Bb assignments

How to allow students to submit a video assignment in an assessment system

Bb Assessment, Bb assignments, eAssignments, Panopto

Example scenario

It may be the case where you wish to allow your students to submit an assignment with a video file in conjunction with some written work or just submit a video file, the video could be a group presentation, a individual presentation, a performance piece, demonstrating something the list goes on. As part of this assessment you would want your students to submit to your preferred assessment system such as Blackboard assignments, Turnitin, eAssignments or even ECS Handin, allowing you can continue to do marking as normal. However, the problem is that these systems do not work in accepting large video files or allow multiple file types to be submitted at the same time. The problem is how do you continue to mark as normal, but allow videos to be submitted.

Solution

To make this work create your assessment as normal in your preferred system. You can then let students know that they can use video in the assessment, but must submit a document like normal except this time the document needs to have a weblink to the video.

We recommend that you get your students to either make their video in Panopto directly, or upload a video they have into Panopto. Students can submit to a Panopto assessment folder that you may wish to set up on your course. If you wish to create an assessment folder on Panopto then use this guide: Panopto assessment

If you do not want to make a Panopto assessment folder, then students can make or upload content to their own personal Panopto ‘My Folder’ area. From this space they can change the sharing options to share with you or a marker.

Important: Sharing a video assignment from a students ‘My Folder’ rather than a ‘Panopto assessment’ folder, gives the student, rather than you, control over the video. Whilst it is easier that a student uses their My Folder as there is no setup work required, it will allow a student to edit or delete a video after the assignment deadline.

If students wish to create their own video in Panopto then the following guide pages will help them: Panopto Web recorder and Panopto create

If students wish to upload a pre-existing video file to Panopto then this guide will help: Panopto upload

Once the video is in Panopto the students can then change the sharing options of the video so it can be shared with you (Note: in a Panopto assessment folder you can skip this): Panopto sharing

They will then need to obtain the link to the video in Panopto. This can be done by either playing the video and copying the link from the browser and pasting it into the document, or by going to the video in Panopto and clicking on the ‘Share’ button.

On the share page at the top simple select and copy the ‘Link’ text.

Once the student has the link pasted into the document, they can submit the document to the assessment system as normal.

When it comes to marking you will now have a document with a link to a Panopto video that you can watch, and you can continue to mark/make comments about the video in the assessment system as normal.

Why use Panopto?

We recommend using Panopto rather than other systems for several reasons; Panopto is easier to use, Panopto has unlimited storage capacity for students to upload/create videos, students can do basic editing in the Panopto online editor, it is easier to share videos, we have more control and ability to help students with recordings or changing sharing permissions and the videos can be shared with external examiners if needed.

Still need help?

Get in touch with us via ServiceLine if you wish to look into this more or have any other questions.

Student guide to submitting scanned, handwritten assessments online

Bb assignments, Bb Student FAQs, Blackboard

As part of an online assessment, you may be asked to upload handwritten workings, notes, or drawings.

This guide will take you through the steps to scan your notes and save them to a PDF format, ready to upload to Blackboard or eAssignment. You are advised to practice these steps ahead of an assessment.

1. Prepare your handwritten notes

  • Include your student ID and the page number at the top of each page. Do not include your name as marking may be anonymous.
  • Number your answers clearly to correspond to the assessment questions.

Are you submitting via Turnitin? –  you will need to include 20 words of typed text (add a cover sheet) IF your instructor has set the assignment to “Allow only file types that Turnitin can check for similarity” – check with you instructor if you are unsure.

2. Scan to PDF using a mobile device

You can scan your notes and save as a PDF using a mobile phone and a scanning app.

We recommend:

To Scan Using One Drive or Office Lens :

  • Lay the notes flat on a well lit surface.
  • Ensure the background contrasts to your pages so the scanning app can find the edges of the paper.
  • Open OneDrive or Office Lens and choose to capture a Document
  • Frame your notes carefully
  • Add each page of your finished work and then select Done
  • Give the file a meaningful Title.
  • Select Save to : PDF (If using Office Lens)
  • Save to OneDrive Files

Follow this link for more information on using the OneDrive mobile app

3. Save the PDF to a folder you can access from your computer.

If you are using One Drive or Office Lens apps, you can save directly to :

    • OneDrive* – OneDrive is your personal online storage drive where you can save, edit, share, and download files. To access your OneDrive log into your Office 365 account from any device using your University email and password. If you have used Office Lens, you will find your file in the OneDrive/Office Lens folder.
    • From the OneDrive screen, or if you opt to save to local phone storage, you can share the PDF file and add it as an email attachment or save it to a folder on your computer, such as Google Drive, or iCloud.

