Blackboard Tutorial: the Pool Manager

The Pool Manager allows you to create a set of questions which then can be used in tests or surveys at a later stage. You are able to select the questions you would like included in each individual test, and not be confined to importing the whole set of questions into the test. Question Pools can be exported from one course and imported into another. Some textbook publishers produce Blackboard cartridges that include question pools. This option is worth checking, as it saves you a lot of time in creating your own questions. To see if the textbook you ar using has a Blackboard cartridge, visit http://cartridgecatalog.blackboard.com/catalog to search the Blackboard’s Course Cartridge Repository.

Creating a Pool

1. Control Panel > Pool Manager
2. Click on the “Add Pool” button
3. Enter in the name, description and instructions which your students will see when taking the pool and click on submit.

The Pool Canvas window will now open

Creation settings for the pool

You can now specify whether you wish to be able to provide feedback for individual answers, add an image, file or URL to each question as you add it.

Click on Creation Setting (to the right of the Go button), then tick the options you wish to apply to the pool and click on Submit.

Now start adding the questions.

1. Click on the drop down box to select the format you require and click “GO”
2. enter the question and maximum points possible (this can be different from the default setting you may have specified above)
3. Enter the answers
4. Enter the feedback
5. Submit
6. add more questions by using the “Add more questions here” link or by repeating steps 1 to 5.

Enter as many as required by repeating the above steps.

Tip: You can also add questions from another question pool or test (assessment) or upload questions from a file prepared in advance.

You can re-order pool questions by clicking on the number beside them. You can make changes to a question by using the Modify button and you can remove questions.

When you are satisfied with your pool design, layout and content, click on the Ok button.

Importing Pool questions into a Test or Survey

Add a Test or Survey as you would normally do

Control Panel > Test Manager

Add Test.

Enter a name and description for your test and submit.

Now use the drop down list by “Add” to select “From a Question Pool or Assessment” and click on Go.

Select the Pool you just created and specify which questions you wish to search for within this pool.

Note: Selecting all will bring up all the questions from the selected pool; you are not forced to use all questions from your search in the test, as you are given an option to select the questions you want to include in the test at a later stage.

Click on Search

Now select the questions you wish to add to your Test (by ticking the corresponding boxes on the left) and click Submit when completed.

You can now add more questions if you like as you are in the Test Creation screen.

See the tutorial on Tests and Surveys if you are unfamiliar with what you need to do next. <add link here to tests and surveys)

Upload Questions into Pools

Instructors may import files containing questions into pools. This is a faster and more efficient way of creating pools than creating questions in Blackboard.

To learn how to upload questions prepared in advance click here