The practices below can help ensure a smooth online testing experience.
TIPS |
DESCRIPTION |
| Email your instructor. | If you experience difficulty while taking an online exam (e.g. you are unable to get back into a test after a disruption with your internet connection), contact your instructor immediately via email and inform them of your situation. Be sure to include the time, course name, and test title in your email, along with any answers you have already chosen or typed up. |
| Use a desktop or a laptop computer. | A mobile browser may lack the processing power as well as some features and functionality that are available when accessing Blackboard from a regular web browser. If you must use a mobile device to take a test, please download and use the Blackboard App, making sure you are in a location with a strong and stable data or Wi-Fi connection. |
| Use the most recent version of your browser. | The list of recommended browsers to use with Blackboard are available in this help guide: Browser Support Even older versions of supported browsers may not function reliably, whether taking a test or doing other activities in Blackboard, so please update your browser.You may also want to disable any adblocker extensions, which can affect browser performance.This does not apply to tests that require Respondus LockDown Browser. For more information, please visit this help guide: Using Respondus LockDown Browser. |
| Quit other applications. | To ensure a stable internet connection, close down other applications, especially streaming services, which can slow and disrupt your connection. Also, before logging into Blackboard, it is a good idea to quit any open browser sessions, then re-open a new one it to start a fresh session. |
| Ask your housemates for help… | …not on your exam, but to stop the crime documentary they might be streaming on Netflix or to stop their game online. Even watching quick videos while scrolling through social media can take up the bandwidth you need to take your test, so ask if they can refrain from heavy internet usage until after you’ve submitted your exam. |
| Compose long answers or essays outside of Blackboard. | Don’t lose your hard work! Compose this type of answer in a text editor such as Word, Notepad, or TextEdit, and save periodically. Then, copy and paste your answers, or upload it, to your exam in Blackboard. IMPORTANT: You will get timed out for inactivity if you do not click around or add content to the text editor in your exam. This may cause you to lose access to the exam altogether, so please ensure that you are going back to the exam and adding and saving your answers or otherwise clicking buttons to keep your session active. |
| Keep your test session active. | Similar to the tip above, click on the Save Answer buttons to keep your test session active. |
| One browser, one session. | If possible, have only the browser window where you are taking the exam open. Close all unrelated browser windows. This will give you a better chance of completing your test without errors. If you can, make sure there is only one Blackboard session per browser open at a time. If you need to navigate your course during an exam (i.e. if it’s “open book”), use a different browser. |
| Call our 24/7 help desk | If you are taking a test and need technical assistance, please call the 24/7 help desk for Blackboard: (213) 740-5555 (choose option 1, then 2) While they may not be able to change any settings for the test that have been set specifically by your instructor, or assist with internet connectivity issues, they may be able to offer workarounds. |