Blackboard Ultra (Faculty) - Tests, Forms, and Pools: Question Banks vs. Question Pools

Understanding Question Banks and Question Pools

Blackboard Ultra offers two methods for collecting and reusing assessment questions: Question Banks and Question Pools. While both provide varied assessments, they function differently and offer distinct advantages.

Question Banks

• Functionality: Question Banks are essentially a database of questions that you can select from and reuse in multiple assessments.
• Blackboard Learn to Ultra Conversion: Formerly called Pools in Blackboard Learn. Your Original course's question pools appear as Ultra question banks after conversion. Unsupported question types are removed. When you convert an Original course to Ultra, two decimal places carry over.
• Question Duplication: Each question will be presented only once.
• Grading: Grades are automatically recorded based on the answers submitted by the student.
• Use Case: Suitable for quickly assembling a randomized test using questions directly from the test bank. You can create a new question bank or import an existing one.
• Creation: Refer to Blackboard Ultra (Faculty) - Tests, Forms, and Pools: Question Banks for creation instructions.
• Additional Support: Refer to the Blackboard Help Center for more in-depth support on Question Banks.

Question Pools

• Functionality: Pools are a collection of questions used to create various versions of the same assessment. Set the total number of questions, and it will automatically generate multiple assessments using a random selection from the pool of questions.
• Blackboard Learn to Ultra Conversion: Your Original course's question sets and random blocks appear as question pools after conversion. Unsupported question types are removed. If an Original question set or random block only has unsupported question types, the set or block is removed during conversion. You can only access your Ultra question pools in the assessment they appear in. 
• Grading: Grades are automatically recorded based on the answers submitted by the student.
• Use Case: Ideal for ensuring each student receives a unique test comprised of different questions on the same topic or learning outcome. Some tests may be duplicated among students, but there will be variability and several versions of the assessment. Good for consistent question selection across multiple tests.
• Limitations: Question Pools cannot be added to an assessment if the following conditions exist:
  • You've added a rubric.
  • You've chosen to collect submissions offline.
  • Students have already opened the assessment.
• Creation: Refer to Blackboard Ultra (Faculty) - Tests, Forms, and Pools: Question Pools for creation instructions.
• Additional Support: Refer to the Blackboard Help Center for more in-depth support on Question Pools. 

Choosing the Right Option

The best choice between Question Banks and Question Pools depends on your specific needs:

• Choose Question Banks if: You want to create a set of questions that can be reused for future assessments. You can use question banks to create a pool.
• Choose Question Pools if: You want to create a database of questions used to automatically create multiple versions of an assessment to be randomly distributed among students.

Need Additional Support?

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