Step-By-Step
Creating an Online Test
Publishing a Test
(Text version)

1. You can edit your Test, adding or removing or ordering questions for as long as you like. . At any point in the creation process, you can click on the "OK" button on the bottom of the page. This saves the test in its present form. You can return to the test and continue editing it by going to Control Panel / Test Manager and clicking on the "Modify" button to the right of the test name. This will display the Test canvas page and you can continue to edit the test.

If the test is graded, and you plan to use either letter grading or percentage grading, it is best if the combined point value is set to 100. You may have to go back and modify each question and adjust the point value so that the entire exam is worth 100 points.

2. When you are ready to Publish the Test and make it available to students you must first decide where to publish the test. You can place a test on any "Content" area. The default content areas are Course Information, Course Documents, Assignments and External Links. However, you can add additional content area of your own naming using the Control Panel / Manage Course Menu function. You may want to add a content area called "Tests" or "Quizzes". To add a Test to a content area:

• Log into the Blackboard course site as usual.
• Go to Control Panel and click on the content area where you want the test to appear. This will display the root level of that content area in the control panel.
• Click on the "Add Test" button. This will display the Add Test form.
• Select the Test from the list marked: "Select an Existing Test".
• Click on the "Submit" button. A receipt will be displayed telling you that the test has been added to that content area. Click on the "OK" button. This will display the Modify Test page in the content area. For now, click "OK". This will display the root level of the content area with a link to the Test added. Note that it says under the name of the test "This item is not available"

3. Posting a Test to a content area does not, in itself, make the test available to students. To make the item available to students:

• Go to Control Panel / Content Area where the Test is posted. This will display the root level of that content area. The Test is listed here but "Unavailable". Click on the Modify button to the right of the Test name. This will display the Modify Test page. Click on the "Modify the Test Options" link. This will display the Test Options form.
  
• Under Section #2 decide if you want the test to open in a new window. If so, select the "Yes" radio button next to "Launch Item in external window".
  
• If you are ready for students to take the test, select the "Yes" radio button next to the " Do you want to make the link visible?". This will make the item visible to students so they can take the test.
  
• If you want to have Blackboard automatically create an announcement for this Test, select the "Yes" radio button next to "Do you want to create an announcement for this Quiz?". An announcement will be created and placed on the Announcements page.
  
• If you want to allow multiple attempts, checkmark the "Allow multiple attempts" check box. If this is not checked students can only take the Test once. If you allow multiple attempts, the second attempt will replace the first and so on.
  
• If you want the student to complete the test in one sitting, checkmark the "Force Completion" check box. If you do not check this box students will be able to save their test in whatever state it is in and return to it at a later time. If you force completion the student must finish the test once it is started.
  
• If you want to set a time limit for the test, checkmark the "Set Time Limit" check box and use the Hours and minutes dropdown boxes to set the time limit. A timer will appear on the student's test and a warning will be given to the student 1 minute before the time is up. Setting a time limit to a test does not mean that the test automatically ends when the time is up. Students can take as much time as they want to complete a test. However when the instructor or TA views the test a note of how long the student took to complete the test will be displayed.
  
• You can make the test available at some time in the future by adjusting the "Display After" settings to some future time that you want the test to become available to students. When that time arrives the test will become available. Note that if you elected to have Blackboard post an announcement, and are delaying the start of the test to some time in the future, the announcement will be posted upon submittal of this form but the test will still not be available until the start time and date.
  
• You can make the test unavailable at some time in the future by checkmarking the "Display Until" box and adjusting the time setting to the date and time you want the test to become unavailable to students. When that time arrives the test will become unavailable.
  
• If you want to add a password to gain access to the test, checkmark the "set Password" check box and type in a password in the "Password" box.

4. There are a number of Feedback response options available when posting a test. You must select one of the available feedback options. They can be found under Section #3.

• If you want the student to see their score only after completing the test, select the "Score Only" radio button. If you select this choice the number of points for correct answers and the total number of possible points will be displayed for the student. If their is an essay question the display will note that the total points for the correct answers does not include the essay questions.
• If you want the student to see their score, the answers they gave to each question, and an indication that each answer is either correct or incorrect, select the "Detailed Results" radio button. Although they will see how they answered each question and if it was correct or not, they will not see the correct answers.
• If you want the student to see their score, the answers they gave to each question, and the correct answers to each question, select the "Show Correct Answers" radio button.
• If you want the student to see their score, the answers they gave to each question, the correct answers to each question, and the feedback you added to each question, select the "Detailed Results, Correct Answers and Feedback" radio button.

5. There are a number of Test Presentation options available when posting a test. They can be found under Section #4

• If you want all of the questions presented to the student on a single screen with a scroll bar, select the "All At Once" radio button. With this option students can see the whole test and can answer questions in any order.
• If you want the questions to be presented to the student one at a time, select the "One At A Time" radio button. With this option a student is presented with one question at a time. If you choose this option you must decide if you will allow backtracking. If not, checkmark the prohibit backtracking check box. If you prohibit backtracking, the student must answer question number 1 before answering question #2 and cannot go back.
• If you want the questions to be displayed to the student in a random order, checkmark the "Randomize Questions" checkbox. This will display the questions in a random order so that different students will see the same questions in a different order.

7. Finally click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page. This will display a receipt telling you that the Test options have been updated.

8. Once the test is available, you can see what it is like for a student to take the test by going to the content area and clicking on the test name. You can take the test, just as a student would and "submit" the test when finished. The feedback will be displayed accordingly. No grade, however, will be assigned to you.

8. You can modify the Test options at any time, even after students begin taking the test. The changes in the options will affect those who have not yet taken the test. You cannot however, modify the test itself once it becomes available to the students.

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