A SSESSMENTS PRESENTS

THWACK! BIG DADDY M MALCOLM HAYS Instructional Developer 5 years with EdTech WHO AM I?

TOPICS Introduction to Assessments Assignments Tests / Quizzes Surveys [NEW] Rubrics Discussion Board Respondus

I NTRODUCTION TO A SSESSMENTS Assessments include any content item that is tied to the Grade Center. –Assignments –Tests and Quizzes –Surveys –Discussion Board posts and forums –Blogs and Wikis

I NTRODUCTION TO A SSESSMENTS Removing an assessment from a content area deletes the associated Grade Center column. Assignments require manual grading. Tests and Quizzes are the same thing. –Quizzes are just short tests. –Tests can be automatically graded, but some questions may require manual grading (essay, fill-in- the-blank, short answer). Surveys are NOT graded but collected results can be viewed from Grade Center.

I NTRODUCTION TO A SSESSMENTS [NEW] Rubrics can be created and tied to specific assessments: –Assignments –Blogs & Wikis –Discussion Board posts Rubrics create a consistent and more objective framework for grading work. Rubrics can be made visible to students or used “behind the scenes” while grading.

A SSIGNMENTS Assignments can be added to any content area. –Default content area is “Assignments”. Must be graded manually. Adding an assignment automatically creates a Grade Center column. –Assignments have a point value. Can be downloaded in bulk for easy grading.

A SSIGNMENTS TIPS: DO NOT use special characters in Assignment names (e.g. Assignment #1). DO NOT allow students to use special characters in assignment submissions. –NO “Assignment #1.docx” DO use a naming convention for assignment submissions. –mhays_Assignment_1.docx –HAYS_M_Assignment_1.docx

A SSIGNMENTS Adding an Assignment: Navigate to content area. Select Assessments. Click Assignment. Type in a Name. Type in special instructions. Browse for any additional files required for assignment. –Multiple files can be linked to an assignment

A SSIGNMENTS Adding an Assignment: Type in Points Possible. –This can be “0” to account for extra credit. Add a Rubric if desired. Choose availability options. Choose number of attempts. Select a Due Date. –Students can still submit after due date, but assignment will be marked as “Late”.

A SSIGNMENTS Adding an Assignment: Select recipients. –Can give Groups of students unique assignments. Click Submit when finished.

A SSIGNMENTS Downloading Assignments in Bulk: In the Control Panel, select Grade Center. Click Full Grade Center. Click the arrows in the column header for the assignment. Select Assignment File Download. Select the checkboxes for each student. Click Submit.

A SSIGNMENTS Downloading Assignments in Bulk: Click Download Assignments Now. Save the assignment ZIP file to a convenient location (e.g. S: drive). Click OK to return to Grade Center. ZIP file must be unpackaged to extract the collected files. –Windows XP/Vista/7 has built-in “Compressed (zipped) Folders” utility

T ESTS / Q UIZZES Tests and quizzes use the same mechanism in Blackboard. –Quizzes are usually shorter than tests and worth less points. Creating tests is a two stage process: –Build the test environment. –Deploy the test in the appropriate content area. Tests can only be deployed in one place at a time.

T ESTS / Q UIZZES Questions can be built directly in the test or can come from Pools. Pools of questions can be reused in multiple tests. Both Pools and Tests can be imported from other courses. –Pools and Tests can be created in third-party software (like Respondus and Diploma) and imported as well.

T ESTS / Q UIZZES Building a Test: Under Course Tools of the Control Panel, click Tests, Surveys, and Pools. Click Tests. Click Build Test. Type in a Name, Description, and Instructions. Click Submit.

T ESTS / Q UIZZES Adding Questions: Select Create Question and choose a question type. –Options will vary based on question type. –All questions require a point value (“0” is acceptable). –Can add Feedback. –Text-based questions must be graded manually (Essay, Short Answer, Fill-in-the- Blank, etc.).

