Step-By-Step
Creating Question Pool
Creation Settings
(Text version)

1. Instructors and TAs can create Pools of questions using Blackboard's Pool Manager function. Blackboard Question Pools can be used to supply questions to any Test or pool. Pools can be exported or imported from your hard drive making them available to all of your course sites. To create a Blackboard Question Pool:

• Log into the Blackboard course site as usual.
• Go to Control Panel / Pool Manager. This displays the Pool Manager page. Any previously created Pool will be listed on this page.

2. To create a new Pool:

• Click on the "Add Pool " button located at the top of the page. This displays the Pool Information form.
• Type in a name for the pool in the box marked "Name".
• Type in a description for the pool in the box marked "Description".
• Type in instructions for the pool (if any) in the box marked "Instructions".
• Click on the "Submit" button on the bottom of the page. This will display the Pool Canvas form. All Pool questions are added on the Pool Canvas form page. At any point in the creation process, you can click on the "OK" button on the bottom of the page. This saves the pool in its present form. You can return to the pool and continue editing it by going to Control Panel / Pool Manager and clicking on the "Modify" button to the right of the pool name. This will display the Pool Canvas page and you can continue to edit the pool.

3. Before you add questions to the pool, click on the "Creation Settings" button located on the pool Canvas form. This will display the pool Creation Settings form. These settings provide or exclude functionality while creating your pool questions.

• By default, Blackboard allows instructors to provide feedback to students for any test (but not survey) question. As part of the test creation process, each question will be accompanied by the functionality to provide a feedback based on the student providing the correct answer and feedback based on the student providing an incorrect answer.
• It is possible to provide additional feedback based on specific correct and incorrect answers. For instance, a different feedback response can be provided for a full range of multiple choices or matching options. If you would like this option, checkmark the "Provide feedback for individual answers" check box. This will provide you, when creating questions, the functionality to include feedback to students regarding each answer they provide.
• I strongly advise you not to choose this option unless you really need it. Since, by default, you will be able to give feedback based on a correct or incorrect answer, adding feedback based on individual answers in a multiple choice question provides an extremely confusing question display.
  
• If you plan to add images, attached files, and URLs to any of the pool questions, checkmark the "Add images, files, and URLs to questions" check box. This will provide you, when creating questions, the functionality to include images, attached files or URLs as part of the question.
  
• If you plan to add images, attached files or URLs to any of the pool answers, checkmark the "Add images and files to answers" check box. This will provide you, when creating questions, the functionality to include images, attached files or URLs as part of the answer to a pool question.
• I strongly advise you not to choose this option unless you really need it. Adding images, files or URLs to each answer greatly complicates the question creation process and can be extremely confusing to students.
  
• In addition to adding the questions to a pool, you can also assign any question to a "Category" or you can add "Keywords" to help you search for particular questions when creating a test or survey. If you want the functionality of assigning Pool questions to a category or keywords, checkmark the "Add categories and keywords to questions" check box. This will provide you, when creating the questions, the functionality to add the question to a category or keyword list.
  
• When you are finished setting the pool Creation Settings click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page. This will display a receipt telling you that the settings have been updated. Click on the "OK" button. This will return you to the Pool Canvas form. You can, at any time in the pool creation process, click on the "Creation Settings" button and edit the selection.

4. You can now add questions to your pool. At any point in the creation process, you can click on the "OK" button on the bottom of the page. This saves the pool in its present form. You can return to the pool and continue editing it by going to Control Panel / Pool Manager and clicking on the "Modify" button to the right of the pool name. This will display the Pool Canvas page and you can continue to edit the pool.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this Step-By-Step procedure contact the Tufts Blackboard Administrator at: nhirsig@tufts.edu