Adding Media to an Existing Blackboard Exam

The Respondus Authoring Tool enables instructors to add media to an existing Blackboard exam. To add media such as image files, audio, or video files to a Blackboard exam, instructors can download or retrieve the exam file from Blackboard to Respondus, add the media, and then re-publish the exam file to Bb.

Retrieving Exam Files from Blackbaord

To retrieve existing exam files from Bb and download them to Respondus, do the following.

• Open the Respondus Authoring Tool on your computer desktop
• Click on Retrieval & Reports
• Select Retrieve Questions
• Choose the server from the pull down menu (item #1)
• Select Use Current Settings (default) and Next
• Select the course where the exam you would like to change is located
• Select Exam (default) or Pool depending on whether the question file you wish to download is an exam or a pool
• Enter a name for the new file in text box #4
• Click Retrieve (Item #5. The status text box will display the status of the download. When you see Successfully Completed, (see below) you can then add media to the questions within Respondus

After you have downloaded or retrieved the file from Blackboard, the next step is to add media (audio) to the file.

To add media to the exam questions you retrieved from Blackboard, do the following:

• Click the Edit tab from the Respondus Authoring Tool
• Locate the questions you want to add media to from the Question List area at the bottom of the screen.
• Click on the hyperlink for the question you want to edit under the Title column.
• Select Modify from the Properties screen
• Add or Embed your media files within the exam question
• Save the question and repeat the process for each question you want to add media to

After the audio files have been embedded, you are ready to publish the exam to Blackboard. At this point, the publishing process is exactly the same as the publishing process for other exam question files.

You will need to check with a Testing Center staff member to find out what their process is for students taking secure exams with embedded audio or other media.

If you are an instructor at the PIN campus and need assistance embedding audio into a Bb exam, contact Jim Holzknecht at 223-8011, jholzkne@austincc.edu or contact an Instructional Development Specialist at an ACC campus near you.