This section answers the most common questions we receive from trainers and administrators using SMOWL to monitor student activity.
Frequently asked questions about integration
Below you will find answers to the most common questions about integrating SMOWL into your platform.
What languages is SMOWL available in?
SMOWL is currently fully available in Spanish and English. We also offer translations into other languages such as Italian, French, and German at specific points of our integration. Our team is working to unify languages and improve the user experience.
Can I integrate SMOWL into my own platform?
If you have a custom-built platform, we can work with you to review how to integrate SMOWL. We offer an integration via iframes (embedded content frames) that allows us to adapt to new environments easily. Our team is available to analyse and guide you through the process.
How can I train my instructors and staff?
We provide a full range of training materials. Additionally, during the integration phase, we can coordinate a tailored online training session. The session will be recorded and made available for educational purposes, so you can use it to train your team in the future.
Where is data stored?
All data is stored on AWS servers in Ireland, within the European Union.
Who validates monitoring and registration data?
Smowltech is responsible for validating all registration and monitoring data. This data is made available to institutions through results reports and via the client area mySmowltech.
What activity types does SMOWL support depending on my LMS (learning management system)?
SMOWL's compatibility with activity types depends on the learning management system (LMS) you use:
Moodle: SMOWL is compatible with all Moodle activity types (quiz, SCORM, H5P, assignment, etc.).
Canvas and other standard LMS: SMOWL only monitors quiz-type activities.
Custom integrations: SMOWL can monitor any activity as long as the exam page includes the SMOWL monitoring iframe.
There is an important difference in how monitoring is activated depending on the activity type in Moodle:
Quiz activities have a Moodle instructions page of their own. From there, SMOWL performs a preliminary check and applies the configured access control. Students can only start the exam if they pass that check.
All other Moodle activities (SCORM, H5P, assignment, etc.) do not have their own instructions page. Monitoring activates directly upon entry, with no prior verification step.
Why don't my Moodle activities appear in the SMOWL panel?
The most common causes are:
The activity is not visible to students in Moodle. Check that it is published and available.
The SMOWL block is not installed or active in the relevant Moodle course.
SMOWL has not been configured to monitor all activity types on the platform. Check the plugin settings for the specific option related to this configuration.
If the activity is published, the SMOWL block is active, and the activity still does not appear in the panel, contact support with the course URL and the activity name.
Can monitored attempts be differentiated in SMOWL?
Yes. In Moodle integrations and in custom integrations it is possible to configure SMOWL to differentiate monitored attempts. This configuration must be carried out during the integration phase and requires close coordination with the Smowltech support team. It cannot be activated independently once the integration is complete.
Frequently asked questions about monitoring
Here you will find answers to the most common questions about user monitoring.
Can I prevent students from leaving the exam?
Yes. Through the Browser Lock functionality, you can restrict user activity within the browser. Browser Lock is built into SMOWL Extension (the browser extension) and is fully compatible with front camera monitoring, external camera monitoring, and Enviro Scan. Browser Lock availability depends on your contracted plan.
Which browser should students use?
SMOWL works on all Chromium-based browsers. For the best experience when monitoring online activity, we recommend Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
Can SMOWL be tailored to each activity?
Yes. You have a range of customisable filters and supervision levels that you can apply directly from your LMS or from the client area mySmowltech.
Can I monitor in real time?
Both the monitoring panel and the client area mySmowltech provide tools to follow activity in real time. This allows you to review the technical status of users and activities within the last hour.
How does SMOWL prevent external threats to the student's device?
The application uses end-to-end encrypted communication protocols to transmit monitoring data to our servers. This means that the data (images, activity) is protected and unreadable to any third party who might attempt to intercept it. The application operates in a closed environment and does not open network ports or allow external access to the student's operating system.
What is the scope of SMOWL monitoring on a student's device?
The tool is limited exclusively to recording student activity within the exam environment:
No hard drive scan: SMOWL does not scan, copy, or access personal files on the student's hard drive.
No personal activity logging: Activity recording (screenshots and open processes) starts only when the exam begins. Monitoring focuses solely on the evidence needed to ensure the integrity of the assessment.
