The Challenge of Online Assessments

One of the most compelling features of the Blackboard Learning System is the potential to deliver online exams and self-assessments to students. It’s often this capacity that first attracts faculty to Blackboard.

But the transition from “print” exams to “online” exams can be challenging. Questions from faculty arise almost immediately. “How do I convert exam questions in MS Word format to Blackboard?” “How do I import questions from a publisher test bank to Blackboard?” “Can I write Blackboard exams without being connected to the Internet?” The answers to these and related questions often determine whether or not faculty will embrace online testing, even Blackboard itself.

Along Came Respondus

Respondus is an assessment authoring tool that addresses these issues. Introduced in 2001, Respondus was one of the first “third party” tools developed for the Blackboard Learning System -- even before “Building Blocks” existed. Today, Respondus is used by faculty at over 2000 universities and colleges worldwide.

Here is an overview of what is offered in the current version of Respondus (version 3.0):

• Exams and surveys are created “offline” in a Windows environment
• Exam questions can be imported from word processor files or IMS QTI files
• Exams are published directly to a Blackboard course (including the images, point values, random blocks, and exam settings)
• All questions in an exam can be spell-checked in one step
• Images and media files can be placed “inline” with question text, without writing HTML
• Exams can be printed using the same Respondus files
• Exams and surveys can be moved from one Blackboard course to another, while retaining question order, point values, random blocks, etc.
• Exams can be converted from other e-learning platforms
• Basic and Enterprise editions of Blackboard Learning System are supported.

In addition, hundreds of publisher test banks are available for download in Respondus format. These are freely available to faculty who adopt a participating textbook for their course. Publishers participating in the Respondus Test Bank Network include Pearson, Thomson, and Oxford University Press, among others.

A series of Respondus demonstration movies are available at: http://www.respondus.com/demo. In addition, you can download the full Respondus 3.0 software and request a 30-day activation password from http://www.respondus.com.

Then Came StudyMate

StudyMate 1.5 is another authoring tool from Respondus. StudyMate lets you create 10 Flash-based activities and games using three simple templates. The Flash activities can be published directly to a Blackboard course or exported as a SCORM learning object.

StudyMate’s easy-to-use authoring environment requires no past experience with Flash programming, graphic design, or HTML. Questions can be entered directly or imported in MS Word, IMS QTI, rich-text, or Respondus format. This makes it possible to create interesting, interactive activities from existing content.

Other features include an Equation Editor, a spell checker, the ability to add image files and web links, question/answer randomization, and "StudyMate Organizer" (a free tool for organizing Flash objects on a local drive or server).

StudyMate can create the following types of Flash activities: Fact Cards, Fact Cards Plus, Flash Cards, Fill In the Blank, Pick A Letter, Matching, Glossary, Crosswords, Quiz, and Challenge. A language setting allows the user interface for the Flash activities to appear in six different languages (Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, or Spanish). Samples of each of StudyMate activity can be viewed at: http://www.respondus.com/products/screens.shtml.

A demonstration movie that shows how to create Flash activities with StudyMate is available at: http://www.respondus.com/demo. You can also download the full StudyMate 1.5 software and request a 30-day activation password from http://www.respondus.com.

Learning More

Respondus and StudyMate have revolutionized how faculty create exams and self-assessments for the Blackboard Learning System. The software is inexpensive, easy to roll out to instructors, and integrates seamlessly with both the Basic and Enterprise versions of the Blackboard Learning System. If you want to add excitement to your e-learning initiative and increase the use of Blackboard on your campus, then take a look at Respondus and StudyMate. For more information: http://www.respondus.com.