[LON-CAPA-users] Slots

[Stuart Raeburn]

Jason,

A response to your three questions about slots in LON-CAPA ...

> * Does the proctor have to be a user in the system?  Currently, our  
> proctors might not be LON-CAPA users.
>

Currently the proctor validation code in LON-CAPA does not require the  
user to have an account in the LON-CAPA system, as long as a value has  
been set for:  "Secret word proctors use to check in users:".

However, it seems that the original design of slots within LON-CAPA  
had envisaged that proctors would be users in the system (and also  
have an active role in the course), given that the "helper" interface  
used to configure a slot only lists users with active (i.e., unexpired  
roles) in the course, when selecting proctors.

You can circumvent this "helper" interface, if you will use a single  
proctor,  by uploading a plain text file (.csv) via "Upload Slot  
List". That file would need to contain entries for all needed fields  
when creating the slot (because as described below, you will need to  
avoid editing the slot attributes later, if a proctor who is not  
course personnel is to be preserved).

In the .csv file each line contains a comma-separated list of slot  
attributes, which, in your case would need to include username:domain  
for the proctor who does not have a LON-CAPA account in the specified  
domain.  This proctor would be supported as long as you also specify a  
"secret word", and as long as you do not subsequently edit the slot's  
attributes.

The reason why you would need to avoid editing this slot, once  
created, using the slot helper screens (click the "Edit" link for the  
slot), is that to do so you must pass through the proctor selection  
screen, which will prevent specification of any proctors who are not  
also active course personnel.

Hence, a proctor added via the .csv file upload who is not an active  
course personnel will no longer be preserved when you save your  
changes to the slot.

In any event, on the proctor validation screen, you will enter the  
proctor username, password (which will be the "secret word"), and  
proctor domain.

If all three match the information stored for the slot assigned to  
control access to the resource, (and if an IP restriction applies to  
the slot, and the IP address of the client computer is consistent with  
the required IP or IP range), the logged-in student will be checked in  
to the slot, and the resource will be available for the student to  
work on.

In cases where a "secret word" is not specified, the password is the  
proctor's LON-CAPA password, so obviously in that case, this does need  
to be a real user in the system.

Anyway, LON-CAPA's current functionality should eventually be changed  
to ensure consistency between the internals and the interface. I'll  
file a bug about that in bugs.loncapa.org

Eventually either (a) the LON-CAPA should validate that proctors are  
active course personnel, even if a secret word is in use (i.e.,  
enforce active user status everywhere) or (b) LON-CAPA's slot  
configuration screen where proctors are entered should support the  
ability to include usernames of proctors, who are not also active  
course personnel (i.e., eliminate enforcement of active user status  
everywhere).

> *         What is the student experience of being granted access to   
> the exam? My mental picture starting point is proctors physically   
> visiting (or remotely controlling the student's computer, in the   
> case of ProctorU) and typing a "proctor password." Is it different   
> in LON-CAPA?
>

If the slot controlling access to items in the exam is  
student-reservable, the student will log-in to the course and visit  
the "Manage reservations" page from the main menu, ahead of time to  
make a reservation. If the slot is instructor-assigned this step is  
not required.

The student logs-in to LON-CAPA in the designated exam location.  Once  
the slot start time is reached, the student will display a resource in  
the exam which features slot-based access control.  For a slot  
requiring proctor validation, a screen will be displayed with the name  
of the student (and the student's photo, if access to student photos  
is enabled in the uiuc domain).

The proctor will verify the student's photo matches the person seated  
at the computer, will type in the proctor username, domain, and  
"password" and click the "Validate" button.  Assuming the credentials  
were entered correctly, and the IP of the client computer is  
apprpriate, the student will now be checked into the slot internally  
(this could be for just the resource shown, or could be for the entire  
folder containing the resource - depends on the option set for the  
"Use slot based access controls" (useslots) for the resource.

> *         Once the student gains access to the exam via his/her   
> proctor, is there any way the student can "complete" the exam (i.e.   
> walk away from the proctored location), hop on a computer at home,   
> and resume their exam from where they left off? What safeguards   
> prevent this?

No, the student cannot continue to work on a resource which features  
slot-based access control (including IP restriction) after having been  
checked into a slot in the exam location, by working at a computer in  
a different location, as long as the IP range of the second computer  
does not also fall within the range allowed for slot access.


Stuart Raeburn
MSU LON-CAPA group

Quoting "Mock, Jason" <jmock at illinois.edu>:

> Hello,
>
> My situation is I need to have LON-CAPA-based exams that are   
> proctored. Our students can be proctored in one of two ways: by   
> coming to a computer lab the instructor proctors, or by taking the   
> exam from their homes, etc., and using a 3rd-party proctoring   
> service (in our case, ProctorU). Though I haven't used them, I have   
> read the documentation on Slots and it looks like they can restrict   
> access to the exam to users who are being proctored (amongst other   
> restrictions). My questions are such:
>
> *         Does the proctor have to be a user in the system?   
> Currently, our proctors might not be LON-CAPA users.
>
> *         What is the student experience of being granted access to   
> the exam? My mental picture starting point is proctors physically   
> visiting (or remotely controlling the student's computer, in the   
> case of ProctorU) and typing a "proctor password." Is it different   
> in LON-CAPA?
>
> *         Once the student gains access to the exam via his/her   
> proctor, is there any way the student can "complete" the exam (i.e.   
> walk away from the proctored location), hop on a computer at home,   
> and resume their exam from where they left off? What safeguards   
> prevent this?
>
> Your help is very much appreciated!
> Jason Mock
> Instructional Designer
> University of Illinois
>