FAQ

» I have been told to view the test results in the 'Grade centre'. Is this in PeopleSoft?

No. The Grade Centre in Blackboard (found in the Control Panel) and the Grade Centre in PeopleSoft are completely separate. If after students take a test you need to enter their grades into PeopleSoft, then you will need to do this manually.

» I cannot carry out a practice run of the test.

There are two options. When adding another academic to your sandbox, it is possible to choose whether they are added as a tutor or a student. In this way you could test it with one of your colleagues, and then easily move the test into the desired module when you're happy with it. The alternative is simply to turn on all of the feedback options - score, submitted answers, correct answers, and possibly feedback - so that after taking the test you get all of the information.

» Some image types do not work with the hotspot question.

The standard internet file types - PNG, JPG and Gif - have been tested and work in both Internet Explorer and Firefox. If you encounter a problem with a specific file then please contact the Learning Systems and Resources team for assistance.

» How can I provide students with immediate feedback after answering a question?

Unfortunately this isn't possible; as you've seen the feedback is only presented after the whole test has been completed. We do have an alternative called Xerte, which will allow you to create questions with immediate feedback. It can be accessed online, has several highly interactive question types, but no results are saved once the student finishes the test. It just depends on how you want the tests to run.

» When viewing results there is a green square with question mark instead of a score.

This means that the test has been submitted, but that your input is needed before a score can be given. There are a couple of question types that cannot be automatically marked (essay, short-answer, and file upload). If you use these question types then you will need to manually mark them by viewing the attempt and entering a score. This symbol will also appear if you have set a time limit, and the student has exceeded it - see 'How should I mark results where the time limit was exceeded?'

» When viewing results there is a paper and pencil icon instead of a score.

This means that student has not clicked on the final submit button. If you are certain that the test should have been finished, e.g. you set the test to only be available for a limited time and that has now passed, then you will need to force the submission yourself. When you view the attempt there will be a button at the top to submit the answers on behalf of the student, and the score will then appear in the grade centre.

» When I download the results there is a lot of unnecessary information.

Apart from the student's details the only columns that are usually interesting are the ones that have the heading "Answer #" or "Auto Score #", and the rest can just be deleted. Learning Systems and Resources can provide a Microsoft Excel file that can automatically remove unwanted columns.

» How can I add images to my tests?

In the 'Test Canvas', where you select which question types to add, there will but a button in the top-right for Question Settings. By clicking on this button you will be taken to a page where you can turn on the option to include images (section 2, tick the boxes as required). Now when you create or edit a question, there will be an option to include 1 file or image underneath the question or answer text. For images you may want to change the 'Action' drop-down option to 'Display the image within the page'.