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1.66. Read the Web compatibility with LMS and Proctoring apps
Last Updated: March 2021
Applies to: Kurzweil 3000 v20 Subscription/Web License, Read the Web extension for Chrome/Firefox, kurzweil3000.com
Is the Kurzweil 3000 platform compatible with your specific Learning Management System (e.g. Canvas) and/or online proctoring app (e.g. Proctorio)?
The short answer is that K3000 is probably compatible, but it depends.
This article will help you determine if the K3000 platform is compatible with your systems and provide general information regarding the subject.
If we don't have compatibility info regarding your LMS or Proctoring app in this article, please use this article for guidance in troubleshooting and determination. Reach out to us with questions, problems and successful results. We want to know what systems our customers are using, along with problems and successes. Doing so will also help us expand the info in this article. See below for more details.
How do you use K3000 with a LMS?
In most cases, what this means installing K3000's Read the Web extension in Chrome and using RtW to read the LMS website as an accessibility tool. By doing this, the K3000 can act as an accessibility tool for your LMS, reading content within your LMS out loud to students.
Steps:
- Use the Chrome web browser.
- Install the RtW extension here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/read-the-web/hdgegmlancchhhlkkddoiedlklgocffm?hl=en
- Enable the RtW extension in Chrome and log into the RtW window with your K3000 credentials.
- Go to the website of your LMS. Log into your LMS as the student. View the course or test the student needs to access within the LMS.
- Use the RtW reading controls to read the website out loud.
To be clear, the installed Kurzweil 3000 Win/Mac app and kurzweil3000.com are usually not involved with LMS compatibility or LMS use. So when we discuss K3000 platform compatibility with your LMS, we're talking about Read the Web and your LMS.
Although we have a Read the Web extension for Firefox, it's currently missing important features used for LMS compatibility, such as the Screenshot/Image Reader, Google SSO, etc. If you need to use Read the Web with a LMS or proctoring app, use Read the Web for Chrome.
Will K3000 RtW work with my LMS?
Probably, yes.
The Read the Web extension is designed to read website text. As long as the course or test is presented via website text RtW should read it. If it has unreadable text (such as an image of text), you can use the Screenshot/Image Reader button in the RtW extension to draw a rectangle around the area you want captured and read to you.
What problems can I run into with K3000 RtW and my LMS?
— The LMS website itself can have settings applied that will prevent browser extensions, such as Read the Web, from running. e.g. Accuplacer has a test setting to enable/disable accessibility apps. So if this setting is enabled for a user/test, it will allow RtW to work; if it's disabled, then RtW will not work.
— The content in the LMS is not readable website text. This is rare, but the test or course is built within the LMS so it doesn't contain actual website text. e.g. A locked-down PDF displayed through website, animated gifs, video, etc. In such cases, you will have to use the Screenshot/Image Reader button in the RtW reading controls as a workaround.
— You can only use the Chrome web browser with Read the Web. If your students are not allowed to use the Chrome web browser to access the LMS website, then that means you can't use the RtW extension to read it. Some online proctoring apps also take the form of custom-made web browsers, such as Respondus. Although these browsers are often based off Chromium architecture they are not the Chrome web browser, and you will probably be prevented from installing Chrome extensions into these lockdown browsers.
— Your Proctoring app is preventing the K3000 RtW extension from running. Online proctoring apps usually take the form of web browser extensions (like K3000 RtW) or Windows/Mac apps that run on a computer, monitoring the computer and restricting what the student can do. This includes preventing other web browser extensions or apps from running. The good news is that some of these proctoring apps can be configured to whitelist (mark as safe) other apps or extensions. Please refer to your proctoring app's user guide or contact their support to determine if this is possible.
— Your Proctoring app is causing general use issues for the student. Many proctoring apps monitor the web camera, light, sound, etc. If the student turns their head away from the camera, if the light changes in the room, if a dog barks or birds chirp outside, if the student clicks his mouse accidently in the wrong place, etc. can be flagged as potential cheating and have varying results. Students can be particularly sensitive to such monitoring, affecting performance results.
— The LMS website is designed/engineered in a way that causes problems with Read the Web. This is rare, but there are some LMS websites that are coded in a way that prevent RtW from working properly. First determine if there is a setting in your LMS to allow/disallow extensions. If there is no special setting and RtW still isn't working, then contact us for further troubleshooting after following the guidance in this article.