Blackboard

User Guide for Blackboard

Prepared By

Dr. Hoda Elebiary

Assistant Professor
College of Nursing
Dammam University

Blackboard
Getting Started
An instructor has two options for viewing a course. By default a course is set to Edit Mode:
Off. This is a student's view of a course. In this view an instructor will not see empty Content
Areas or any of the editing tools in the course menu. To start editing your site the Edit Mode
button must be switched to On. In this tutorial you will learn how to turn Edit Mode: On.

1. To start editing your
Blackboard site click
the Edit Mode: button.

Blackboard Control Panel
In this tutorial you will learn how to use the new Blackboard Control Panel.

The Control Panel is
located In the
navigation bar on the
left, below the course
menu buttons.
The Control Panel
consists of 6 sections.
Click the double down
arrow to open any of
the menu items.

Course Tools includes the communication tools, Faculty
Information section (Contacts), building blocks (Final Grade
Submission, DIIA Scanned Results), test manager, survey
manager, and pool manager.

Evaluation includes the Grade Center, Performance
Dashboard, tracking reports, and the Early Warning System.

Users and Groups includes the group tool, adding,
removing, and listing users.
Note: When listing students make sure to choose Not blank
in the Starts with pull down menu.

Customization includes the properties of your course site.
You can change the style of your course, guest access, or
remove any tools from student view.

Package and Utilities includes the course copy tool, import,
export, and archive tools.

Help includes the links and contact information for help.

Displaying courses on My Blackboard
In Blackboard, users may choose not to display courses from previous semesters on their My
Blackboard page. In this tutorial, you will learn how to navigate to the Customize My Courses
page and edit your display options.
The following tutorial begins on the My Blackboard page, which appears when you first log in
to Blackboard.

1. In the My Courses
section, click on the
Edit icon in the top
right corner.

2. On the Customize
My Courses page, in
the Display Course
column click on the
selection boxes to
choose which courses
will display on your My
Blackboard page. A
checked box means
the course will be
displayed. An
unchecked box means

the course will not be
displayed.

3. Click the Submit button to finish editing your displayed courses.

Course Management
Adding an item
Blackboard allows users to upload files to many different content areas. In this tutorial you'll
learn how to navigate to the content areas in Blackboard, and how to name, classify, and
upload your file. You can find more information about the variety of file types that are allowed
by clicking here.

1. Make sure your Edit
Mode: button is
switched to ON and
select a Content Area.
(Assignments, Course
Documents, etc.)

2. Select the Create
Item button.

3. In the Content
Information section,
type a Name and list
any details/instructions
in the text box
provided.

4. To add a document
from your computer, in
the Attach Content
section, click on the
Browse button next to
Attach Local File.

5. In the browse dialog
box, select your file,
and click the Open
button.

6. In the Options
section select the
availability, tracking
option, and date/time
restrictions and click
Submit.

Customize Menu
When you enter your Blackboard course you are presented with a list of links in the navigation
menu on the left side of the page. Instructors can modify these links by changing the link
names or eliminating unused links. Instructors have the option to include up to 10 different
areas for each course.
The Course Menu may contain any of the following types of links:

 Content Areas that hold course information such as Course Documents or
Assignments.
 Tool Links which link to anyone of Blackboard tools such as the discussion board or
the chat tool.
 External Links which link to URLs outside of the course.
 Course Links which link to other areas within the course.
 Sub Headers that allow you to catagorize the menu.
 Dividers that allow you to divide your menu.
In this tutorial you will learn how to add, modify, and remove menu items.

Adding Menu Items

Mode: button is
switched to ON and
click the + button in the
top left corner of your
menu.

Modifying, Removing, and Hiding Menu Items

Mode: button is
switched to ON and
click the double down
arrows next to the
menu item. You have
the option of renaming,
hiding, or deleting the
item.
Note: If you remove a
Content Area all of its
contents are deleted.

Moving Menu Items

Mode: button is
switched to ON and
click and drag the
arrow icon to the left of
the menu item to the
desired location.

