BlackBoard Question of the Week

Q. How can I see what an exam of mine will look like for a student?

A. Create a test and then take the test by clicking on the link to the test. What you see in the test will be exactly what your student sees.

You can submit the test and view your results  but your result won’t be recorded in the Grade Center.

Q. My professor suggested that I bring copies of my quizzes with me to the final. If getting copies of my quizzes is possible, how can I do so?

A. If your professor has allowed feedback that shows the questions, you can do the following to print your test results:

1. Login to Blackboard and enter your course or organization.
2. Click on Tools in the Course Menu.
3. Click on My Grades in the list of Tools.
4. In the My Grades page, locate the test you wish to view.
5. Click on the underlined grade you received for the test – it will list in the Grade column.
6. This will open the View Attempts page.
7. Under the Attempts heading you will see a sub-heading entitled Calculated Grade (to the far right).
8. Under the sub-heading Calculated Grade, click on your underlined score; this will open your test results.
9. Copy the test results by left-clicking at the beginning of the area you wish to copy and move your mouse to the end of your test.
10. Right click on the highlighted area and choose Copy.
11. Open Word and paste the information into a Word document.

Q. I would like to set up a mostly essay test, where the student answers several questions and then attaches a pdf of the article they are reviewing. It appears that there is a way to allow the student to attach a pdf to the test, however when I try to do this it does not seem to be working.  Please advise.

A. Instead of adding an Essay question to the test, add the one right below it in the list: a File Response question. That will allow students to reply with an attachment.

Also, make sure that in Test Question Settings you have checked the box for “Add images, files, and external links to answers.”

Q. I have created and deployed a test in my Summer 2011 course in Blackboard 9. I would like to delete a question from the test and I can’t find how to do that.

A. In the Control Panel, click on Course Tools then Tests, Surveys and Pools, then click on Tests.  Click on the chevron next to the test you want to edit and click Edit.  Under each question, there is a delete button.  Check the box next to the question, then click Delete.

Note: You can delete questions after the test has been deployed, but not if it has already been taken by students.

Q. I have set up an exam on Blackboard for one student.  Can you tell me where/how I retrieve her results when she’s done?

A. To access the completed test:

1. Click on the Grade Center link in the Control Panel; you will see an exclamation point in the column where the student completed the exam.
2. Hover in the cell with the exclamation point, and you will see a chevron (double-down arrow) icon pop up.
3. Click on the chevron, then click Grade Details.
4. Scroll down and choose View Attempt to see the exam.

Q. My instructor posts short quizzes on Blackboard, and I would like to take them using my iPhone – can I do that?

A.  Due to a number of issues, including particular mobile devices, coverage, phone platform, etc., students should not attempt to submit assignments or take tests or quizzes on any mobile device; instead, they should use a non-mobile Web browser for those purposes.

Q. How do my students view the results of Blackboard tests if my tests are currently unavailable for student view?

A. Students can still view their assessment results through the Tools > My Grades view within your course by following the instructions below:

1. The student should click on the underlined score for the test in their My Grades view for the course in question.
   
2. This will open a View Attempts window in which the student should click on the underlined score in the Calculated Grade box.
   
3. Clicking on the score in the Calculated Grade box opens the Review Assessment window in which the student will see any results the instructor has allowed for the assessment. In the example below the instructor allowed students to see only the test score. Depending on the instructor, the student may be able to see the answers the student submitted for the test. While Blackboard automatically notes whether or not the answer is correct, the instructor may/may not allow the students to see the correct answers to each question.

Q. I am a student and was wondering how I would print out copies of completed quizzes for a class without re-launching them. I have already taken the quizzes and they have been graded, but I want to study them again for the final.  Is this possible?

 A. If your instructor has allowed you to see the submitted answers for a test, then you can view these again by clicking on the test. You will see a message telling you that you have completed the test but asking if you want to view the assessment results. Click on OK and you will be taken to a screen that shows the questions and your submitted answers, and any other content the instructor wants you to see. However, if the instructor has only allowed you to see your score for the test then you will not be able to see the test questions or your answers.

You should ask your instructor about access to previous test questions/answers. It is up to the instructor as to whether or not s/he wants to make this material available to students.