Blackboard tests can be useful for both formative and summative assessments, but it is recommended to use tests only within a classroom setting for summative assessment. Blackboard tests do not have any proctoring tools built in such as tracking live person engagement. Students would therefore be able to access resources, communicate with others, or even have another person take the test for them in an online only test. Summative assessments using the test tool on Blackboard should be conducted in a face-to-face classroom scenario with formal invigilation.
It is possible to have artificial intelligence generate a set of questions in a test by providing either a topic or a specific piece of content from your Blackboard Course. As with all generated content, it is necessary to carefully check all questions and answers for accuracy, relevance, unambigious language, and a suitable level of difficulty for your needs. Artificial intelligence frequently makes mistakes. All generated questions can be manually edited. Learntech currently believe it is best to restrict the use of AI to generating questions for formative applications such as knowledge checks and revision aids, but again, accuracy should be examined carefully before releasing these to students.
This guide will first show the steps involved in setting up a basic test on NILE. There are also sections that detail some of the more advanced features available for tests which are recommeded for achieving the best possible outcomes when using tests for summative assessment. As always, please contact your subject's Learning Technologist to arrange a training session or further support if required.
As with all assessments, please ensure your tests are easy to find within the module. Summative tests should be made available to students within the 'Assessment and submission' area of the module. Formative tests may be best positioned near to relevant content such as at the end of a particular week or topic.
The Blackboard Learn help website provides good detail on how to create a simple test. Please follow the links at the end of this section to view their guidance. Please refer back to this guide to find out more on using tests, question banks, and question pools if you intend to create more than one test or wish to make use of these features to enhance the design of your tests.
The following video is also provided by the Blackboard team and demonstrates an overview of test features in a two minute screen recording.
When creating a test, there are numerous settings available to suit your needs. Below is a list of those settings, a brief description of each, and Learntech's recommendations on which options to choose for a standard summative assessment. Some of these options will depend on the particular design of your test. Please get in touch with your Learning Technologist if you are unsure about the suitability of any of these settings.
Access the full test settings by selecting the gear icon in the top right of the page:
| Due date | Set time | The due date and time should be set to the end of the allotted classroom time for the test, remembering to allow for students with additional time. |
|---|---|---|
| No due date | Do not tick | Not recommended |
| Prohibit late submissions | Tick | This will prevent students continuing the test after the allotted classroom time. |
| Prohibit new attempts after due date | Tick | This will be ticked automatically if the previous option was selected. It will prevent students from starting the test after the allotted classroom time. |
| Allow class conversations | Do not tick | Class conversations allow students an extra channel of communication which is to be avoided for this type of assessment. |
| Display one question at a time | Tick | It is generally recommended to display one question at a time to students to avoid overwhelming them with a long single page. Students are shown how many questions are available and given a navigation panel to move through each question quickly. |
|---|---|---|
| Prohibit backtracking | Do not tick | It is recommended to allow backtracking so that students can navigate freely between questions in the most efficient manner that suits them. An exception to this would be if your test is designed to build on previous questions. |
| Randomise questions | Tick | This is designed to mitigate copying from another student's screen. Note that this option will not be available for tests that only use question pools. |
| Randomise answers | Tick | This is designed to mitigate copying from another student's screen. Note that this option is only available for multiple choice style questions. |
| Randomise pages | Do not tick | It is generally recommended to display one question at a time. However, this option can be used for tests that have been designed with page breaks. |
| Do not randomise first page | Do not tick | It is generally recommeded to display one question at a time. However, this option can be used for tests that have been designed with page breaks where the first page is needed to be shown first, for example where it contains instructions for students. |
| Formative assessment | Do not tick | This is an indicator that the test is formative. This part of the guidance relates only to summative tests, so this option can be left unticked. |
|---|
| Mark category | Test (Default) | This can be left as the default category unless you make use of special categories on your course. |
|---|---|---|
| Attempts allowed | 1 (Default) | This can be left as the default value of 1. There are other mechanisms to allow further attempts if a student encounters problems - please see the related settings section for details. |
| Mark using | Percentage | All marks should be recorded as a percentage ready for recording in the student records system. |
| Maximum points | Default | The maximum points available is controlled by the scores set to each question. Check and edit the scores for each question if this value is different to what you had expected. |
| Hide student names | Do not tick | Not generally recommended. |
| Delegated marking | Do not tick | Not recommended. |
| Post assessment marks automatically | Do not tick | This option is to be avoided for summative tests so that greater control over the release of marks can be utilised. |
| Submission view | Hidden from students | Prevents students from viewing the test once it has been submitted. |
|---|---|---|
| Automated question feedback | Turned off | This will be turned off with the submission view set to Hidden. |
| Question scores | Turned off | This will be turned off with the submission view set to Hidden. |
| Correct answers | Turned off | This will be turned off with the submission view set to Hidden. |
| Access code | Set to required | The access code can be given out in the classroom once students have entered and given in their phones/devices. This prevents anyone outside of the classroom from taking the test on behalf of a student. |
|---|---|---|
| Time limit | Set a time limit and select automatic submission | Set the time limit here. This time limit is per student. The countdown begins when each student starts their attempt. The countdown is shown to students. The automatic submission option saves all progress at the end of the time limit and the student can no longer edit their answers. There are options available elsewhere on the course to override time limits for individual students - please see the related settings section of this guide for further information. |
| Goals and standards | Not used (Default) | The goals and standards feature is not used at UON. |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned groups | Not used (Default) | There are other methods for group assessments in NILE. |
| Originality report | Not enabled (Default) | This feature is currently unreliable for all possible content within a test. Consider using Turnitin instead if originality reports are required for your assessment. There are ways to use Turnitin for a timed assessment. Please speak to your Learning Technologist for more information. |