Blackboard Online (Non-Anon/Group) (Ultra): 6. Accessing marks and feedback as a test student

Students can access their marks and feedback in Blackboard by:

  1. Log into Blackboard as your test student user.
  2. Then either:
    1. Click on My Marks in the Tools area of the home page and locate the assessment from the list.
    2. Navigate to the course where you submitted work, opening the Gradebook and locate the assessment from the list.
  3. Feedback can be viewed by clicking on the purple comment box in the Feedback column, then selecting the attempt.

Warning: Marks and feedback can only be viewed if the assessment remains unhidden.

Blackboard Online (Non-Anon/Group) (Ultra): 5. Marks and feedback posting and transfer


Once all marking and moderation has been completed, marks can be posted to students.

    1. Navigate to the Gradebook.
    2. Locate the assignment you wish to post marks and feedback for from the list.

Warning: Marks and feedback can only be viewed if the assessment remains unhidden.
  1. If you wish to release all of the marks and feedback and are confident that marking has been completed on all submitted work, you can post marks to students from this screen by clicking on the Post # marks button associated with the assessment (see below).
  2. If you wish to post marks and feedback for individual students, click the name of the assessment to look at each student’s submissions. Within this screen, you can sort by submission and student statuses and post marks for specific students (see below).An image of Blackboard's gradebook showing where the mark posting options are located.

Warning: Once marks are posted they cannot be unposted: the only way to re-hide them from students is to hide the submission point.



Warning: In order to transfer marks to SITS, marks will need to have been posted to students in Blackboard. If marks need to be extracted prior to their being displayed to students in Blackboard, the submission point must be hidden.


Warning: Only administrators with the Marks Extractor role in Blackboard can extract marks.
  1. Navigate to the Blackboard course you wish to extract grades from
  2. Click on View course and institution tools under the Course tools header in the course’s menu bar
  3. From the list of tools, select Marks extract to SITS. This will launch a program that links both Blackboard and SITS, but it can take a few moments to load
  4. From the list, select the unit code and course name you want to extract by clicking on the box to the left of the name so it turns green and a tick appears
  5. Click on Grade column approval and transfer
  6. Select the assignment/column name you wish to extract, again clicking on the box to the left of the name
  7. Click Grade approval and transfer. In the next screen you can either:
    1. Search for specific students you want to extract marks for by entering their details in to the search bar. Once you have found the student, select them by clicking on the box to the left of their details
    2. Click the box at the top of the list of students to select all of the students in the list with submissions
  8. Click on Extract grades.

Blackboard Online (Non-Anon/Group) (Ultra): 4.2: Using marking tools and reviewing Turnitin reports



At the top of the student’s submission, there is a marking interface with a number of options for inline marking:The marking interface in Blackboard's assignment attempt screen.

 

  1. The navigation options appear on the far-left of the interface bar. By default, these are set to thumbnails, but you can change how you navigate the document by clicking the drop-down arrow.

The page navigation options in Blackboard's assignment attempt marking interface.

    1. Thumbnails provides a page-by-page thumbnail image of the document for quick navigation.
    2. Outline displays the outline of the document, if one has been provided.
    3. Annotations displays a list of the annotations you have added to this document, allowing you to navigate through them quickly.
    4. Bookmarks displays a list of any bookmarks you have added to this document and provides you with the means to add new bookmarks.
  1. The Page options display the page number you are currently viewing, the total number of pages in the document. The navigation arrows and typeable interface allow you to move quickly through the document, either by clicking an arrow to move from one page to the next, or by entering the specific page number you want to navigate to.

The page options for navigating a student submission. These include moving to a specific page and a total of the number of pages in the document.

