• Creating a Question Pool
• Adding Questions to a Question Pool
• Exporting a Question Pool
• Importing a Question Pool

The Pool Manager is a repository of test and survey questions. You may create multiple question pools and draw upon any or all of them for a test or a survey. Once you create a question in a question pool, you may pull it into as many tests or surveys as you wish. Add questions to a pool manually, or import them from another Blackboard course or from a course cartridge.

Creating a Question Pool   

1. From the Control Panel, click Course Tools. Then select Tests, Surveys, and Pools.
   
   
   
   
2. Click Pools.
   
   
   
   
3. Click the Build Pool button.
   
   
   
   
4. Type a name and description (optional) for the new question pool.
   
   
   
   
5. Click Submit. Blackboard will take you to the Pool Canvas where you can start creating, adding, or uploading questions to the pool.
   
   

Adding Questions to a Question Pool   

- Creating Questions

1. Click the Create Question button. Select which type of question you would like to add.
   
   
   
   
2. Provide a title for the question. Fill out the required fields to finish your question. (The steps vary depending on which question type you chose). You can also provide an automatic response you would like to display if a student answers correctly, and another automatic response for an incorrect answer.
   
   
3. Click Submit. Blackboard will confirm that your question has successfully been created.
   
   
4. Your question will be created with no point value assigned.
   
   a. To assign a point value to a single question, click the box containing a dash to the far right of the question.
   
   
   
   Type in the number of points you would like to assign to the question.
   
   
   
   Click the green checkmark to accept or the red X to cancel. You can edit the point values whenever you choose.
   
   
   b. To assign a point value to multiple questions, select the checkbox in front of the question(s) you would like to assign the same point value to. Fill in the Points box and click Update.
   
   
   
   
5. Repeat this process until you have finished creating all the questions for your pool.
   
   

- Finding Questions

1. You can also bring over questions from other pools or tests you have created in Blackboard. From the Pool Canvas page, click the Find Questions button.
   
   
   
   
2. This will open a new window displaying all questions from all pools you have created. You can narrow down your search criteria by clicking on the menu options on the left hand side of the window and selecting specific question types or tests to pull from.
   
   
   
   
3. To add questions to your pool, click the checkbox(es) in front of the question and click Submit at the bottom of the screen.
   
   
   
   
   

- Uploading Questions

You can also upload questions from a .txt file into Blackboard to include in your pool. Each question in the file must be separated by a TAB and must be marked with a question type. For more on creating a .txt file to upload, visit this Blackboard Help page.

1. From the Pool Canvas page, click the Upload Questions button.
   
   
   
   
2. Click the Browse... button to find the .txt file containing your questions. Assign how many points you would like each question to be worth.
   
   
   
   
3. Click Submit. After the upload is complete, you will be able to edit these questions in the same manner as you would questions that have been authored in Blackboard.

Exporting a Question Pool   

Once you have created a question pool, you may export it as a .zip file to a disk or to your hard drive. If you want to use that pool in another Blackboard course, simply inport the file to the new course.

1. From the Pools page, click the chevron to the right of the pool that you would like to export. Click the Export option.
   
   
   
   
2. Click Save File. The .zip file will be automatically saved in the Downloads folder. You should NOT try to open the file before it is imported as it may corrupt the file.

Importing a Question Pool   

You may import any Blackboard question pool that has been saved as a .zip file, including pools you have exported from other courses and pools that have been packaged as part of a course cartridge.

1. From the Pools page, click the Import Pool button.
   
   
   
   
2. Click Browse My Computer to locate the .zip file of your pool.
   
   
   
   
3. In the File Upload window that opens, select your .zip file and click Open.
   
   
4. Click Submit.

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