Assessment Sugesstions

Blackboard Assessments:
Suggestions for Instructors

I. Optimizing Test Taking in Blackboard: Reminders for Students:

Before taking the quiz:

Do not take the quiz until ready.
Close down all other programs running on the computer. Having multiple programs open may cause problems that result in loss of quiz data.
Use Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher to take the quiz. Other browsers can cause problems.
Do not resize or refresh the screen after loading the quiz; make sure it is the size you want before going into the quiz. Most browsers refresh the page when you resize the screen. This means it will try to reload the quiz and may prohibit you from taking the test.
Do not wait until the last minute to take the quiz. If something goes wrong there won't be enough time to resolve the issue.

During the Quiz:

When entering the quiz, click the link only once. Sometimes it takes a while to load the quiz. If you click twice, you will get a message saying you already took the quiz and will be prohibited from completing it.
Do not use the back and forward buttons while taking a quiz. Instead, use the arrow keys to navigate.
Do not click on the Submit button until you are either done or have run out of time.
Fill-in-the-blank questions are case sensitive. Your instructor will review these types of questions and manually award points accordingly.
If you are working at home on a dial-up connection, make sure your ISP time-out settings are set to the maximum allowed time.

II. Suggestions for Reducing Problems with Blackboard Tests:

Test Creation Procedures Before delivering a graded assessment, create a simple practice quiz containing question formats you will be using during the term. If the quiz does not count for a grade and students can take it multiple times, they will quickly become acclimated to test taking in Blackboard. This will help them understand and overcome any technical problems and questions before taking a graded assessment. Other suggestions we offer for improved testing in Blackboard include:

It is NOT recommended that you change point values, or add or delete questions after you've deployed a quiz. Doing so my cause problems with the grade book.
Ordering questions are frequently misgraded. If you include questions of this type in your test, be certain Blackboard has correctly graded them. If Blackboard has made an error, you can override their assigned points.
The following settings will greatly reduce the number of submission errors. After deploying a test, use the following settings when modifying test options: do NOT launch item (test) in new Window
display questions all at once (rather than one at a time)
Prohibit backtracking
do NOT randomize questions (this can be done in the Test Manager)

III. Strongly Recommended Back-up Procedures:

We encourage you to download your gradebook after each major assignment (or several times during the semester) so you have a back-up copy of recorded grades. Downloads can be opened in Excel and other spreadsheet formats.

As is true with any technology, there are occasional problems with the Blackboard system. For this reason, we strongly advise all instructors using the system for major assessments to have a back-up plan for delivery and collection of exams should Blackboard experience problems during the exam period.