ITL Links • Getting Started With Blackboard • Designing Your Blackboard Site • Adding Users to Blackboard • Adding Content to Blackboard • The Gradebook • Using Quizzes • Online Discussions • Collaboration • Blackboard Tools
The Blackboard system includes a utility that allows you to build quizzes that are graded automatically by the system for deployment in your course site. This module allows you to quickly create self assessments and study guides in a very intuitive, user friendly interface.
To begin building quizzes in Blackboard login to your site and click "Control Panel>Test Manager". To begin creating a quiz click the button labeled "Add Test". Provide a name, description, and instructions for this test and then click the button labeled "Submit". The next interface allows you to add questions, preview questions you have already added, and specify "global creation settings" for each question that you add.
First, click on the button labeled "Creation Settings" to your initial specifications for the questions that you'd like to begin adding.
The options available include providing feedback for individual answers, including images or URLs inline with the questions, adding images or URLs to the answers, adding categories and keywords for the questions you create, and specifying the default point value for every question you create. All of the settings that you apply here will take effect for every question you create afterwards. You can go back in and change these settings at any time during the quiz creation process. **If you are specifying creation setting point values be sure to place a check mark in the box next to that item.
After you have adjusted your settings click "Submit" to begin creating the quiz. To begin adding questions choose from any of the question types available in the drop down menu. All of these questions types are graded automatically by the system based upon the correct answer that you specify except for the "short answer/essay" questions. These questions will capture the students answers - to grade them you can browse to the on-line gradebook and click on the link to the students individual attempt - it will appear as an exclamation point (!).
After you have selected the question type that you wish to add click on the button labeled "GO" to begin creating the question. Type in the question text and the answer values in the boxes provided. For the correct answers you are typically asked to place a radio button in the box next to the correct answer, order the correct answer items correctly, match the questions correctly, or provide a direct character match for "fill in the blank". If you have specified that you'd like to provide feedback, images, or URL provide that information in the associated text boxes. Once you have create the question scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Submit". To add another question select the question type again and click "GO". Repeat until you are finished making the quiz.
Blackboard also gives you the ability to create a question "Pool" by using the "Control Panel>Pool Manager" interface. A Pool allows you to create a series of several questions, then go back into the Test Manager and then select individual or random groups of questions from that pool.
After you are satisfied with the way your quiz looks you can "Add Test" to a certain content area. Browse back to the Control Panel and then select a content area where you'd like your students to see this quiz. At the top of the content area click the button labeled "Add Test".
You will be prompted to select from any of the tests that you have created in your site. Highlight the test you wish to deploy and then click "Submit". After you have added it you will be prompted to specify options of availability, or modify the test. If you'd like to allow your students to begin taking it immediately click the link labeled "Modify the test options" and adjust the availability settings accordingly. After you have deployed a test students can immediately begin taking it and their scores and results are appended automatically to the on-line gradebook.
**You can only deploy tests that have not yet been deployed - if you think you are missing a test go back into the test manager to view all tests currently in your Blackboard site and find out where it is deployed.**
**PLEASE NOTE** Blackboard 6 does allow students to login in and preview a test, log out of the system, and then log back in again and take the assessment. If you'd like to prevent this specify the availailability options as follows - "Don't Allow Multiple Attempts", "Presentation Mode: Question", and "Prohibit Backtracking". Use this in conjunction with one dummy question as the first question. This will limit students ability to see any of the quiz until they actually begin taking it.
When creating quizzes you now have the ability to specify a series of "Creation Settings" that will apply to the quiz you are creating. These creation settings will apply to every question that you create after setting them. To apply "Creation Settings" to a quiz click on the button labeled "Creation Settings".
The options available include providing feedback for individual answers, including images or URLs inline with the questions, adding images or URLs to the answers, adding categories and keywords for the questions you create, and specifying the default point value for every question you create. All of the settings that you apply here will take effect for every question you create afterwards. You can go back in and change these settings at any time during the quiz creation process. **If you are specifying creation setting point values be sure to place a check mark in the box next to that item.
To make a quiz available you can browse to the specific content are of your site where you'd like your students to see this quiz. At the top of the content area click the button labeled "Add Test".
You will be prompted to select from any of the tests that you have created in your site. Highlight the test you wish to deploy and then click "Submit". After you have added it you will be prompted to specify options of availability, or modify the test. If you'd like to allow your students to begin taking it immediately click the link labeled "Modify the test options" and adjust the availability settings accordingly. If you'd like to add it to the content area without making it available immediately you can always browse back to it after adding it and click the button labeled "Modify" to access this menu again.
