ACC 2510 Quizzes

ACC 2510
Quizzes

Online quizzes--which are taken online and completed prior to class for credit--are assigned and made available on Blackboard for each textbook chapter. Each quiz (except the Baseline Quiz at the beginning of the course) is based on the lecture notes from the prior classes, the chapter itself, and the assigned readings associated with that chapter.

Login to Blackboard using your AccessID. To access Quizzes (within Course Documents) and other restricted pages on the Blackboard site for your section of this course, you'll need to be signed onto Blackboard with your Wayne State University AccessID

For new Wayne State students, it's very important that you immediately log in to WSU Pipeline (http://pipeline.wayne.edu) and activate your AccessID account. AccessID accounts need to be activated before they can be used. Your AccessID format is two letters followed by four numbers, e.g. xy6789. The AccessID is printed on your OneCard. Your initial password for your AccessID account is set to the 9-digit Student ID number, which is also printed on your OneCard. Note: the only way for you to receive credit for the quiz is to complete the quiz online on Blackboard, on time (that is, prior to the class for which it is assigned).

Carefully Read and Review the Blackboard Student Assessment Guide

When Quizzes are Made Available. Except for the Baseline Quiz, all homework quizzes are to be completed toward the end of the student's study efforts for that week, usually earlier in the day on the day of class, or perhaps the evening prior to class. Therefore, each regular homework quiz is generally not made available on Blackboard until approximately 20 hours (and a minimum of 12 hours) prior to the time and date for which that quiz is due.

Taking a Homework Quiz. Each homework quiz is taken online, and is found in the "Quizzes" folder in the Course Documents area of Blackboard.. Quizzes may be accessed until the due date and time (after which they are removed from Course Documents). If you have trouble getting into a quiz, try browsing to WSU Blackboard page at http://blackboard.wayne.edu/ and then re-enter the course page from that site. This procedure (which results in the "yellow field" above the Blackboard pages) often helps.

Quizzes are Browser-Sensitive. For best results, make sure your browser allows cookies, and that popup windows are not suppressed or blocked. It also helps to clear the history cache of your browser before starting a quiz. In general, firewall and security settings on your browser should be low so as to allow Blackboard to interact with your browser.

Quizzes are Windows-Sensitive. Never attempt to take a quiz from an unstable connection, because if you lose your connection during the quiz you will be locked out and lose all credit for the quiz (quizzes may not be taken more than once on the Blackboard system). Also, do not have other software or windows open on your computer when you are ready to take a Quiz. If you attempt to multi-task during a quiz, you run the risk of being locked out of the quiz. If you are locked out, you will likely receive zero credit for that quiz.

Don't "Save" your work as you go ... this is only asking for trouble. Instead, simply (and quickly) complete your quiz and Submit it.

Quizzes are Timed on Blackboard. The Homework Quizzes are not meant as "look-up exercizes," and are timed. You will usually need no more than a half hour to complete each quiz, and the maximum time allowed for each quiz is one hour. You must take the entire quiz in one hour, in one sitting, in order to receive credit. Therefore, plan to complete all the assigned readings and written homework prior to taking the quiz, as suggested at How to Study for ACC 2510. It is also recommended that you use a reliable internet connection; if you do not have access to a reliable internet connection, consider taking the quiz on a campus computer or library computer. Warning: if you run over the time allotted for the quiz, even by one second, you will not receive credit for that quiz. If you start to take a quiz and and take one second longer than the allotted time prior to hitting the button, you will receive a red exclamation mark ! (or possibly a red question mark ? or a padlock symbol) instead of a grade. When this happens, the red exclamation markor other symbol will eventually be removed, but will be replaced by a zero.

If you run over your time limit prior to hitting the button, you might instead receive a red exclamation mark ! (or possibly a red question mark ?) instead of a grade. You will end up receiving zero credit for that quiz if this happens, because Prof. Spalding will not reset a quiz that was submitted after the time has expired. If you are interested, click on the red exclamation mark ! (or the red question mark ?) to see the error message.

Check for Padlocks! If you have started to take a quiz and have run into a problem or interruption prior to hitting the button, you might see a padlock symbol instead of a grade when you attempt to View your Grades in the Tools section of Blackboard. Unless you are able to have your quiz reset, you will end up receiving zero credit for that quiz, because a padlock symbol is an indication that none of your work was received on Blackboard. This has nothing to do with "fairness," but instead is required of all students irrespective of their computer, connection, etc. If you are having a computer-related problems while taking a quiz, simply find your way to a campus computer for all future quizzes and exams. If you continue to have computer-related problems, it might make sense for you to find your way to the School of Business Administration computer lab and request help using the Blackboard system or computer. In any event, never assume that the problem is with Blackboard; instead, plan to assume responsibility for carefully following all of the instructions and suggestions on this page.

After the deadline for a quiz, any remainng padlocks are eventually removed and replaced by a zero. Occasionally, a padlock remaining after the deadline for a quiz is manually converted to a score of 1 even though Blackboard automatically records a score of zero. If you see a 1 as a score for a quiz, let this serve as a reminder to check for a padlock (as described above) well ahead of any quiz deadline, so that you can request a reset well ahead of the quiz deadline (see below). The best solution, of course, is to re-read this entire page of the syllabus from top to bottom, in order to reduce the risk of triggering a padlock on future quizzes.

