Blackboard Ultra (Faculty) - Respondus 4.0: Publish Questions to Blackboard

transferring test questions from Respondus 4.0 to Blackboard Ultra while preserving question-level settings such as point values, correct/incorrect feedback, and other question properties. Rather than using the direct Publish to Blackboard option, this method exports the assessment as a local pool file and then imports the file into Blackboard Ultra. This approach helps ensure that question settings configured in Respondus are retained during the transfer process.

Before You Begin

Before exporting your questions:

Create or import your questions into Respondus 4.0.
Verify that point values, feedback, and other question settings have been configured as desired.
Save your Respondus project.

Export the Question Pool from Respondus 4.0

Open your assessment in Respondus 4.0.
Select the Preview & Publish tab.
Choose Publish.
Select the Publish Wizard button.
Select Save Pool to Local File.
Click Next.
Specify a location on your computer where the pool package will be saved and name the file (no spaces in the file name).
When prompted, select "Test with points" and select Save/Finish. This will create a ZIP file.
When the export is complete, note the location of the ZIP file that was created.

The resulting file contains the question pool and associated question settings in a Blackboard Ultra-compatible format.

Import the Pool into Blackboard Ultra

Enter your Blackboard Ultra course.
Navigate to Content.
Navigate to the Blackboard Ultra course.
In the Content tab, to the far right of the Course Content label, locate and click the ellipsis (...) icon.
A panel menu will appear. Select Import Content.
A new panel menu will appear with an option to Import Course Content. Click Import Course Content.
Browse to the location of the file you wish to import. Select the file and click Open.
The import process may take a few minutes, especially if the course contains many large files. When the package is ready, you will receive an email from the Blackboard Administrator.
Blackboard will process the file and create a question bank containing the imported questions.

Create or Update a Test Using the Imported Question Bank

Create a New Test

In the Course Content area, click the plus sign (+).
Select Create.
Select Test.
Choose Add Questions.
Select Reuse Questions.
Choose the imported question bank.
Select the desired questions and click Copy Questions.

Verify Question Settings

After importing questions into Blackboard Ultra, review several questions to confirm that:

Point values transferred correctly.
Answer feedback appears as expected.
Correct answers are identified appropriately.
Question wording and formatting display correctly.
Any special settings or metadata were preserved.

Testing a few representative questions before making the assessment available to students is recommended.

Why Use "Save Pool to Local File"?

Faculty have reported that exporting a question pool to a local file and then importing the pool into Blackboard Ultra more reliably preserves question-level settings than direct publishing workflows. This method is particularly useful when assessments contain:

Customized answer feedback
Varying point values
Large test banks
Questions developed over multiple revisions

Need Additional Support?

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact the ITS Help Desk:

Call: (618) 650-5500
Email: help@siue.edu
Visit: Lovejoy Library Room 0005 during regular business hours.

This guide aims to provide useful information, but as technology changes, interfaces or steps might vary. Please use the Comment button to let us know if anything differs from your experience. Your feedback helps us keep this information accurate. Thank you!