Copy Course
Using Blackboard at UT Austin, only instructors of record are able to copy materials from their
previous courses. Teaching Assistants are unable to perform this function. In this tutorial,
you will learn how to copy materials FROM a previous course INTO a new course. You must
have an Instructor role in both courses to use this feature.

1. In the Control Panel
area under the
Package and Utilities
section of the OLD
course, click on
Course Copy.

2. In the Select a
Course section, click
on the Browse button.

3. Scroll down the list
and select the course
to copy to. Click
Submit.
If you have many
courses, you can enter
the unique number of
the destination course

in the Search area and
click on the Search
button. When the
search results are
returned click on the
Select button and then
click Submit.

4. In the Select
Course Material
section, select the
course material you
want copied. DO NOT
select Enrollments.

5. Click the Submit
button to complete the
course copy.

6. You will receive a confirmation message by e-mail when the course copy is complete.

Combining Blackboard sites with CLIPS
The CLassroom Information PageS (CLIPS) have a tool that allows instructors to combine
individual course sections into a single Blackboard course. In this tutorial you will learn how to
access your course CLIPS site through UTDirect, and how to use the Class Set-Up tool to
combine your courses.

1. To begin, go to the
UT home page at
http://www.utexas.edu
. Click on the UTDirect
logo at the bottom of
the page.

2. Scroll down to
CLIPS Inline Menu
and verify that all
unique numbers to be
combined are
displayed. Note: If you
do not see your Inline
Menu, follow the steps
outlined in this FAQ. If
any unique numbers
are not listed, please
contact your
departmental
representative. If you
need further
assistance, contact Jim
Whitten at the Office of
the Registrar at 475-
7660, or by email at
ljw@mail.utexas.edu.
Click on the unique
number of the primary
course.

3. In the left-hand
navigation, scroll down
to Class Set-Up area
and then click on
Associated Classes.

4. In the Add/Remove
Associated Classes
area, select the
secondary courses to
be combined in
Blackboard and then
click Submit Changes.

5. The changes will be reflected in the next data feed, usually on the next business day.

Import Archive
If you have archived a previous course site and want to import this material into an existing
course, follow these steps. Do NOT unzip the downloaded file because you will be using the
.zip file during the import process.

area under the
Package and Utilities
section, click Import
Package/View Logs
and then click Import
Package button.

2. To add your archived
file from your computer,
in the Select a
Package section click

3. In the File Upload
dialog box, select your
.zip file and click the
Open button.

4. In the Select
Course Materials
section, select the
materials to include in
the import process.

5. Click the Submit button, at the lower right, to finish the import process.

User Management

In this tutorial you'll learn how to navigate to the Enroll User area, and how to search for and
add a specific user. Before attempting to add a user, confirm that the user is not already
enrolled in your class.
To list all users, from the Users page enter the symbol % into the search box and click Go.
This action will usually be performed when adding a teaching assistant, a course builder, a
grader, or a guest to the course. In these instances, after you have added the user, you will
also need to modify the role of the user. You can find instructions on how to do this in the
Modifying a User tutorial.

area select Users and
Groups and click
Users .

2. Select Enroll User.

3. Enter individual's
EID username, select a
role, and then click
Submit. You can enter
multiple users by
seperating the EID
usernames with a
comma (no spaces
between the username
and comma).
Note: Users are
enrolled with a Course
role of Student by
default.

In this tutorial you'll learn how to navigate to the List/Modify Users area, how to select the
user to be modified, and how to change the user's role .

area select Users and
Groups and click
Users .

2. Enter the individual's
username in the search
box and click Go.
Note: You can search
by Last name, First
name, or email address
using the Username
pull down menu. You
can also List All Users
by entering a % in the
search box and clicking
Go.

3. Click the double-
down arrows next to
the person's name and
select Change User's
Role in Course.

4. Select a role option
and click Submit.
Available roles are:
 Student: User
is able to
access all
available
Course content
and will be
graded on
Assessments.
 Instructor:
User is able to
control all
aspects of the
Course through
the Control
Panel.
 Teaching
Assistant:
User is able to
control most
aspects of the
Course through
the Control
Panel.
 Course
Builder: User
is able to add
content to the
Course through
the Control
Panel.
 Grader: User
is able to

access all
areas under
Assessments.
 Guest: Guests
are able to
view areas of
the Course, but
cannot
participate in
any way.

