Taking Tests (Assessments) Through Blackboard (Blackboard 9.1 Learning System)
| Notice: | Nightly maintenance on the Blackboard server is performed between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. as recommended by the software manufacturer. Please do not start or continue any online test during this time. |
BPCC Blackboard user support has made this information available so that you may be more successful with your Internet courses. The Blackboard Learning System is a fully interactive web course delivery system that pulls together many different technologies to best serve the end user in their learning experience. Because of this, it is necessary that the computer used to take online assessments MUST meet the following requirements. Links on each requirement have been provided to give you additional information.
Computer Requirements:
See: Blackboard Recommended Computer Settings - Software)
Staying connected:
Most problems with submitting a test are because your Internet browser has timed out, or you have lost your connection to the Internet. (This applies to both dial-up and broadband connections.) You should check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to obtain a copy of their policy on Internet connection timeouts. Here are some recommended ways to deal with this issue:
A SAVE button has been added to the right-hand side of each question. Students using this feature will save that question to Blackboard prior to submitting the entire test. This is a safe guard incase their computer malfunctions or the Internet connection is dropped. Best practice, the student should select SAVE after answering each question. If, during the test, a student desires to change their answer, again selecting SAVE or selecting SUBMIT at the end of the test will update their answers.
You may need to open a second browser window and click on different links to keep the connection active. (If you use a service such as AOL, MSN, or NetZero; use them as your second window.) We have also built a "BPCC Test Floater Page".
Visit this page and find out how it can help you stay connected to the Internet during a test.
You may consider using a BPCC computer lab, or a public library to take the test.
Padlock: In Progress. A Student is currently using the Assessment or Assignment.
If you have taken an assessment and you now have a LOCK as a grade, this indicates that the test was not submitted correctly and Blackboard believes that the student is still taking the test.
A common reason for this is that the student selected SAVE, not SUBMIT at the end of the assessment or the Internet connection was lost during the test. Immediately log back into Blackboard, access the assessment, complete it and SUBMIT it. If you are unable to access the assessment, contact your instructor immediately!
! Exclamation Point: Needs Grading. The item has been submitted by the Student and needs to be reviewed by the Instructor. Tests that include Essay questions will have this symbol when they are submitted. You will also receive an ! Exclamation Point if it is a timed test and you exceeded the time limit. In this case the instructor will have to manually grade the test. If you did exceed the allowed time limit, please refer the Course Section Information Sheet of that course for the instructor's policy on grading tests that exceed the time limit.
Tips
- Take the assessment as soon as it is available. Many problems may accrue causing you to not be able to complete the assessment. (power-outages, loss of Internet connection, computer failure, etc.)
- Select the Save button to the right of each question after answering the question.
- At the end of a test, click Submit ONLY ONCE. If your Internet connection is slow, you may think the quiz is not being sent. Wait at least 2-5 minutes for a confirmation that your quiz was received. The quiz must be sent, scored, and the results returned to you. Print out the receipt of the test submitted and keep it for your records.
- If you must enter a password to begin the quiz, click the Submit button. Do not press the Enter key.
- Dial-Up Internet Users:
- If you have call waiting, be sure to disable it by dialing *70 before connecting to the Internet.
- Insist that no one in your home pick up another phone while you are taking the quiz. This can disconnect you.
- Do use the BPCC Test Floater Page during the test in a separate browser window. This will help you to stay connected to the Internet during a test.
- Contact your instructor directly if you have a situation that you are unable to resolve.
Note: If you do get disconnected, don't close your browser. Open an additional web browser, re-establish your internet connection, go back to the browser you were using for Blackboard, click your browser's back button so your test copy is visible and click Submit again.