Options for Test Printing and Test Timing

Which test conditions do you want?

(click the link or scroll down to view the relevant directions)

  1. No time limit. I just want to prevent printing of the test.
  2. The test has a time limit, and I want the limit enforced. (Students' tests will be automatically Submitted when the time limit expires.) With this option, printing is also prevented.
  3. The test has a time limit, but students are allowed to continue working until they complete the test, and printing is OK. (If they go past the time limit, their grade appears as an exclamation point until I submit their graded results, allowing me to adjust the grade if necessary.)
  4. Same as option 3, but I want to stop printing of the test.
When you incorporate any of these options into your online tests, please take the time to check the operation of your test AS A STUDENT. Use your "pretend-student" username to log in to Blackboard, enter your course site, and make sure you are getting the effects you want!

1. I want to prevent printing of the test (but the test has no time limit)

2. I want to enforce the time limit (and stop printing)

  1. Follow the directions at http://www.eku.edu/onlinelearning/bbdocs/other/nocopyprint.txt BUT you must put this HTML code into the Instructions, instead of what is given in that file:
    <b>This test will be automatically stopped and submitted when time expires. When the one-minute warning appears, you have <u>fifty seconds</u> to complete your work. <font color=red> DO NOT PRESS THE ENTER/RETURN KEY ON THIS WINDOW. Use the SAVE, SUBMIT and ARROW buttons ONLY.</font></b> <SCRIPT language=javascript src="/webapps/assessment/counter_endtime.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT> <INPUT onclick="javascript:return submitIt();" type=image src="/images/spacer.gif" alt="" border=0 name=submit> Be sure to capture the five full lines of code here, from the left angle bracket at the beginning of the first line all the way through the right angle bracket following the word "submit" at the end of the fifth line.
    Remember that you MUST turn off the Visual Text Box Editor* to insert this code correctly.

  2. In the test's Description box, inform students about the time restriction, and be sure they know how to display the Status Line in their browser window.
  3. On the Test Options window, do not check "Force Completion." Check the box to set the timer, and select the appropriate duration. Students will see a warning one minute before the time expires, and the test will be automatically submitted ten seconds before the time expires.
    (Note: the one-minute warning box must be cleared, by clicking "OK," for the auto-submission to succeed. Most students who receive the one-minute warning will clear it immediately and all will proceed as expected. In rare cases, inattentive students will not clear the one-minute warning, and then the test timer continues running and the auto-submission cannot occur "on time." Such cases will be iindicated clearly in your gradebook by an exclamation point--if the student eventually clicks OK--or by an in-progress padlock. In any case, no work on the test is allowed beyond your limit, and you can complete the student's submission when you "View" the attempt through the gradebook.)

3. I want to specify a time limit but allow students to continue working (and do not restrict printing)

  1. In the test's Description, inform students about the expected time, and be sure they know how to display the Status Line in their browser window.
  2. On the Test Options window, do not check "Force Completion." Check the box to set the timer, and select the appropriate duration. Students will see a warning one minute before the time expires. The test window will remain active until the student clicks the Submit button.

4. I want to specify a time limit but allow students to continue working, and stop printing

  1. Follow the ordinary directions at http://www.eku.edu/onlinelearning/bbdocs/other/nocopyprint.txt.
    The HTML code to place in the Instructions is: &nbsp;<script lang=Javascript src=http://www.eku.edu/onlinelearning/np.js></script> Remember that you MUST turn off the Visual Text Box Editor* to insert this code correctly.

  2. In the test's Description box, inform students about the expected time, and be sure they know how to display the Status Line in their browser window.
  3. On the Test Options window, do not check "Force Completion." Check the box to set the timer, and select the appropriate duration. Students will see a warning one minute before the time expires. The test window will remain active until the student clicks the Submit button.

*How to turn off the Visual Text Box Editor: Go to the Tools menu, inside a course or on the Welcome page, and open the Personal Information menu. Click the link to Set Visual Text Box Editor Options. On the resulting window, set the VTBE to be UNAVAILABLE, and then click Submit. (You can reset this to "normal" at any later time.)

 

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