How do I access my CLIPs menu?
The CLIPs inline menu is usually located at the bottom of your UT Direct Home page. If you
can't locate it there follow these steps to access your menu.
Any questions regarding CLIPs should be sent to the Office of the Registrar.

1. To begin, go to the
UT home page at
http://www.utexas.edu.
Click on the UTDirect
logo at the bottom of
the page.

2. Scroll down to
CLIPS Inline Menu
and click on the unique
number of the primary
course.
Note: If you do not see
your Inline Menu, click
on Sitemap >
Academics >
Classroom
Information pages.

3. In the left-hand
navigation, scroll down
to the Instructor Info
area and then click on
the Authorize
Assistants link.

4. In the text box
provided, enter the
TA's EID username. If
you do not know your
TA's EID, you will first
need to click on the
EID Search Page link.

5. Click on the Update
Authorization button.

6. Assistants authorized through CLIPS will be listed as Teaching Assistants in Blackboard.
The changes will be reflected in the next data feed, usually on the next business day. If you
DO NOT want an individual to have TA access to your Blackboard course, you may give them
student access by using the Enrolling a user tutorial.

Communication tools

 Using the Collaboration tool

Using Blogs & Journal

Blogs and journals
Blogs and journals enable public reflection with peer review and private reflection with teacher
review.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to navigate to the Course Tools area, create a blog and
make it available to students.

Mode: button is
switched to ON.

2. Click Course Tools from the Tools area.

3. Click Blogs.

4. Click Create Blog.

5. Enter a Name for the blog.

6. Enter any specific Instructions in the text box.

7. Click Yes to make the blog available to users.

8. Use the Display After and Display Until date and time fields
to Limit Availability of the Blog. Click both the Display After
and Display Until checkboxes in order to enable the date and
time selections.

9. Determine the Blog Participation by clicking Individual to
All Students or Course.

10. Choose between Monthly or Weekly index entries.

11. Click the checkbox to Allow Users to Edit and Delete
Entries.

12. Click the checkbox to Allow Users to Delete Comments.

13. Click Submit.

Grade Center

Adding a column
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Grade Center and add a column.

1. Scroll down to the
Contol Panel section,
click on Evaluation,
and select Grade
Center.

2. Click the < to the
right of the course
menu to expand your
Grade Center page.

3. On the Grade
Center page, on the
top left, click on the
Create Column button.

4. In the Column
Information area,
enter a Column Name
in the text box
provided, and a Grade
Center Display Name
(This is optional and
will only display in the
Grade Center).

5. Select a Primary
Display (Grades must
be entered based on
this selection and will
display in this format in
the Grade Center and
My Grades) and a
Secondary Display
(optional). The
Secondary Display is
denoted by
parentheses. Choose a
Category, and assign
the number of Points
Possible.

6. In the Dates section,
set the due date.

7. Choose your
Options for this
column (Any options
referencing My Grades
is referring to the
student view), and click
Submit.

Adding Grades to the Grade Center
There are 2 options for entering grades in the Grade Center. Option A allows you to enter or
change a grade on the Grade Center spreadsheet. This option is recommended if you're
entering grades for an entire class. Option B allows you to enter a grade for one student and
view the Grade History.

and select Grade
Center.

right of the course
menu to expand your
Grade Center page.

Option A: Entering
grades directly on
the spreadsheet
1. On the Grade
Center page, click on
the first cell in the
column. Enter a new
grade or edit an
existing grade and
press Enter (Pressing
Enter saves the grade
and moves your cursor
to the cell below).
Note: Any changes
made to a grade is
recorded and shown in

the Grade History.

Options B: Entering
grades using Grade
Details
1. On the Grade
Center page, mouse
over the grade cell to
view the double down
arrows.

2. Click the double
down arrows in the
grade cell and select
View Grade Details.

3. Click the double
down arrows under
Value and select Edit
Grade to enter a grade
and comments.

4. Enter a Value,
Feedback to User,
and click Save to post
the grade.

The Grade Center gives instructors more flexibility. Organizing the Grade Center allows you
to show/hide columns, re-order columns, and freeze columns. In this tutorial you will learn
how to organize the Grade Center.
Click here to learn how to enter grades into the Grade Center.