T ESTS / Q UIZZES Adding Questions: Select Reuse Question and choose one of the options: –Create Random Block: picks questions at random from a pool. –Find Questions: Search for specific questions. Continue adding questions until test is finished.

T ESTS / Q UIZZES Deploying a Test: Navigate to a content area –e.g. Assignments Select Assessments and click Test. From the Add Test list, select the desired test. Click Submit.

T ESTS / Q UIZZES Deploying a Test: Make sure test link is AVAILABLE. Choose additional availability options: –Multiple attempts (default is 1) –Force completion (NOT recommended) –Timer Can be set to auto-submit when time runs out –Date and Time availability –Password

T ESTS / Q UIZZES Deploying a Test: Choose assessment options. –Test results can be hidden from instructor. Select feedback options. Select presentation options. –Questions can be randomized to mitigate cheating.

S URVEYS Creating a survey is almost identical to creating a test. Surveys are anonymous. –Only collected responses can be viewed. Surveys are NOT graded, but Grade Center will still indicate who took the survey. Cannot use Random Blocks of questions. –Can still reuse questions from tests and pools.

S URVEYS View Survey Results: Go to Grade Center. Click double-arrows in column header for survey. Click Attempts Statistics. –Shows % of students who gave each response to each question. –Open ended questions (e.g. Comments) are posted below anonymously.

R UBRICS Can be used as a “checklist” for project/paper requirements. May be hidden from students or made visible to students before/after grading. Rubrics can be attached to Assignments, Discussion Board posts, Blogs, and Wikis. Rubrics can be reused or modified from an existing Blackboard rubric.

R UBRICS Creating a Rubric: First, the ability to add Rubrics must be turned on. Click Customization in the Control Panel. Click Tool Availability. Select checkbox next to Rubrics in first column. Click Submit.

R UBRICS Adding a Rubric: Click Course Tools in Control Panel. Click Create Rubric. Select Create New Rubric. Type in a Name and a Description.

R UBRICS Adding a Rubric: Fill in the boxes with your desired Rubric information. –Row weights must add up to 100%. –Various ways of assigning points to columns. –Additional rows and columns can be inserted. –Criteria for rows and columns can be edited. Click Submit when finished.

R UBRICS Adding a Rubric: When creating an Assignment: Under the Grading section for the assignment, click Add Rubric. Select Create New Rubric. Type in a Name and a Description. Fill in the boxes with desired Rubric information. Click Submit when finished.

D ISCUSSION B OARD Discussion Board posts can be graded by forum or by thread. Option is chosen when forum is created. Can be changed later. EdTech recommends using a grading rubric for grading discussion forum posts. –More consistent grading between threads. –Students more confident they are being graded fairly.

D ISCUSSION B OARD Grade Forum: Creates Grade Center column. Graded with a single grade like other assessments.

D ISCUSSION B OARD Grade Thread: Creates Grade Center column. Grade button appears next to thread in forum. –Must be in thread to see button. –Click Grade button, type in points, and click Submit. Click Grade Thread to begin grading.

D ISCUSSION B OARD Grade Thread: Click action link next to student’s username and select Grade. Review student’s contributions. Type in a Grade and click OK. Grade now shows up in Grade Center.

R ESPONDUS Test creation software compatible with Blackboard and other LMS’s. Can import questions directly from a properly-formatted Word file (or other text file). Can export directly to one course or several courses as a test, survey, or pool. Many different print options for additional flexibility.

R ESPONDUS Allows for images and equations to be embedded in questions. All Blackboard test settings can be configured in Respondus. Questions can be pulled from Blackboard. Textbook companies may have Respondus packages. Respondus is available for all instructors. –Contact EdTech for more details.

P ROBLEMS WITH B LACKBOARD ? Contact the Help Desk at (573) 341-HELP or online at Please have the following information available: –Which Operating System are you using? –Which Web Browser are you using? –What is the Course ID / Reference Number / Instructor of the course that you are having problems with? What steps did you go through when the problem occurred? Blackboard Support Information can be found online at:

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