If you run over your time limit prior to hitting the button, you might instead receive a red exclamation mark ! (or possibly a red question mark ?) instead of a grade. You will end up receiving zero credit for that quiz if this happens, because Prof. Spalding will not reset a quiz that was submitted after the time expired. If you are interested, click on the red exclamation mark ! (or the red question mark ? ) to see the error message.

Note: An exclamation mark may also appear after you take an essay exam. If you click on it, you'll see that the exam needs grading. Essay exams are manually graded within a week or so of the submission deadline.

Requesting a Reset. If you start to take a quiz and you do run into a problem or interruption prior to hitting the button, and you see a padlock symbol instead of a grade when you attempt to View your Grades in the Tools section of Blackboard, there is a small chance that you can ask Prof. Spalding to reset your quiz or multiple choice exam (and even then, usually no more than once per semester). If the deadline for the quiz or exam has not already expired, email Prof. Spalding right away (following the email protocols for this course), asking him to reset your quiz, so that:

(1) IF you email Prof. Spalding plenty of time prior to the deadline for the quiz; and

(2) IF Prof. Spalding happens to receive and read your message in plenty of time prior to the due date and time for the quiz; and

(3) IF you have not already established a habit or pattern of asking for your quiz or exam to be reset, then Prof. Spalding may, in response to your email request, agree at his discretion to "clear" your failed attempt to take the quiz. (Note, if the error message is simply that you took too long to complete and submit the quiz, your quiz will not be reset. Instead, a score of zero will eventually be assigned on the Blackboard system.) And, then,

(4) IF you still have time prior to the start of class, and if Prof. Spalding has agreed to reset it (#1 through #3 above), you will then be able re-take it the quiz "from scratch" and hopefully earn more than the zero that would otherwise have been earned.

No guarantees, of course, so the earlier you take each quiz, the more likely you will be able to complete it on time. If you wait until two or three hours prior to class to take your quiz, you will have assumed the risk of not leaving Prof. Spalding sufficient time to receive and act on your request in time for you to re-take your quiz, and you will therefore not receive credit for your quiz.

If you are unsuccessful in having your quiz reset in time for you to re-take it, consider that you have invested some of your 50 "slack" points into that quiz. But in the future, find your way to a more reliable computer and internet connection (such as a campus lab or library computer), and be sure to re-read this page regarding multi-tasking and the opening of too many windows.

Never email quiz answers, homework answers other other online work to Prof. Spalding. Work done on Blackboard is not accepted in hard copy, by email, or in any other format or media. Noncompliance with these instructions (by attempting to email work to Prof. Spalding) will result in negative points, not positive points. (A zero is at least better than negative points!) If you are unable to retake a quiz after being locked out, chalk it off to slack points and press on.

"Accidental" Submission. If you accidentally submit a quiz, you will not be able to re-take it. Once a quiz is submitted online, it is not subject to change or replacement.

If you Want a Copy. Copies of quizzes are not available during class or at any time from Prof. Spalding. If you want a copy of your quiz, you must:

Be using an updated browser (preferably Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher), while taking your quiz.

Print (or copy to Notepad or a similar program) the quiz while you are taking the quiz, but BEFORE you hit the button.

Before you hit the button, review your printout (printed copy of the quiz). You might need to make a notation of your answers on the printed copy itself.

If the above procedure was not successful, before you hit the buttonm copy the quiz page, and then past the information into Notepad, Word Pad, or your word processor, in another window on your computer. Again, you might need to make a notation of your answers before you hit the button. Notepad or WordPad are a better choice than a word processing program, due to the sensitivity of the Blackboard quiz system when other programs or windows are opened.

If you do not make a copy of your quiz before you hit the button, you will not be able to go back and obtain a copy. If you continue to have problems, you might wish to take these instructions into a campus computer lab and request help (or ask a fellow student).

If you forgot to retain a copy of a quiz, or you lose your copy, your best option is to ask around to see if you can obtain a copy from a fellow student. Again, Prof. Spalding does not circulate copies of quizzes or exams.

Reviewing your Quiz Results. After completing a quiz, it is a good idea to Vew your Grades at the Tools section of Blackboard to make sure you did not trigger a padlock (see above). When you do, you might notice "class average" scores on Blackboard. Those averages are automatically calculated by the Blackboard system, and have absolutely nothing to do with your grade or your relative standing in class (the Blackboard averages often include scores of zero for students who have dropped the class, or other irrelevant or confounding data). This course is not graded on a curve, and your Points are calculated in the manner described in the Syllabus. Just ignore the class average statistics shown on Blackboard. They mean nothing.

Disappointed in your performance on a Quiz? Remember that you do not need to score an "A" on your quizzes (and are not expected to), in order to be able to earn an "A" in this course. Students who do not earn high scores on quizzes, are often able to offset those lower quiz scores by earning 100 percent of the available points on homework, surveys, class participation, email assignments, and other tasks where thoughtfulness, timeliness, good grammar, and carefully following the instructions, contribute more to the earned points than the technical correctness of the work.

Reviewing your Quiz Results. After you have successfully completed a quiz, you can go back and see your score on Blackboard by browsing to the Student Tools area of Blackboard, and then clicking on "View Grade." If you see a padlock symbol instead of a grade, re-read this page.

Exams. Multiple choice, true/false, and similar questions on exams are taken in the same manner as quizzes, and also found in the in the Course Documents area of Blackboard.

See Also: How to Study for ACC 2510.

Last Revised 09/05/2007
Copyright 2002 and 2007: Albert D. Spalding, Jr.