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

1. Open your Blackboard course

2. Go to any Content Area from the left menus in your Blackboard course.

3. Select the Assessments tab and choose Assignment from the drop-down menu.

4. Enter the required information and settings: 

   1. Name the assignment

   2. Add instructions.

   3. Add any attachments related to the assignment.

   4. Set the Points Possible.

5. Optional Settings: 

   1. Due Date Assignments with a due date will show up on the students' calendars in Blackboard as well as the To Do list module on the course home page.

   2. Add Rubric Rubrics can be created in Blackboard and attached to an assignment. For more information, see Rubrics in Original Course View or Rubrics in Ultra Course View.

   3. Submission Details

      • Change the assignment from individual to a group or portfolio assignment

      • Increase the number of submission attempts

      • 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

   4. Grading Options

      • Anonymous Grading allows you to grade all submissions with the students' names hidden from your view

      • Enable Delegated Grading allows you to delegate grading for this assignment to a specific instructor or organization leader

   5. Display of Grades

      1. Score (points earned), FU Grading Schema (Letter grade associated with the score earned), Percentage (automatically converts score to a percentage), and Complete Incomplete (shows a check mark once a grade has been recorded)

      2. Include in Grade Center Calculations is checked by default and will automatically calculate in the Total column in the grade center

      3. Show to Students in My Grades is checked by default, allowing students to view their score after the assignment has been graded

   6. Availability Limit the availability of the assignment so that it displays after a certain date or is hidden. Please note that if a due date has been added 

6. One all you have finished with the assignment settings, select Submit.

Tests

Create a Test

Deploy a Test

After you create a test or survey, the next step is to deploy it.

1. Navigate to the content area where you want to add a test or survey.

2. Select Assessments and select Test from the drop down menu.

3. Select the test from the list.

4. Select Submit.

5. The Test Options page appears. Make the test or survey available to students.

6. Optionally, select the options for feedback and display, and set the due date and display dates. See recommended settings for accessibility below.

7. Select Submit.

Recommended Settings for Accessibility

To edit test settings for exam that has already been deployed, click the arrow next to the test title and choose Edit Test Options.

Test Availability

1. Make available to Students: Yes
   If you are setting this up in advance, you can set a “display after” date. The test will not show to students until the display after date and time has passed. If you leave this setting on No, then your students will not see the exam even after the display after date has passed.

2. Add a new announcement for this test: Optional
   Automatically posts an announcement in your course when the test is available.

3. Multiple Attempts: Optional
   For low-stakes quizzing, you may want to allow multiple attempts for students to improve their scores.

4. Force Completion: Unchecked
   Many variables can impact a student’s ability to remain in the testing window, such as poor internet connection. Force completion negatively impacts these students because they won’t be able to access the test and finish it.

5. Set Timer: Optional
   If a timer is set, students will see the timer at the top of their testing window.
   Autosubmit: Optional
   If this setting is off, students can continue the test beyond the timer. If they do, the exam will stay in “needs grading” status until the instructor reviews the exam. Blackboard will flag any questions that were submitted after the exam was created.

6. Display After:
   Display Until:
   To limit the test availability, check these boxes and set a date and time range for the exam. Please keep in mind for online courses that your students may be in different time zones or have varying schedules, so setting a time frame of only 1 or 2 hours may negatively impact some students. If you know which students will be impacted you can also change this setting for just those students in the test exceptions.
   
   

   Open

   

Test Availability Exceptions

1. Select Add User or Group to select any users who require exceptions to any of the test settings above.

2. In the pop-up window, select the student(s) by checking the check mark next to their name(s). Then choose Submit in the bottom right.

3. Next to the student’s name, you can set number of attempts, timer for students who have extended time, and availability if the test should be available during a different time frame.

   Open

   

Due Date

1. Setting a due date puts the test on student’s calendars in Blackboard and can help them stay organized.

Show Test Results and Feedback to Students

1. When: Choose when students have access to view their grade and review the test questions

2. Score Per Question: uncheck

    

3. Answers

   1. All Answers displays all answer choices

   2. Correct displays and marks the correct answer choice

   3. Submitted displays the answer the student selected

4. Check Feedback if you included pre-written feedback

5. Show Incorrect Questions will show the questions the student got incorrect. This can be helpful for review.

Test Presentation

1. All at Once displays all questions on a single page.

2. One at a Time displays each question on its own page.

3. Randomize Questions randomizes the order the questions are presented to each student

Export/Import a Test for Another Course

If you have built an exam in a course and want to use the same exam in another section or share it with another professor, follow the steps to export and import the test file.

Export the Test

1. Open the course where the test has already been created

2. Under Course Management, expand Course Tools and select Tests, Surveys, and Pools

3. Find the test and open the options menu by selecting the arrow to the right of the test name when you hover your mouse over the test

4. Choose Export to Local Computer

5. Save the file to your computer

You can then email this .zip file to another professor or use it to import the test into another one of your courses.

Import the Test

1. Open the course you want to import the exam into

2. Open the course where the test has already been created

3. Under Course Management, expand Course Tools and select Tests, Surveys, and Pools

4. Choose Import Test, located at the top of the Tests page

5. Select Browse Local Files and select the .zip file for the exam

6. Select Submit

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 this URL to students via email or by posting the link directly in your Blackboard course: http://www.respondus.com/lockdown/download.php?id=998146388

Enable Respondus LockDown Browser

1. Under the Course Management section of the course menu, select Course Tools and then select Respondus Lock Down Browser.

   
   
   

2. Next click the dropdown menu next to the test and select Modify Settings.

3. Select the radio button next to Require Respondus LockDown Browser for this exam.

4. Setting a password is optional.

    

5. 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 Boards

In addition to supported tools such as Harmonize and Padlet, Blackboard has a built-in discussion tool to create an online community and spark deep conversations amongst your students.

More information can be found on Blackboard Original Course View Discussions.

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