Why should I create a Test online?

Blackboard has a number of tools in their Test feature to make testing online easier for faculty. The tests can be reused semester to semester and questions can be randomized to reduce cheating. Depending on the question types used creating an online exam in Blackboard means that the system grades the exam for you. Online tests can also be used as a sample or measure of student performance at the start of class or before an exam is given.

To Create a Test:

1. Enter your course by clicking its name in the My Courses module.

2. In the Control Panel, click Course Tools, a list of available tools will appear and you may need to scroll down. Click Tests, Surveys, and Pools.

3. On the right side of the screen you will see a page that will give you access to the Test, Survey and Pools sections in Blackboard. 

• Tests are assessments used to determine competencies and provide a grade.
• Surveys are polls and scales used to determine opinions.
• Pools are question banks that can be reused and used to set up tests.

Click on Tests.

The Tests Page will have a list of all the tests created in the class and their status as to when they were deployed for the class to take.

If this is your first test there will be nothing in this list. At the top of the page you will have two buttons:

• Build Test is used to create a test and set up questions and answers in Blackboard.
• Import Test can be used to import a test that has been set up in a format that Blackboard can read, some book companies use these formats and you can generate them in Respondus, a test building software as well.

4. Click on Build Test.

5. You are now on the Test Information page:

• This page requires that you give your new test a Name to continue creating it. The Name can be anything.
• Description is a place where you can put notes or more information for your class including chapters where the test information can be found.
• Instructions are a place where you can include additional test instructions; such as if the test can be taken multiple times or if there is a time limit.
• Description and Instructions will both appear at the top of the test as the student is taking it. 

Once you have completed these fields click Submit.

6. The Test Canvas page is where you begin to add your questions and build your test:

• Create Question lets you choose from different types of questions and build your test. These types include: Multiple choice, True/False, Matching, Ordering, Hot Spot, Fill in the Blank and more.
• Reuse Question lets you pull questions from other tests and pools that you previously created in Blackboard.
• Upload Questions lets you upload test questions from book companies and Respondus that have been set up in a format that Blackboard can read.
• Question Settings are options that allow you to change how your test will appear, for example if you would like to have images in your questions or answers the option must be checked off in Question Settings before creating the question.

Types of Questions:

There are 17 different types of test questions, and several ways to insert them into your test.

Most questions are graded automatically, but those denoted with an asterisk (*) below must be graded manually.

1. Calculated Formula: Consists of an equation. Variable values may be set to change for each student who takes the test.

2. Calculated Numeric: A fill-in-the-blank question that must be answered with a number.

3. Either/Or: Must be answered Yes/No, Agree/Disagree, Right/Wrong, or True/False.

4. *Essay: For lengthy written answers.

5. *File Response: Like an Essay question, but instead of typing into Blackboard, students upload a file (like Word or Excel). The instructor may then download the file to their computer. NOTE: Avoid using special characters (!,@,#,$,etc.) in your filename (Example: Exam#3.doc) because Blackboard cannot read them properly. If you upload a file whose name contains one of these characters, Blackboard will give an error and not let you access the file.

6. Fill in Multiple Blanks: Fill in more than one blank in the same sentence or paragraph.

7. Fill in the Blank: Fill in one blank in a sentence or paragraph.

8. Hot Spot: Upload an image and designate an area which must be selected in order to answer correctly. Example: Identify the stomach in a picture of the digestive system

9. Jumbled Sentence: Identify the correct word from a drop-down menu.

10. Matching: Match the items in column A with their counterparts in column B.

11. Multiple Answer: Similar to multiple choice, except more than one answer may be selected if applicable.

12. Multiple Choice: Select one correct answer from a group of potential answers.

13. Opinion Scale/Likert: Select an answer from a range of best to worst, most to least, etc. NOTE: Because this question type gauges opinion, we do not recommend it for graded tests. Use it in a survey, instead!

14. Ordering: Rearrange answers into a specific order.

15. Quiz Bowl: Answers must be phrased in the form of a question, like "Jeopardy!"

16. *Short Answer: Similar to an essay question, but shorter.

17. True/False