Blackboard Assessments
Known Issues, Tips, and Solutions to Common Problems
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Browser Issues
Certain browser actions may cause the student to unintentionally exit the quiz. When taking a quiz DO NOT:

• Click your browser Back, Forward, Home, or Refresh/Reload buttons
• Enter new URLs in the Address or Location fields of the browser
• Select any pages from your Favorites/Bookmarks list in the assessment's browser window
• In Netscape, do not re-size, maximize, or minimize the assessment's browser window after beginning the quiz because, in Netscape, this causes a Refresh.
• Do not attempt to print the assessment while using Netscape.

The AOL browser has compatibility issues with Blackboard:
If you use AOL you should install Netscape or IE, minimize your AOL after you connect to the internet, and then use Netscape or IE for Blackboard.

Popup Blockers:
Pop-up blocker software may block a quiz from opening. If an assessment is set to open in a new window, pop-up blocker software prevents a new window from "popping up."

Solution: Disable the pop-up blocker.

To Disable Pop-up Blocker in Internet Explorer:

Select from the menu bar: Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Turn Off Pop-up Blocker

To Disable Pop-up Blocker in Mozilla Firefox:

Select Tools > Options > Content > Uncheck "Block Popup Windows" or:

Click on the "Exception" button to open the "Allowed Sites"  window and enter the URL of the website allowed to open popup windows.

To Disable Pop-up Blocker in Netscape 7.1:

Select Tools > Popup Manager > Allow Popups From This Site

To temporarily override the pop-up blocker in Internet Explorer:

Hold the (ctrl) key as you click on the assessment link

IMPORTANT: Instructions on disabling other pop-up blocking software may vary, check the software documentation.

Internet Connection Issues
Students are required to be online to begin and to submit a Blackboard assessment. If the student loses Internet connection while taking a Blackboard assessment, this can prevent the successful submission of the Blackboard assessment.

Reasons that your connection may be interrupted might include:

• Your ISP timing their connection out after a certain amount of inactivity. Many ISPs have an 'idle time-out' on their dialup connections. Filling in forms does not generate traffic back and forth across the Internet connection, and it is not viewed as "activity" for the purpose of automatic time-outs. This means if you're online but not actually using the connection they will kick you off for being idle after a set amount of time - often around the 10 minute mark.

• Blackboard timing their connection out after three hours of inactivity. After three hours, Blackboard will end the user's session automatically.

• Modem problems or interruptions (such as call waiting).

• Power failures

• System crashes

Avoid Losing Your Work:
We recommend that you work on essay questions offline using a Word Processor such as Microsoft Word or Wordpad. Save the file to your hard drive, disk or USB flash drive and then use the copy and paste feature to copy the information to the Blackboard essay text box. Saving work that you will be posting online is a good idea (especially if your response is a long one) just in case there is a problem, and you get logged out without submitting the information.

Quitting by Accident:
Unless an assessment has the option for students to "Allow multiple attempts" checked, an assessment can only be taken once. To avoid losing a quiz, first close down the other programs running on the computer. Avoiding distraction, focus only on the quiz until it is finished. Be careful not to close or even resize the window.

Firewalls
If operating behind a firewall, students may see an error message telling them that their system was configured to deny access to this URL. The solution is to take the test somewhere that doesn't have a firewall.

Spyware
Spyware and other programs running in the background can interfere with taking quizzes. You can detect and remove spyware from your personal computer  by downloading and running anti-spyware applications such as Spybot - Search & Destroyand Ad-Aware.


Instructions on Taking an Online Test in Blackboard:

1. Check Your Browser Options before taking the test ensure that it is not set to disconnect after several minutes of inactivity. * The location of this setting depends on your browser. For example, in Internet Explorer 6 & 7 it is located under Tools > Internet Options > Connections > Settings> Advanced
   * If you have an Internet Service Provider that will break your connection if you don’t visit a new site after a certain period of time, then keep another window open and occasionally visit it and load a new page or refresh the page to keep your connection open.
    

2. Check the status of the Force Completion setting--If it says: "This Test must be completed now. It CANNOT be resumed later--you CANNOT logout and return to the test later. The test must be completed and submitted without exiting from it. If Force Completion indicates "This test can be saved and resumed later", then you will be able to save the test, logout, and return to it--however, if it is a timed exam, the timer will continue to run, even if you do not have the exam displayed.
   
   TIP: If your computer and telephone share the same telephone line, unplug your telephone while taking the quiz.
    

3. Do Not Use the "Back" Button on your Browser during the test. Instead, use the scroll bar to move back to check earlier questions, unless you are permitted to only view one question at a time. Don’t close the window of the test for any reason.
    

4. If the exam is timed, you will see the following message when starting the exam: This quiz has a X hour X minute time limit. The clock will start as soon as the quiz is loaded and a timer will display at the top of the exam area. When one minute remains, a warning pop-up message will display. If the time limit is exceeded, Blackboard will accept the submission, but the time overage will be recorded in the grades area by a red exclamation point which must be reviewed by your instructor.
    

5. If something goes wrong, send an e-mail to your professor immediately, documenting the exact problem and asking how you should proceed. Include your first and last name, username, the course, and section number.
    

6. Review and SAVE All your Answers Before Submitting the Quiz.
    

7. When you are satisfied with your answers to the exam make sure you finish by clicking the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the screen. Click the Submit Button ONLY ONCE! After you submit the test answers, you will receive a score unless you have exceeded the time limit for the quiz.
    

8. If an exam must be taken by a specific date or time, do not wait until the last minute to start it. Should something go wrong, there may not be enough time to resolve the issue before the deadline.
    

9. If an exam question presentation is "All At Once" rather than "One At A Time", wait for the entire quiz to load before answering/saving Question #1. (Scroll down to the bottom of the exam to make sure all the questions appear before starting.).

Verify That You Have The Minimum Blackboard System Requirements: 

• Go to the Computer Requirements page to make sure your computer is set up properly to view and use a Blackboard course.

• Run the Browser Diagnostic Test to make sure you have all the necessary components installed to properly view and use a Blackboard course.