Use this guide to help you set up a Blackboard assignment, including determining if Blackboard assignments are the best tool for you.
Blackboard tests and assignments are functionally the same, so you will see settings here that will not apply to your assignment. This guide will let you know what these are.
If your assignment is a text-based item, it should likely be made with Turnitin. You can use the workflow below to determine if you should use a Blackboard or Turnitin assignment.
Is your submission text-based in a typical text-based file format (e.g. PDF, DOCX, PPTX, etc.?
If your answer to this is "No", you should use a Blackboard assignment. If the answer is "Yes", please move on to the next question.
Will this file be a scanned copy of a document (e.g. signed form or picture of a maths formula)?
If your answer to this is "Yes", you should use a Blackboard assignment. If the answer is "No", please move on to the next question.
Is this a submission for a single student, or is this a group submission where one single file will be marked for the group?
If this is for a single student, you should use a Turnitin submission point. If you are setting up a group assignment where one student will submit on behalf of the group, you should make a Blackboard assignment, and use our guide for group assignment creation.
Step 1: To create a Blackboard assignment, go into your module and hover over where you want the assignment to be and click on the + and select Create.
Step 2: Select Assignment from the list of options in the side panel.
Step 3: Add a title in the top left-hand side of the screen and adjust the availability to students in the top right-hand side (this will default to ‘Hidden from students’).
Step 4: Click on the + in the middle of the screen to add content. To add instructions, select the option Add text.
Click on the cog wheel next to Assignment Settings or click on any of the links in the side menu, and a panel will appear for the full settings for tests and assignments.
In the Details & Information section, you will need to add in the due date and time. If the assignment is open for students (e.g., a practice assignment), then you can choose the option of no due date. You can also add any settings you'd like to prohibit late submission or prevent students from starting the assignment after the due date has passed.
You can also allow a class conversation — this is a discussion board linked to this specific assignment.
Finally, you can use the option for offline submissions. This option lets you provide marks and feedback within your module page for assignments that are handed in as hard copy only. You should not use this option if you want students to submit anything digitally.
You can skip this section as it is for tests rather than assignments.
In the Marking & Submissions section, you can determine the category, the number of attempts, select the marking schema (e.g., points or alphanumeric), and set the number of points.
We recommend allowing two submissions to provide a backup in case of technical issues. You can also grant individual students extra attempts later.
If you enable multiple attempts, you can choose which one to mark. Typically, you will use the most recent submission.
Additional options include anonymous marking, peer review, and assigning multiple markers. Be cautious with anonymous marking—it limits individual student controls and prevents early feedback unless all submissions are marked.
Important: If using SafeAssign with anonymous marking, originality reports won’t appear until marks are posted.
Post assessment marks automatically — we strongly recommend turning this off to control feedback release manually.
You can skip this section as it is for tests rather than assignments.
You can add an access code to restrict access to the assignment. This is useful for anonymous settings where you want only one student to submit a second attempt.
Use this only after the due date and make sure late submission restrictions are turned off. If you need help, reach out through Help4U.
You can add a time limit to start upon student click. Use caution—this might prevent students from uploading work. If used, you can allow 50%, 100%, or unlimited extra time.
Other tools include:
We recommend allowing students to view their SafeAssign reports and unchecking the option to exclude submissions from the database.
Once you've set up your assignment, be sure to click Save at the bottom of the settings panel.
Finally, we strongly recommend that once you have completed setting up your assignment that you use your Student Preview account to view the assignment and test any settings to make sure that the assignment is set up and functioning as you would expect. As you saw, there are many settings and adjustments to one setting can impact another setting.