If the assessment has been listed as a ‘BB Test’ in eVision, a blank Blackboard Test will automatically be created in the relevant course in the Assessment submission and feedback area. There will also be an accompanying, linked column that can be extracted to SITS at the point of marks extraction.
Warning: If you use the BB Test assignment in eVision, test questions must be linked with the blank test produced via the integration. Discussions should be had between admin and teaching staff to ensure questions are added to the correct test to avoid issues with marks extraction.
For further advice on setting up assessments in eVision see the Bristol Education Administration Manual (BEAM).
In this section, you will find information about how to create questions, develop your test, and configure the options.
Warning: If the assessment has been configured with the submission type ‘BB Test’ in eVision, you should not follow this part of the guidance. You should only follow this section for either an assessment set as “BB Other” in eVision, or a formative assessment.
- Navigate to the Blackboard course where you would like to develop the Test.
- Navigate to the location you would like to create the assessment. In the instance of a summative submission, this will likely be the Assessment, Submission and Feedback area of the course.
- When you have found the location you want to make your submission point, hover your cursor over the space between two items in the Course Content feed so that the + button appears. Click on this and select Create from the options. This will open the Create Item options on the right-hand side of the screen.
- Scroll down to the Assessment category and select Test. This will produce a blank test in the location you’ve selected and open the Create Test
- By default, the name given to your test will be “New Test [DATE]”, which will be displayed in the top-left of the screen. Click on this to change the name.
Warning: You should not change the name of tests sent to the course via “BB Test” assessment types in eVision. This will impact marks extraction.
- At this stage, you should ensure the Test is hidden from students. By default, tests are set this way, but to check, click on the drop-down arrow next to the visibility status in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Depending on the conditions already applied, this will either read:
- Visible to students
- Hidden from students
- Release conditions
From this list, select Hidden from students.
- You can now either move on to configure your test, add questions or, if you prefer, ensure each of the questions you have added have been correctly saved by clicking on the Save buttons and then click the X in the top-left to return to the main course page.
WAIT: Settings in this section can affect how the test is taken and limit pedagogical choices made by teaching/academic staff. Coordinate and discuss with them before configuring a Blackboard Test
Info: This section provides general guidelines for using the settings in Blackboard Tests and you should defer to local workflows where required.
Where there are settings that are recommended in all contexts, these are marked as DEO RECOMMENDS
- If you are not already in the test:
- Navigate to the Blackboard course and locate it in the Course Content Normally, summative assessments are located in the Assessment, submission and feedback area.
- Once you have located the test, select the course’s title to enter the test.
- Click on the cog icon next to where it reads Assessment Settings to expand the options;
- Details & Information:
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- Due Date:
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- Leave the Due date unchanged if this assessment has been sent from eVision (using ‘BB Test’).
Warning: DEO RECOMMENDS: You should not change the due date of tests sent from eVision using the “BB Test” assessment type. If you are unsure, check with who ever provisioned the course before making changes. Changing the due date of assessments set using “BB Test” may affect the transfer of marks and penalties with eVision.- Set the desired Due date if this assessment has been created directly in the course (using ‘BB Other’ in eVision or for formative assessments with a due date).
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- No due date can be used where there is no fixed due date on the test.
- Prohibit late submission should be left toggled off in most situations. In-progress attempts will be submitted automatically at the due date and time. NOTE: This is not the same as using auto-submit on a timed test and this setting should not be used as an alternative to that function. Students accessing a timed test after its provisioned start time will have time deducted from the overall time for completion. Any student accommodation (e.g. extra time) will be honoured, but proportional deductions will be made.
- Due Date:
Warning: The Prohibit late submission function is not an alternative to Automatic submission features in Blackboard Original. These features are still present in Blackboard Ultra in the Time Limit options.-
- Prohibit new attempts after the due date prevents students from starting new attempts after the due date has passed.
Warning: The Prohibit new attempts after the due date function cannot be switched off once the test has been started by a student. This may be desirable in an exam, but using this function may make accommodating students allowed to take a test at a later date impossible. Controlling the number of attempts a student can have may be a more sustainable approach for assessments.-
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- Allow class conversation should be toggled off for summative assessments. It creates a discussion board linked to the Test that will need to be monitored by an instructor.
