Changes to the staff ‘Assessment essentials’ channel on Blackboard

Image of the staff 'Assessment essentials' channel on BlackboardWe’ve updated the staff Assessment essentials channel on Blackboard to incorporate the links to resources and notification tools that are available to students via their Assessment essentials channel. The intention is to give staff knowledge of the resources and notifications provided to students to help them manage their assessments – and they can refer students to these resources if needed

Under Information to staff you will continue to access the Assessment Essentials site and the various assessment reports.

Information shown to students in Blackboard lists the links to resources and notification tools that are available to students in their Assessment essentials module:

  • Assessment4Students provides guidance and support to students around assessment and feedback.
  • Assessment Statement / final results points to My Student Record where students can access their Assessment Statement and view final results. Staff can login and will be redirected to SITS online where they can view Assessment Statements and Online Results for a selected student within the Module Delivery and Assessment tab.
  • To do: check what’s due today / this week alerts students to assessment items (such as assignments and tests) set up in available Blackboard sites that are due today or within the next seven days. Assessment items only appear if they have a due date and are available to students. Information displayed is restricted to students, and will not appear for instructors.
  • Blackboard Calendar displays assessment items created in available Blackboard sites that have a due date as well as all other manually entered Calendar events. The display of assessment items in the Calendar is restricted to students and they will only appear if they have been set up with a due date and are available to students.
  • Download an Assignment cover sheet allows students to download and complete an electronic assignment cover sheet which can be attached to the front of their work.
  • Request an extension to a submission deadline (RESD) and Request a repeat assessment attempt (RRAA) link to and guide students through the processes for requesting an extension to a submission deadline and requesting a repeat assessment attempt respectively.
  • My Grades allows students to view feedback and grades for completed assessment attempts from all their available Blackboard sites in one location.

If students report that they are unable to see assessment items in any of their Blackboard sites or they are not displaying in the notification tools (To do, Calendar or My Grades), check:

  • the Blackboard site is available to students
  • the content area/folder containing the assessment item is available to students
  • the assessment item is available/not hidden from students
  • the availability of the assessment item is not limited by date
  • the assessment item has a due date
  • that all students have been assigned to a group for group assignments
  • the assessment item is not restricted to selected students or groups using adaptive release rules

Please also be aware that due dates for third party tools such as Turnitin and PebblePad do not appear in the notification tools in Blackboard.

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