  1. The Pan, Zoom and Fit options allow you to adjust and move within the current page you are viewing. Click on the hand icon and then click within the page to move around within the document. Click on the + magnifier and magnifier to adjust your zoom level respectively. The pan, zoom out and zoom in options in Blackboard's assignment marking interface.Click on the drop-down arrow next to the Fit option to adjust how the page fits within the screen. The available options are Fit Page which will show the whole page on the screen, Fit Width which will fill the screen with the page at its maximum fit, and Best Fit which balances the fit of the page in the screen.The page-fit options in Blackboard's marking interface.
  2. Click on the pen icon to enter the Drawing Here, you can change the colour of your pen, the width of the lines or marks you make, the opacity of the lines you make, and adjust between pen, brush and eraser modes.The drawing tools button in Blackboard's assignment marking interface.
  3. Click on the drop-down arrow next to the image icon to swap between image and stamp.The image and stamp options in Blackboard's assignment marking interface.
    1. In image mode, you can import an image from your device and paste it into the document.
    2. In stamp mode, you can either use some of the pre-designed stamps provided by Blackboard, or otherwise add your own custom stamp and save it for future use. Once you have selected a stamp, you can mark the assessment with it by clicking in the desired location.The stamps selection and creation pop-out in Blackboard's assignment marking interface.
  1. Click the comment tool and then on a location within the document to add a comment to the work. These appear as expandable speech bubbles in the marked-up work, meaning students need to click on them to read your remarks.The add comment button in Blackboard's assignment marking interface.
  2. Use the undo and redo option to undo or redo your last changes to the document.The undo and redo buttons in Blackboards assignment marking interface.
  3. Click the text box option and then on a location in the document to add text. This appears as text overlaying existing materials in the document.The text box option in Blackboard's assignment marking interface.
  4. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Shape tool to select the shape you wish to insert. Then, click and drag within the document to place the shape and adjust its size.The shape insert options in Blackboard's assignment marking interface.
  5. Use the print and download options to either print the submission or download a version to your computer.The print and download buttons in Blackboard's assignment marking interface.
  6. Use the search option to search for specific words within the document.The search button in Blackboard's assignment marking interface.
  7. Click on the Content Library icon to expand the content library interface. This allows you to produce, organise and deploy pre-prepared comments that persist for you as a user across all courses. This is comparable to the QuickMarks features present in the Turnitin interface. Your pre-created comments are arranged by categories, which you can create and define. Click the chevron on each category to display or hide the list of comments within that category. Alternatively, use the search function to look for specific comments or categories.The content library options in Blackboard's assignment marking interface.
  8. To add new comments and categories, click the + button.To place a comment in the document, click the “” to open an options menu and click Place comment.The place comment option in Blackboard's content library.


Select the plus icon on the right-hand side of the screen to access the Overall Feedback interface. You can use this to add overarching feedback for the student.The overall feedback interface in Blackboard's assignment marking screen.

  1. Use the Text styling and Text options menus to change your text to titles, headers, subheaders and general text, alter the font, the size and colour of the text, and change formatting. The interface also responds to keyboard shortcuts for changing in formatting.The text styling and text options buttons in the Blackboard tests marking interface
  2. Use the List option to add bullet-pointed or numbered lists, or add tables.An image of the list button in the Blackboard test marking interface
  3. Use the undo option to undo the last changes you made.An image of the undo button in the Blackboard tests marking interface
  4. Use the link option by highlighting text in your feedback, clicking the link icon, and adding the hyperlink to change the text to a clickable link.An image of the link icon in Blackboard Ultra's question text editor
  5. Use the add content option to upload materials and add different forms of content to your feedback. You can use the MathsType interface to add mathematical commentary, embed an image or video, or upload a video or document from your device or cloud storage.An image of the expanded options for adding media to an answer in a Blackboard assessment or test.
  6. You can use the Audio/Video Recording option to add video or audio feedback recorded directly from within the marking interface.The recording button in the blackboard assessment marking interface Once you click the option, you may need to grant permission to your camera to access your browser. Once this is done, you can click record and toggle your camera on or off from within the Recording Window. Once you have finished your recording, click Save and exit to store the recording, otherwise click Delete recording to record another version.An image of the recording window in Blackboard's marking interface
  7. Enter a mark by selecting the icon in the top-right corner of the screen.An image of Blackboard's marking interface highlighting where to add a mark.



