Recommendations for Digital Exam Software for Higher Ed

Hi Everyone,

I am interested in hearing about which learning tools other Higher Ed institutions are using to conduct digital exams. I work in the Learning Technology department of a business school; our courses range from 50 to 800 students. Digital exams are run on a Bring Your Own Device model, and we are currently using Canvas quizzes and Lockdown Browser as our main assessment tools. As more and more faculty begin to conduct digital assessments, we find that our current model falls short in some areas:

Quantitative assessments that require excel.
- Respondus’ spreadsheet tool does not have the functionality required for finance exams and its lack of auto-save has caused issues for students when their computers crash or they lose internet.
- We just need students to be able to access Excel on their computers in a secure exam environment.
Importing questions from Word or Excel.
- This isn’t a feature in Canvas.
Managing question metadata in question banks (which course, which term, what version of quiz was used last year)
Managing quiz versions
- We have 800-person courses with 12 tutorial sections. Instructors are finding managing the different quiz versions in Canvas challenging.

We are looking for a comprehensive digital assessment tool that can offer both a secure exam experience while also improving the instructor’s experience with exam creation and management.

Thank you in advance for your recommendations.

Sincerely,

Emily

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Accepted answers

Greg

This is a great question, @erooks1 and one that I hope gets lots of responses. Here's a resource shared by another Community member that helps with your question about converting MS Word documents to Canvas Quizzes:

Effortless Quiz Creation: Free Tool by Lawrence S. Ting School to Convert DOCX to QTI for Canvas LMS

jaiyoung

HONORLOCK 1.3
Overview:
Honorlock is an automated, AI-driven remote proctoring tool integrated directly into Canvas. It is available for all FIU courses and does not require exam scheduling. It provides on-demand exam access within the instructor-defined timeframe.

Strengths:

Fully integrated with Canvas Classic Quizzes
No student scheduling required
AI-based monitoring with video, audio, and screen recording
Low or minimal cost (if any) to students

Limitations:

Incompatible with Excel-based assessments or external file access
No real-time human intervention during exams
Not currently compatible with Canvas New Quizzes

Best Use:
Honorlock is ideal for low- to mid-stakes exams delivered within Canvas that do not require external tools like Excel.

PROCTORU LIVE+
Overview:
ProctorU Live+ is a live online proctoring service that replicates in-person exam monitoring. It includes multi-factor identity verification, live screen and webcam monitoring, and direct student-proctor interaction.

Strengths:

Allows students to access Excel or other desktop applications during exams
Real-time proctoring enables intervention during technical issues or suspicious behavior
Robust identity verification with webcam, screen share, and multi-step authentication
Recently updated with integrated chat and expanded Chromebook support

Limitations:

Students must pay a fee per exam (based on exam length)
Requires advance scheduling
Can be complex to manage for large-scale courses unless properly coordinated

Best Use:
ProctorU Live+ is the only viable solution for high-stakes exams requiring the use of Excel or external software in a secure environment.

RESPONDUS LOCKDOWN BROWSER
Overview:
Respondus LockDown Browser is a custom browser that locks down the student’s testing environment during Canvas-based assessments. It prevents printing, screen switching, copy/paste, and web navigation.

Strengths:

Integrated with both Classic and New Quizzes in Canvas
Easy for instructors to set up with a practice quiz option
No cost to students
Does not require live scheduling

Limitations:

Students cannot use Excel or access local files during an exam
No auto-save feature; student work may be lost if the system crashes
Some compatibility issues remain with newer tools in Canvas
Currently shows outdated browser warnings to Mac users (known, non-blocking issue)

Best Use:
Respondus is best suited for simple assessments that can remain fully within Canvas and do not require access to other applications.

Recommendation for Excel-Based Exams in Large Courses:
For courses that require quantitative assessments using Excel, particularly those with large enrollments and multiple tutorial sections, ProctorU Live+ is the most appropriate solution. It allows secure access to Excel, offers live proctoring, and supports flexibility in technical troubleshooting. While it introduces a cost to students, it is the only tool that addresses both the functional needs of the exam and the academic integrity requirements. In contrast, Honorlock and Respondus are effective for Canvas-native assessments but cannot accommodate the use of external tools like Excel, making them unsuitable for most finance-related testing scenarios.

Tool	Excel Support	Canvas Integration	Live Proctoring	Cost to Students	Ideal For
Honorlock	❌ Not supported	✅ Classic Quizzes only	❌ AI only	❌ Lowcost	On-demand, low-stakes exams
ProctorU Live+	✅ Supported	✅ Indirect (via external launch)	✅ Yes	❌ Paid	High-stakes, Excel-required exams
Respondus LockDown Browser	❌ Not supported	✅ Classic + New Quizzes	❌ None	✅ Free	Basic quizzes without external files

DrTerriC

K state has an option that they shared.. with a template.. It may be a pain to follow their format, but if you got into practice, could save you some serious time..

https://framingham.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1792/ServiceHub/KB/ArticleDet?ID=136487

I will say that many AI tools (Chat GPT and Magic School) can convert to QTI - but I am not sure the implications for your testbank and being publicly available.. I would proceed with caution there.

All comments

Greg

Effortless Quiz Creation: Free Tool by Lawrence S. Ting School to Convert DOCX to QTI for Canvas LMS

jaiyoung

Strengths:

Fully integrated with Canvas Classic Quizzes
No student scheduling required
AI-based monitoring with video, audio, and screen recording
Low or minimal cost (if any) to students

Limitations:

Incompatible with Excel-based assessments or external file access
No real-time human intervention during exams
Not currently compatible with Canvas New Quizzes

Best Use:
Honorlock is ideal for low- to mid-stakes exams delivered within Canvas that do not require external tools like Excel.

Strengths:

Allows students to access Excel or other desktop applications during exams
Real-time proctoring enables intervention during technical issues or suspicious behavior
Robust identity verification with webcam, screen share, and multi-step authentication
Recently updated with integrated chat and expanded Chromebook support

Limitations:

Students must pay a fee per exam (based on exam length)
Requires advance scheduling
Can be complex to manage for large-scale courses unless properly coordinated

Best Use:
ProctorU Live+ is the only viable solution for high-stakes exams requiring the use of Excel or external software in a secure environment.

Strengths:

Integrated with both Classic and New Quizzes in Canvas
Easy for instructors to set up with a practice quiz option
No cost to students
Does not require live scheduling

Limitations:

Students cannot use Excel or access local files during an exam
No auto-save feature; student work may be lost if the system crashes
Some compatibility issues remain with newer tools in Canvas
Currently shows outdated browser warnings to Mac users (known, non-blocking issue)

Best Use:
Respondus is best suited for simple assessments that can remain fully within Canvas and do not require access to other applications.

Tool	Excel Support	Canvas Integration	Live Proctoring	Cost to Students	Ideal For
Honorlock	❌ Not supported	✅ Classic Quizzes only	❌ AI only	❌ Lowcost	On-demand, low-stakes exams
ProctorU Live+	✅ Supported	✅ Indirect (via external launch)	✅ Yes	❌ Paid	High-stakes, Excel-required exams
Respondus LockDown Browser	❌ Not supported	✅ Classic + New Quizzes	❌ None	✅ Free	Basic quizzes without external files

DrTerriC

K state has an option that they shared.. with a template.. It may be a pain to follow their format, but if you got into practice, could save you some serious time..

https://framingham.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1792/ServiceHub/KB/ArticleDet?ID=136487

I will say that many AI tools (Chat GPT and Magic School) can convert to QTI - but I am not sure the implications for your testbank and being publicly available.. I would proceed with caution there.

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