject:</b> FW: Strengthening Academic Integrity Through Standardized Online Proctoring</font>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black">Hello everyone,</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black">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.
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black">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.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black">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.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black">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.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black">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.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black">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.)</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black">Cheers,</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif; color:black">Kurtis</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt; color:#00386C">Dr. Kurtis A. Williams (he/him/his)</span></b></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color:black"><a href="https://www.etamu.edu/physics"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; color:#0055AA">Department of Physics & Astronomy</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; color:#4F5352"></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; color:#4F5352; text-transform:uppercase">P: 903.886.5488</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; color:#4F5352"></span></p>
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<span style="color:black"><a href="https://www.etamu.edu/"><span style="font-size:13.5pt; color:blue; text-decoration:none"><img naturalheight="0" naturalwidth="0" border="0" width="250" height="33" id="Picture_x0020_2" alt="East Texas A&M logo" style="width: 2.6041in; height: 0.3437in; user-select: none;" src="cid:image002.gif@01DD13A8.75DCEFF0"></span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt; color:black"></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>From:</b> Andrea Graham <Andrea.Graham@etamu.edu>
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<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, July 14, 2026 3:26 PM<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Strengthening Academic Integrity Through Standardized Online Proctoring</p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Good Afternoon Department Heads,
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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.</p>
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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 <strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight:normal">Respondus LockDown Browser</span></strong> and
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight:normal">Respondus Monitor</span></strong>, unless an approved accommodation or documented exception applies.</p>
<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
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.</p>
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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.</p>
<p>Thank you for your continued leadership and commitment to maintaining the highest standards of academic excellence and integrity.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Andrea</p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt; color:#00386C">Dr. Andrea M. Graham</span></b></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; color:#4F5352">Dean</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; color:black"></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; color:#4F5352">College of Science and Engineering | AG/ET, Room 116G</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; color:#4F5352; text-transform:uppercase">P: 903.886.5390</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; color:#4F5352"></span></p>
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