In addition to the various tools ITS supports for creating assessments and engaging with your students, Blackboard has several built-in assessment features.
Assignments
Create an Assignment (Paper, Video Projects, etc.)
When you create an assignment, a gradebook item is created automatically.
After you post assignment grades, students can view their scores on their grades pages or in the activity stream. They can also access an assignment, their submissions, your feedback, rubrics, and their grades from the assignment link on the Course Content page.
Open your Blackboard course
Select the plus sign where you want to add an assignment. You can also expand or create a folder or learning module and add an assignment within that element.
Choose Create
Under Assessment, select Assignment
Enter the Name of the Assignment
Enter your assignment instructions and attach any relevant files.
If the file you’re attaching is instructions for the assignment (not a worksheet they need to edit), consider typing that information directly into the assignment description instead. This allows students to view the instructions on any device.
Open the Settings Panel to set the assignment parameters:
Details and Information
Due Date (recommended)
Prohibit Late Submissions
Prohibit New Attempts after Due Date (attempts that were started before the due date can still be returned to and submitted)
Allow Class Conversations (enables a feature where students can share questions or comments about the assignment without leaving the assignment page)
Collect submissions offline (creates a grade book column but prevents students from submitting on Blackboard)
Formative Tools
Formative Assessment
Display formative label to students
Grading and Submissions
Grade Category (Default is Assignment)
Attempts Allowed
Grade Using Points, Percentage, Letter Grades, or Complete/Incomplete
Maximum Points
Anonymous Grading (optional)
Evaluation Options (for peer review or team-taught courses)
Assessment Grade - Post assessment grades automatically. If disabled, you will need to post student grades after saving them before students will be able to see your grade and feedback.
Additional Tools
Time Limit.
Use grading rubric. Rubrics can be created in Blackboard and attached to an assignment. For more information, Rubrics in Ultra Course View.
Assigned Groups. Change the assignment from individual to a group assignment.
Originality Report. Enabled SafeAssign.
Use SafeAssign to check for plagiarism. Note: For assignments with multiple attempts it is highly recommended to check Exclude submissions from the Institutional and Global References Databases
When ready, select Save to save your assignment settings.
Finally, set the availability. By default, all new content is hidden from students. You can select the dropdown to change to visible to students or set release conditions such as a specific date.
Once all you have finished, close the assignment.
Tests and Quizzes
Accommodations
In Blackboard Ultra, you can now add accommodations for students using the Course Roster and the accommodations are automatically applied to all assessments. Accommodations can include adjusting time limits, exempting students from time limits, and exempting students from due dates.
Open the roster, find the student, and select the more option (…) menu to add their accommodation. More information can be found on Blackboard’s Help page: Roster
Create a Test
Open your Blackboard course
Select the plus sign where you want to add an assignment. You can also expand or create a folder or learning module and add an assignment within that element.
Choose Create
Under Assessment, select Test
Enter the Name of the Test
Select the plus sign to add details to the assignment:
Add Text to enter instructions for the assignment
Add Questions to create new questions or select from an existing Question Pool
Question Types in Ultra have been consolidated into a shorter list of options, but the functionality is the same as Original. Learn more about Ultra Question Types.
Auto-Generate Questions to use Blackboard’s AI Design Assistant to generate assessment questions.
Adjust the parameters and select the questions you want to add to your assignment and discard those that don't fit your needs. Edit the questions as needed to refine their clarity, accuracy, and relevance to your specific course context.
Add a local file or Add File from Cloud Storage to upload any attachments related to the test.
Open the Settings Panel to set the assignment parameters:
Details and Information
Due Date (recommended)
Prohibit Late Submissions
Prohibit New Attempts after Due Date (attempts that were started before the due date can still be returned to and submitted)
Allow Class Conversations (enables a feature where students can share questions or comments about the assignment without leaving the assignment page)
Collect submissions offline
Presentation Options
Display One Question at a Time
Prohibit Backtracking (this option becomes available if one question at a time is selected)
Randomize Questions
Randomize Answers
Randomize Pages (this option becomes available is Page Breaks were added to the exam)
Grading and Submissions
Grade Category (Default is Test)
Attempts Allowed (Default is 1)
Grade Using Points, Percentage, or Letter Grades (this is how the grades will display to students)
Maximum Points
Anonymous Grading (optional)
Evaluation Options (for peer review or team-taught courses)
Assessment Grade - Post assessment grades automatically. If disabled, students will not see their grades until you choose to post them.
Assessment Results
Customize what results students are able to see and when these results will become available to them.
Assessment Security
Access Code (not recommended)
Respondus Lockdown Browser
Additional Tools
Time Limit
Use grading rubric. Rubrics can be created in Blackboard and attached to any assessment. For more information, Rubrics in Ultra Course View.
Assigned Groups. Change the assignment from individual to a group assignment.
Originality Report - Enabled SafeAssign.
Use SafeAssign to check for plagiarism. Note: For assessments with multiple attempts it is highly recommended to check Exclude submissions from the Institutional and Global References Databases
Finally, set the availability. By default, all new content is hidden from students. You can select the dropdown to change to visible to students or set release conditions such as a specific date.
Once all you have finished, close the exam.
