Step 11: Exams
Introduction
Exams are a crucial component of your academic journey, providing an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of course material and achieve learning objectives. Some instructors choose to assess your understanding using different approaches than exams. This will be made clear in the Concourse Syllabus. This guide will walk you through the process of accessing and completing exams in Blackboard, as well as provide tips and important information to help you succeed.
Key Points on this page
Essay Questions can be tricky if you type answers in directly
Google Chrome is your best friend for taking Exams
Exam formats could include multiple-choice or exam questions or single answer questions.
Not all exams are automatically graded. Your grade will appear in My Grades after being reviewed and submitted by an instructor.
Accessing Exams
Navigate to the course for which you need to access the exam.
Look for the Exams link on the left-navigation bar. It may also be called Assessments or Tests & Quizzes, depending on instructor preference.
You will be provided with a content area listing all of the quizzes and tests available to you. Click the link to launch the Exam/Quiz/Test.
Review the instructions carefully before beginning. Some exams are timed. Some allow only one attempt. Instructions are important here to make sure you are fully equipped for success.
Special Note on Essay Questions
It is possible for Blackboard to time out while you are composing answers to essay questions. Bb does save the essay answer box every time you type, but it is possible for it to time out depending on how long you take to answer the question. If you got timed out - before you went to click to Submit your answers, it's possible this work could be lost - and Blackboard will ask you to log in again, losing your work.
It is a good idea for essay questions that can take a long time to compose to copy and paste your work into a secondary place (like a google doc or word doc) and/or to make sure if they step away that they keep Blackboard active by clicking on something at least every 5 minutes or so. Bb does auto-save while typing in the essay box, so this isn't an issue for most, but if you do happen to step away for something or if you compose your message in Word, Office 365 or Google Docs, it's possible it will time out. Be sure to click save every now and again to keep Blackboard active, and we highly recommend copying and pasting your essay answers into a separate location just before you submit, so that your work is backed up.
Helpful Exam Tips:
Be mindful of your time. Please be aware of your start and stopping times that your professor gave you.
You will want to use Google Chrome.
Click the Blackboard Orientation menu item on the left, and then click on Blackboard Orientation Certificate of Completion Exam.
Be aware of the time limit for the exam. Some last 3 hours, but it depends, so make sure you are clear on the amount of time allotted.
ENSURE that you have an adequate uninterrupted time where ever you are taking the exam before you start (e.g.: there will not be time for you to go put money in the parking meter).
Once you log into the exam, you must continue with the exam until you finish.
Click on the name of the exam and read the instructions. Then click BEGIN, only when you are prepared to start and complete the exam and submit your answers.
Answer each question by clicking the circle next to the answer you choose or type in your essay response to the short answer or case study. There will be ample space for you to write.
For quizzes with 1 question per page, enter your answer and click Save Answer - then click the > single arrow to go to the next question. (You can also just click the arrow and skip clicking Save Answer.
For quizzes with all questions on one page, you should save your work as you go along by clicking SAVE ANSWERS every 10 minutes. This will ensure that your answers are saved on the server.
You may go back to change a selected answer if you need to (even if you have clicked Save).
When you are finished, and satisfied with your replies, save your work once more and then click the SAVE AND SUBMIT button at the bottom right of the page. You will get a Success message.
Once submitted all answers are final and you will not be able to go back to make changes.
You are on an honor system for exams.
As emphasized throughout all courses, please be sure to cite sources using APA guidelines.
Also, you may not copy and paste information from the internet or other sources for short answers, case studies or essay questions, nor may you download or pass along the exam to your peers who may take the class in the future. Violation of either of these conditions of an online exam will result in the following: (1) a failing grade for the exam and course and (2) a referral will be made to the Student Review Committee of the SSW.
If you are in the online section and you do not have a good internet connection (broadband) or your computer is not reliable, we strongly suggest that you come to the Campus to take your exam online in either the student computer lab or computer classroom.
The screenshot below is an example. The actual text you see in the exam may differ.
Getting Test Score/Results
If your instructor shares the results of your test with you, that will be found in My Grades (or Gradebook):
Click the name of the test/exam/quiz
Click the score for your attempt that displays on the right under Calculated Grade. If you had multiple attempts, you may see multiple scores. Note that an instructor has choices in terms of which attempt will be used for grading (most recent attempt, highest score, etc...) You may need to speak to your instructor about which is most representative.
You will then see whatever your instructor has allowed you to see, which may include questions, your answers, scores, correct answers or other feedback.
If you cannot see your scores or get to your exams from My Grades, it is likely your instructor has either chosen not to display these to you, or has inadvertently not allowed them in the Test Options, and needs to edit the Test Options. You can contact your instructor and see if they need assistance from the IDEA Team to fix the Test Options.
Here is more information on viewing test score results that may be useful.
Important Information:
Exam formats may vary, including multiple-choice, short answer, essay, or a combination of question types.
Pay attention to time limits and deadlines for completing exams.
Avoid engaging in academic dishonesty, such as cheating or plagiarism, which can have serious consequences.
Seek assistance from your instructor or academic support services if you require additional help preparing for exams.
Page Summary
On this page, you learned about the importance of exams in your academic journey, serving as opportunities to demonstrate your understanding of course material and achieve learning objectives. You were guided through the process of accessing exams in Blackboard Classic, including navigating to the exam section, reviewing instructions carefully, and completing the exam within the designated timeframe. Special attention was given to essay questions, with tips provided to ensure your work is saved and not lost due to timing out. Additionally, helpful exam tips were shared, such as being mindful of time limits, using Google Chrome, and ensuring a reliable internet connection. Finally, you were instructed on how to view your test scores and results in My Grades.
Exercise
Once you have successfully completed the exam in your SOWK 690 course and achieved the Certificate, you can view and download the certificate from the My Certificates link. Remember, you need 100% on the exam to get the certificate.
Click the Printer icon to display the certificate and print it. OR you can take a screenshot of it, or the "Earned Achievements" page, showing your certificate(s). Note that clicking the other icons may result in an error.
We encourage you to store the screenshot(s) somewhere you can find them. Some instructors ask students to produce the certificates and others do not. You do not need to submit them to IDEA Team or anyone else specifically at this time.
After you have completed the exam, please go to Step 12 so that we can get your feedback.
Current certificate screens and icons may appear differently than the image below, which depicts the "My Certificates" screen showing "Earned Achievements" and displaying checkmarks for both the Anti-Plagiarism and Blackboard Orientations. The image highlights the small gray printer icons on the right side of each achievement.
