How To Set a Repeat Online (MCQ type) Test/Exam
This article describes how to set adaptive release on a repeat MCQ exam on Blackboard, where you wish for the exam to be visible only to a small number of repeat students registered for the module.
Please note that there are other settings you can use for repeat exams, including making the exam available for all students as usual, but adding a password that is emailed only to those repeating a second sitting component, if you do not wish to use adaptive release to control the access outlined below.
You can also simply ignore attempts from other non-repeating students or make attempts exempt in the Grade Center, if you prefer not to deploy adaptive release settings, as outlined in this article below.
Identify your repeat students
Firstly, you will need to log into Blackboard and navigate to the “Full Grade Centre” on you Blackboard page.
Navigate over to column in the Grade Centre called “2nd SITTING” and filter this column by descending. This will make all the students that are marked with an R to appear at the top of the list.
Take note of the students and student numbers that are marked to re-sit the exam.
Create your group
Next Navigate the “Group and Users” section of your Blackboard page. In this section choose to create a new group and choose “Manual Enrol”.
On the next page name your group and give it a description. MAKE SURE TO MARK THAT THIS GROUP IS NOT VISABLE TO STUDENTS.
Make sure to uncheck the option “Allow Personalisation”.
Next under “Membership” choose “Add Users”. Here using the student numbers that you took note of from the Grade Centre search for the students to add to the group.
Set the middle column to “Is Equal” and put the student numbers in the search bar. Click on the checkbox to select the student. Once that you have selected all of the students click on “Submit”.
Create or locate your Test
Next follow the normal instructions for setting a timed exam below, regardless if it is a written or MCQ test. Please see the relevant article for this info. However, with the exception of setting the date and time in the regular settings. These settings will be handled differently for the repeat students.
When you have your exam deployed in the section of Blackboard that you want it to be in, make sure that it is still unavailable and hidden to students.
Click on the options menu for your exam and choose “Adaptive Release”.
Here in the Date section put in the date and time for the exam is going to be available for.
Next under “Membership” you will a list of all the groups that you have in this course in the left-hand column. Click on the group with the Repeat Students in it and click on the “>” (right arrow) to move it into the right-hand column.
Next click “Submit”. The test should then appear on the course page where it is deployed with the text below it saying that “Adaptive Release is enabled”.
With this the exam is deployed and only accessible to the students in the Repeat Students group, at the date and time that was specified. Make sure that the content area that exam is in is unhidden before the exam.
You can add your preview account to the group to test and ensure the repeat exam will display correctly. This next section will outline how.
Select “Groups” from the Blackboard Course Menu for your module.
Click on the down arrow to the right of the group you want to add the preview user to and select Edit Group.
Scroll down the window that appear to Membership and click Add Users
Find and select the preview user (you may need to have used Preview User some time previously in order for it to be listed among users). Then click the Submit button.
The preview user should now be listed in the membership. Click submit to finish the process. You can now use your student preview option to access the test to check it displays and functions as intended.