Showing and hiding
columns in the
Grade Center
1. On the Grade
Center page, mouse
over the Manage tool
and select Column
Organization.

2. On the Column
Organization page,
use the check box to
the left of the column
name to select the
column(s).

3. Mouse over the
Show/Hide tool and
select your desired
option. Click Submit to
view the changes in the
Grade Center.
Note: Hiding columns
on this page does not
hide it from the student
view. You must modify
the grade column and
select No for the Show
in My Grades option.

Moving columns in the Grade Center

1. On the Column
Organization page,
click and drag any part
of the row up or down
in the list. Click Submit
to view your changes in
the Grade Center.

Freezing columns
in the Grade Center
1. On the Column
Organization page,
under Show in All
Grade Center Views,
click and drag the grey
bar below any columns
you want frozen. Click
Submit to view your
changes in the Grade
Center.

Weighting Grades
The Weighted Total column is a calculated column that can include columns or categories. (if
you've specified categories for your columns)
In this tutorial you will learn how to create a final grade based on the grades you've entered in
your gradebook.

1. On the Grade
Center page click the
double down arrows
next to the Weighted
Total column and
select Edit Column
Information.

Select Column
section, choose which
columns or categories
to include in the
weighted grade, and
click the > icon to move
it to the Selected
Columns: box.
Note: If you have more
than 1 column in a
category such as
multiple homework
assignments, we
recommend using
categories to weight
your grades.

3. Enter your percentages in the
boxes provided under the
Selected Columns: box. Total
weight must equal 100% for the
system to calculate correctly.
Note: Dropping the lowest
grade is only available when a
category is used.
 "Equally"
means that
each item in the
category gets
the same
portion of that
category's
percentage, i.e.
if "Exams" is
worth 20% of
the final grade
and you have
two exams,
each is worth
10% of the final
grade, period.
 "Proportionally
" means that
within the
category, items
that are worth
more points get
a bigger chunk

of the overall
percentage for
that category,
i.e. for the
situation above,
if one of the two
exams was
worth 30
possible points
and the other
was worth 10
possible points,
the 30-point
exam would be
worth 15% of
the final grade
and the 10-point
exam would be
worth 5%.

4. Select Yes or No for
the Calculate as
Running Total option.
If Yes is select, a - in
the gradebook is not
calculated. If No is
selected a - is
calculated as a 0.

5. Scroll to the bottom
of the page and click
Submit.

Download Grade Center Spreadsheet
In Blackboard, the grade book for each course can be downloaded, edited in a spreadsheet
program, and uploaded with the new information. Note: For best results, Instructors should
manipulate and upload a Gradebook that has been downloaded from the Blackboard

Learning System. It is not advised that Instructors create a new Gradebook from scratch then
upload it. You can find the tutorial for uploading a Blackboard Gradebook here.
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Grade Center, and how to download a
Blackboard grade book spreadsheet.

area, click on
Evaluation and then
Grade Center.

2. On the View
Spreadsheet page,
click on the Offline
button on the far right
and then click on
Download.

3. On the Download
Grades page, click
Submit to download
the full Grade Center
spreadsheet as a tab-
delimited file.

4. Click the Download button. When the Save As dialogue box opens, name the file, and
click the Save button to finish downloading your grade book.

Upload Grade Center Spreadsheet
In Blackboard, the grade book for each course can be downloaded, edited in a spreadsheet
program, and uploaded with the new information. Note: For best results, Instructors should
manipulate and upload a Gradebook that has been downloaded from the Blackboard
Learning System. It is not advised that Instructors create a new Gradebook from scratch then
upload it. You can find the tutorial for downloading a Blackboard Gradebook here.
PC Users: The process works best if you save the file in Excel as .csv (comma-separated
values) and use Internet Explorer to upload the file.
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Grade Center, and how to upload a
Blackboard grade book spreadsheet.

area, click on
Evaluation and then
Grade Center.