* Find out more about how to make the most of OneDrive and Office 365 at the Office 365 Support Centre

Checking assessment set-up in Blackboard

Bb Assessment, Bb assignments, Bb Tests and Surveys, Blackboard

Contents

  1. Accessing and identifying assessments
      1. Checking options for a Blackboard test
      2. Checking options for a Turnitin Assignment
    1. Checking options for a Blackboard Assignment
  2. When the assessment is uploaded
    1. Is the assessment hidden from students?
    2. Is the assessment set to be published to students on the right date and at the right time? Is the assessment set to close on the right date and at the right time?
      1. Blackboard tests
      2. Turnitin Assignments
      3. Blackboard Assignments
    3. Are the assessment rubric and any other instructions or documents attached to the assessment?
    4. Is there an assessment submission link?
    5. Are all the instructions and links a student will need to access, carry out and submit the assessment in the same place or clearly linked and are the instructions for accessing and submitting the assessment clear?
    6. Does the rubric for the assessment allow multiple submissions within the assessment window?
      1. Multiple submissions in Blackboard tests
      2. Multiple submissions in Turnitin assignments
      3. Multiple submissions in Blackboard assignments
    7. Is the assessment set up correctly to meet the rubric?
    8. Is the assessment set to prevent submission after the submission deadline?
      1. Ensuring submission is not possible after the deadline in Blackboard tests
      2. Ensuring submission is not possible after the deadline in Turnitin assignments
      3. Ensuring submission is not possible after the deadline in Blackboard assignments
    9. Are scores hidden from students?
    10. Is an announcement set up to alert students when the assessment opens and an hour before it will close? Are these set for the correct days and times?
  3. Checking the assessment release
    1. Has the assessment been successfully published to students?

Accessing and identifying assessments

For most of the example below you will need to know where the assessments are.  Follow these steps:

1. Enter the Blackboard course in question and ensure that Edit Mode is set to On.

Edit mode is On.

2. Open the Final Assessment menu item within the course menu.  The course menu appears on the left side of a Blackboard course.

3. Assessments are likely to be tests, Turnitin assignments or Blackboard Assignments.  The screenshot below shows an example of each.

Example assessments

4. The next guides below show how to access the options for each type of assessment.

Return to the contents page.

Checking options for a Blackboard test

1. Select the action button that appears to the right of the test name.

2. Select Edit the Test Options from the menu that appears.

Editing test options

Return to the contents page.

Checking options for a Turnitin Assignment

1. Select the action button that appears to the right of the assignment name.

2. Select Edit from the menu that appears.

Editing Turnitin assignment options

Return to the contents page.

Checking options for a Blackboard Assignment

1. Select the action button that appears to the right of the assignment name.

2. Select Edit from the menu that appears.

Editing Blackboard assignment options

Return to the contents page.

When the assessment is uploaded:

Is the assessment hidden from students?

It is vital that the assessment is not visible to students until it is due to be published.  To check this identify the assessment/s within the content area and ensure you see that it is hidden to students.  This screenshot shows examples of tests, Turnitin assignments and Blackboard assignments that are hidden from students.

Three different types of assessment, all state they are hidden from students

Return to the contents page.

 

Is the assessment set to be published to students on the right date and at the right time? Is the assessment set to close on the right date and at the right time?

Having identified the assessment, edit its settings. The following screenshots show where the date and time of release to students is set:

Blackboard tests

In Blackboard tests the Display After date and time sets when the test will be accessible to students, the Display Until date sets when students can no longer access it.

Start and end times of a Blackboard test

It is also important to verify that the Make available to students setting is set to Yes.

If this option is not set students will not be able to access the test once the display after date and time has been reached.

Return to the contents page.

Turnitin Assignments

In Turnitin the Start date and time sets when the assignment will be accessible to students.  The due date sets when the assignment is due.

Turnitin start and end times

The option to allow submissions after the due date should be set to No.  This is found under Optional Settings.  When submissions are not allowed after the due date then once the due date and time has been reached students will no longer be able to submit.

Turnitin due date

Return to the contents page.

Blackboard Assignments

In Blackboard assignments the Display After date and time sets when the assignment will be accessible to students, the Display Until date sets when students can no longer access it.

Blackboard assignment start and end date

Return to the contents page.

Are the assessment rubric and any other instructions or documents attached to the assessment?

The assignment rubric could have been added in a variety of places, such as:

  1. Additional content items within the same folder on Blackboard.
  2. The description, instructions or Content Link Description of a Blackboard test.
  3. The Special instructions section of a Turnitin assignment.
  4. The instructions of a Blackboard assignment.

Return to the contents page.

The encircled parts of the screenshots below show the link that students should select in order to submit their assignment, depending on whether it is a Test, Turnitin assignment or Blackboard assignment.