Generate Question Banks from Course Content:
You can select the auto-generate test bank from any course content area and Blackboard’s Design Assistant will analyze the content and generate a series of questions.
Select Auto-generate question bank wherever you see the option in your course.
Adjust the parameters and select the questions you want to add to your test and discard those that don't fit your needs.
Description: Provide a clear and concise description of the topic or concept the questions should address. The more specific you are, the more relevant the generated questions will be.
Complexity: Adjust the complexity level of the questions based on the intended student audience. Higher complexity levels cater to more advanced learners.
Number of Questions: Specify the desired number of questions to be generated.
Question Type: Choose from a variety of question types, including:
Essay
Fill in the blank
Matching
Multiple choice
True/False
"Inspire me!" (suggests a mix of question types)
The questions will be saved to a question bank which can be used in any assignment or test.
Export/Import a Test from One Course to Another
Instructors can copy individual content, including an exam, from one course to another as long as they have instructor access to both courses. To learn more, see Export, Import, or Copy Blackboard Ultra Courses
Instructors who wish to share their exam with another instructor should contact academiccomputing@fairfield.edu with the their course ID and exam name, and the course ID the test will be imported into it.
Require Respondus LockDown Browser for Your Exam
Respondus LockDown Browser is a custom browser that locks down the testing environment within Blackboard. When students take an online assessment that uses LockDown Browser they are unable to print, copy, go to another URL, or access other applications. When an assessment is started, students are locked into it until they submit for grading. It is available across Windows, Mac and iOS platform.
Instructor Resources
Getting Students Started
We recommend creating a practice test in Blackboard for students to confirm that they’re able to download and use LockDown Browser successfully.
Ask students to download LockDown Browser: Distribute these URLs to students via email or by posting the link directly in your Blackboard course:
Desktop Version: http://www.respondus.com/lockdown/download.php?id=998146388
iPad Version: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lockdown-browser/id659101775
Enable Respondus LockDown Browser
Open the test
Open the Settings Panel for the test
Under Assessment Security, select Lockdown Browser Dashboard
The first time you launch Respondus LockDown Browser Dashboard from a Blackboard Ultra Course, you will need to allow the Learn Authorization.
Next click the dropdown menu next to the test and select Settings.
Select the radio button next to Require Respondus LockDown Browser for this exam.
Setting a password is optional and not recommended.
Select Advanced Settings to review the following optional settings:
Require LockDown Browser to view post-exam feedback and results
Lock students into the browser until exam is completed
(Recommended) Allow students to take this exam with an iPad (using the "LockDown Browser" app from the Apple App Store)
Allow access to specific external web domains
Enable Calculator on the toolbar
Enable Printing from the toolbar
Then click Save and Close. It is now necessary for students to access the test through LockDown Browser, which should already be installed on their computer.
Discussion Board and Journals
In addition to supported tools such as Harmonize and Padlet, Blackboard has a built-in discussion and journal tools to create an online community and spark deep conversations amongst your students.
You can now leverage the AI Design Assistant to write prompts for journals and discussions!
Open-Ended Prompt Ideas: the AI Design Assistant can suggest interesting prompts for discussions or journals based on the current module's topic and learning objectives. These prompts can stimulate critical thinking, collaboration, and reflection.
Case Study Generation: To spice up your discussions, the AI Design Assistant can generate specific case studies related to the course material. Students can analyze these cases and apply their knowledge in a practical context.
Reflective Prompts: For journal entries, the AI Design Assistant can suggest thought-provoking prompts that encourage students to reflect on their learning and personal connections to the material.
More information can be found on Blackboard Ultra Course View Discussions.
AI Conversation
The AI Conversation was released September, 2024 as a new Socrative questioning exercise. The instructor write the initial prompt for students to reflect on and answer, and the AI persona (defined by the instructor) asks follow up questions to help students explore their thoughts on the topic.
There are two elements to the activity:
AI Conversation
This lets students think critically about the topic that the instructor designs.
Reflection question
This asks the student to share their thoughts on the activity. The reflection question also lets the student flag any bias or errors from the AI as part of Anthology/Blackboard’s Trustworthy AI Approach. Reflection helps students understand the responsible use of AI services.
Instructors have the following configuration options:
A topic for the AI Conversation
An AI persona including a name, avatar (can be uploaded or generated), and personality trait
Complexity level of responses
Edit the reflection question, guiding the student on how best to reflect on this activity
On submission, the instructor can review the AI conversation transcript and the student's reflection. The AI Conversation is a formative assessment by default, but you’re not restricted to this option.
Rubrics
Rubrics can help ensure consistent and impartial grading and help students focus on your expectations. They can be created within the assessments settings or through the Gradebook settings. Students can see the rubrics tied to an assessment before they begin and again when the grades are submitted.
Blackboard’s AI Design Assistant can be used to generate rubrics for your assessments with criteria and levels relevant to the chosen assignment or discussion prompt. You can use to design your rubrics or as a starting off point, adjusting the rubric to meet your goals.
Remember:
The Design Assistant is meant to be a helpful tool, not a replacement for your own expertise and pedagogical decision-making. You should always review and edit the suggestions the Design Assistant provides to ensure they align with your teaching goals and your students' needs.