Assessments in Blackboard Ultra (Student View)

This guide pertains to Ultra Course View.

If your course is in Original Course View, see the Original Course View tutorial collection.

Explanation

Your courses may feature graded tests or assignments. Below is a guide on how to navigate these assessments and their questions.

First, locate the test or quiz in the content area of your Blackboard Ultra shell. Your assessment may be in a module, folder, or within the general course content area.

Clicking on the test will open a menu on the right side of your screen. This menu will display the due date, number of allowed attempts, and grading settings.

Select “View assessment” to get started. This option will automatically start your test, so be sure that you are ready to begin testing before selecting this option.

The Test View

The basic test view will change based on your instructor’s test settings. Regardless of the view, you will always see the point or percentage value of each question, the grading scale, number of attempts left, and the due date. Please note that your responses will save as you progress so long as your device is connected to the internet.

In the case that an assessment allows you to exit and return to it later, you will see a “Save and Close” option in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

The last major setting to take note of is question randomization. Upon retaking the test, the questions may appear in a different order compared to your last attempt. Additionally, multiple choice questions will also have reordered answers.

In the view shown below, the instructor has decided to display all questions at once. You may view each question, select your response, and backtrack to change old responses.

In the view below, the professor has created the test so that only one question is displayed at a time. Notice the options at the bottom of the screen: First, Previous, Next, and Last. In this view, you may still backtrack to previous questions to check and change your responses.

The view below only displays one question at a time and does not allow the user to view or edit previous questions. You will be warned of this via a message at the bottom of your screen.

Question Types

Below is a list and explanation of the most prominent types of questions in Blackboard Ultra.

Multiple Choice – Here, there is only one right answer from a list of four or more options. Your responses to these questions will be automatically graded.

True or False – There is only one correct answer. These questions are automatically graded after submitting your assessment.

Fill in the blank – You must type in an answer for each blank. These questions are automatically graded. If you feel that you have correctly answered the question but did not receive your points, reach out to your instructor or teaching assistant to have them check.

Matching Questions – Choose the correct response that matches with each prompt. These questions are automatically graded; however, the grading system will change based on your test settings. Wrong answers may result in either partial or no points being awarded.

Multiple Answer Questions – Although appearing as multiple-choice questions, multiple answer questions allow the user to select more than one answer to a question. Partial credit is awarded in the case that the user gets at least one answer correct.

Essay Question – The user must include a written response to the question. This is the only question that must be graded by the instructor. In the case that you are completing a test with at least one essay question, you will not automatically see your score upon completing a test.

Extra Credit – Extra credit questions are indicated by a purple badge next to the point total and may be presented as any of the question types covered above.

Submitting and Checking Results

As previously discussed, you will submit your finished test using the “Submit” button in the bottom-right corner of the page.

Feedback Options Disabled

Depending on the test settings, you may view your responses, grades, and feedback. First, click on the test link in the content area.

This will open a menu on the right-hand side of the screen. If feedback has been disabled, you will see this item:

Clicking on the submission view will take you to this page:

Feedback Options Enabled

As discussed above, click the test link to open the menu on the right side of your screen. If your instructor has enabled feedback, you will see this item:

Clicking the eyeball icon will show you your answers.

Automated Question Feedback and Question Scores

Automated question feedback and question scores may also appear in this right-hand menu. They display the number of points earned for each question and instructor feedback.