Submission links

Return to the contents page.

Are all the instructions and links a student will need to access, carry out and submit the assessment in the same place or clearly linked and are the instructions for accessing and submitting the assessment clear?

The instructions and links a student will need to access may vary depending on the assignment and could have been added in a variety of places, such as:

  1. As additional content items within the same folder on Blackboard.
  2. In the description, instructions or Content Link Description of a Blackboard test.
  3. In the Special instructions section of a Turnitin assignment.
  4. In the instructions of a Blackboard assignment.

Return to the contents page.

Does the rubric for the assessment allow multiple submissions within the assessment window?

Multiple submissions in Blackboard tests

Within the test options Multiple Attempts can be allowed – either an unlimited number of a maximum number.  The score attempts using setting determines which attempt should be scored.  This may be set to the last marked attempt.

test allowing three attempts, the last attempt will be used

Return to the contents page.

Multiple submissions in Turnitin assignments

Within the optional settings, set for similarity reports to be created on the due date.  This will mean students can submit as many times as they like up to the due date.  On the due date they will no longer be able to submit and their most recent submission will have a similarity report generated.  Neither staff nor students will be able to access earlier submissions if they had been made.

Turnitin - multiple attempts allowed via similarity report setting

Return to the contents page.

Multiple submissions in Blackboard assignments

Within the test options Multiple Attempts can be allowed – either an unlimited number of a maximum number.  The score attempts using setting determines which attempt should be scored.  This may be set to the last marked attempt.

Assignment allowing 3 attempts, the last will be marked

Return to the contents page.

Is the assessment set up correctly to meet the rubric?

Since the rubrics may vary between assignments it is harder to give specific steps.  Outline steps are:

  1. Review the rubric.
  2. Edit the settings for the assessment and check that the settings chosen match those described in the rubric.

Return to the contents page.

Is the assessment set to prevent submission after the submission deadline?

Edit the assignment and check the options.  These are described for each type of assessment below.

Ensuring submission is not possible after the deadline in Blackboard tests

Within Blackboard test options a due date should be set appropriately.  The tick box “Do not allow students to start the Test if the due date has passed” should be selected.

Due date in a Blackboard test

Return to the contents page.

Ensuring submission is not possible after the deadline in Turnitin assignments

The option to allow submissions after the due date should be set to No.  This is found under Optional Settings within the Turnitin assignment in Blackboard.  When submissions are not allowed after the due date then once the due date and time has been reached students will no longer be able to submit.

Turnitin due date

Return to the contents page.

Ensuring submission is not possible after the deadline in Blackboard assignments

In Blackboard assignment options the due date is used to set when the deadline is.  It is not possible to disallow attempts entirely after the due date.  If a student starts an assignment at 11:59 in the below example they may still submit, but the assignment will be marked as late.  This can later be given zero points manually.

Due date in a Blackboard assignment

Note that the Blackboard assignment date restrictions will prevent a student from being able to start a submission after the due date.

Return to the contents page.

Are scores hidden from students?

It’s important to verify that students will not be able to find out their assessment results and scores before you want them to.

Follow the steps in this guide to ensure that scores are not shown to students.

Extra step for Blackboard tests.

If the assessment is a Blackboard test, edit the test options and verify that under “Show test results and feedback to students” no tick boxes are selected.

Untick an options that would show students their scores or feedback.

Return to the contents page.

Is an announcement set up to alert students when the assessment opens and an hour before it will close? Are these set for the correct days and times?

Announcements are found in the announcements menu of a course.  With Edit Mode set to On, check that two announcement have been set up, one stating that the assessment is open and the other that it is an hour before the assessment will close.

1. Edit the announcement to check the date ranges chosen for the announcement. To edit an announcement select the modify button that appear to the right of it and choose Edit from the menu that appears.

Editing an announcement

2. Scroll down to the Web Announcement Options section and verify that Date Restricted is set for the Duration.

3. Check that the display after date matches either the start time of the assessment, or one hour before the end time of the assessment as appropriate.

announcement display after time

4. Selecting “Send a copy of the announcement” will generate an error. This setting cannot be used for email announcements set to appear in the future.

Warning when overriding email preferences on an announcement due to be displayed at a future date

Notes

When an announcement is created and set to display only after a future date and time, an email will be sent to all students who were enrolled on the Blackboard course at the date and time that the announcement was originally created who have not edited their settings to decline announcement emails. The email will be sent usually within 30 minutes after the ‘display after’ date. More information about announcements is available. Note therefore that not all students may receive the email and information should avoid very specific information about timings (eg: will close shortly, not: will close in 1 hour).

