The new features in Blackboard’s July upgrade will be available from the morning of Friday 7th July. This month’s upgrade includes the following new features to Ultra courses:

Advanced scoring options in multiple choice and multiple option test questions

Currently, when setting up multiple choice and multiple option test questions staff can select from the following options:

  • All or nothing – students must select all the correct answer choices to receive credit. If a student selects one or more incorrect answer choices, they earn no points;
  • Allow partial credit – students receive partial credit if they correctly answer part of the question;
  • Subtract points for incorrect answers – students will have points subtracted for incorrect answer choices, although the overall question score will not be less than zero.
• Multiple choice/option test question options prior to the July upgrade

Following the July upgrade staff will have more control on the way that scores for each question are compiled, and will be able to:

  • Define a positive percentage value to award credit for a correct answer;
  • Enter a negative percentage value (up to a maximum of -100% ) to subtract credit for an incorrect answer;
  • Allow a negative overall score for the question.

In the following example, it is possible to score from a maximum of 10 points (by selecting only the first and third answers) to a minimum of -30 points (by selecting only the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth options). A student selecting all six options would score -20 points.

• Multiple choice/option test question options following the July upgrade

More information about using tests in Ultra courses can be found at: Blackboard Help – Tests, Pools, and Surveys

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Complete/incomplete grade schema and formative assessment option

Following the July upgrade, staff will be able to use a complete/incomplete schema when assessing student work that does not require a grade to be given. The complete/incomplete schema still requires an assessment to be given a point value, but any amount of points given, including zero, will result in the assessment grade awarded being ‘complete’.

• Ultra assignment with complete/incomplete schema selected

When a value is provided, the mark shows as a tick to show that the assessment has been completed.

• Gradebook view of an assessment with a complete/incomplete schema.

The July upgrade also includes the option to mark assessments as formative. When this option is selected, the word ‘Formative’ is displayed alongside the assignment in the gradebook. Staff have the option to display ‘Formative’ to students also.

• Assignment settings panel with complete/incomplete schema and formative assessment selected

The complete/incomplete schema and the ability to note assessments as formative can be used independently or together, and can be used with both Turnitin and Blackboard assessments.

The following screenshot shows the student view of the gradebook where two assignments have marked as formative and where the complete/incomplete schema has been used.

• Student view of the gradebook

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Resizing media option in Ultra documents

After the July upgrade, when adding an image to an Ultra document staff will be able to resize the media using the corner handles that appear when the document is being edited and the image is selected.

• An image being edited in an Ultra document

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More information

As ever, please get in touch with your learning technologist if you would like any more information about the new features available in this month’s upgrade: https://libguides.northampton.ac.uk/learntech/staff/nile-help/who-is-my-learning-technologist