Creating a Test in Blackboard 6

  1. If you want students to take a test on material covered in a learning module, you have several options:
    1. Create a test by adding your own questions.
    2. Create a test by drawing questions from a test pool that you created in the Control Panel Pool Manager.
    3. Create a test by drawing questions from a test pool that you imported into the Pool Manager from a publisher's test bank.
    4. Create a test by drawing questions from an existing test.

    For options a, b, c, or d above, continue with Step 2 below.

    1. Deploy (make visible and available to students) a test that you have already created in the Control Panel "Test Manager" or through the "Add Test" feature in the Assignments section of the course. If you want to deploy a test that you have already created, please read Deploying a Test in Blackboard 6.

    2. Deploy a test that you created in the Blackboard 5 "Assessment Manager." If your Blackboard 5 course was copied into a Blackboard 6 course, please consult How to Make a Blackboard 5 Quiz Available in Blackboard 6.

  2. If you are not already in the Control Panel, click the "Control Panel" link on the navigation frame in your course:

  3. Then click the "Assignments" link to enter the Assignments section if you want to deploy the test in a folder in that section.

  4. When the "Assignments" section appears, click the link to the folder where you will deploy the test:

  5. The "Module One" page will then appear:

  6. Click the "Test" icon, as displayed at the top of the preceding image, to create a test. The "Add Test" page will then appear:

  7. You will then click the "Create" button. When you do, the "Test Info" page will appear where you will add a short test title (that will also appear in the gradebook in the Assessment section of the Control Panel after you "deploy" the test), a test description, and instructions. Be sure to click the "Submit" button after you have entered text, as shown in the sample below:

  8. After you click the "Submit" button to create the test title, description, and instructions, then the "Test Canvas" page will appear for you to choose the type of questions you want to add to your test, such as multiple choice. If you have already created a pool of questions through the "Pool Manager" in the "Assessment" section of the Control Panel, you can create your test by drawing specific questions from a pool or several pools. You can also draw a number of questions at random from one or more pools.

  9. click the select box to choose the type of question or "Random Block" to create a test in which questions are selected a random from a pool or pools of questions.

  10. This feature ensures that each student receives a different test, even if you allow a student to repeat a test. Be sure to click the "Go" button that will display the "Add/Modify Random Black" page. Select the pool from which Blackboard will draw the questions and then the number of questions and point value of each question. Finally, click the "Import" button:

  11. You will be returned to the Test Canvas page where you can add more questions or modify the test by clicking on the appropriate button.

  12. If you click the "OK" button you will be returned to the folder that shows that the test has been created but not made available to students. To make it available, you would click the "Modify" button. If you do not want to make it available at this time, then you would click the "OK" button to return to the Control Panel or the link to the course at the top of the page to return to the course:

  13. If you click the "Modify" button, the "Modify Test" page will appear. If you want to modify the test name, instructions, or description, click the "Modify the test" link. If you want to make the test available to students, click the "Modify the test options" link:

  14. After you click the "Modify the test options" link, the "Test Options" page will appear, where you will need to complete four sections:
    • Test Information
    • Test Availability
    • Test Feedback
    • Test Presentation

    In the "Test Information" section, you should accept the default "No" and not launch the test in its own window unless your test contains images or other features that make it too large to be displayed inside the Blackboard course.

  15. The next step is to set the test availability. Check the option to make the link to the test visible so that students can take the test. If you want students to complete the test in one time period without being able to save the test and return to work on in later, check the "Force Completion" option. If you want the students to complete the test within a set period such as one hour, select the time. Students who exceed the time limit will not receive a grade until you check the test in your gradebook in the "Assessment" section of the Control Panel to determine if the amount exceeded was too much to count the test. If you want the test to be available for only a certain number of days or time within one day, check the "display after" and "display until" boxes and select the days and time. Set a password only if you are certain to remember the password. This option is best used in classroom settings when you do not want students to take the test until you are present in the room or in a lab setting where students are taking tests under supervision.

  16. In part 3 you will set the type of feedback that students will receive when they complete and submit the test. One option you have is to make only scores available to students until all students have completed the test. Then you can return to this section to modify the test options and make the "detailed results," "correct answers," or "feedback" available so that students will receive more detailed information about their test results.

  17. In part 4 you will determine the presentation of the test. Choose "all at once" so that students can scroll back and forth in the test to check their answers. Use the "one-at-a-time" option only when you want students to answer a question completely before proceeding without being permitted to check their answers. Be sure to check "randomize" if you want the test question order to be different for each student. Then click the "Submit" button to deploy (make available) the test.

  18. After you select all options, click the "Submit" button, and you will be returned to the "Modify Test" page. If you then click "OK," you will be returned to the Control Panel, or you can click the link to the course at the top of the page.

  19. Note: If a student is in the process of taking a test after you have made it "visible" to students, the "Lock" icon will show in your gradebook; however, if a student begins a test and does not complete it, then the lock will show in the gradebook and the student cannot re-enter the quiz to take it again. If you want the student to take the quiz again, you will have to clear the attempt.

    If the student's grade column displays the "locked" icon after several hours, then the student has probably made an error in submission that you cannot remove except by clicking the icon, entering a grade of a large number that the student will not mistake as a grade, such as 1000. Then you can click that grade of 1000, click the "view" button, and finally click the "clear attempt" button so the student can take the test again.


Introduction Add Folder Add Item
Add URL Link Add Course LinkAdd Learning Unit
Add Test Back to Blackboard Instructor Help
Make Blackboard 5 Quiz Available in Blackboard 6