If you want to ensure that all students taking the assessment are alerted to its release and/or its impending closure at the right time it is preferable to use the Send Email tool within Blackboard. You cannot send emails in advance using the Sent Email tool.

Return to the contents page.

Checking the assessment release

Within one hour of the assessment opening:

Has the assessment been successfully published to students?

1. To ensure that tests can be accessed by students use the Student Preview button to view the course as though you were a student.

Student preview icon is highlighted

2. Find the assessment in the course.  This screenshot matches the other examples used in this page.  Ensure that phrases like “Availability: Item is hidden” are not shown.

Visible SDOAs

3. Select the submission links to ensure the assignments are accessible.

 

Return to the contents page.

Short duration online assessments

Bb assignments, Bb Tests and Surveys, Blackboard, eAssignments, QM Perception, Support, TurnItIn

Before setting up an online summative assessment, it is imperative that you have approval from your Deputy Head of School Education and AQSC to ensure that the risks are being mitigated effectively and adequate provision for the support of all students taking the assessment are in place.

The Centre for Higher Education Practice has produced an online assessment guide which includes alternatives to short duration tests or exams. We strongly recommend that you investigate these options and use these in preference where possible. You can also contact CHEP for guidance about designing Open Book exams.

In uncontrolled environments, where students are completing computer-based assessments outside of an invigilated University computer-based exam location, there is no way to assure that problems will not occur. Students may be adversely affected as a result.

Lockdown browsers and online proctoring are measures that are not currently available at UoS, whether you are running essay, short answer format, or defined-response questions.

Creating robust, online, defined-response tests (such as MCQs) requires front-loading development time. Typically, such tests tend to focus on the ability to recall and organise information.  It is better practice to design test questions that focus more on higher-order and critical thinking and that require the application, analysis, and evaluation of learning, rather than simple knowledge recall.

In terms of security, be aware that students can take a picture of questions on their phone, or write down the questions.   While random selection can help to ensure students do not see the same questions it will not result in an even distribution of questions.  In a defined response test, students may still see the same questions as their peers, even with randomisation selected.

In terms of support, ServiceLine is available to resolve technical queries in developing assessments, but at this time we cannot guarantee dedicated and scalable support to “in flight” Short Duration Online Assessments. Blackboard tests had been recommended only for formative use previously and OnDemand for summative use.  Blackboard tests have not been tested for suitability for summative use.

Tools to support short duration online assessments

Turnitin via Blackboard Blackboard Tests Blackboard Assignments OnDemand
Recommended for Long essay and typed short essay/text answers Short answer computer-based tests, bubble sheets, or defined response. Short answers, uploading handwritten answers & images Only if you have used it before
Features Plagiarism check No plagiarism check.
Variety of question types inc multiple-choice, fill in the blanks & short answer
Randomised questions
Math editor		 No plagiarism check Variety of questions types inc multiple-choice, short answer, essay & file response
Marking tools available Rubric
Quick marks
Inline marking		 Automated marking Yes – except for File Response, Essay, and Short Answer. Direct annotation
Inline marking
Quick marks
Rubric		 Automated marking – except for File Response, Essay, and Short Answer.
Set up Multiple assignments need to be created if more than one document is to be uploaded Time needed to develop robust, potentially single-use, defined-response questions. Only to be used if you have used this before. Contact ServiceLine for technical checking and scheduling.
How will the assessment be completed? Students advised to download the question paper, work offline in Office 365 using autosave. Save and upload a Word document.** Online via Blackboard Students advised to download the question paper, work offline in Office 365 using autosave. Save and upload a document. For handwritten answers, scan paper to PDF using a scanner or the Office Lens or OneDrive app on a mobile** Online
Risks Low.
Users’connections issues – mitigated if they use O365 with autosave		 High* – dependent on users’ internet connection. See Risks and Mitigation section Low.
Users’connections issues.
No access/knowledge of tools needed for uploads such as smartphone or scanner		 High* – dependent on users’ internet connection. See Risks and Mitigation section

Risks and possible mitigation

The risks outlined in this section apply to all forms of short duration online assessment. The assessment recipes contain additional, specific risks.

Practice makes perfect

In all circumstances, it is very beneficial to run a short formative assessment using the same methods and options that would be used in the summative assessment. This allows students to get used to the interface and process and allows staff to ensure that the results they receive are what they expect.

Be aware that cloud-based services may change quickly

Blackboard, Turnitin, and OnDemand are all “cloud based services”. We do not maintain and upgrade these services ourselves, instead, they are hosted externally.  This means that the services may change from week to week – usually for the better, but sometimes with unintended consequences.

As an example, in November a new text editor was introduced into Blackboard.  A bug was found where response feedback for the Grade Questions feature of the Grade Centre was missing the new content editor, and text entered into the box there wouldn’t save. Blackboard will be delivering a fix for this issue in December.

