1. Testing

In Bb 7 tests are designed in the Test Manager, and then deployed to the students through any content area. Tests may have questions drawn from Pools or other Tests, and/or independent questions (placed in that test only). While all Tests are equal in Blackboard's system, you may use some Tests as "quizzes" and others as "tests" and "exams," etc.

To begin creating a Blackboard Test, we suggest reading our HELP DOCUMENT, which explains in detail how to use the Blackboard Quiz Generator (provided through a different university's Web site) to simplify the creation of your question pools. Some ADDITIONAL NOTES give you helpful advice and describe some pitfalls to avoid.

Listen to these Additonal Notes in mp3 format: Additional Notes in mp3

Additional notes about tests in Bb 7:

• Instructors can fix typographical errors and incorrect answer selections while the test is active for students.
• Instructors can select question-by-question display rather than all-at-once.
• Students’ progress during tests can be saved—so they do not have to repeat the entire test if they get disconnected! Tell your students to scroll to the bottom of the test window and click Save every five or ten minutes. This will create activity across their connection to be sure it stays alive, and it also saves their current answers so they will not have to recreate everything if they cannot stay connected. "Timing" for the test is also saved, so if they pick up again later they still have the same time limit.
• Resetting a student’s attempt now requires you to click the grade (or “lock” icon) within the Gradebook, and then click the “View” button, to find the link that allow you to clear the attempt. Note!: deleting the score or changing it to zero does NOT clear the student’s attempt! If you see a hyphen in the box for the student’s score, you must clear the attempt by going through the “View” window before the student will have access to the test.

To deploy an existing test to students:

1. Open the Test Manager to see the list of your tests, including information about their current deployment.
2. From the Control Panel, open the Content Area where you want students to get the link into the test. (Note: Blackboard no longer creates an Announcement automatically when deploying a test.) You may navigate anywhere within the content areas, to locate the position you want.
3. At the top of the window you will see buttons allowing you to “Add” an Item, Folder, URL, Course Link and Test. Click the Test button.
4. Select the existing test you want, from the list of tests, and then click Submit. If the list does not include what you expected, return to step 1 to see where the test is already deployed.
5. After clicking Submit you will receive a message that “The test was successfully added.” This DOES NOT MEAN that the students can see the test! Click OK to reach the “Modify Test” window.
6. On the Modify Test window, click “Modify the test options.” Edit the description if necessary, and then scroll down to the second section. Click the Yes button to answer the question “Do you want to make the link visible?” Note: THIS IS YOUR MASTER CONTROL for students’ access to the test! Set the remaining options in the second and third sections of this window as desired.
7. The fourth section on the Test Options window allows you to select whether the test is presented all at once (that is, in a single browser window) or one-question-at-a-time. If you elect the “question” presentation you may also choose to “prohibit backtracking,” which means that students will be prevented from returning to earlier questions. The “Randomize Questions” option is also new, allowing you to tell Blackboard to randomize the order of the test questions each time the test is accessed (treating your test as though it contained a pool of questions).
8. Click Submit and the test is ready for students’ access.

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