Regulatory compliance: We operate under strict data protection regulations (such as GDPR), ensuring that the data collected is minimal, relevant, and handled with the utmost confidentiality.
Can a third party take remote control of the student's computer?
SMOWL is not a remote control tool. It has no functionality that would allow a third party — whether an institution administrator, an examiner, or a Smowltech technician — to access, browse, or take control of the student's computer at any time. The student retains full control over their device.
How does exam access control work in SMOWL?
Access control is the mechanism that verifies a student meets the monitoring requirements before they can start the exam. Depending on the administrator's configuration, this check covers camera, microphone, screen, and the SMOWL CM application (the desktop tool for Computer Monitoring).
For quiz-type activities in Moodle, access control is applied on the instructions page before the attempt begins. Students cannot proceed if any required element is not working. For all other Moodle activities and custom integrations, monitoring activates directly upon entry, with no explicit prior verification.
What happens if a student is expelled during an exam? Can they re-enter?
Yes. When a student is expelled, the administrator or course instructor can grant them a new attempt directly from the activity results panel in SMOWL. No intervention from the Smowltech support team is required.
Frequently asked questions about user registration
What data does SMOWL collect during user registration?
SMOWL collects the user's identity data at the time of registration. The data available depends on whether the institution has enabled Scanned document reading (OCR, optical character recognition) or not.
Without OCR: SMOWL captures a photograph of the user's face via camera. Name and identity document data come exclusively from the parameters the LMS sends to SMOWL at integration time. Identity is not validated automatically.
With OCR: In addition to the face photograph, SMOWL captures an image of the user's identity document (national ID card, passport, or other official document). The system automatically extracts the document data (first name, last name, document number).
An incorrect name appears in a student's profile. What could have happened?
If an incorrect or static text value appears in the student's profile (for example, a test name), the cause is typically in the LMS integration. The platform is sending a fixed value in the identification parameters instead of dynamically mapping the user's actual data. This is not a SMOWL error. Contact the support team to review the integration configuration.
How is user registration deletion managed?
The process depends on the registration status:
Rejected registration: The user can re-register on their own from the exam access point, without any action required from the administrator or the support team.
Accepted registration: The administrator cannot delete an accepted registration from the panel. This action requires the intervention of the Smowltech support team. To request it, contact support indicating the student's ID and the context of the case.
Frequently asked questions about results
Below you will find answers to the most common questions about monitoring results.
When are results available?
The evidence validation process may take up to 24 hours to complete the analysis. Browser Lock and Computer Monitoring evidence is available immediately after the user finishes their activity.
What does the message "The tool has not launched" mean in a report?
This message indicates that SMOWL CM did not initialise correctly during the attempt. The two most common causes are:
Clock desync on the student's device. SMOWL checks that the device clock is synchronised with the server for security reasons. If the difference exceeds the allowed threshold, the tool does not start. The solution is to enable automatic time synchronisation in the student's operating system.
Browser extension or antivirus blocking. Some extensions (such as ad blockers) or strict antivirus configurations prevent SMOWL scripts from loading. The solution is to disable external extensions and verify camera permissions before starting the exam.
If the problem persists, contact the support team with the student's ID and the test identifier.
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Why is there no audio activity in an attempt even though the student had a microphone connected?
The absence of ambient noise in the audio recording may be due to several technical causes:
The student was using a microphone with active noise cancellation, which automatically filters out background sounds such as typing.
The system input volume was set very low on the student's device during the attempt.
The device had an active audio input with no physical microphone actually capturing ambient sound.
None of these situations necessarily indicates a SMOWL error. If you need to verify whether the tool received an audio signal in a specific attempt, the support team can review the session logs.
What happens to results for a user with a rejected registration?
If a user's registration is rejected or pending validation, front camera and external camera evidence will not be processed until the registration is correctly validated.
How can I validate a programme or file so it does not count as an incident?
Through the bulk validation tool, within any results report, you can validate Computer Monitoring incidents. For individual cases, you can also do this from within the user's report.
Do you have more questions? Browse our related articles or contact our support team via chat. You can open it by clicking the owl in the bottom right corner of this page.