When making a test available you are given several different options as to how you'd like this quiz to appear to students. You are prompted for "Availability Settings" that relate to when and if the quiz itself will appear to students, "Test Feedback Settings" that relate to what types of correct or incorrect feedback students will receive after taking the exam, and "Test Presentation Settings" that relate to the actual way in which questions are displayed to students while they take the quiz.
**You can only deploy tests that have not yet been deployed - if you think you are missing a test go back into the test manager to view all tests currently in your Blackboard site and find out where it is deployed.**
**PLEASE NOTE** Blackboard 6 does allow students to login in and preview a test, log out of the system, and then log back in again and take the assessment. If you'd like to prevent this specify the availailability options as follows - "Don't Allow Multiple Attempts", "Presentation Mode: Question", and "Prohibit Backtracking". Use this in conjunction with one dummy question as the first question. This will limit students ability to see any of the quiz until they actually begin taking it .
After you have deployed a test students can immediately begin taking it and their scores and results are appended automatically to the on-line gradebook. After students have taken the quiz you can either set the link to the quiz itself back to unavailable in the content area.
"Test Feedback Settings" relate to the types of correct or incorrect feedback students will receive after taking the exam. These settings are directly correlated with the types of feedback and "Creation Settings" that you apply when creating a test. By default you are always prompted to provide at least Correct and Incorrect Feedback for an individual question. If you wish to not provide any feedback at all leave these test boxes blank.
If you wish to customize the feedback you now have an additional feedback option - answer dependent feedback. This type of feedback will appear to students according to the answer they select. To use this type of feedback login and click "Control Panel>Test Manager' and begin creating or modifying a test. Click on the button labeled "Creation Settings" and select the option labeled "Provide feedback for individual answers". Now when you create or modify questions you will see an additional textbox associated with all answer values where you can append customized feedback that will appear when students answer the question with this selection. This is a powerful way to begin creating "interactive" study guides.
**PLEASE NOTE** Blackboard 6 does allow students to login in and preview a test, log out of the system, and then log back in again and take the assessment. If you'd like to prevent this specify the availailability options as follows - "Don't Allow Multiple Attempts", "Presentation Mode: Question", and "Prohibit Backtracking". Use this in conjunction with one dummy question as the first question. This will limit students ability to see any of the quiz until they actually begin taking it .
Blackboard's quizzing utility makes it easy to begin creating on-line quizzes, but please keep in mind a few tips when using this tool:
Blackboard also allows you to create surveys. The difference between a quiz and a survey is that in surveys you are not able to specify a "correct" answer. Instead all of the information is collected in aggregate and is visible via the Gradebook.
To create a quiz login to the system and click "Control Panel>Survey Manager>Add Survey". To begin adding questions click on the dropdown menu to select the question type that you wish to add and then click the button labeled "GO".
After you have created your survey and would like to make it available browse back to the Control Panel and select the content area where you'd like to make it available. Click on the link to the content area itself and in the right hand corner of the screen click on the dropdown menu and select "Survey" and then click the button labeled "GO".
You will be prompted to select a survey to deploy. After selecting the survey click the button labeled "Submit". You will then be prompted to either modify the survey itself or modify the survey options. If you'd like to make this survey avaiable immediately so that students can begin taking it click on the link labeled "Modify Survey Options". Set the survey availability information accordingly. In addition you are given a set of options for survey feedback and presentation modes. Adjust these settings according to your own preference.
To view the results of the survey after students have begun taking it log back in to your course and click on "Control Panel>Gradebook". Find the survey that you have just added and then click on the column heading labeled with the title of the survey itself. In the subsequent screen click on the link labeled "Assessment Attempt Details". This will pass you into an interface where you will see the aggregate results of the survey.
Log in to your site and browse to the content area where you'd like students to see the link. Click on the button labeled "Add Test". Select the test that you'd like to add and then click submit. After you have added the test click on the link labeled "Modify Test Options" and set the test itself to available. For more information on setting the availability and feedback options please view the "Quizzes" section.
Blackboard
Login
Request Blackboard Training
Online Blackboard Training
Request
Blackboard Support
Request
A Blackboard Site
Student
Blackboard Support
FAQs
How To Guides
Documentation
Last Modified: July 8, 2005 - Instructional Technology Lab