The lesson is,  outside of a controlled environment of campus-based exams, there is potential for new issues to be introduced in our cloud-based services.

Have you considered students in different time zones?

Be mindful of those students outside of the UK time zone when selecting certain times for tests to be available.  Allowing the assessment to be taken at any time of day will be more inclusive for those outside of the UK.

Do students have the appropriate equipment or connectivity to complete an assessment?

Part of the approval process for Short Duration Online Assessments is conditional on this risk being mitigated.

Errors found in the assessment after it has been made available.

Ensure that the questions, rubric and all settings have been thoroughly proof read and reviewed for errors by yourself and relevant colleagues in good time before the assessment is due to take place.

Where a mistake is found after students have started the test please follow the appropriate AQSC Policy.

The IT service (e.g Blackboard) becomes unavailable during the assessment window.

Create a backup plan; for example, students should send an email to the school student office with their submission attached, and ensure your students and school are aware of the plan you agree.

Guidance for students

  • ALL questions about the assessment, including technical queries, should be directed to a named contact in the faculty*, such as an instructor of the course.
    • This contact will then answer questions about the assessment and, in the case of technical questions they are unable to answer, they should use the “Raise Serviceline Ticket” link in the course’s Control Panel.
*this is based on on this section of Section IV: General Information and Regulations of the University Calendar that states that “The nominee(s) of the Associate Dean (Education) must be available during the whole of the examination period in case of queries”, to keep the Short Duration Online Assessment process aligned with this exams process that it replaces, the nominee (usually a course instructor) should be available for student queries during their working hours.

Assessment Recipes

If you:

  1. Have obtained the necessary approvals from your DHoSE and AQSC,
  2. Have taken steps to ensure risks are mitigated (including, but not limited to, the information above and in the assessment recipes),
  3. Have satisfied yourself that the necessary functionality can be achieved using the tools above.

Then review the following recipes which have been designed to support the following assessment types:

Checking a short duration online assessment

Certain staff will be responsible for checking and verifying assessment set up.

Assessment Recipe: Combined formats (may use multiples of other practices)

Bb assignments, Bb Tests and Surveys, Blackboard, TurnItIn

Back to Short Duration Online Assessments page | Other Assessment Recipes

If you prefer to use alternative methods to Blackboard such as eassignment or another tool, check with your Deputy Head of School for Education for guidance.

In person arrangements

When this type of exam is sat in person students sit spaced apart in a large hall. Students have a printed question paper with rubric on the front. The question book contains numerous sections, one section may be bubble sheet type assessments (MRQs), another section may be a set of short answer questions, and then a long form essay.  Students write their answers into either one or several answer booklet/s.

How to transfer this online

For each type of section use the appropriate Blackboard tool as set out in the other recipes.  Explain very clearly to the students what should be submitted to which area of your assessment folder. Try to make your various questions and submissions organised in a way that encourages students to undertake the assessment one section at a time submitting as they go along to reduce confusion or risks associated with technical issues.

Exams will be scheduled by the Exams Office so you should match start and end dates/times for the assessment to match the exam schedule.

Online considerations

Other than the considerations in the other assessment recipes note that the more complexity you create – the more likely students will experience technical or procedural issues.

Risks and possible mitigation

In addition to the general risks outlined on the main Online Short Duration Assessments web page, review the relevant section in each of the lesson recipes.

Back to Short Duration Online Assessments page | Other Assessment Recipes

Assessment Recipe: Maths questions (including workings) which need to be hand written

Bb assignments, Bb Tests and Surveys

Back to Short Duration Online Assessments page | Other Assessment Recipes

If you prefer to use alternative methods to Blackboard such as eassignment or another tool, check with your Deputy Head of School for Education for guidance.

In person arrangements

When this type of exam is sat in person students sit spaced apart in a large hall. Students have a printed question paper with rubric on the front. The question book contains numerous questions to which students may have to draw graphs, write calculations, or otherwise fulfil requirements that are less straightforward where mathematical notation is needed.  Students write their answers into the answer booklet.

How to transfer this online

You have two approaches; one is to create Blackboard test that assess the same knowledge in a method suitable for delivery using the question types in Blackboard.  If so, follow the guidance in the assessment recipe for Computer based tests.

The other approach is to create an assessment paper and answer booklet and ask the students to either print out, complete (for example by drawing on graphs, writing calculations), or by completing a word document and adding notation with a stylus, or to create an exam paper and ask students to write the answers on blank paper in pen. If done on paper the students scanning the page using Office Lens or OneDrive on a mobile device and submitting it to a Blackboard assignment, or submitting the word document to a Blackboard assignment.

