Learner Experience

Auto-Save & Offline Mode

BeamEdUp includes automatic answer saving and full offline support to protect your work during exams. Whether your internet drops or you accidentally close the tab, your answers are preserved and synchronized when connectivity is restored.

Auto-Save

The platform automatically saves your current answer every 30 seconds while you are on a question. The auto-save process works as follows:

A background interval runs every 30 seconds and checks if the current question has an answer
If an answer exists, it is sent to the server via the learnerExamsApi.saveAnswer() endpoint
On success, a green "Saved Xs ago" badge appears in the header bar showing the last save time
Navigating between questions also triggers an implicit save since your answer state is maintained in memory

Save Indicator

The save status badge in the exam header updates in real time. It shows a floppy disk icon followed by the number of seconds since the last successful save. If you see this badge updating regularly, your answers are being saved correctly.

Offline Mode (PWA)

BeamEdUp's Organization Portal is a Progressive Web App (PWA) with full offline support for exam-taking. If your internet connection drops during an exam, the platform seamlessly switches to offline mode.

Connection Lost

When your internet connection drops, the platform detects it automatically via the useOnlineStatus hook. An orange "Offline Mode Active" alert banner appears, and the header displays an "Offline Mode" badge.

Answers Saved Locally

Your answers are saved to IndexedDB (browser local storage) instead of the server. Each answer is stored with a synced: false flag, ensuring nothing is lost even if the browser crashes.

Sync Queue

Each saved answer is also added to a sync queue. The SyncProgress component shows the number of items waiting to be synced and the last sync timestamp.

Reconnection & Sync

When connectivity is restored, the useOfflineSync hook automatically processes the sync queue. Each queued answer is sent to the server in order, with retry logic for failed requests.

Offline Submission

If you submit while offline, the submission is queued and will be sent when you reconnect. A notification confirms that the exam will be submitted once you are back online.

Offline Exam Loading

For offline mode to work, the exam data must be available locally. When you start an exam online, the questions and metadata are cached in IndexedDB via the getOfflineExam() utility. If you go offline after starting, the cached exam data is used to display questions and accept answers.

Proctoring Disabled Offline

When operating in offline mode, proctoring features are automatically disabled. Camera monitoring, tab-switch detection, and violation logging require an active internet connection. Once you reconnect, proctoring resumes for the remainder of the exam.

Sync Progress

When there are items in the sync queue (answers saved while offline), a sync progress bar appears below the exam header. It displays:

Whether a sync operation is currently in progress
The number of items remaining in the queue
The timestamp of the last successful sync
Any sync errors, with a retry button to manually trigger a sync

Best Practice

While offline mode is robust, we recommend using a stable internet connection for exams whenever possible. This ensures proctoring works correctly, answers are saved to the server in real time, and you avoid any sync delays when submitting.

Exam Navigation & Tools

Submitting & Reviewing