Safe Exam Browser for Windows

Free teaching, training, and online assessments

Safe Exam Browser (SEB) is a reliable, free, and useful internet browser environment to conduct online assessments securely. The education program transforms a basic computer into a secure workstation. In order to support an anti-cheat mechanism, the tool controls access to various resources, including system functions, access to third-party apps, etc. This helps prevent unauthorized access to resources during an examination.

Simply put, SEB is a teaching software and training tool developed by Educational Development and Technology (LET) and ETH Zurich. With this utility program, you can temporarily turn a workstation into a secure testing system, which runs smoothly in the form of a web browser environment. Compared to Respondus, NANO, and BriskBard, this program has a major advantage in the education domain.

A powerful learning management system

Safe Exam Browser is a hassle-free web browser environment to conduct online examinations securely. The program transforms a computer into a secure system. In addition to this, it regulates access to a range of resources, such as third-party applications, websites, system functions, and more. 

SEB runs smoothly on a local Windows computer. It uses an internet connection to build a secure link with a learning management system (LMS). In most cases, SEB is compatible with leading web-based LMS or other online exam systems. For instance, learning management systems like OpenOLAT, ILIAS, and Moodle feature a quiz mode compatible with the program.

What are the components of SEB?

The teaching software comes with three components. The main components include a browser interface and a kiosk application. These run on an exam tablet or computer. The kiosk app locks the exam device, while the browser component communicates over a LAN or internet connection with the quiz module on a server.

It’s important to note that apart from locking down the computer, the kiosk app starts the Safe Exam Browser and third-party applications. The software needs to control multiple OS functions, and therefore, has been designed in a system-specific manner.

The education program displays and loads the learning management system’s exam page. In order to do so, it uses a preset URL and doesn’t offer navigation elements like search engine field, address bar, etc. Currently, the Windows version of the program utilizes the Mozilla Gecko engine, either in the form of XULRunner or Firefox. On the other hand, the program uses the WebKit engine on iOS and macOS.

Most online exam tools contain a range of quiz modules, which can be used to conduct online examinations and assessments. Safe Exam Browser relies on skins or extensions to the quiz modules in ILIAS or Moodle for secure access. While using these extensions, the user interface of the learning management system is reduced to only contain navigation features and skip undesirable functionalities like messaging.

With this training tool, an exam can be configured to run just with SEB, not any other internet browser. Earlier, the SEB and LMS extensions had to be installed separately to achieve such connectivity. With Safe Exam Browser, these have been integrated into the latest versions of various learning management systems.

What about the configuration?

Safe Exam Browser is the perfect platform for conducting secure examinations on unsupervised computers, such as students’ own tablets, PCs, and other devices. The program runs smoothly on multiple operating systems, including iOS, macOS, and Windows. In the latest version, SEB comes with a customized configuration for each examination. It’s protected by high-end encryption.

With a comprehensive authentication feature, the learning management system can verify that a specific, unchanged SEB version and accurate exam settings are used for assessment.  This leads to secure and fair online examinations, especially when almost everyone today is now working or studying remotely.

The latest version of Safe Exam Browser is a unified platform, which comes with a range of new features, a simplified exam system interface, and compatible configuration files. The program takes into account various operating system differences and ensures seamless integration on all devices.

SEB for Windows

For Windows, Safe Exam Browser comes with a unique kiosk application. When you click the functionality, it opens up a standalone Windows desktop. Moreover, it blocks system commands, such as keyboard shortcuts, right mouse button clicks, etc. The second component in this version is Firefox, which runs in XUL runtime mode. The application connects seamlessly to the learning management system with a pre-configured start URL. It’s worth mentioning that the teaching software’s browser doesn’t contain a search field or URL or navigation controls.

SEB for Mac and iOS

As compared to the Windows version, the online exam tool for iOS and macOS is available in the form of a monolithic application. It uses an internet browser framework instead of the standard browser runtime. Additionally, it uses the reliable WebKit engine, which also works with Safari and other leading open-source web browsers. Apart from this, the iOS and macOS version of SEB connects to learning management systems in the same way as the counterpart.

The education program allows teachers to restrict students from accessing resources and tools while taking an online examination or assessment. While using this training tool, students are unable to access other websites, apps, system tools, search functions, and programs. Considering everything, Safe Web Browser is a good choice for hassle-free e-assessments and online examinations.

A good program for conducting online assessments

Safe Exam Browser is one of the leading learning management systems, especially if you’re looking to conduct a secure and safe online examination or assessment. With multiple features and exam systems integrated into the software, you can easily control all the functionalities with ease. Additionally, you can prevent unauthorized access to resources used for cheating. Overall, Safe Exam Browser (SEB) is a good choice for Windows PCs.