Step-By-Step
Creating an Online Test
Creation Settings
(Text version)

1. Instructors and TAs can create online tests, quizzes or exams using Blackboard's Test manager function. Blackboard Tests are automatically corrected, graded and a grade is posted to the Blackboard gradebook. You can,however, through the gradebook function, make the grade not visible to the students. To access the Test Manager function:

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

2. To create a new Test:

• Click on the "Add Test" button located at the top of the page. This displays the Test Information form.
• Type in a name for the test in the box marked "Name".
• Type in a description for the test in the box marked "Description".
• Type in instructions for taking the test in the box marked "Instructions".
• Click on the "Submit" button on the bottom of the page. This will display the Test Canvas form. All test questions are added on the Test 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 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.

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

• By default, Blackboard allows instructors to provide feedback to students for each test 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 test 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 test 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 test 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 test, you can also assign any question to a "Category" or you can add "Keywords" to help you search for particular questions when creating a future test or survey. If you want the functionality of assigning Test 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.
  
• You can specify a default point value for each question by checkmarking the "Specify default point values for questions" check box and typing a point value in the box marked "Default Point Value". All test questions must have a default point value. If the test is not graded, checkmark the "Specify default point values for questions" check box and enter a value of 0 in the "Default Point Value" box. If the test is graded, checkmark the "Specify default point values for questions" check box and enter an appropriate value in the "Specify default point values for questions" check box. You can change the point value for any individual question at any time during the test creation process.
  
• When you are finished setting the Test 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 Test canvas form. You can, at any time in the test creation process, click on the "Creation Settings" button and edit the selection.

4. You can now add questions to your Test. 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 you have any questions or comments regarding this Step-By-Step procedure contact the Tufts Blackboard Administrator at: nhirsig@tufts.edu