2. On the View
Spreadsheet page,
click on the Offline
button on the far right
and then click on
Upload.

3. On the Upload
Gradebook page, in the
Choose File section,
click the Browse
button.

dialogue box select
your grade book file,
and click the Open
button. Then click the
Submit button.

5. On the Upload
Grades Confirmation
page, click on the radio
button to the left to
choose the grade
column you wish to
upload from the file.

6. Click Submit.

Assignment Tools

Adding an assignment
The Assignment Manager allows you to create an assignment that automatically becomes an
item in your Gradebook. Students complete this assignment in a separate file and

electronically send it back to you through the Course Menu. You may then download these
files from the Gradebook and review them, before assigning a grade. The Assignment
tutorials will guide you through this process.
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Content Areas and add an Assignment to
your course.

Mode: button is
switched to ON and
Documents, etc.)

2. Click the Evaluate
button and select
Create Assignment.

3. In the Assignment
Information section,
type a Name and list
any instructions in the
text box provided.

4. In the Assignment
Files section, use the
Browse button to attach
any files needed for the
assignment.

5. In the Grading
section, assign the
number of Points
Possible in the text box
provided.

6. In the Availability
section, set the
availability, Number of
Attempts, Availability
Dates, and tracking
options.

7. In the Due Dates
section, set the due
date. Note:
Submissions are
accepted after this
date, but are marked
Late.

8. In the Recipients
section, choose
whether this
assignment is assigned
to individual students or
groups of students.
You must have groups
created to use the
Groups of Students
option. Note: The group
option allows for one
user in the group to
submit the assignment.
It also allows the
instructor to enter 1
grade for the entire
group.

9. Click the Submit
button to finish adding
the assignment.

In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Assessment area and access an
Assignment from the Gradebook.

click the Evaluate link,
and select Grade
Center.

right of the course
menu to expand your
Grade Center page.

3. On the Grade
Center page click the
double down arrows
next to the assignment
name.

4. In the pull down
menu select
Assignment File
Download.

5. On the Download
Assignment page,
select the files to
download by clicking
on the selection boxes
to the left of the student
names or by using the
Select All or Select
Ungraded options.
Then click the Submit
button.

6. On the Download
Assignment page, use
the download
assignments now link
to save the files to your
personal computer.
You may unzip the files
by using compression
software such as
WinZip, Stuffit, or
WinRar. You can
download Aladdin
StuffIt Expander from
the BevoWare site.

In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Grade Center and enter grades for an
Assignment.

click the Evaluate link,
and select Grade
Center.

right of the course
menu to expand your
Grade Center page.

3. On the Grade
Center page, mouse
over the grade cell to
view the double down
arrows.

4. Click the double
down arrows and select
View Grade Details
from the drop down
menu.

5. On the Grade
Details page, under
the Attempts section,
click the Action Link
(double down arrows)
located next to the !,
and select Open
Attempt.

6. On the Grade
Assignment page, in
the Grade Current
Attempt section,
assign a Grade, enter
your feedback in the
Comments text box,
and use the Browse
button to attach
documents to be
returned to the
student. The
Instructor Notes
section can only be
used and viewed by
instructors, TA's, and
graders.
Click the Submit
button to assign the
grade.

7. Back on the Grade
Details page, use the
Jump to User: pull
down menu to move to
another student.

Clearing an attempt
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Assessment area and clear an attempt to
allow a student to resubmit an assignment.

4. Click the double
down arrows and select
View Grade Details
from the drop down
menu.

5. On the Grade
Details page, under
the Attempts section,
click the Action Link
(double down arrows)
located next to the !,
and select Clear
Attempt.
Note: You have the
choice of clearing the
student's attempt or
Allowing Additional
Attempts. If you allow
Addition Attempts, you
will have a record of all
submitted files.

Assessment Tools
An assessment is a series of questions an instructor presents to students. The purpose of the
assessment can be to evaluate concepts, provide drill and practice exercises, perform opinion
polls or administer course evaluations.