Warning: Turnitin similarity and AI-writing reports are indicative and require review and interpretation. Encountering similarity, flagged content, or material suspected to be AI-generated does not automatically evidence academic misconduct without interpretation. Initial marks should be provided based on intellectual content with any concerns around academic misconduct escalated through designated channels in your school.

The process for marking submissions to a submission point with Turnitin enabled is the same as marking work on an individual submission point. However, a similarity and AI writing report is also included for each student, provided the work they have submitted meets the criteria for review.

To review the similarity report on a Turnitin-enabled submission point:

  1. Navigate to the submission point and click the assignment title to enter it.
  2. Click on Submissions to review all submissions to the submission point.
  3. Change the Student Status filter to Submitted. To have a similarity and AI writing report, a student will need to have submitted work.
  4. Depending on when you are reviewing similarity and AI writing reports, change the Marking Statuses filter to the required state. For example, if you are reviewing these reports prior to work being marked, change the filter to Needs Marking.
  5. Enter a student’s submission by clicking on their name in the list.
  6. In the top right of the student’s work pane, there will be a similarity match score displayed (see figure X). Click on this to review the similarity and AI writing report.An image of where similarity scores are displayed in Blackboard's marking interface if Turnitin has been enabled. Clicking this score will take you to the more detailed breakdown of the report and let you review the AI score.
  7. The similarity and AI writing report for the student’s work you are reviewing will open in a new tab within your browser (see figure X). It will display the student’s work with annotations highlighting areas that should be reviewed, if any.Turnitin's interface in an integration with Blackboard assignments.
  8. At the top of the newly opened Turnitin tab, there are three views you can select between (see figure X).
    1. Similarity: this provides a review of the work that highlights areas similar to other works stored within the Turnitin database. PLEASE NOTE: similarity is indicative and requires interpretation. It should not be assumed that similar sections automatically indicate academic misconduct.
    2. Flags: this provides a review of ‘flags’ or potential indicators that the document has been manipulated in an attempt to bypass plagiarism detection. For example, there may be hidden quotation marks that affect the perceived level of quoted text, masking plagiarised text.
    3. AI Writing: this provides an estimate of the percentage of AI-generated text in the document, highlighting any areas of concern.

Blackboard Online (Non-Anon/Group) (Ultra): 4.1: Non-distributed & distributed marking guides


  1. Navigate to the submission point and click the assignment title to enter it.
  2. Click on Submissions to review all submissions to the submission point.
  3. Change the Student Status filter to Submitted.
  4. Change the Marking Statuses filter to Needs Marking.
  5. With these filters applied, only those students who have submitted work that requires marking will be displayed.
  6. Click on each student’s name to enter the review and marking interface for their submission.
  7. If you need to review work you have already marked, alter the filters to adjust what work is visible.


If you are marking using a distributed system, follow the instructions below to locate the submissions allocated to you. Once you have located your allocated submissions, follow the marking instructions below.

  1. Navigate to the Gradebook.
  2. Go to the Marks
  3. Click on Filter.
  4. Change the Groups option to the group you have been allocated. Your administration team or the unit director will have advised you which group you need to mark.
  5. Change the Markable Items option to the assignment you have been asked to mark.
  6. Click apply.

Only the students within your marking allocation should now be visible to you. Click on a cell and select View to get to the marking screen.

Blackboard Online (Non-Anon/Group) (Ultra): 3.2: Managing extensions and additional attempts


  1. Navigate to the Gradebook.
  2. Click Students.
  3. Find the student who you wish to allow the additional attempt to and click on their name to enter their record.
  4. Click on the icon next to the relevant assessment and select Add or edit exceptions.
  5. Change the number of attempts permitted to allow the student another attempt, if required.
  6. Alter the due date and time, if required (for an extension).
  7. If you have used any release conditions or prevented late submissions, you may also need to adjust the show on and hide after date/times to allow the student access.
  8. Click save.