- Collect submission offline cannot be used in a test assessment with questions.
- Presentation Options
- Display one question at a time should be toggled on for most tests as it ensures students can focus on one question at a time. It is strongly recommended on tests with 10 or more questions. An alternative option to group questions together (perhaps around included reference material) is to use Pages with no more than 10 questions in them. To explore this option, please see OPTIONS FOR ORGANISING CONTENT AND ADDING ADDITIONAL MATERIALS. You cannot combine this feature with pages.
- Prohibit backtracking should be toggled off in most instances. This prohibits a student from navigating back to earlier test questions.
- Randomise questions will randomise the order questions are displayed for each student.
- Randomise answers will randomise the order of answers in Multiple choice and Matching questions.
- Randomise pages will randomise the page order of your test, If your test is organised into multiple pages. If you use this feature but also include guidance pertinent to the whole test on the first page, please ensure you exclude that page from the randomised order by toggling Do not randomise first page to on. You cannot combine this feature or the use of pages with Display one question at a time. See OPTIONS FOR ORGANISING CONTENT AND ADDING ADDITIONAL MATERIALS to learn more about pages in Blackboard Tests.
- Formative Tools
- Formative assessment should only be toggled on if the assessment is formative and there is no need to use formative marks in Gradebook calculations.
- Display formative label to students can only be toggled on if the assessment is designated as formative.
- Marking and Submissions
- Mark category should be left as Test unless you have set-up a specific Mark Category to organise the Gradebook (such as for DISTRIBUTED MARKING).
- Attempts allowed allows you to adjust the number of attempts a student can make to complete the test. For most summative assessments and all exams, this should be set to 1.
- Mark using allows you to adjust how marks are displayed in the Gradebook. In most instances, this should be set to Points.
- Maximum points cannot be adjusted in a Blackboard Test with questions added. If it is adjusted before questions are added, it will then default to the maximum number of points from the accumulative score of all questions in the test.
- Anonymous marking.
- Hide student names should be toggled off. If you wish to explore using anonymous marking for a summative test, please contact [PROJECT MAIL BOX].
- Evaluation options.
- Two markers per student (parallel or “blind” marking) cannot be used with test assessments.
- Peer review cannot be used with test assessments.
- Delegated Marking should be toggled off. If you require delegated marking, please refer to the Distributed Marking guidance in the OPTIONAL CONFIGURATION (IN BLACKBOARD) section of this guidance.
- Assessment mark
- Post assessment marks automatically should be left toggled off to ensure students receive their feedback and grades simultaneously.
- Assessment results. If you select any of the highlighted text under Submission View, Automated Question Feedback, Question Scores, or Correct Answers, you will be taken to the Assessment results timing Here, you can configure the following:
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Info: Altering the following settings does not affect the release of overall marks or feedback produced by staff after the assessment’s completion.
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- Toggle Allow students to view their submissions to off if you do not want students to see their submissions after completion at all. Alternatively, toggle this on and use the drop-down options to choose between:
- After submission, where students will see a copy of their submitted content immediately after submitting their work.
- After individual mark has been posted to allow students to see their submissions only when their own mark has been released to them.
- After due date to allow students to see their submission sonly when the due date for the assessment has passed.
- After all marks have been posted to allow students to see their submissions only when all marks have been posted to all students.
- On specific date to specify a date and time when students will be able to view their submissions. If you choose this option, a further interface to specify the date/time for submission release will appear.
- Toggle Allow students to view their submissions to off if you do not want students to see their submissions after completion at all. Alternatively, toggle this on and use the drop-down options to choose between:
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Warning: DEO RECOMMENDS that question scores and automated feedback are not released to students taking summative assessments or exams before posting marks to all students. It may be possible to calculate an overall grade from individual question scores and “correct/incorrect” question feedback.
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- Toggle Show automated feedback to off if you do not want individual (automated) question feedback to be released to students at all. Alternatively, toggle this on and use the drop-down options to choose between:
- After submission to allow students to see any automated feedback immediately after submitting their work.
- After due date to allow students to see any automated feedback only when the due date for the assessment has passed.
- After all marks have been posted to allow students to see any automated feedback only when all marks have been posted to all students. This is the recommended setting for most summative assessments.
