AI Overlay for D2L Brightspace Quizzes on Mac
D2L Brightspace is the LMS used by many Canadian and US universities, including a long list of community colleges. Brightspace quizzes integrate with Respondus LockDown Browser, Proctorio, and (less often) Honorlock for proctored delivery on Mac.
D2L Brightspace exposes a "Tools" extension point that proctoring vendors plug into. Respondus and Proctorio are the most common; Honorlock and IRIS Connect appear in newer deployments. None of them runs at a higher privilege than the underlying Apple capture stack. ScreenCaptureKit and CGWindowListCreateImage both honor window privacy. LDBypass' overlay window has the flag set, so any vendor that captures through Apple's API receives frames without the overlay - which means all of them.
Key points
- Brightspace quizzes can also run open-web with no proctor; in that case the overlay is unnecessary.
- Brightspace + Respondus is the most common combo at US community colleges; the overlay is invisible to that stack.
- Brightspace + Proctorio is more common at Canadian institutions; same outcome on Mac.
- Brightspace ships an "Insights" anti-cheat module that flags answer-pattern anomalies; it is server-side analysis, no client capture.
How it works
┌── macOS host ─────────────────────────────────┐ │ ┌── proctor desktop app ───────┐ │ │ │ Calls ScreenCaptureKit / │ ← misses │ │ │ CGWindowListCreateImage │ flagged │ │ └──────────────────────────────┘ windows │ │ │ │ ┌── LDBypass overlay window ───┐ │ │ │ sharingType = .none │ ← invisible │ │ └──────────────────────────────┘ to capture│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Compatibility on Mac
| macOS 14 Sonoma+ | Yes (required for window-privacy API) | ✓ |
| Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) | Native arm64 build | ✓ |
| Intel Macs (2019+) | Universal binary supported | ✓ |
| Brightspace quiz with Respondus | Standard capture, window privacy honored | ✓ |
| Brightspace quiz with Proctorio | Browser ext, same outcome | ✓ |
| Brightspace open-web quiz | No proctor, overlay unnecessary | ~ |
Common questions
Does Brightspace's Insights see the overlay?
Insights is server-side - it analyzes your answer timing and patterns, not your screen. The overlay is invisible to it because Insights never tries to capture.
Will my professor see I used the overlay if I exit Brightspace?
Exiting the quiz tab is a Brightspace event and is logged. Toggling the overlay does not exit the quiz; the overlay is a separate window.
Can I take an Brightspace quiz on iPad with the overlay?
No. LDBypass is macOS-only. iPad has a different capture and window model.