Safe Exam Browser (SEB) is used to lock down devices that are not Chromebooks and works in a similar way to kiosk mode on Chromebooks. SEB is its own program and is not created by Trelson. As a teacher or administrator, you can rest easy; SEB is a program used around the world and with all our competitors to lock down managed devices. Since SEB is its own program, we at Trelson are limited in our support regarding this. However, we understand that the information on SEB's website can feel overwhelming and have therefore summarized the most common questions we get in the article below.
Important to keep in mind
To guarantee exam security, it is recommended that SEB is installed for the students on managed devices.
In this article, you will find the following information:
1. How do I install SEB?
To install SEB, you need to visit the download page for Safe Exam Browser. There, you choose installation according to operating system, Windows or MacOS.
How you choose to carry out the installation on all students' devices is up to you, depending on any MDM system and IT routines.
2. I get a message the Safe Exam Browser is not configured?
If you open SEB manually, you will be met by bold red text saying "You have installed Safe Exam Browser (SEB), but it isn't configured yet". This can feel a bit confusing, but it is nothing to worry about.
Ignore the message, SEB does not need to be configured manually. The fact is that the program should not be opened directly on the computer before students write exams in Trelson.
Trelson handles all configuration automatically when the student starts an exam. When a student opens an exam in Trelson that is to be conducted in SEB, SEB starts automatically and is configured according to the teacher's settings for the exam.
3. How does it work for the students?
For the assignment to be able to be opened in SEB, it is required that you, as the teacher creating the exam, have selected Safe Exam Browser as the security client for the exam. This is done when you create the assignment or the assignment template.
This is how it works for the student when the assignment is opened in SEB.
The student logs in to Trelson via https://assessment.trelson.com/student and opens the assignment from there.
NOTE! If one has only selected SEB as the security client, it only says "Open in Safe Exam Browser" for the student.
4. Troubleshooting and common error messages
Basic troubleshooting
Is something not working when the student tries to open the exam? First try restarting the device. Most cases we receive can usually be solved by reinstalling SEB, ensuring that the latest version of SEB is installed, or by restarting the device.
Troubleshooting: SEB does not open
If SEB does not open when the student clicks on "Open in Safe Exam Browser", it may be because pop-up windows are blocked. An icon usually appears at the far right of the search bar that you can click on to allow the pop-up window. Then try opening the exam again. You may need to restart the browser.
If only a new white tab opens in the browser, it means that SEB is not installed.
Error message: "SEB Locked"
Sometimes it happens that SEB locks itself with a red screen and asks for a password. The password is the same as the PIN code to resume the assignment in Trelson.
Why does this happen?
When the red screen is shown, it means that SEB's security system has reacted. This happens if the program has previously crashed or been shut down abruptly (for example during a hard restart or depleted battery on the student's device).
Another reason is that SEB has identified a program or a process that is running on the device and that can disturb the exam environment, which the program then flags as a potential cheating attempt. Double-check in the task manager that no programs are running in the background.
Error message: "Application/Service error"
"An unrecoverable error has occurred! Please consult the log files for more information. SEB will now shut down…" or "Service Error: Failed to completely lockdown the computer."
Why does this happen?
The antivirus program views SEB's lockdown of the computer as suspicious behavior and automatically terminates the browser process before it has time to start completely.
Solution
Try temporarily disabling the antivirus program (such as Microsoft Defender, McAfee, etc.). Then try starting SEB again. If that solves the problem, you need to look into setting a permanent exception for the SEB folder.
5. Additional questions
Why is speech to text not working?
Unfortunately, speech to text does not work in Safe Exam Browser at the moment. We are working on a solution.
Do you have more questions?
On SEB's website (opens in new tab) you can find manuals for Windows, MacOS, and iOS. Please feel free to use these primarily. If you still need help after that, you are always welcome to contact our support!