- On specific date to specify a date and time when students will be able to view any automated feedback. If you choose this option, a further interface to specify the date/time for submission release will appear.
- Toggle Show question scores to off if you do not want students to see their questions scores at all. Alternatively, toggle this on and use the drop-down options to choose between:
- After submission to allow students to see individual question scores immediately after submitting their work.
- After due date to allow students to see any individual question scores only when the due date for the assessment has passed.
- After all marks have been posted to allow students to see individual question scores only when all marks have been posted to all students. This is the recommended setting for most summative assessments.
- On specific date to specify a date and time when students will be able to view their individual question scores. If you choose this option, a further interface to specify the date/time for submission release will appear.
- Toggle Show correct answers to choose whether or not students are shown the correct answers. This should be toggled off for exams where questions may be reused over multiple years.
- Toggle Show automated feedback to off if you do not want individual (automated) question feedback to be released to students at all. Alternatively, toggle this on and use the drop-down options to choose between:
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- Assessment security
Warning: DEO RECOMMENDS against using access codes to control access to assessments. Access codes cannot be easily overridden for individual students if they face difficulty accessing the test. If you wish to control access to a test for groups of students, consider RELEASE CONDITIONS as a more manageable alternative.- Access code should be toggled off in most use cases. If it is enabled, an access code is automatically generated that students will need to enter to access and complete the test. You can refresh it to change it, if needed. You will need to disseminate this code to students who are to sit the test.
- Additional Tools
- Time limit. Select Add time limit to set a time limit for the test (in minutes) and choose either:
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- Work is automatically saved and submitted when time expires. This feature was formally called “Auto-submit” in Blackboard Original. In most instances, this should be toggled on in summative tests and exams where a timer is set.
- Students have extra time to work after the time limit expires. This will allow students to continue working after the timer has elapsed, but their submissions will be marked “Over Time” in the Gradebook. Selecting this option will expand further options, allowing you to choose between
Info: If AEAs (Alternative Exam Arrangements) or accommodations are required for individual students, please refer to the ADMINISTRATION section of this guidance.-
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- 50% meaning students will be allowed to continue for an additional 50% of the overall timer set (eg, in a 1hr test, 30mins) before their work automatically submits.
- 100% meaning students will be allowed to continue for an additional 100% of the overall timer set (eg, in a 1hr test, 1 additional hr) before their work automatically submits.
- Unlimited extra time meaning students will be allowed to work for as long as they wish and must submit the test when they’ve completed.
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- Use marking rubric cannot be used in a Blackboard Test
- Goals & Standards should not be used at this time. In the future, it may be configured with institution-wide or programme-level goals that this assessment could align to. If you are interested in exploring this option, please email [PROJECT MAIL BOX].
- Assigned groups is the group submission option in Blackboard Ultra. This cannot be set on a Blackboard Test.
- Originality Report currently applies only to files and text entered into the Additional Submission Content section. It does not apply to Essay Questions. It can be switched on, but reports will not generate for anything other than this content. For more information on configuring this section, please see TURNITIN SIMILARITY AND AI REPORT in the OPTIONAL CONFIGURATION IN BLACKBOARD section.
- Description. Add a description for the test. Students will be able to see this before they start their attempt.
- Time limit. Select Add time limit to set a time limit for the test (in minutes) and choose either:
- Click Save.
- Tests are hidden from students by default. Once you have finished configuring the assessment, you can release the submission point to students manually by toggling the Hidden from students option in the top-right of the submission point’s screen to visible to students. Alternatively, you can set a date for release. Please refer to RELEASE CONDITIONS in OPTIONAL CONFIGURATION (IN BLACKBOARD) below.
In some instances, it may be desirable to adjust when tests are available to students. For example, to enable access after a certain date or only to a certain group.
- Navigate to the submission point.
- Click on the drop-down arrow next to the visibility status in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Depending on the conditions already applied, this will either read:
- Visible to students.
- Hidden from students.
- Release conditions
Select Release conditions, which will take you to a new screen.
- By default, your new rule will be called Rule # where # represents the number of rules applied to this test. For example, “Rule 1”. If you wish to change the name of the rule, click the name and enter text.
- Choose between:
- All members to control access for all students on the course.
- Specific members or groups to add specific students or students you have added to a Blackboard group.
- Toggle Date/Time option to expand more details.
