Creating a test for students to take on Blackboard consists of two major steps: 1) build the test by writing questions and possible answers, and 2) deploy the test, which means to create an entry point students can click on to take the test.
Blackboard lets you create test questions of a variety of types. Some of these are objective, meaning that the instructor defines the question, possible answers from which a student might choose a response, and the correct answer. Objective questions are automatically graded by Blackboard. Subjective questions are more open ended, allowing a student to respond by typing in text. Subjective questions must be graded by the instructor after the student submits their responses. A single test can contain questions of multiple types, including a mixture of objective and subjective questions. The most common objective question types are True/False and Multiple Choice. The most common subjective question types are Fill in the Blank, Short Answer, and Essay.
In the Course Management menu, click on Course Tools, then click on Tests Surveys and Pools, then click on Tests. To define a new test click on the "Build Test" tab near the top of the screen. On that screen you'll be able to give the test a name and use the Blackboard Text Editor to add a description and instructions. Click the Submit button at the lower right of the screen to save your updates. Once the empty test has been created, you can add individual questions, and their point values. Depending on the question types, you might also specify possible answers and which are correct or incorrect.
Once a test has a name and a set of questions together with their answers, the test can be "deployed," which means to give students a way to take the test. Inside of a Content Area, Folder, or Learning Module, click on Assessments, then Test. You'll see a list of one or more tests that have been defined in the course. Click on the name of the one you want to deploy, then click the Submit button at the lower right. This will open a screen in which you can set a variety of options that control how the test is presented to students. The most commonly used settings are described below. Once you click the Submit button at the bottom of the page, students will have an entry point in the course through which they can take the test, and there will also be a column for the test in the Grade Center, which will hold student submissions and grades.
Some of the most commonly used test settings are:
A test, meaning questions and their answers, can be edited at any time. Just go back to Course Tools, click on Tests, Surveys, and Pools, click on Tests, then click on the name of the test you want to edit. You'll see the questions and answers and be able to change them. Keep in mind, however, that changing questions and answers after one or more students have taken the test you are editing may force the test to be regraded.
To change the options (setting) of a test, go to the Content Area, Folder, or Learning Module in which the test is deployed. Hover the cursor over the name of the test, then click on the chevron (gray circle with a down-arrow in it) located to the right of that name. On the menu that pops up, click on "Edit Test Options." (If you click on "Edit Test," you'll be editing the questions and answers rather than the options or settings).
CLICK HERE for Blackboard's descriptions of all the types of questions that can go on a test.
CLICK HERE to visit Blackboard's Help page about creating tests.
CLICK HERE to visit Loyola's Help page about creating tests.
CLICK HERE to visit Blackboard's Help page about test options