Observer

Digital monitoring of on-campus written exams

Notice! SDU is in the process of changing its monitoring system. Until December 1, 2025, written on-site exams may therefore be conducted using either Observer or Exam Monitor. In Digital Exam, it will be stated whether the exam is conducted with Observer. If you are unsure, you can ask the exam administrator at your study programme. From December 1, 2025, all exams will be conducted with Observer.

When you take written exams on campus, you must always activate the program Observer, unless your study program has informed you otherwise. Failure to activate Observer during an exam will be considered an attempt at cheating.

Observer is designed to prevent the use of unauthorized aids during the exam and works by:

• Monitoring your screen for the entire duration of the exam
• Monitoring which apps are running on your device for the entire duration of the exam
• Automatically shutting down when the exam ends

Recordings and app logs from Observer can be viewed live and are stored for further analysis. Only selected administrators have access to recordings and logs.

Guide to using Observer

You must download and install Observer well in advance of the exam. The program can be found under your written exams in the Digital Exam system, or by creating a demo exam in Digital Exam.

Observer can only record from 60 minutes before the exam starts until the exam ends. To test the program, it is recommended that you create a demo exam in Digital Exam and check that Observer works. If it does not, please contact IT servicedesk (servicedesk@sdu.dk) for help.

If you have already installed Observer, you do not need to download it again. However, always create a demo exam before each exam to test the program. When you click “Start Observer,” the program will prompt you to update if a new version is available.

How to install and test Observer

When Observer is recording, a red dot appears in the Observer icon in the taskbar (Windows) or dock (macOS). On Linux, this indicator is not available. See more about Linux below.

A red frame will also appear around your screen while recording is active. This applies to Windows, macOS, and Linux. On some screen resolutions, the red frame may be difficult to see, but this is not a problem, as the recording still functions correctly.

Important notes

• Do not close or interrupt Observer while the exam is in progress.
• Do not change your screen resolution while Observer is recording.
• Recordings in Observer can only be started 60 minutes before the exam.
• Observer starts recording as soon as you click "Start Observer." Therefore, avoid having private content on your screen. Recordings made before the start of the exam will not be reviewed by the exam administration.

Important information regarding macOS

Only versions of macOS supported by Apple are supported by Observer. See more details here.

You may also need to grant permission for screen recording under System Settings and then Privacy & Security. This depends on your version of macOS.

Important information regarding Linux OS

Please note that the Observer client is unsupported. You are therefore responsible for ensuring the program works on your installation. This may require you to spend extra time testing Observer before your exams.

The following applies:

• It only works as a Debian package, i.e., for Ubuntu, Debian, or Mint.
• It only works with X11, not Wayland.

Need more help?
See Arcanic Observer’s general guides.