- Click either and/or both:
- Access from: to choose the date and time the submission point should become visible to students.
- Access until: to choose the date and time the submission point should become invisible to students.
- Performance: should be left toggled off. If you would like to explore performance related (streamed) assessment workflows, please contact the Ultra Project team via blackboard-ultra@bristol.ac.uk.
- Once you have made the changes you wish to, click save. This will create a rule. Additional rules (for different groups/individual students/dates and times) can then also be added).
Warning: Whilst delegated marking options exist in Blackboard, they present several issues for most workflows. Therefore, they are not recommended at this time. The below provides an alternative option.
- In the Blackboard course, navigate to groups from the top menu.
- If you don’t already have group sets in your course, you will need to click the New Group Set option in the top right corner of the screen.
- In the Group students option box, click the drop-down arrow and select either:
- Create custom groups to manually choose how many groups to produce and which students you assign.
- Randomly assigned groups to automatically create a number of groups with students randomly assigned to them.
Regardless of which option you chose, you can manually move students between groups either by:
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- Clicking on the … icon next to a student’s name and choosing another group to move them to.
- Clicking on several students, highlighting their details in black, then clicking on the … icon in any of the highlighted student’s details to relocate them all to another group.
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- Once you have assigned all students to groups, name each group so that they are easily identified by a marker. This may be the marker’s name, a pre-agreed number, or some other identifier. To rename a group, click on the current name.
- Ensure that the visibility option in the top-right of the screen reads Hidden from students. You can click on it to change it, if needed.
- Click save.
- Navigate to the Gradebook.
- Click on the cog icon to open the settings field.
- Scroll down to the Mark categories section and select Add new category.
- Enter the name of the test and press enter.
Follow the steps above to set up distributed marking. For details on marking using distributed marking, please refer to the Marking, Feedback and Moderation section below.
Warning: Turnitin reports generate for content submitted to the Additional Submission Content section ONLY. This section cannot be allocated a mark. It does not apply to Essay Questions.
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- Navigate to the Blackboard Test in the Assessment, Submission and Feedback area of your Blackboard course.
- Click on the cog icon in the top-right corner of the screen to open the assessment settings.
- Scroll down to the Additional Tools section and click Enable Turnitin under the Originality Report
Warning: Configuration of similarity settings should be discussed with the academic/teaching lead prior to configuration.
- Configure the similarity check settings as desired. Recommended settings for most summative assessments and final submission points would be:
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- Store student submissions in:
- Standard paper repository: this will store submitted papers in Turnitin’s global paper repository, making them available to all institutions for future similarity checks. You should only select this option if this is a final submission of work.
- Do not store the submitted papers: this will ensure that any submissions made to this submission point are not stored by Turnitin. If you are setting up a formative submission or a submission point for students to submit work in progress or drafts, you must use this setting. If you do not, the student’s final, summative submissions may generate erroneous Similarity Reports by comparing their initial draft with their final work.
- Store student submissions in:
Info: In most instances, all of the comparison options should be toggled ON.- Compare submissions against:
- Student database (on) will check all submitted work against Turnitin’s repository of submissions from both Bristol and other institutions using Turnitin.
- Website content (on) will check all submitted work against Turnitin’s repository of website content.
- Periodicals, journals and publications (on) check all submitted work against Turnitin’s repository of published materials.
- Institution database (on) will check all submitted work against the University of Bristol’s local repository of materials.
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- Similarity Report:
- Toggle Exclude bibliographic materials on if you wish for the similarity report to ignore materials included in bibliographies. Toggling this on can provide a more accurate report in the first instance. It can be overridden in individual student’s similarity reports after submission.
- Toggle Exclude quoted materials on if you wish for the similarity reports to ignore materials included in quotation marks. Toggling this on can provide a more accurate similarity report in the first instance. It can be overridden in individual student’s similarity reports after submission.
- Toggle Exclude small sources on if you wish for the similarity report to ignore smaller sources cited in the text. If you choose this feature, an additional configuration to state how many words to ignore will appear and require adjustment.
- Similarity Report:
- Toggle Allow students to view Similarity Reports on if you wish for students to be able to view their similarity reports. This is shown to improve a student’s understanding of plagiarism and academic integrity practices.
- Click Save.