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Assessments
Strategies for Successfully Completing Online
Assessments
Strategies for Successfully Completing Online Assessments
Assessments are usually configured to allow each student one attempt. When a link is clicked to take an assessment the next screen will prompt "Click Ok to begin ... Click Cancel to return." If you are not ready to take the assessment then click on Cancel. If you click on Ok then you are committed. There is no going back. The assessment must be completed.
It may take a moment for the assessment page to down load on your screen. Do not answer any questions until the page has fully loaded. How do you know if the page has fully loaded? Scroll down and look for the Submit button after the last question. If you can see the Submit button then it is okay to scroll up and begin the assessment. After answering the last question, click on Submit to finalize the assessment and send the results to your instructor.
Once an assessment is started DO NOT click on links in the Course Menu. DO NOT use the buttons in the toolbar to reload a page or back up to a prior web page If you exit the assessment web page then you will be locked out of it.
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Save vs. Submit
Blackboard now has a Save button for each question in an Assessment and a Save button after the last question for Assessments that show all of the questions at one time. As you answer questions, click the Save button next to a question to save the answer for that particular question. A small pop-up window will appear, make sure that pop-ups are NOT blocked on your computer. Click on the Okay button.
The Save button at the end of the Assessment will save answers to all of the questions answered so far. If you change an answer just click the Save button next to the question or after the last question to record the change. You must still click SUBMIT at the end of the Assessment to finish.
Assessments that show questions one at a time also have a Save button. Clicking the arrow to advance to the next question automatically saves the answer to the current question. It is extremely important that you DO NOT click on a link in the Course Menu or Reload during an Assessment.
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Timer
Timer will display in the upper-right hand corner of the window. The timer is just there to confirm the amount of time you have to take the assessment. It will not automatically shut the assessment off, but instructors will get a red ! in the gradebook to let them know you have gone over the time. Look at the syllabus for your course as to penalties for going over the time limit on an assessment.
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Locked Out of the Assessment?
You can also be booted out of an assessment if you lose your Internet connection. This can be due to many reasons, but the most common is that your Internet connection "timed out" while you were taking the assessment. Many ISPs automatically log users off after twenty or so minutes of "inactivity," which is usually defined as not opening new web pages every five minutes or so.
Most ISPs open a warning dialog box to tell you that your connection is about to be terminated, but some do not (including AOL and many of the free ISPs like Freei.net and NetZero). If your Internet connection has gone dead suddenly in the past, a solution to the problem is to open a second Internet browser window while you are taking assessments. Click on Internet Explorer twice to open 2 windows. In the first window go to Blackboard and in the second window go another web site. While you are taking the assessment, choose the other window periodically (every five minutes or so), and click on any link that will load a new page. This way, your ISP thinks that you are actively browsing and your connection to the Internet will remain live.
If you do get bumped out of an assessment, contact your instructor IMMEDIATELY. It is up to your instructor to allow you to retake an assessment online or to ask that you retake the test in person in a proctored setting. ONLY your instructor can reset an assessment for you. WCCC Blackboard Support CANNOT reset assessments.
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Warning that some questions may be incomplete
If you receive a warning that some questions may be incomplete click on Cancel to return to the assessment.
Check that each question has an answer and then click on Submit again.