Using Assessments

Assessment can be used very effectively in the formative stage of the student's learning. In a face to face class, you have the opportunity to give students feedback on their progress.

Well designed online assessment can do the same thing for distance learning students. The main advantage of online assessment is that you, the teacher, can design frequent, short self-assessments so that students can monitor their own learning. The computer can truly serve as a tutor, as the correct feedback can be programmed into the assessment, and thus the teacher does not have to individually evaluate each response for dozens of students. Results for assessments are automatically entered into the Blackboard Gradebook upon completion.

• Creating a Test with the Test Canvas
• Use the Pool Manager to share tests across Rubrics
• Making a Test Available (deploying a test)
• Best Practices

To begin your test creation, click on the content area in blackboard where you wish to add a test. Click the Edit View button on the right side of the content area page.

Then click the option on the panel.

Next your will be prompted to enter the Test Information which includes the Name, Description and Instructions for your test. Click submit and OK when finished entering this information.

Creating a Test with the Test Canvas

The next screen is the Test Canvas, where you will add all the questions you want included in your assessment. For each question, pull down to the type of question you wish to add. There is a large variety of question-types to choose from.

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Next, enter the Question Text.

Then type in the correct answer and the distracters. Make sure you click the button next to Correct for the correct answer.

Repeat this process until all questions and answers have been added.

To make a test available to multiple rubrics (such as Gov1301 and 1302 classes, choose the Pool Manager from the Control Panel to create your test.Using the Pool Manager allows you to create a test bank of questions.

Questions can then be "pulled into" assessments for different courses. There is no need to do this if you only teach one rubric (such as a 1301 class ). Tests can always be shared between synonyms of identical rubrics (such as 2 1301 classes). Questions cannot be shared between a 1301 and a 1302 class, unless they are created using the Pool Manager.

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Deploying a Test

Once a test has been created, it must be deployed, that is, made available to your students. This is a two step process so that you can create tests ahead of time, but only make them available when you are ready for students to view them.

After a test has been created, it will appear in the box when you choose .

Choose the Test you wish to deploy and click submit. The following screen will display:

Choose Modify the Test options. There are several very important choices to make on the next screen which is shown below. Opening Test in new window allows a student to easily return to the site when they finish. You MUST click Make the link available in order for students to be able to view the test.

The default setting allows students only ONE attempt at this test. You must click Allow multiple attempts if you want them to be able to retake the assessment. Force Completion means that students cannot start the test, stop and then come back to it. Finally, the default setting does not restrict the amount of time a student has, so you must designate, by choosing Set timer, if you want to limit the amount of time a student has to take your assessment.

Click here to download a document listing all of the Testing Options

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Best Practices

Remember, tests administered through Blackboard are not proctored or "secure" so these assessments most likely should be viewed as practice with feedback opportunities. Setting a time limit, disallowing multiple attempts and requiring one sitting (forced completion) will eliminate time a student has to refer to textbooks or notes.

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