I have already written a post regarding the best practices for the delivery of a Blackboard test. I would like this post to be about what your students need to consider about taking tests online with Blackboard. The testing through Blackboard has always had its share of problems some are problematic and others are related to user issues. There is a fair list of recommendations for students to consider when taking a test via Blackboard. Here are some of the most important ones to consider:
- First and most importantly they should not take the test until they are truly ready to.
- Close down any other programs you may have running.
- Do not wait until the last minute to take the quiz/test. If something goes wrong there will not be enough time to resolve the issue.
- Make sure you are using a browser that is compatible with Blackboard 7.3. For PC use Internet Explorer 6.0, service pack 1 or higher, or Firefox 2.0. For MAC user Firefox 2.0.
- If you are on a dial-up connection be sure that your Internet Service Providers time-out settings are set to the maximum allowed time.
- Do not resize or refresh your screen after loading the quiz/test. Most browsers refresh the page when you resize the screen so the browser will try to reload the quiz/test if you resize or refresh. This will cause Blackboard to consider that you have already taken the test.
- Do not use the back and forward buttons on the browser to move to and from the quiz/test or between page of the quiz/test. Use the Previous or Next buttons located at the bottom of each page of the quiz/test to navigate through.
I would also suggest saving each answer as they go along. Hopefully this will save at least some of the work that they do and they can pick up where they left off.
Nancy