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They are trying everything they can to disable the ability for students to copy the quizzes and passing them on to other students who haven't taken the test yet. They have various means of doing do - right clicking is disabled, other such functions as this. However, apparently the students have recently discovered the "Print Screen" button on the keyboard.
Is there any way to disable this button - be it through some Active X control, or something the network administrator can do with the campus servers - that would disable the ability to use this key? Or will they just need to go through and superglue the "Print Screen" keys so they cannot be pushed? Perhaps a way to duisable the printer functions when the student is logged in and taking a test?
Just curious if anyone had any ideas here. Thanks!
In this case, a student or lecturer with basic knowledge of Windows and programming ought to be able knock something up that works for all programs or simply blocks access for a few programs.
Kaled.
However, apparently the students have recently discovered the "Print Screen" button on the keyboard.
I work quite a bit with an online quiz/testing environment. Once it comes to the users system and what they see on the screen, there really isn't much you can do.
What we've done is implemented a set of guidelines and if students are caught sharing quiz/testing information, they are canned from the program. Stiff penalties for cheating are in order. If they are caught, they suffer the consequences.
We also have rotating questions and answers. There is a database of 50-100 questions that are culled from so the the users are seeing different tests.
Based on a quick search of "disable print screen" it doesn't look like it is an easy feat. And, if you are able to do it, there are workarounds. :(
What about Select All, Copy, Paste?
Save page?
As all the computers are in library, how about disabling the print screen button on the keyboard itself?
As all the computers are in library, how about disabling the print screen button on the keyboard itself?
LOL - actually, that has come up. They were considering supergluing the key so it couldn't be pressed!
I *had* found a javascript that will force the clipboard to dump it's contents - so if the "Print Screen" key is hit, it'll only print a blank page. I wasn't sure that would work,(since all you have to do it turn off javascript and it's effectively disabled) - but as it turns out, the computer systems are set up in such a way that the students *can't* get in there and change any settings. So she thinks the javascript will work (especially since, if they *did* turn off javascript, they couldn't take the test or perform other class functions, as it all relies on scripts as well).
But thanks for the ideas, I really appreciate it!
In this scenerio, the browser window will not get the key press event.
I think you are out of luck, unless you can install some sort of keypress monitoring software on the computer to capture ALL keypress events. This could also be used to catch cheaters, and perhaps be used as a deterrent. It'd be nice if you could somehow show the users that they're keypresses were being logged.
Just a thought.
Here's a Microsoft Reference on scan code mapping [microsoft.com], in case that idea appeals to you. Note the "related links" on that page for getting the documents that detail specific scan codes.
This "remapping" of the keyboard looks very interesting - that may be just what is needed :)
Thanks again!
you can also wrap this around everything on the page:
<div onselectstart="return false" unselectable="on" style="-moz-user-select:none;">
your stuff goes here...
</div>
which will prevent text-highlighting even with javascript turned off. (but your page won't validate anymore)
that will fox most of the students, i reckon. (most students i know are dumb enough to be foxed by all of that)
i would also include a CSS stylesheet for print which just says
body{display:none}
but, of course, they could always use the print screen button...
Once it comes to the users system and what they see on the screen, there really isn't much you can do.
Just thinking as a scamming teen for a second, if you take away that avenue (i.e. printing it) they'll simply come up with something non-software based ... like a camera phone. I just tried it on my screen and it worked fine, you'll have to start frisking them soon!
My tip? Allow them to print it, but spend your time creating a program that prints out the wrong questions when asked to print. Watch how long it takes them to work that out!