Blackboard assignment is recommended because it has a marking interface that allows marking with stylus (pen like tool) which colleagues report is more desirable for marking such assessments.

Blackboard assignment process

A new Final Assessment menu item has been added to most Blackboard courses. Please use this content area to add all content relating to your final assessment, or move your final assessments here if they are elsewhere. If you do not see a Final Assessment menu item, you can create one by following this guide:  How to add a Blackboard menu item.

Within this content area, add a content item explaining that this is where the assessment will be found on the day. This should include the rubric for the assessment (usually found on the front of the physical paper) so that students have a clear understanding of what the format will be. Include information such as who in the school students should contact with questions about the assessment or the paper, including technical questions*. Also, include a link to this Student Guide: Preparing for short duration online assessment (https://elearn.southampton.ac.uk/assessment/preparing-for-short-duration-online-assessment/)

*this is based on on this section of Section IV: General Information and Regulations of the University Calendar that states that “The nominee(s) of the Associate Dean (Education) must be available during the whole of the examination period in case of queries”, to keep the Short Duration Online Assessment process aligned with this exams process that it replaces, the nominee (usually a course instructor) should be available for student queries during their working hours.

 

If you wish for your students to include certain information such as their student number but not their name, or if you wish for students  to use a template for their submission make this clear and provide the students with the resources you require of them.  The file format recommended for students to use to submit is Microsoft Word (doc or docx) in the case of typed responses or PDF in terms of scanned responses.  Ensure that students have the equipment necessary such as a mobile phone running IOS or Android and the Office Lens (android, IOS) or OneDrive (android, IOS) apps in the case of scanned responses.  Include download links for the apps and recommend students practice with the apps in advance.

Create an item in the same content area and attach this PDF, use the text box to add any further information about the exam paper, and state that when the students open the PDF they will find the exam question/s within it.  Set this item to become available when you want students to have access to the exam paper.

Create a Blackboard assignment where the submission will be made by students.  Set the due date to the date and time after which students should no longer be able to submit.  Set the Display After to be the earliest time from which you wish students to make submissions.

Short Duration Online Assessments will be scheduled by the Exams Office so you should match start and end dates/times for the assessment to match the exam schedule.

If you allow only one attempt, then if a student submits an incorrect file or makes a mistake they will not be able to resubmit without your assistance.  We recommend allowing three attempts and stating that you will mark the most recent attempt.

Students should use Microsoft Word or Office Lens / OneDrive as appropriate to create the document which should contain all the answers clearly labelled in one single document.  Using a personal computer (e.g. tablet, phone or smart tv) they should use Google Chrome to access Blackboard and submit their assignment whilst ensuring that third party cookies are allowed.  They should ensure that the file they are submitting is not open in another application when submitting to Blackboard.

Online considerations

This assessment will not be proctored (invigilated) which means that it is effectively open book. Students have access to all of Google and the wider web. There is no way to enforce that they complete the assessment with a set time other than the time between the start date and the due date.   This means potentially students could spend all 24 hours (for example) working on the exam. Your questions should be structured to take this into consideration. Questions which hinge on them to remember facts are unlikely to be useful identifying strong students.

Students may experience difficulties if they are unfamiliar with scanning handwritten submissions using their phones, transferring the file to their computer, and then uploading to Blackboard.  Students may forget to scan some pages within their submission due to the stress of the process.

Risks and possible mitigation

In addition to the general risks outlined on the main Online Short Duration Assessments web page, the table below covers risks specific to this scenario along with suggested mitigations.

What could go wrong? Possible Mitigation
Error found in question/answers after assessment made available. Ensure that the questions, rubric and all settings have been thoroughly proof read and reviewed for errors by yourself and relevant colleagues in good time before the assessment is due to take place.