Types of Assessments
There are two assessment options to choose from:
Survey: The survey option creates assessments that record answers anonymously. Use this
when you want to perform opinion polls or course evaluations. Survey results are non-graded
and anonymous.
Quiz/Test: In the quiz/test option, you can assign point values to each question. Student
answers can be submitted for grading, and the results are recorded under each student entry
in the gradebook. The new version also has the option to randomize the answers in multiple
choice questions.

Types of Questions
There are seven basic types of questions you can use in assessments. These include:

 Multiple Choice
 True False
 Fill in the Blank
 Multiple Answer
 Ordering
 Matching
 Essay
Samples of these question types are available.
In addition, there are ten new questions types:

 Calculated Formula
 Calculated Numeric Response
 File Response
 Hot Spot
 Fill in Multiple Blank
 Jumbled Sentence
 Opinion Scale / Likert
 Short Answer
 Either / Or
 Quiz Bowl

 The Assessment tools allow you to create tests and surveys that automatically
become an item in your Gradebook. Students complete these assessments and
submit them through Blackboard.
 In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Test Manager area and create a
test.




click on Course Tools,
and select Test,
Surveys, and Pools.



2. On the Test,
Surveys, and Pools
page click Tests.



3. On the Tests page
click the Build Test
button.



4. On the Test
Information page,
enter a Name, a
Description, and
Instructions in the text
boxes provided. Click
Submit to continue



5. On the Test Canvas
page, mouse over
Create Question and
select a question. For
the purposes of this
tutorial, select Multiple
Choice.



6. On the Create/Edit
page, enter the
Question Text and a
Point Value in the text
boxes provided.
Note: If Extra Credit is
selected points are
added to the score if
the question is
answered correctly; no
points are taken away if
the questions are
answered incorrectly.



7. In the Answers
section, select the
Number of Answers
from the drop down
menu. Enter the text for
the Answer choices in
the text boxes
provided, and
designate the Correct
answer by clicking on
the radio button to the
left of the appropriate
Answer box.



8. In the Feedback
section, enter the text
for a Correct and
Incorrect Response.
Click the Submit button
to finish adding your
question.



9.Click the Submit

your question.



10. You are returned to
the Test Canvas page.
You can add another
question, choose a
different question type,
modify or remove an
existing question, or
change the order in
which the questions are
presented. When you
have finished creating
your quiz, you can use
the next tutorial:
Making your test
available.

The Assessment tools allow you to create tests and surveys that automatically become an
item in your Gradebook. Students complete these assessments and submit them through
Blackboard.
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to one of the Test area and make a test available.

Mode: button is
switched to ON and
Documents, etc.)

2. Mouse over
Evaluate and select
Create Test.

3. On the Add Test
page, select the test
you want to make
available from the
existing test menu,
then click on the
Submit button.

4. On the Test Options
page, scroll down to
the Test Availability
section. On the first
option, "Make the link
available" select the
Yes radio button. We
strongly recommend
against checking the
Force Completion
box.

5. Choose from the
remaining options for
Test Availability, Self
Assessment, Test
Feedback, and Test
Presentation, then
click the Submit button
to finish making your
test available.

Blackboard.
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Survey Manager area and create a survey.

and select Test,
Surveys, and Pools.

2. On the Test,
Surveys, and Pools
page click Surveys.

3. On the Surveys
page click the Build
Survey button.

4. On the Survey
Information page,
enter a Name, a
Description, and
Submit to continue

5. On the Survey
Canvas page, mouse
over Create Question
and select a question.
For the purposes of this
Choice.

page, enter the
Question Text for your
first survey question.

7. In the Answers
section, select the
Number of Answers
from the drop down
the text boxes
provided.

8. Click the Submit
your question.

the Survey Canvas
page. You can add
another question,
choose a different
question type, modify
or remove an existing
question, or change the
order in which the
questions are
presented. When you
your survey, you can
use the next tutorial:
Making your survey
available.

Blackboard.
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Survey Manager area and create a survey.

and select Test,
Surveys, and Pools.

2. On the Test,
Surveys, and Pools
page click Surveys.

the Survey Canvas
page. You can add
another question,
choose a different
question type, modify
or remove an existing
question, or change the
order in which the
questions are
presented. When you
your survey, you can
use the next tutorial:
Making your survey
available.

