Grading optimization for file-based Assignment submissions in Flexible Grading – 3900.78
Blackboard Learn SaaS
Ultra Experience
Ultra Course View
Impact: Instructors
Some instructors design assignments that require students to attach one or more files.
In the past, if a student attached multiple files to their assignment submission, the Bb Annotate inline grader displayed for each submitted file. This behavior introduced usability issues:
- It was difficult for the instructor to know how many files the student had submitted easily.
- Multiple stacked Bb Annotate instances, one for each attachment. This caused multiple scroll bars on the grading page, making navigation difficult.
Now, when grading file-based submissions, a tabbed interface appears. The first tab displays the assessment instructions. After that, there is one tab for each submitted file. The first attached file displays by default.
This new tab-based navigation has several benefits:
- More of the student submission is visible to the grader without scrolling.
- Navigating file-based submissions is more transparent and easy by removing multiple scroll bars.
- The option to download the student-submitted file(s) is more apparent.
- The number of files the student attached to their submission is clear.
- Graders can switch between the assessment instructions and the submitted file(s).
- Graders can easily navigate across the submitted files.
Image 1. A submission with two files attached, with the first file attachment is open in Bb Annotate
Image 2. Tab navigation supports switching between the assessment content and attachments
For administrators: This feature is available in Ultra Experience Management and is "On" by default to ensure the Flexible Grading interface is available to users. You can turn off the Flexible Grading interface by setting this feature to "Off."