Blackboard "Need-to-know" Tips - Vol. 1; 2006 - 2007

Included in this volume of Blackboard "Need-to-Know" tips:
- Use short quizzes to help students learn
- Tips for instructors in creating quizzes
- Tips to tell your students about taking quizzes on Blackboard
- Blackboard Displays Class Average
- Uploading and Downloading Grades
- Record Your Class

* Use short quizzes to help students learn
"Regular feedback helps learners efficiently direct their attention and energies, helps them avoid major errors and dead ends, and keeps them from learning things they later will have to unlearn at great cost. It also can serve as a motivating form of interaction between teacher and learner, and among learners. When students learn to internalize the voice of the 'coach,' they can begin to give themselves corrective feedback" (Angelo, A "teacher's dozen," 1993, p. 6).
You can create a pool of questions for each week, chapter or each key concept.  Use a free tool called the “Quiz Generator” (http://blackboard.bradley.edu/docs/quizgen.shtml) to quickly create a pool of questions.  Then set up a quiz in Blackboard that pulls questions from the pool.  Set up short quizzes and let the student take them as many times as they want, for a few points.  This will encourage them to practice what they are learning.
You can also create quizzes with feedback to clarify correct answers when an incorrect response is entered. Consider using frequent short quizzes - for example one quiz per week.

* Tips for instructors in creating test/quizzes
1. Give your students a practice quiz worth minimal points (or no points) to give them a chance to be successful before the real one occurs. 
2. Avoid lots of test questions in a single test or exam.  Choose shorter tests when possible (10-20 questions).
3. If you plan to use the item analysis tools built in to Blackboard, you may not use the “Random Block” question type in your quiz.  Blackboard cannot track correct and incorrect responses by question type in this format.
4. Completion rate of online quizzes is about 98-99%.  However, the chances of successfully completing a quiz drops if the following test delivery options are used: a. one-at-a-time question presentation mode, b. prohibit backtracking, and c. randomize questions.  We do not recommend using these features for delivering tests online.
5. If a student is locked out of a test/quiz, go to the grade book, click the “!” for the student, choose “view”, then choose “clear attempt” to erase the student’s attempt and allow the student to start over.

* Tips to tell your students about taking quizzes on Blackboard
Help your students be successful in taking Blackboard quizzes by pointing out common pitfalls.  The Bradley Blackboard page http://blackboard.bradley.edu/docs/tips_quizzes.shtml contains several things students should consider before starting a quiz.  Add this link to your Blackboard site if you assign quizzes in Blackboard.

* Blackboard Automatically Displays the “Class Average”
The Registrar's office has indicated that the class average cannot be shared for classes of 10 or fewer.  Unfortunately the Blackboard software does not allow us to turn off the "class average" feature.  To comply with this, the course enrollment must be increased to 11 by adding fictitious students and grades. This will cloak the grade book class average. We have established "FERPA STUDENT" accounts 1 through 9 that may added to any course site for this purpose through the Control Panel “Enroll User” link.  If you would like assistance, please contact x2344.

* Download Grade Book (Backups)
Use the Download Grades feature to make a backup copy of your grades whenever you make new entries.  Blackboard converts the Gradebook to an Excel file, but there are some tricks to the process. NOTE: You will need to use the Explorer browser. Go to the Gradebook and click "Download Grades".  Choose "comma" as your delimiter type, then click "Submit".  Choose "Save" (not “open”) to save the downloaded file.  Open Excel, then browse for the "gb_export.csv" file.

* Upload Grades from Excel to Blackboard
Blackboard also allows you to modify your grade book in Excel then upload the file back into Blackboard.  You must start with the Blackboard grade book first.  Use the Download Grades feature, then modify your grades in Excel.  Go back to Blackboard and use the Upload Grades feature.  Blackboard will prompt your for which column or row to upload.

* Record Your Lecture
Are you scheduled to be out of town during a class meeting time?  Do your students need extra review of your lecture?  There is a quick way to record your lecture and post it to Blackboard for students to view outside of class.  Use our video classroom in Jobst 215.  It’s easy!  Contact Cory Rabe at 677-3387 to schedule your session.  You can use the equipment in the classroom to record your entire class or a single lecture.  The recording can be posted to Blackboard.  

Are you using new technology in your classes?  Do your students use a Wiki for a group assignment?  Are you blogging or reading other blogs .  Do you channel RSS feeds to your students to keep them informed?  Please send us the ways you are using instructional technology tools .

I hope you find these tips helpful.  Please send your comments or questions to Barb Kerns at brk@bradley.edu or stop in to the Instructional Technology Assistance Center in the Library, Room 20.