Blackboard Test Deployment Checklist
I did NOT copy and paste from Word to Blackboard.
Why? Word has “behind the scenes” code that gets pasted into Blackboard. After pasting, the formatting might look fine to you, but it can alter the display of questions and even prevent students from completing a test. If your text is in Word, you should copy/paste from Word to Text Edit (Mac) or Notepad (Windows), then copy/paste from there to Blackboard.
I did NOT check the Force Completion box.
Why? When Force Completion is set, if a student encounters an error and gets kicked out of a test (s)he will not be able to return to the test until you clear the attempt. This can be frustrating to students and time consuming for instructors.
I did NOT allow multiple attempts.
Why? Out of fairness to all students, and to ensure that assessments are rigorous, multiple attempts are discouraged. The preferred option is to include a statement in your syllabus that an alternate form of the test, such as an essay, will be provided to any student who encounters a problem completing a test. Multiple attempts are best used for ungraded practice tests or when questions are randomly pulled from a test pool.
I did NOT check the Auto-Submit On box.
Why? Auto-Submit is an option for timed tests. When Auto-Submit is on the test is automatically submitted and scored when the time expires. With Auto-Submit off, if a student exceeds the allotted time the gradebook displays an exclamation mark. This allows you to view the student’s responses and length of time spent on the test, and decide if you want to accept the earned score or deduct points for late submission.
I DID set the After Submission Test and Feedback option and checked nothing or score only.
Why? Checking any of the other options provides additional information that can make it possible for students to identify correct and incorrect answers while the test is still open.
I DID set a second Test and Feedback option based on what I want students to see after the test has ended.
Why? Depending on the options you select, this allows students to view feedback, but only after all students have completed the assessment. Setting two feedback rules, one for when individual students complete the test and another for when all students have completed the test, protects the integrity of the test while it is open and automates the display of additional feedback when it has closed. See this blog post for additional information on setting test and feedback options.
I DID select the option to present the test all at once.
Why? Presenting all questions at once creates fewer problems for students. The one at a time presentation option includes a Next button. If a student clicks that button before Blackboard saves the current question an error message will appear and the test may freeze.
I DID take the test using Student Preview.
Why? This allows you to fully experience your test as a student and to troubleshoot any issues that arise. See this blog post for more information on using Student Preview.
Categories Assessment and Measurement