The STEP integration

Secure Test Environment Protocol (STEP) is a secure testing solution developed for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) tests. STEP offers different solutions to lock down devices to turn them into secure digital testing environments. Ans is integrated with the solution, which means once the integration of STEP is enabled, students are required to use STEP solutions in order to take their test. Enabling the integration will secure the testing environment on the laptop of the students. Although STEP offers different products, the same STEP integration with Ans can be used for all products.

Once you have a license for STEP, you can manage all relevant details in the configuration software which will be provided to you by STEP. In the Ans platform, you will only need the config key which is generated in the STEP configuration software.

How does the STEP integration work

Ans offers two ways to use STEP for your digital tests. The mechanism used for both ways is the config key which is a key that is provided by STEP to your institution. The config key needs to be enabled for your school under the integration settings. An explanation of how this can be configured is described below. The config key on school level is the default key that is checked when a student starts the test and STEP is enabled. For STEP sticks, one of the solutions of STEP, this is a great possibility as you will most likely keep the config key the same for a longer period. The reason for this is that each time the config key is changed in the STEP configuration software, a new installation of all USB sticks is required.

The second possibility is to add a config key for each test. We have added the steps on how to configure STEP for a digital test in a separate article, as this information is relevant when a test is configured. The advantage of having a config key per test is that it reduces the chances that the config key will be leaked. The config key per test could be used for STEP sticks, however the USB sticks would need to be reinstalled if a new key is added each time, which makes the process more time consuming. Another option could be to use the config key per test with other solutions of STEP, as they have no physical USB sticks that need to be reinstalled when a new config key is added.

Setup the STEP integration for your school

To setup the STEP integration, you'll need to insert your config key on school level. You can follow the steps below.

The STEP integration is now configured. In the settings menu, you'll see that an additional menu option where you have the possibility to adjust the config key or to delete the installation.