Blackboard.
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to one of the content areas and make a survey
available.

Mode: button is
switched to ON and
Documents, etc.)

2. Mouse over
Evaluate and select
Create Survey.

3. On the Add Survey
page, select the survey
you want to make
available from the
existing survey menu,
then click on the
Submit button.

4. On the Survey
Options page, scroll
down to the Survey
Availability section.
On the first option,
"Make the link
available" select the
Yes radio button.

5. Choose from the
remaining options for
Survey Availability,
Survey Feedback, and
Survey Presentation,
then click the Submit
button to finish making
your survey available.

Blackboard.
The Pool Manager allows instructors to store questions for repeated use. When building a
question pool, instructors can create new questions or they may add questions from existing
assessments or other question pools.
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Pool Manager area and create a question
Pool.

and select Test,
Surveys, and Pools.

2. On the Test,
Surveys, and Pools
page click Pools.

3. On the Pools page
click the Build Pool
button.

4. On the Pool
Information page,
enter a Name, a
Description, and
Submit to continue

5. On the Pool Canvas
page, mouse over
Create Question and
select a question. For
the purposes of this

Choice.

page, enter the
Question Text and a
Point Value in the text
boxes provided.
Note: If Extra Credit is
selected points are
added to the score if
the question is
answered correctly; no
points are taken away if
the questions are
answered incorrectly.

7. In the Answers
section, select the
Number of Answers
from the drop down
the text boxes
provided, and
designate the Correct
answer by clicking on
the radio button to the
left of the appropriate
Answer box.

8. In the Feedback
section, enter the text
for a Correct and
Incorrect Response.
Click the Submit button
to finish adding your
question.

9.Click the Submit
your question.

10. You are returned to the Pool Canvas page. You can add another question, choose a
different question type, modify or remove an existing question, or change the order in which
the questions are presented. When you have finished creating your quiz, you can use the
next tutorial: Making your test available.

The Assessment tools allow you to create tests and surveys that automatically become items
in your Gradebook. Students complete these assessments and submit them through
Blackboard. Before using the following tutorial, you should first create a Question Pool
following the steps outlined in the Use the Pool Manager tutorial.
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Test Manager area and create a test from
a question pool.

1. In the Control Panel area, on the right under Assessment, select the Test Manager link.
2. On the Test Manager page, click on the Add Test button.
3. In the Test Info section, type a Name, a Description, and list any Instructions for the test in
the text boxes provided.
4. Click the Submit button to continue.
5. On the Test Canvas page, use the drop-down menu to select the From a Question Pool or
Assessment option, then click the GO button.
6. On the Search Pools and Assessments page, in the Search window select from the list of
Pools. In the Question type area, use the selection boxes to select the question formats you
want to use, then click on the Search button.
7. When the Search results are returned, use the selection boxes to the left to choose which
questions will be added to your test.
8. Click the Submit button to finish adding your questions.
9. You are returned to the Test Canvas page. You can add more questions from different
pools, choose to create a new question, modify or remove an existing question, or change the
order in which the questions are presented. When you have finished creating your quiz, you
can use the tutorial: Making your test available.
Blackboard. Instructors can upload test questions into a Test using a document saved as a
Text file, (extension .txt). This document can contain multiple questions of different types in a
single file. Each question must be specifically formatted as explained in the Uploading test
questions FAQ.
In this tutorial you will learn how to navigate to the Test Manager area and upload test
questions using a text document.

area, on the right under
Assessment, select the
Test Manager link.

2. On the Test
Manager page, click on
the Add Test button.

3. In the Test Info
section, type a Name, a
Description, and list
any Instructions for the
test in the text boxes
provided.

4. Click the Submit
button to continue.

5. On the Test Canvas
page, use the drop-
down menu to select
the Upload Questions
option, then click the
GO button.

6. On the Upload
Questions page, click

dialogue box select
your formatted text file,
and click the Open
button.

8. Enter a point value in
the text box provided,
then click the Submit
your questions.

9. You are returned to the Test Canvas page. You can add more
questions from different pools, choose to create a new question,
modify or remove an existing question, or change the order in
which the questions are presented. When you have finished
creating your quiz, you can use the tutorial: Making your test
available.