Warning: If you have prevented submissions after a specific date and students have already submitted, you will not be able to allow additional submissions. Preventing late submissions is not recommended.

Blackboard Online (Non-Anon/Group) (Ultra): 3.1: Gradebook management


  1. Navigate to the Gradebook.
  2. Select Markable items.
  3. Drag and drop rows to reorder them by clicking on the Move total arrows ↑↓ at the end of the item you wish to reorder.


  1. Navigate to the Gradebook
  2. Navigate to the Marks view by clicking on Marks in the top-left section of the Gradebook.
  3. Click on the Up/Down icon in one column:
    1. Once to organise the data by ascending marks
    2. Twice to organise the data by descending marks
    3. Thrice to remove the ordering of data.
  4. Navigate to the Students view by clicking on Students in the top-left section of the Gradebook.
  5. Click on the ↑↓ icon in one column:
    1. Once to organise the data by descending number order/alphabetically
    2. Twice to organise the data by ascending number order/reverse-alphabetical order.
    3. Thrice to remove the ordering of data.



Warning: THE USE OF MESSAGES TO STUDENTS VIA BLACKBOARD IS NOT RECOMMENDED AND EMAILS SHOULD BE USED AS A STANDARD FOR ALL CRITICAL INFORMATION PERTAINING TO ASSESSMENTS.Whilst the messaging system provides some initial convenience to the sender, it may inhibit the recipient student’s ability to reply to communications, lead them to miss key information, leave them uncertain who they should respond to, leave their response unchecked, or inhibit the accessibility of the communication depending on the student’s needs and equipment.Consequently, guidance on this aspect of Blackboard has not been provided in full.If messaging is used at all, it is strongly recommended that:

  1. The option to “Send an email copy to recipients” is ALWAYS used.
  2. The email address of the sender is ALWAYS included alongside a message to respond via that address.
  3. Messages include a note to NOT email a response (as the email is sent from a no-reply email address).
  4. The option to “Allow replies to this message” is NEVER used (as these messages may not be immediately received, depending on the settings of the individual user)

 


To see who has and hasn’t submitted and to view submission dates and times:

  1. Navigate to the Gradebook and select Markable items.
  2. Find the relevant assessment and click on its name.
  3. Click inside the Student status box at the top of the page to sort the list of students by status. For those students who have submitted, the date and time of the attempt appears underneath the student’s name.



Warning:Deleting an attempt is irreversible. If a student requires an additional attempt, it is recommended that an additional attempt is given to the student rather than an attempt being deleted.
  1. Navigate to the Gradebook.
  2. Click Markable Items.
  3. Select the assessment from the list by clicking on its title.
  4. Locate the student whose attempt you wish to delete. It may be useful to click on the Student Status column to organise the Gradebook.
  5. Click on the row containing the student’s record. This will open the student’s attempt.
  6. Click on the icon in the top-right of the screen and select Delete Attempt.
  7. A pop-up box will appear called Delete Attempt?, warning that the attempt and any associated mark will be removed from the system. If you are sure you want to proceed, select Delete.

Blackboard Online (Non-Anon/Group) (Ultra): 2: Submission


Use a Test Student account to test your assessment setup as a student. Using a Test Student account provides the same experience any other student enrolled in the course will have, allowing staff to check the functionality and experience of any submission.


