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6.b - Problems submitting online tests

Taking online exams, test, and quizzes is an essential part of participating in an online course at NSU. Nearly every course will at one point or another require students to take an online test. Since many exams will only let you submit the test ONE TIME, it is important to ensure that you have your home computer setup properly to take online exams.

Below are some general settings that must be enabled on a computer in order to take online tests using the Blackboard system:

Make sure you have "cookies" enabled on your computer:

"Cookies" allow the Blackboard server to remember which exam you are taking and what your student information is. This "cookie" is temporarily stored on your home computer. You must enable "cookies" in order to take online exams. Follow these example instructions for enabling "cookies" on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 Computer with Internet Explorer:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, and click on "Internet Options":



  2. This will open the Internet Options page. On this screen, select the "Privacy" tab at the top, and click on "Sites" to add the NSU Internet Domain to the list of allowed sites:



  3. On the Sites screen, type the NSU domain (nsuok.edu) into the "Domain" textbox, and click on "Allow". Then, click on OK.



  4. Continue clicking on "OK" on the remaining screens. Once you have clicked "OK" on all screens, close your Internet Browser, and re-open your Internet Browser. Now, when you visit the NSU Blackboard server, you can be sure that your computer is set to allow Blackboard to store "cookies" on your computer for taking online exams.

 

Make sure you have "JavaScript" enabled on your Internet Browser.

Nearly every page in Blackboard requires you to have "JavaScript" enabled in order to take full advantage of the features of Blackboard. Online tests are no exception. In order to take and submit online tests, exams, and quizzes, you must have JavaScript enabled. Use the following instructions, for a Windows XP Service Pack 2 computer with Internet Explorer, to enable "JavaScript":

  1. First, open Internet Explorer, and click on "Tools > Internet Options":



  2. On the following screen, select the "Security" tab at the top, click on "Trusted Sites", and click on the "Sites" button:



  3. This will open the "Trusted Sites" dialog. This screen will allow you to add the NSU Network to your list of trusted Internet Sites. Type "*.nsuok.edu" (notice the asterisk) into the textbox, click on "Add", uncheck the "Require server verification (https)..." checkbox, and click on "OK".



  4. This will add the NSU Network to the Trusted Zone, and enable JavaScript to run from servers on the NSU Network. Continue clicking on "OK" on all open screens. Close and Re-open your internet browser, and you will now have NSU listed among your trusted Internet sites.

 

Make sure you always click on "Submit" when taking an online exam.

If you do not click "Submit", your answers will NOT be submitted to the server for grading. Always remember to use the scroll bar on tests, and answer each question. When you are finished answering your questions, click on the "Submit" button and WAIT for the receipt message to appear, confirming that your test answers were successfully submitted to the server. For more information about taking online tests, visit "Section 3.g - Taking an online test" in this student guide.

 



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