Working with Pools within Blackboard

Respondus is the tool you will use to get question pools into Blackboard. However, once a pool of questions has been uploaded to Blackboard, they must be converted into a test and then made available to students. Question pools are a collection of test questions. Uploading Pools instead of Exams is preferred because with pools there is less risk of an instructor losing questions during the upload process.

To convert an uploaded question pool into an available exam within Blackboard, do the following:

1. Log into Blackboard
2. Select the course you uploaded the question pool to.
3. Select Control Panel.
4. Select Test Manager.
5. Click Add Test.
6. Type the Name of the test, description of the test and any instructions in the spaces provided.
7. Select Submit.
8. Choose the From an Question Pool or Assessment option from the Add pull down menu (upper left) on the Test Canvas screen.
9. Click GO.
10. Select the title of your question pool from the Search for Pools and Assessments list..
11. Check the All box.
12. Click Search.
13. Check the Select All box if you want to use all your questions within the pool or choose the ones you'd like to add here.
14. Submit to add the pool to the test you created.
15. Scroll down the list of questions to ensure they were all added correctly.
16. Select OK.
17. Select the Course Content folder you want to add the exam to. (Course Documents, Syllabus, Assignments, etc.). Note: It is recommended to create a content area called EXAMS and put all of your computer based exams in this folder. This will provide consistency for your students and will help them to locate exams more easily.
18. Select the + (Add) Test option
19. Choose your test from the pull down menu.
20. Click Submit
21. Click OK
22. Open Respondus on your desktop
23. Select the Preview & Publish tab
24. Click on the Update Settings tab
25. Choose the Blackboard server from the pull down menu
26. Select Use Current Settings option
27. Choose Next
28. Select the course where your exam is located
29. Select the exam from the pull down menu option list
30. Click the Settings button
31. Select the Require Respondus Lockdown Browser option
32. Click on the Publish New Settings. An Update Successfully completed message will be displayed in the text box.
33. Log in to Blackboard and select your course
34. Select Control Panel and click on the Exams button from the Course Content area. The title of your exam should be displayed with a "Requires Respondus Lockdown browser" appended to title of the exam. There should also be an Item is not available text message below the title of the exam.
35. Click Modify.
36. Select Modify the Test Options.
37. Select Yes in the Make the link available option.
    Note: Verify that the password box has been checked and that there is a system generated alpha-numeric value that has been automatically entered in the password text box. DO NOT CHANGE OR MODIFY THIS PASSWORD IN ANY WAY. If you modify this password, the exam will no longer be secure.
38. Choose Submit
39. Click OK.
40. Verify the exam has been added by going to the content area and viewing the test listed in the content area. The Item is not available text should no longer be visible. At this point you should be unable to access the exam using a convential browser. To verify that the exam is working correctly, you will need to log into your course and the exam using a Lockdown browser. The Testing Centers are the only locations which have the Respondus Lockdown browser. It is recommended that you verify the test is working correctly before you inform your students that the secure test is available.

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