Some guidelines for tests in Blackboard

One of the complaints we get in the FTC and ITS is a student getting bumped out of a test in Blackboard. There are no stats on how often this happens; estimates are in the 5% range of tests taken. It does create a lot of frustration for students and more work for both the instructor and student.

1. Here are some guidelines to help insure successful online tests:

1. 1. Give a sample low-stakes test earlier in the semester. Use the same format and restrictions as in a real test.This insures that your students know how to take a test properly. A test on key points of the syllabus could both make students aware of your class requirements and make sure that they can take a test successfully.

2. 2. For each test, give explicit directions on how to take a test successfully. Here are some suggestions to add to your test directions:

·Don’t use a wireless internet connection

·Use Firefox, not Internet Explorer

·Close all other applications on the computer before starting the test

·Click to take the exam when you are a ready; if you pop in to take a look, you may not be able to come back (only necessary if Forced Completion is checked)

·Save the test after each question

·Do not open another browser window or tab while taking a test

·Do not use the back button on Firefox

·Do not click elsewhere on the computer while taking the test

·Click Submit when you are done

·If you are disconnected from the test, don’t panic, email the instructor immediately

3. Students are disconnected or bumped from an exam for a variety of reasons. They clicked somewhere Blackboard didn’t like, their ISP went down, or they accidentally did something.

4. If a student is disconnected from the exam before it is completed, make it clear what you are going to do. Here is what some instructors do:

·No resetting of the exam; the student is graded on what they complete

·Print out the exam and then let the student finish from where she left off and manually enter the grade

·Print out the exam and let the student retake it if the questions are randomized and the compare the two tests (this is very tedious).

SafeAssign

UAA now has SafeAssign antiplagiarism software as part of Blackboard. Use it instead of the assignment feature in Blackboard to collect student work or run suspicious papers through the direct submit rather than plugging phrases into Google. All student work is compared to four databases, including the Internet and a repository of papers submitted to UAA. You can look at the SafeAssign report to quickly determine if a student has plagiarized. See SafeAssign in the Knowledge Base for more information. Let us know if you are interested in a workshop on SafeAssign.

Horizon Report

The New Media Consortium and Educause have published the 2011 Horizon report. The eighth annual report, it lists six emerging technologies in higher education on three different horizons: one year or less, two to three years, and four to five years out. It’s not surprising that the two key emerging technologies highlighted for one year or less are e-Books and mobile devices. I encourage everyone to at least read the Executive Summary of the report. Please drop me an email if you are using or thinking about using one of these technologies.