Lab Management with Faronics Insight
- Joseph Crimmer
- James Sands
- Former user (Deleted)
Insight is software designed to monitor student activity on the lab desktops and integrate that with the instructor’s lesson. The software is a non-invasive means of ensuring students are following with lectures and labs as instructed to do so, in addition to being capable of administering tests, collecting files, casting student votes, restricting application use, and limiting web access. Often, professors in the iSchool conduct hands-on laboratory sessions, and Insight helps ensure that students are following with the exercise. Also, electronically administered exams take place in the laboratories, and professors can heavily restrict internet access and browser capabilities, in addition to monitoring the screens of each student in one easy to view dashboard in real-time.
Insight links all of the workstations in the lab to a dashboard display screen for the instructor to monitor. Since the professor can simply view all of the workstations in the lab they can ensure students are paying attention to the lesson, and following academic integrity policies during exam periods.
Launching the Program and Basic Monitoring
Insight is available only on the teaching stations in the basement labs of Hinds Hall. To launch the program open the Start Menu and type "Faronics Insight Teacher" in the search bar, as shown below. Don't Worry if Faronics doesn't launch.
Now Faronics Insight is running; to access the dashboard and interface of the program click the upwards facing arrow in the bottom right corner of the primary display, highlighted by the green box, then select the blue owl quick-launch icon, as shown below and highlighted by a red box.
You will first be greeted by this screen, which should default to the lab room the workstation is in, and you simply hint start after checking the class ID.
Once the program is launched the primary screen, which displays all of the workstations in the lab, will be viewable to the instructor, as shown in the image below.
This screen provides the instructor with an overview of the computer activity happening on all of the workstations within the lab, for easy and holistic monitoring that does not disrupt a students work.
Viewing an Individual Student’s Workstation
To view one of the specific computer screens you need to highlight the workstation by clicking on it once which will create a blue border around the workstation, as shown below.
Once the workstation is highlighted the instructor can select the the full screen button from the top right of the selected students preview.
Once you hit “Remote” the selected workstations desktop will be displayed in full screen in Insight, as shown below. While using the “Remote” function the instructor can navigate the students workstation, including moving their mouse, opening files, and running applications remotely, as shown below
Taking Screen Shots
To take a screen shot of the students screen select there screen and view it in full screen. Then select "Actions" in the top right and select "Save Snapshot".
A box to save the .JPEG screenshot will appear, and simply select the file destination to save the screenshot.
To return back to the primary screen with all of the workstations being displayed hit the "x" button in the top right corner and the program will return to the primary display of all students.
Locking Screens
At the primary screen click “Focus” located on the top ribbon and select "Lock Screen".
Note - You must have selected which students to lock screens or select all.
Projecting the Instructors Desktop to All Students’ Screens
To show the teachers screen to all students click the drop down share. Then select "Share My Screen" and the teaching station display will be projected onto all of the workstations in the lab.
This function allows instructors to project their screen onto all of the lab computers, giving students a better opportunity to follow through demonstrations and instructions to understand the components of the exercises being conducted.
Projecting a Students Display to All Students
To show a students screen to all other students select the students display to project to all the other screens. Then navigate along the Faronics ribbon and click the share button again and select "Share a Student's Screen".