Assessment Diaries, Technology-Enhanced Academic Channel

Assessment Diaries

Assessment Diaries provide a single point for students to see information about their assessments from all their modules, rather than going into each module individually on Blackboard.

Please note: The Assessment Diaries system is currently under review and is not mandatory to use to set up assignments. If you would like to set up online assignments without Assessment Diaries please see the relevant assessment tool guide (Turnitin, Blackboard assignments, QMP, Blackboard Tests).

How Assessment Diaries work
Common problems and FAQs
View your Assessment Diaries
Edit your Assessment Diaries
- Add formative assessments
Set up assignments using Assessment Diaries
What students see
PDF Guides

How Assessment Diaries work

Assessment Diaries were established in 2011 in the light of student feedback. They provide a single point for students to see information about their assessments from all their modules, rather than going into each module individually on Blackboard. The intention was to help students manage their workload, but also provide them with clear, up-front information about how their programme of study will be assessed.

The Assessment Diaries draw on module information held in QuercusPlus. Quercus contains the details of summative assessments that will be carried out, and the Assessment Diaries display this information in a table with additional editable fields that staff can use to add details about the dates and delivery methods. Students are thus able to view or export a calendar of all the assessments that they will be undertaking in any of their modules.

All staff can view the assessment information on any module, but only those staff who are designated as either a Module Leader or a Module Administrator in Blackboard can edit the associated assessment data. Students only see the modules to which they have access, through their QuercusPlus enrolment.

_{Back to top}

Common problems and FAQs

I’ve added all the information to Assessment Diaries and set the delivery method to Turnitin but students are saying that they can’t submit/there’s nothing to submit to.
- Adding information to the Assessment Diaries to specify the assignment delivery method (e.g. Turnitin Assignment) does not complete the assignment set-up process; you will still need to complete the process in the Blackboard module. Please read the guide to setting up assessments below for full instructions.

I can see the assignment in Blackboard but students say it’s not working (even though I made it available).
- Setting the assignment delivery method (e.g. Turnitin Assignment) only creates a ‘placeholder’ assignment over in the Blackboard module that is hidden from students. This is not the assignment submission, and even if you make it available to students it will not work. To finish the assignment set-up process you will need to click on this 'placeholder’ (it’s the globe symbol with all the assignment info next to it); this will take you through the process to complete the set up of the assignment. See the guide to setting up assignments below.

The summative assessments are wrong and I can’t change them.
- The information in the title and assessment type fields is pulled in from the validated module information stored on ICIS and Quercus. If this is incorrect then you will need to have the module information corrected there. The assessment diary will automatically update when this is adjusted.

I can’t see/edit all my modules.
- All staff can view the assessment information on any module, but only those staff who are designated as either a Module Leader or a Module Administrator in Blackboard can edit the associated assessment data. The default view is ‘My Modules’. By selecting this view you are able to see all modules for which you are a module leader in Blackboard. If you do not have access to the module in Blackboard you will not see the module in the Assessment Diaries view. If you think you should have access to a module then you will need to speak to another member of staff or faculty admin to be added. (N.B. The role of module leader in Blackboard is not the same as an actual module leader — it is simply a level of editing permissions.)

_{Back to top}

View your assessment diaries

Step 1
Log in to Blackboard and select the Assessment Diaries tab at the top of the page.

Step 2
From Main Menu, select the option you would like to view:

My Modules – The default view. View all modules for which you are a module leader in Blackboard. (If you can’t see the right modules you should check with your Faculty Administrator that you are enrolled as module leader on the correct modules.)
All Modules – View all modules currently available in Quercus+.
All Courses – View the Assessment Diary for a whole course and for each course instance e.g. BSc Forensic Science with Biology, full time, year 3.

Step 3
To find the course or module you wish to view, click the Show Filter button.

Step 4
You can search by course, module code, title, or keyword. Enter the details into the relevant search box and click the Filter button.

Step 5

View by course
If you are searching by course simply select the i button in the View Course Instances column of your course.

You can then select the correct instance to view the modules for that course.

Select the modules you want to include in the diary view (core modules cannot be unselected).

You will then see a diary of all the assessments set for that course. You can click on the i button to view the details of any single assessment.

View by module
If you are searching by module click the i button in the View Module/Manage Assessments column (which title you see depends on whether you have permission to edit the information) to see the assessments for that module.

_{Back to top}

Edit your Assessment Diaries

Step 1
Log in to Blackboard and click the Assessment Diaries tab at the top of the page.

Step 2
From Main Menu select My Modules. Or select the module you wish to manage from the list on the left hand side of the page (if you use this option skip to Step 5).

Step 3
If you have a lot of modules it may be necessary to search for the right one – see Viewing assessment diaries – steps 3-4.

Step 4
On your list of modules click the i button in the Manage Assessment column for the module you want to edit.

Step 5
You will now see the Manage Assessments area for your module. In this area you will see some information about summative assessments. This is drawn from Quercus+ and cannot be edited.
Any missing information such as submission date(s) and assessment delivery method (e.g. Turnitin, Blackboard Assignment Tool, QMP) can be added here.

To edit the information click the pencil icon next to the assessment you want to alter.
!/media/files/photos/diaryeditpencil.JPG”

Step 5
You will now see the assignment editing window. You can edit the following fields:

Select the appropriate assessment delivery method from the drop-down menu (for exams, select Other Assessment Method as the Delivery Method and then month of submission).
Add a description
Set date assignment is set, date due, and date for feedback.

Then click Save

Please note: Editing the assessment diary information does not complete the set up process for online assignments (e.g. Turnitin). You must complete the rest of the process. See Adding assignments through Assessment Diaries for the next steps.

_{Back to top}

Add/remove formative assessments

Formative assessments are not pre-populated in the assessment diaries but you may want add them.

Step 1
Navigate to the Manage Assessments area for the module (see Edit Assessment Diaries for instructions) and click the Create Formative Assessment button.

Step 2
Fill in the fields with your details and click save.

Delete/Edit formative assessments
To delete or edit a formative assessment simply use the delete (red cross) or edit (pencil) icons next to the assessment. You cannot delete a summative assessment.

_{Back to top}

Set up assignments using Assessment Diaries

Step 1
First edit your assessment details in Assessment Diaries (see Edit Assessment Diaries) and make sure to set the assessment delivery format to the type of assignment you want to use. The most common assignments at the university are:

Turnitin Assignments
Blackboard Assignments
Peermark Assignments (Turnitin)

Step 2
You must then return to Blackboard. Navigate to the Assessment area of your module.

Step 3

Blackboard Assignments
If you selected a Blackboard Assignment you will see the assignment in your module. This is ready for student to submit to but still needs to be edited to add a due date and any other assignment requirements. Hover over the assignment until you see the grey action circle, click it and then select Edit. See the Blackboard Assignments guide for details of these options.

All other assessment formats
You should now see a greyed-out item with all the details of the assessment that you just entered in Assessment Diaries. Click the title of this item.

If you cannot see this item check that you have editing turned on (top right corner).

Step 4

You will be taken into the set up process for the tool that you selected. You should now fill in the details of the assessment and select the assessment options that you require from the tool (e.g. originality reports, rubrics, test settings, etc). Guides to the different assessment tools are available on other pages of this site.

Very Important: When adding your assessment details make sure that the assignment title and dates are exactly the same as those you entered on Assessment Diaries.

Guides to setting up the different assessment types:

_{Back to top}

What students see

Once a module leader has set up Assessment Diaries, students are able to see their individual Assessment Diary by selecting the ‘Assessment Diary’ tab in Blackboard.