After students have completed a test or survey in Blackboard the system allows an
instructor/TA to view detailed results of each question. The results are in the form of
percentages for all question types except for fill in the blank and essay questions which list
each response individually.
In this tutorial you will learn how to view the detailed results of a test or survey.

Control Panel section,
and select Grade
Center.

right of the course
menu to expand your
Grade Center page.

3. On the Grade
Center page, click the
double down arrows
next to the Test/Survey
name, and select
Attempt Statistics.

4. On the Assessment
Statistics page you will
find percentages for
each answer
submitted.

After students have completed a test or survey in Blackboard the system allows an
instructor/TA to download the results into an Excel file. Question text and results can be
downloaded.
In this tutorial you will learn how to download the results of a test or survey.

and select Grade
Center.

right of the course
menu to expand your
Grade Center page.

3. On the Grade
Center page, click the
double down arrows
next to the Test/Survey
name, and select
Download Results.

4. On the Download
Results page choose
the delimiter type and
download format
options and click the
Click to download
results link.

5. On the File
Download dialogue,
click the Save button.
When the Save
Asdialogue box opens,
name the file, and click
the Save button to
finish downloading your
Test/Survey results.

Articles in a Database or Online Journal – How to
Create a Link

You can create a link to many of the articles available through Library databases and online
journals.

In order to create a link to an article, you need to use a persistent link. These are sometimes
called persistent URLs, stable URLs or DOIs (digital object identifiers.)

Use Existing Persistent Links:

Some databases and online journals have persistent links to the article level. You can copy and
paste these URLs into your course page.

Example from an EBSCO Database:

CAUTION: In order for your students to be able to access the articles from off campus, the
persistent link needs to include the prefix for the Libraries’ proxy server. If the persistent URL
does not have this prefix, you can easily just add it to the front of the link. The proxy server
prefix is "http://ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/login?url=".

If you are adding the link to your Blackboard course, use this prefix instead -
"http://ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/login?auth=ezproxy&url=." By doing so, students will be passed
directly to the resource without having to log in again with their UT EID.

Example from JSTOR:

Use the Stable URL in JSTOR but add "http://ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/login?url=" before
http://links.jstor.org… or, if you are using the link in a Blackboard course, add
"http://ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/login?auth=ezproxy&url=" before http://links.jstor.org...

Create a Persistent Link:

Not all databases and online journals provide persistent links to the articles contained in them.
In these situations, you must create your own persistent link using citation information as
follows:

1. Go to the Find an Article from a Citation page.

2. Fill in as much of the citation information as possible.

3. Click

If the article is available online in another database, you will be taken to that database. Keep in
mind that sometimes you will be taken to the article, and other times you will be taken to the
journal, volume or issue level, or the search screen for the database. In these cases, you will
want to provide your students with instructions on how to find the article from this point.

4. Click on "Other Options for the Resource."

5. You will be taken to the Find It @ UT menu. Click “More Options.”

6. Under How to Cite/Link, click “Save citation information.”

7. This will generate a citation and the persistent URL to use on your course page.

Usage Rights

Different online journal and database vendors provide different usage rights. There are 2 ways
to find out whether you have the right to use a persistent link on your course page:

1. The A-Z journal title link . When you enter in a journal title, click “Go”, see the result set
below, and choose the title that fits best. Then you will see a menu box. A Usage Rights link
will appear in this menu box if the rights have been entered in for the title.

2. Use the Find an Article from a Citation form . When you enter in all the data you have
and click on “Find it at UT,” you will see a list of results. Most likely the first item on the list is
what you want and when you click the link, generally you will be taken directly to the article.
But there will be a dark blue frame at the top of the article with text like this example:

You can click on “Other Options for this Resource” and get to a menu box. A
Usage Rights link will appear in this menu box if the rights have been entered in
for the title.

If you cannot find information about usage rights, please contact Ronda Rowe
(rrowe@austin.utexas.edu), University of Texas Libraries, for assistance.

Blackboard

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Tendances (20)

En vedette

En vedette (20)

Similaire à Blackboard

Similaire à Blackboard (20)

Blackboard