Info: Testing the group submission, marking and feedback experience will require more than one member of staff to have a test student user account. You can request multiple accounts be established if need be, but please ensure all members of staff are copied into the request.
  1. If you have not set up a test student user account, please email digital-education@bristol.ac.uk, including the subject line Test Student User Request and providing your Blackboard username and an explanation of your need for a test student account.
  2. You will receive an email that will confirm the user details, including the user name and password.
  3. Once you have a Test Student user, either open a private or incognito tab in your current browser or open another browser.
  4. Navigate to the Blackboard login page in this private/new tab and click Guest Login.
  5. Enter your Test Student User’s user name and the password provided by the DEO.
  6. Click on the profile tab on the left-hand side of the screen. This will be denoted by your Test Student User’s name (usually Your First Name Test[Your Initials]).
  7. Click on Update External Account Password.
  8. In the panel that opens:
  9. Enter the password provided by the DEO in the box marked Old Password.
  10. Enter a new password in the box marked New Password.
  11. Enter the same, new password in the box marked Confirm New Password.
  12. Store your new Test Student User password securely, or use a password that is easy for you to remember.
  13. Click Save.
  14. In your administrative Blackboard account, navigate to the course where you want to add your Test Student User.
  15. Using the side menu, click on View everyone on your course under Class register.
  16. Click on the + button in the top-right corner of the screen
  17. Enter your Test Student User’s user name into the text box.
  18. Click on the + button next to your test student user’s name, changing it into a green tick.
  19. Ensure the box beneath your test student user is set to Student, using the drop-down menu to change it if needed.
  20. Click Save.



Info:Testing the group submission, marking and feedback experience will require several test student users are added to a group assigned to the submission point. Once you have several test student users enrolled on the course, you should add them to a group assigned to the submission point by following the instructions listed in ASSIGNED GROUPS (GROUP SUBMISSIONS) in the OPTIONAL CONFIGURATION (IN BLACKBOARD) section.
  1. Either open a private or incognito tab in your current browser or open another browser.
  2. Navigate to the Blackboard login page in this private/new tab and click Guest Login.
  3. Enter your Test Student User’s username and password.
  4. Navigate to the course you have enrolled your student into, using the Courses option in the left-hand menu and searching for the unit ID or name.
  5. Click on the appropriate course and find the submission point. This will normally be found in the Assessment, submission and feedback area.
  6. Once you find the submission point, click on the assignment name.
  7. Click View instructions.
  8. Click Start submission.
  9. Either:
    1. Drag-and-drop the file you wish to upload into the space provided.
    2. Freely write your submission into the text box provided.
    3. Click within the text box and select the paperclip icon to browse files on your computer for upload.
  10. Edit your submissions file name, if you need to.
  11. Once you have uploaded a file/written a submission, you should see a preview of your work on the screen. If you are happy, click
    1. If you are submitting to a Turnitin-enabled submission point, you will receive a pop-up asking if you are happy to agree to the End User License agreement. Provided you are, click Submit.
  12. A pop-up should appear entitled Your submission was successful! This is an on-screen version of your submission receipt. This should also be emailed to the email account linked to your test student user (usually your UoB staff account). Click download to retain a copy.
  13. Log out of your Test Student User account.

Blackboard Online (Non-Anon/Group) (Ultra): 1.2: Optional configuration



Warning: Turnitin reports cannot be enabled if you are using group submissions.
  1. Navigate to the Assessment, Submission and Feedback area of the course.
  2. Locate the assessment sent from eVision. It will have the title that was entered into the eVision system. Once you have found it, click on it to enter.
  3. Click on the cog icon in the top-right corner of the screen to open the assignment settings.
  4. Scroll down to the Additional Tools section and click on Assign to groups under the Assigned groups
  5. In the next screen, click on the Group students drop-down and:
    1. If you have already created groups for this assessment, select from the Reuse groups
    2. Otherwise, choose between:
      1. Custom to manually choose how many groups to produce and which students you assign.
      2. Randomly assign to automatically create a set number of groups with students randomly assigned to them.
      3. Self-enrolment if students are allowed to choose which groups they are working with.

Regardless of which option you chose, you can manually move students between groups either by:

  1. Clicking on the icon next to a student’s name and choosing another group to move them to.
  2. 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.
  1. 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.
  2. Ensure that the visibility option in the top-right of the screen reads Visible to students.
  3. Click Save.