Where a mistake is found after students have started the test please follow the appropriate AQSC Policy.
A student does not have a suitable device (smartphone/scanner etc) to create a PDF of their written submission. AQSC approval for running such assessments is conditional on the proposing School providing assurance that it has made or assured adequate provision for the support of all students taking the assessment including, but not limited to: those taking the assessment outside the UK, those with inadequate connectivity or IT equipment and those experience IT failure during an assessment, provision or assurance of suitable space for all students to take the assessment, accessibility for disabled students and students with specific learning disabilities.
A student is not able to transfer a file they created in Office Lens (or similar app) on their phone to their computer for submission to Blackboard. In all circumstances it is very beneficial to run a short formative assessment using the same methods and options that would be used in the summative assessment. This allows students to get used to the interface and process and allows staff to ensure that the results they receive are what they expect.
Student loses their internet connection and cannot participate within the time frame. Agree within your School in advance how you will deal with this.
An assessment has been scheduled to be available for the wrong time, or for too little time. You can change the settings at any time, but we recommended that you agree within your school or faculty how you will deal with this if it happened. If this is reported after the  start time has passed it may be a question of an appeal to go through the School’s standard process.  See also “Error found in question/answers after assessment made available” at the top of this table.
Blackboard becomes unavailable during the assessment. Agree a back up plan, for example students should send an email to the school student office with their submission attached, and ensure your students and school are aware of this.
A student sees a score or correct answer feedback when they should not. Set the ‘hide from students’ setting for the Grade Centre column and make sure the score is not included in the running total.
A student submitted an assignment just as the deadline passed, and their receipt shows it was late, even though they started submitting before the deadline. Make it clear to students that it is their responsibility to have successfully completed their submission before the deadline, not to have started the submission process before the deadline.  Within your school or faculty you may agree to adapt this, but it is important to have made your approach to this clear to students from the outset.

Marking and giving feedback

To replicate the exams experience it is expected that no feedback will be given to students for the submissions other than a final score which would be delivered via Banner Self Service and the “Marks Release” process.  More information will be placed here shortly.  In the meantime it is important to ensure that marks are hidden from students.

Back to Short Duration Online Assessments page | Other Assessment Recipes

Assessment Recipes

Bb Assessment, Bb assignments, Bb Question Types, Bb Tests and Surveys, TurnItIn

Back to Short Duration Online Assessments page

Assessment Recipes

If you:

  1. Have obtained the necessary approvals from your DHoSE and AQSC,
  2. Have taken steps to ensure risks are mitigated (including, but not limited to, the information above and in the assessment recipes),
  3. Have satisfied yourself that the necessary functionality can be achieved using the tools above.

Then review the following recipes which have been designed to answer the following questions:

Back to Short Duration Online Assessments page

Transition to new Blackboard Assignment rendering and annotation feature

Bb assignments, Blackboard

Blackboard has two assignment handling features: Turnitin, and the Blackboard Assignment Feature.

The Blackboard Assignment Feature has an online document viewer and annotation interface that uses a third party technology licensed by Blackboard. The current incarnation of the document viewer and online annotation interface will stop working on 15 January 2018 as the technology has been deprecated by a third party supplier. A replacement document viewer and online annotation interface is being made available by Blackboard.

We will move over to the new document viewer and online annotation interface on Wednesday 10 January at 08:00.  The migration is expected to take up to four hours but could take longer if demand is high.

  1. What happens when we move to the new document viewer and online annotation interface on 10 January?
  2. What changes will I notice with the new document viewer and online annotation interface for Blackboard Assignments?
  3. What do I need to do?
  4. Detailed overview of changes
  5. Annotations made before 10 January 2018
  6. Status of existing annotations from 10 January 2018
  7. Annotating documents from 10 January 2018 onwards
  8. Summary of current known issues of new annotation interface

What happens when we move to the new document viewer and online annotation interface on 10 January?

When we move to the new document viewer and online annotation interface all existing assignments that use the Blackboard Assignments tool will be transitioned to the new interface. This is currently estimated to take about four hours. During that time it will not be possible to view Blackboard Assignment Submissions using the annotation interface, but the submissions can be downloaded direct to your computer.

Once the transition to the new document viewer and online annotation interface is complete assignments that were marked with the old interface will have any annotations that had been made previously “burned in”, and those existing annotations will no longer be editable. Additional annotations can be made over the top of these old assignments if required (using the new interface).

New and existing assignments will then use the new document viewer and online annotation interface.

TurnItIn assignments are unaffected by this change.

What changes will I notice with the new document viewer and online annotation interface for Blackboard Assignments?

When viewing a Blackboard assignment the annotation screen is the part that will be affected.

Affected aspects of assignment viewing screen

What do I need to do?

If you are using the Blackboard assignment feature in your course and plan to use the annotation feature please make yourself aware of the important changes detailed below.

Since some features will be removed (drawing/free text/strikeout) and annotations that were made before 10 January 2018 will no longer be editable after 10 January 2018, you may wish to consider the impact on how you will use assignment annotation feature over the next month and adjust as preferred.

The change to how the annotations work is mandated by the vendor and we have no choice to not progress with the transition to the new annotation interface.

The transition will take place from 08:00 on 10 January 2018. Ensure that you do not make any annotations from this time onwards until at least 12:00 on 10 January 2018. Annotations made at this time may be lost.  We will email staff who are using 2017/18 Blackboard courses which use the assignment feature to inform them when migration has been completed.

Detailed overview of changes

Annotations before 10 January 2018

Before we transition to the new interface the annotation screen has the following features.

