Creating A Blackboard Test

Blackboard has an in-built multiple choice question (MCQ) tool for delivering online formative or summative assessments. The MCQ tool supports a variety of question types, ranging from the popular multiple choice format to numerical and short answer questions (click here to see a full list of question types). The majority of the question types can be automatically graded for you and added to the grade centre area on blackboard.

This tool can be useful for do pulse-checks or more in depth investigation in to knowledge acquisition. This can be achieved by using a wide variety of question sets, including multiple choice, file submission and short/essay answer questions. This tool is at it’s most effective when the outcome of the MCQ’s are used to feedback and develop the learning and teaching input/output.

Blackboard contains tools to create online tests that you can use for either formative or summative assessment. There are a number of question types to choose from, ranging from the popular multiple choice format to numerical and short answer questions.

1. Navigate to the module site and content area you wish the students to access the test from.
2. Click Assessments tab along the top of the content area and choose Test.

3. Click on the Create button.

4. Type a name for the test and add a description. This is the description shown before the students click begin, you can add information to the Blackboard content item during the deployment process.
5. Add any instructions about the test. This can be for tutors deploying the test or notes for students to take the test.

6. With the test created now you can populate the test with questions.
7. Click on the Create Question tab and choose the type of question you would like to create from the list that appears.

8. Fill the information in relating to the question. The Question title is just naming the the question to find if you want to import the question into another test. You should write your question in the second larger box below labelled Question Text.

9. Next, amend the options presented to decide how the question should be presented, you should use a suitable answer numbering format for all the questions in a test. The answer orientation and partial credit can be left at the default setting. You may choose to randomise the order of the answers.

10. Select in the drop-down box the number of possible answers available to students in your multiple choice question, use the content editor to populate these. The circle check box next to the Answer 1, Answer 2 etc indicates which answer is correct.

11. If you are using only multiple choice questions, you may choose to provide automated feedback to students, this can be done on a binary level i.e. feedback for correct and incorrect answers, or individually (this needs to be enabled in the Question Settings). You will have the opportunity during test deployment to decide if students see this feedback after the test, or after the release of grades.

12. When you are happy with your question, you can click submit and create another to create another question of the same type, or click submit to return to the test canvas.

13. You will now see your question listed in the test canvas. You can update the number of points available for the question by clicking into the field in the top right of the question, you can also edit your question by clicking the chevron arrow next to the title.

14. Clicking OK will take you back to the first page. The test just created will now appear in the Add an Existing Test box highlighted. Click submit.