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Exam Setup Guide for Blackboard

Exam setup details specific to Blackboard.

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Written by Jessica Drouin

Overview

When creating a SmarterProctoring exam aligned with Blackboard, a few fields can be easy to mix up. This guide can be used to to make sure the exam is created correctly from start to finish.

Within Blackboard, mixups can happen specifically with the Exam URL, Consecutive Attempts Allowed, and Password/Access Code fields. Please review those details carefully.

Exam Setup Details (Blackboard)

Within the SmarterProctoring dashboard, manually creating an exam is initiated by clicking New Exam in the upper right of the screen.

Then, on the Exam Details page you will need to fill in the required fields, below the images is a breakdown of each field.

Key Exam Settings (Blackboard):

  1. The following settings control core exam behavior (timing, attempts, URL, etc.) and are the most common source of setup issues.

    1. Type of Exam - Use the drop down to select whether this is an online or written exam. Note - if you are creating a written exam, please reference the appropriate article HERE.

    2. Exam Name - Choose an appropriate name to identify the exam (you may want to match the name you used within the exam platform)

    3. Custom Exam Assignment - toggle this setting to the ON position to later assign this exam to certain students or sections.

    4. Duration - The amount of time students will have to complete the exam once started.

    5. Exam Delivery System - Use the dropdown options to select the way in which students will access the exam. This action also populates a link to this setup guide.

    6. Exam URL - Within Blackboard, follow these steps to ensure you paste the proper URL in this field.

      1. In a separate tab, access the course content within Blackboard and open the exam/test you want to link via URL.

      2. Copy the URL from the address bar in this tab/window.

      3. Back in the SmarterProctoring exam settings, paste the copied URL. IMPORTANT: Delete the last part of the url (from the "&" after the course ID number). For example: if the URL you copied was https://blackboard.smarterservices.edu/ultra/courses/_524573_1/outline/assessment/test/_15100364_1?courseId=_524573_1&gradeitemView=details

        you will paste it into SmarterProctoring as: https://blackboard.smarterservices.edu/ultra/courses/_524573_1/outline/assessment/test/_15100364_1?courseId=_524573_1

    7. Password/Access Code - enter the same password as the one you created within Blackboard, if they do not match students will not be able to access the exam.

    8. Consecutive Attempts Allowed - This identifies the number of times a learner can attempt the exam. Note: The Blackboard Exam/Quiz must allow retakes and match the value entered here in SmarterProctoring.

    9. Exam Opens - The date and time the exam is set to open.

    10. Exam Closes - The date and time the exam is set to close.

    11. Scheduling Window - If turned on, you will be required to identify the date/time range students can schedule their exam. If left in the "off" position, nothing needs to be done.

    12. Attachments - If you are allowing reference materials, you will upload them here. Up to 5 PDF attachments are allowed. These will be visible to the students within the exam under Files in the toolbar.

  2. Once all fields are complete, click Continue.

  3. On the Permitted Items page, toggle selections on/off to identify items that will be permitted for the exam. All of the information on the permitted items will be displayed for the student and proctor prior to the exam.

  4. Details for each field toggled ‘on’ can be added if necessary. Note: If utilizing the virtual calculator, make sure to select the appropriate calculator type from the drop down.

  5. When finished, click Continue.

  6. On the Notes page, you can provide details for both students and proctors. Notes for proctors will not be visible to students.

  7. When completed, click Continue.

  8. On the Proctor Settings page, you will want to toggle on the testing modalities you wish to make available.

  9. For each modality toggled on, you will be able to customize lockdown settings. Please note that some administrators may lock settings they want to always be enabled. There are also Strict and Lenient presets should you choose to use those. Clicking on each item will enable/disable them. When settings are finalized, click Continue.

A more in depth breakdown of Exam Settings can be found HERE.

10. On the Confirmation page, review all the exam information and make corrections

if needed by clicking Back. Once details of the exam are correct, click Confirm.

Tips & Considerations

  • The ClassCalc, Second Camera and Secure Session App options will only be available if turned on for your entire organization at the admin level.

  • Verify ID will most likely be locked On within Proctor Settings to prompt the students to capture their headshot and ID during onboarding, this is to ensure the images are saved for the session recording and playback.

  • Utilizing the Scheduling Window option when creating an exam will help alleviate possible scheduling conflicts between students and proctors.

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