 

Point comments
Area comments

 

 

 

 

This feature will no longer be available after 10 January 2018
Text comments
Drawing tools

 

 

 

 

Whilst this feature will not be available immediately after 10 January 2018 it is expected to return in the first quarter of 2018.
Highlighting tools
Free text over documents

 

 

 

 

This feature will no longer be available after 10 January 2018
Strikeout of text within documents

 

 

 

 

This feature will no longer be available after 10 January 2018

Annotations may be added to files in the following formats: PDF, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, DOC, and DOCX.

Existing Annotations From 10 January 2018

Following the transition on Wednesday 10 January all existing annotations (as seen above) will be “burned into” the documents. This will mean they will no longer be editable. They will also look slightly different. Here is an example of how each of the above will look.

 

Point comments
Area comments
Text comments
Drawing tools
Highlighting tools
Free text over documents
Strikeout of text within documents

While it will not be possible to edit existing annotations (i.e. those made before 10 January 2018) it will be possible to add new annotations to the same document.

Existing annotations can continue to be downloaded within PDF files. New annotations made after 10 January 2018 will not be visible within downloaded PDF files. It will still be possible to downlod the original un-annotated documents.

Annotating documents from 10 January 2018 Onwards

The new interface will support annotation of the following file types: PDF, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX and ODP and in addition the following file types will support only point-based annotations: AI, BMP, DCM, EPS, GIF, PNG, PS, PSD, SVS, TGA, TIF, and TIFF

After we have transitioned to the new interface annotating documents will work slightly differently. Two annotations methods will be possible, point comments and highlights with optional comments. Drawing based annotations are expected to be added as a feature in early 2018.

Point annotations

Point annotation allows one to add a comment at a specific point within the document being annotated.

  1. Click on the speech bubble icon.
  2. Choose the point where you wish to add the annotation and click on it.
  3. Enter the comment into the text box.
  4. Click Post.

Note that comments cannot currently be edited, they have to be deleted by clicking on the dustbin icon and a new annotation entered in its place.

Users view point annotation text by hovering their mouse over the icon.

Highlight with annotation

To highlight text and add a comment:

  1. Select the text you wish to highlight.
  2. A set of icons will appear.
  3. Click on the speech bubble icon.
  4. Enter text into the comment box.
  5. Click on Post.

Users view highlights with comments by clicking on the highlighted text.

 

Note that users with Windows 10 and Chrome should click to highlight the text first, and then add the comment.

Highlighting without adding an annotation

To highlight text:

  1. Select the text you wish to highlight.
  2. A set of icons will appear.
  3. Click on the highlighter icon.
  4. The selected text will be highlighted.

To remove highlighting, click on the highlighted text, then click on the highlighter icon, this will undo the highlighting.

The above instructions will be entered into the standard assignment feature instructions after the transition but are place in this page for information.

Summary of current known issues of new annotation interface in place from 10 January 2018

We are concerned about the number of known issues we have identified with the new annotation interface and are working with the vendor in co-ordination with other Higher Education Institutions to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

Viewing student ‘Blackboard Assignment’ submission receipts

Bb Assessment, Bb assignments, Bb Grade Centre, Blackboard

When students make a submission using the Blackboard assignment feature they receive an on screen receipt number.

Assignment Receipt

As an instructor you may view the student receipt numbers from submitted assignments.

1. From your course Control Panel, click Grade Centre and choose Assignments.

Grade Centre

2. Hover your mouse over the Reports button, and click on Student Receipts.

Student Receipts

3. You can choose to search by user, or by receipt number. You may wish to search by receipt number if a student tells you their receipt number and you wish to verify it.

Search by

4. A simple way to see all the receipts is to set the Option to User Information, the second drop down to Not blank, leave the text box blank, and click on Go.

Receipt list

Producing statistics about a Blackboard Grade Centre column

Bb Assessment, Bb assignments, Bb Grade Centre, Blackboard, Tracking in your Bb course, TurnItIn

The Column Statistics page displays statistics for a grade item, including average, median, and standard deviation. You can also view how many need grading and how the grades are distributed.

  1. From your course Control Panel open the Grade Centre.

Grade Centre

2. Find the column about which you are interested in producing statistics and click on the action button beside the column heading.

colstats1

3. Choose Column Statistics from the menu that appears.

colstats2

4. The statistics will be shown.

colstats3

Available Statistics

  • Minimum and Maximum Values: The lowest and highest values of all graded columns in the Grade Centre
  • Range: The numeric range between the lowest and highest grades for an item
  • Average: The statistical average of the item
  • Median: The midpoint score of the items
  • Standard Deviation: The difference between the values of the item and the average of the item
  • Variance: A statistical measure of the spread or variation of the items
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