What makes the new software different from existing testing tools?

Daniel R. Schneider: First of all, Safe Exam Browser (SEB) isn't actually a type of testing or assessment software on its own. It is a Windows and Mac OS X application used to operate web-based testing/assessment software in a safe way by locking the exam computers into a secure environment called "kiosk mode". During the exam, it's only possible to access the test: SEB does not display the usual navigation elements, such as an address bar or a search field. SEB also temporarily restricts or completely disables various operating-system functions, e.g. the ability to switch to undesired applications and specific key combinations for system commands. In this way, SEB transforms every computer into a secure workstation.

The actual examination is generally located in a quiz module of a learning-management system (LMS). Extensions to these modules have been implemented in Moodle and ILIAS such that SEB works -œout of the box- in these LMSs. The extensions guarantee secure delivery of examinations and are integrated into the core codes of both learning platforms. Connecting it with further test environments is relatively easy. As a secured web browser, SEB is basically able to work with any web-based examination system.

In addition to the connection with an online examination system via Internet or intranet, SEB can allow controlled use of other applications during the examination, installed either locally on the exam computer or centrally on a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).

The Safe Exam Browser's nature as an application means that it offers good compatibility with various hardware configurations as long as one of the supported operating-system versions is installed on a computer. Installing SEB is also no more time consuming than installing any other ordinary software. These facts differentiate the Safe Exam Browser from solutions that require a specially configured and secured operating system, network setup, etc. Such solutions promise a high level of security, but are inflexible in comparison with the SEB application for Windows and Mac OS X. Creating, testing, and regularly updating the corresponding boot image is particularly time consuming, and it is quite possible that compatibility issues, for example on various types of individual student hardware, might occur.

The flexibility of SEB also provides the potential to include further subject-specific and exam-relevant third-party applications (e.g. a PDF reader, a calculator, Excel, Matlab, or the statistics package R) and to offer multimedia examinations. In this way, it is relatively simple to adapt it to the needs of various disciplines and organizations.

The high security standards of SEB enable the use of ordinary hardware such as student notebooks and the universities' public computer-room facilities for examinations. After the online exam is completed, closing SEB simply returns the computer to its original status. In this way, with SEB it is no longer necessary to administer and equip extra rooms with special hardware or operating-system configurations especially for examinations.

Which community developed this open source product?

Daniel R. Schneider: SEB came into being in mid-2008 in the context of an open-source project at the University of Giessen in Germany and ETH Zurich in Switzerland. Its further development since 2010 at the Educational Development and Technology (LET) unit of ETH Zurich has been carried out as part of the AAA/SWITCH - e-Infrastructure for e-Science program led by SWITCH, the Swiss National Research and Education Network. The work was supported by funds from the ETH Board.

The Safe Exam Browser is supported by a growing community that connects through our portal www.safeexambrowser.org and regular workshops at ETH Zurich. It is not only pursued in German-language institutions, but also in the English-speaking Moodle community and universities worldwide.


Is the software already being used, and if not, when will it be available?

Daniel R. Schneider: Safe Exam Browser has been used since 2008 for the implementation of regular online examinations at ETH Zurich and the University of Giessen. Since then, other organizations worldwide have deployed it. In academia it is in operation, for example, at the universities of Giessen, Marburg, Cologne, Hamburg, at the virtual Rheinland-Pfalz campus (an association of twelve universities), the network of universities in Saxony (thirteen institutions), and at various Universities of Applied Science in Germany and Switzerland. Several universities, Universities of Applied Science, and other educational institutions in the USA, the Netherlands, Israel, India, and other countries also use SEB. The combination of SEB with the ILIAS learning-management system is also deployed in the corporate environment, for example in the training of air-traffic controllers at Skyguide AG.

Since SEB is being extended and improved continuously, new fields of operation are opening up, too. For example, SEB's security level is currently being increased, in particular where it is deployed on computers that are not centrally administered. The possibility of implementing online examinations on students' private computers has attracted widespread attention, so new features like encrypted and digitally signed individual configuration files and a new component called SEB Server will provide more security and more comfort in the context of online examinations.

Who would you recommend should use this tool and what are the technical requirements?

Daniel R. Schneider: Any organization using Moodle, ILIAS, or other web-based examination tools and having demand for higher security should evaluate how Safe Exam Browser could help strengthen their exam environment. Even settings depending on third-party software being used during exams can profit from securing their exam computers easily with SEB. The Safe Exam Browser team together with the open-source community is also interested in building in specific and extended support for other exam systems. Institutions interested in SEB support for the LMS/exam systems they use are welcome to contact the developers to discuss possible collaboration.

SEB requires exam computers running Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 7, or Windows 8 or Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, OS X 10.7 Lion, or OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Currently, the community is also working on a Linux version of SEB.