In some instances, it may be desirable to adjust when assessments are available to students. For example, to enable access after a certain date or only to a certain group.

  1. Navigate to the submission point.
  2. 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:
    1. Visible to students.
    2. Hidden from students.
    3. Release conditions

Select Release conditions, which will take you to a new screen.

  1. By default, your new rule will be called Rule # where # represents the number of rules applied to this assessment. For example, “Rule 1”. If you wish to change the name of the rule, click the name and enter text.
  2. Choose between:
    1. All members to control access for all students on the course.
    2. Specific members or groups to add specific students or students you have added to a Blackboard group.
  3. Toggle Date/Time option to expand more details.
  4. Click either and/or both:
    1. Access from: to choose the date and time the submission point should become visible to students.
    2. Access until: to choose the date and time the submission point should become invisible to students.
  5. 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.
  6. 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).


Info: Students will be prompted to accept Turnitin’s end-user agreement prior to submitting their work. This should be discussed with students ahead of the assessment.


Warning: Turnitin reports cannot be enabled if you are using group submissions (Assigned Groups).
    1. Navigate to the submission point in the Assessment, Submission and Feedback area of your Blackboard course.
    2. Click on the cog icon in the top-right corner of the screen to open the assessment settings.
    3. Scroll down to the Additional Tools section and click Enable Turnitin under the Originality Report header.


Warning: Configuration of similarity settings should be discussed with the academic/teaching lead.
  1. Configure the similarity check settings as desired. Recommended settings for most summative assessments and final submission points would be:
    1. Store student submissions in:
      1. 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.
      2. 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.


      Info: In most instances, all of the comparison options should be toggled ON.
    2. Compare submissions against:
      1. Student database (on) will check all submitted work against Turnitin’s repository of submissions from both Bristol and other institutions using Turnitin.
      2. Website content (on) will check all submitted work against Turnitin’s repository of website content.
      3. Periodicals, journals and publications (on) check all submitted work against Turnitin’s repository of published materials.
      4. Institution database (on) will check all submitted work against the University of Bristol’s local repository of materials.
    3. Similarity Report:
      1. 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.
      2. 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.
      3. 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.
    1. 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.
    2. Click Save.



Warning: Whilst delegated marking options exist in Blackboard, they present several issues for most workflows. Therefore, they are not recommended at this time.
  1. In the Blackboard course, navigate to groups from the top menu.
    1. 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.
  2. In the Group students option box, click the drop-down arrow and select either:
    1. Create custom groups to manually choose how many groups to produce and which students you assign.
    2. 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:

    1. Clicking on the “…” icon next to a student’s name and choosing another group to move them to.
    2. 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.
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Click save.
  4. Navigate to the Gradebook.
  5. Click on the cog icon to open the settings field.
  6. Scroll down to the Mark categories section and select Add new category.
  7. Enter the name of the assignment 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.

Blackboard Online (Non-Anon/Group) (Ultra): 1.1: Configure Assessment


If the assessment has been listed as a ‘BB submission’ in eVision, the Blackboard assignment 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.

For further advice on setting up assessments in eVision see the Bristol Education Administration Manual (BEAM).


    1. Navigate to the Assessment, submission and feedback area of the course.
    2. Locate the assessment sent from eVision. It will have the title that was entered into the eVision system. Once you have found it, click on it to enter.


Warning: It is important you do not change the assessment’s title whilst making configurations. Making changes to these details can impact mark extraction.
    1. If you wish to add information for students directly within the Blackboard Submission point, select the text box below Instructions, enter the information, then select Save. NOTE: this text does not appear as a description on the submission point. It is not recommended that this area be used for assessment-critical guidance (unless it is being managed as a part of a timed assessment). It is only visible once the student has clicked on the submission point and entered it. To add a description to your assessment, see point 12 below.
    2. Click on the cog icon in the top-right corner of the screen to open the assessment settings.The cog icon next to the Assessment Settings title inside a blackboard assessment
    3. It is recommended that the Due date section is not changed from defaults:


