Marking and Feedback in Blackboard Assignments
- ellen bell
- Aideen Gibson
Blackboard assignments allows you to mark and add feedback to your students' submissions in multiple ways, you can:
annotate the submission using the annotate toolbar,
Provide Overall feedback in a separate word document, in the feedback field or using a recording.
You can use Gradebook column settings to calculate, adjust and post marks.
Instructions
Accessing student’s submission
You can view student submissions in two* main ways: through your assessment dropbox or via the Gradebook.
To access student submissions via the Blackboard assignment dropbox
In the Course Content tab (your default view), click on the Blackboard assignment dropbox (denoted by 
This opens up the assignment dropbox. Click on Submissions (Marks if the submission is off-line) to see a list of student submissions. Note the bracketed number beside submissions denotes submissions
Via Gradebook area, select Markable Items and then click on the name of the assignment.
Both options will take you to a list of student submissions.
You can use the Marking status drop-down to view just those submissions that need marking
Clicking on the students name will open the student submission, you are now ready to mark the submission.
Student submission view, there are panels either side of the submission. On the left is a list of student submissions, on the right, Overall feedback and the marking rubric (if used). Both these panels can be minimised/maximised using the buttons with arrow in the grey circle.
The annotation toolbar is the black bar across the top, use it to annotate or highlight directly onto the student submission.
When marking Offline submissions, you need to Create attempt and Save for that student to begin marking and adding feedback.
Marking using a rubric
If you added a rubric to your assignment you can use this to mark the submission. Click on the rubrics icon on the right-hand side to open the rubric.
This will use the drop down arrow to open up the marking rubric in the right hand panel or expand the rubric in another window.
You can use the button to show descriptions
Scroll down to view each criterion and click on an appropriate achievement level. Clicking on the achievement level e.g. Good will automatically increment the student mark if you used a percentage or point rubric.
If you have used a percentage range or point range rubric, you will need to enter an appropriate value, Blackboard will automatically add these values together.
You also have the option to add personalised feedback to each criterion by clicking on the feedback icon:
Add your feedback and click on the up arrow to save, the feedback icon goes purple to denote personalised feedback.
When you have finished selecting the criterion, your mark with be tallied at the top. You can click on the three dots to override or post the mark.
Or you can post marks later and continue marking submissions by navigating student submissions using the left hand panel:
When you post the mark, students will be able to view their marked submission in Gradebook, with their attained achievement levels in each criterion displayed.
Using the Annotate toolbar
You can feedback directly within the student's submission using the Annotate toolbar. You can draw and write or attach comments directly inside the submission.
When you open the student submission in Blackboard, you will see a black toolbar at the top of the submission - this is the Annotate toolbar.
Click on the pen tool to draw onto the student submission.
Click on the comments icon to comment directly within the submission, click Save when you are finished.
Or select the text within the submission to reveal the formatting toolbar
Find out more about using the Annotate toolbar to add feedback.
Adding Overall feedback
Click on the feedback icon on the right hand side this will open your overall feedback panel.
Here you can type feedback directly into the text box ,…
record video or audio comments (using the camera icon in the tool bar) …
or attach a word document (using the plus with a circle).
Just click Save/ Save Changes to save the feedback for students.
Finally you can add the mark in the top right hand corner.
Click on the three dots, and select post the mark or …
… you can post marks later and continue marking submissions by navigating student submissions using the left hand panel:
When you post the marks, the feedback will be displayed to students, when they click on the assignment in their Gradebook.
Video guide to giving feedback in Blackboard Assignments 2'20min
Annotating (adding inline feedback) to Blackboard assignments with BB Annotate
*NB you can receive notification of (and access) student submissions via
The Marks section of the Blackboard interface:
In an email notification by adjusting Activity Stream settings in the Blackboard interface
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Centre for Digital Learning Enhancement
ulster.ac.uk/learningengancement/cdle