Getting Started with NetSupport

With NetSupport, instructors can ensure that students logged into LeBow-owned devices can use approved software without accessing restricted resources. If you are interested in using NetSupport to proctor your exams, we recommend testing the software several days in advance of your exam. The steps below demonstrate how to get started.

1. Log into the classroom’s podium computer using your Drexel username and password
2. Locate the NetSupport School Tutor Console desktop app, and click the icon to launch the program:





a. If you cannot locate the NetSupport app, click on the Windows icon at the bottom-left corner of the screen, and search for “Tutor”:
b. If you see a pop-up to activate a license, you can select the only license in the list, and click Activate. If you have any difficulties, please contact LeBow InTech at 215.895.2314 or via email at lebowintech@drexel.edu.

3. Once NetSupport loads, a new window will appear with options for deploying NetSupport onto the classroom computers. Select the Connect to icon with your classroom’s name, then click OK to confirm:





4. NetSupport will browse the network of lab computers in that classroom, and all connected students will have their icons displayed in the control window. If you do not see a computer listed, it is probably powered off.

NetSupport Navigation

The NetSupport control window is broken into three key areas:

• Toolbar: The toolbar is located across the top of the NetSupport control window, and it contains shortcuts to commonly used tools. Hovering your cursor over any icon in the toolbar will display a description of what that tool does.
• Left-hand navigation: The different tabs along the left-hand navigation will present you with different views of your students’ activities.
• Main screen: Located in the middle of window, the main screen is where student information is displayed.

The guidelines below will walk you through basic navigation within the NetSupport interface:

1. By default, NetSupport will display the Home tab, located in the left-hand navigation bar. This view will provide a list of all active LeBow-owned devices in your classroom. If a student is not logged on, the name of the device will display instead:





2. The second tab on the left-hand navigation is the Interactive Monitoring Mode. This displays each student’s screen in real-time as a thumbnail associated with the student’s name:





a. You can Zoom In on any student’s screen by hovering your cursor over that student’s thumbnail. You may also use the magnifier tool at the bottom of the main screen to increase the size of all thumbnails:





b. Right-clicking anywhere in the display window, and selecting Auto Arrange will ensure that all students’ thumbnails fit within the display window:





c. The Applications and Websites radio buttons will display any active programs or webpages that a student is using:





3. At the end of the exam period, simply close out of the NetSupport Software to end the session. This will turn off NetSupport’s access to the students’ desktop computers.

The details above offer a basic overview of NetSupport’s key features and demonstrate how NetSupport can be used to monitor student activity during in-person exams. Other useful features include:

• Limiting which computer applications students can run (e.g. only Excel and Chrome)
• Limiting which websites students can visit (e.g. Blackboard Learn or a publisher’s website)
• Limiting access to USB flash drives (so students cannot access other materials during the exam)

Please note that NetSupport can only access LeBow’s lab computers. If you plan to use NetSupport to proctor your test, students may not use their personal computers during the exam period.

For more information on NetSupport or these additional features, please contact the LeBow Instructional Tech Services team.