      Warning: It is important you do not change the assessment’s due date whilst making configurations. Making changes to these details can impact mark extraction.
      1. Prohibit late submissions should be left toggled off.
      2. Prohibit new attempts after due date should be left toggled off.
      3. Collect submissions offline is not used. Rather, if you have an offline submission, choose either “Physical (marks only)” or “No submission (marks only)” whilst creating the assessment in eVision.
      4. Allow class conversations should be toggled off.
    4. The Presentation Options section cannot be affected unless you add test-style questions to this assessment. It can be ignored for most assignment submission-based assessments.
    5. The Formative Tools section provides the option to toggle the Formative assessment. This MUST be left off for all summative assessments.
    6. In the Marking & Submissions section:
      1. Mark category should be left as Assignment
      2. Attempts allowed (recommended: 3 – may vary for local practice)
      3. Attempts to mark (recommended: Last attempt)
      4. Mark using (recommended: Points, unless using 21 point scale or a pass/fail model)
      5. Maximum points (recommended: 100)
      6. Under Anonymous marking, the option to Hide student names should be left toggled off. If you require anonymised submissions, please consider an alternative workflow.
      7. Evaluation options should not be altered from their default off settings:
      8. Two markers per student should be left toggled off.
        1. Peer review should be left toggled off.
        2. Delegated Marking should be left toggled off. If you require delegated marking, please refer to the Distributed Marking guidance below.
      9. Assessment mark provides the option to Post assessment marks automatically once marking and feedback have been input. This should be left toggled off to ensure students receive their feedback and grades simultaneously.
    7. The Assessment results section cannot be affected unless you add test-style questions. This section can be ignored for most assignment submission-based assessments.
    8. Under Assessment security, the option Add access code should not be activated.


Warning: Adding access codes will require the distribution of that code to all students taking the assessment. Due consideration must be made for accessibility restrictions when using this setting and the distribution of the code must be conducted so as to avoid any participating student being excluded.The DEO recommend against the use of access code restrictions
  1. Scroll to the Additional Tools section:
    1. The Time limit tools should not be used in most instances. The option to Add time limit will impose a limited submission time on students from the moment they first enter the submission point. If you would like to explore the use of this tool (perhaps for timed assessments), please contact the Ultra Project team via blackboard-ultra@bristol.ac.uk to discuss suitable configuration options.
    2. Click on Add marking rubric under Use marking rubric if you wish to add a marking rubric.
    3. The Goals & standards section and Align with goals option are not currently being used.
    4. If this assessment is a group submission, click on Assign to groups under Assigned groups. To configure group assessments further, please refer to ASSIGNED GROUPS (GROUP SUBMISSIONS) in the OPTIONAL CONFIGURATION (IN BLACKBOARD) section below.
    5. If you are intending to use Turnitin similarity and AI reports for this submission, click on Enable Turnitin under Originality Report. To configure Turnitin functionality, please refer to TURNITIN SIMILARITY AND AI REPORT in the OPTIONAL CONFIGURATION (IN BLACKBOARD) section below.
  2. Enter any information regarding this submission you want students to know in the Description field. This information is then displayed on the submission point itself before students click on and enter it to submit. This is a good location to reiterate critical pre-submission guidance specific to this assessment.
  3. Click Save
  4. Assignments 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).

Blackboard Online (Anonymous) (Ultra): 6: Accessing marks and feedback as a test student

Students can access their marks and feedback in Blackboard by:

  1. Log into Blackboard as your test student user.
  2. Then either:
    1. Click on My Marks in the Tools area of the home page and locate the assessment from the list.
    2. Navigate to the course where you submitted work, opening the Gradebook and locate the assessment from the list.
  3. Feedback can be viewed by clicking on the purple comment box in the Feedback column, then selecting the attempt.

Warning: Marks and feedback can only be viewed if the assessment remains unhidden.