In order to connect an assessment to Blackboard the assessment must first be created within Extempore. Then, the steps below can be followed to connect the assessment for students to access and for grades to sync.
Extempore uses Blackboard's Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) and Single Sign-On (SSO) features to streamline the integration process, ensuring seamless account management and roster synchronization.
The first step when working with the Blackboard Ultra and Extempore LTI 1.3 integration is to provision each class or course that you would like to be integrated by following step one per course, which is just a one-time step.
Additionally, instructor accounts must be created through Blackboard to ensure proper integration with Extempore.
1. Provisioning Courses
To synchronize classes/courses between Blackboard Ultra and Extempore:
Navigate to the desired class or course within Blackboard Ultra.
Click on "View course and institution tools" in the right navigation.
Find and click "Extempore SSO."
Enter your Extempore username and password when prompted.
This step creates the connection and provisions the course within Extempore. This must be done once per course.
2. Linking Assessments
Assessments must be created or imported into the course within Extempore first to use the deep linking option in Blackboard.
Navigate back to "View course and institution tools" in Blackboard Ultra.
If Extempore is not listed in the right navigation, then scroll to the bottom and select 'Browse all course tools'.
Select "Extempore Deep Linking" (instead of Extempore SSO)
This will open a screen displaying your Extempore assessments.
Click the button to connect the desired assessment, making it available in Blackboard Ultra for students.
3. Student Accounts & Grade Synchronization
Student accounts will be provisioned automatically when they access their first assessment.
Students will be automatically SSO'd into their Extempore account.
Grades provided in Extempore will automatically synchronize back to the Blackboard Ultra Gradebook.
Students are automatically added to the Extempore class roster the first time they click the Extempore LTI tool link in their Blackboard course, eliminating the need for manual roster uploads.
Please note that there is a chance your organization might have named things slightly differently than what displays within this help article, but the steps should still be the same.
If an instructor already has an Extempore account, they should log in via Blackboard using the "Login through LMS" option to maintain integration.
Grade Syncing
Teacher grades within the Extempore gradebook
Grades will display within the Blackboard gradebook automatically
FAQ for Blackboard LTI 1.3
Why can't I create an account through Blackboard?
If clicking "Don't have an account" in Blackboard does not work, it may be because the user already has an Extempore account. Use the existing login credentials instead.
Why can't I access Extempore in Blackboard?
Ensure that the Extempore tool is enabled in the Blackboard course. If issues persist, contact the course instructor or the institution’s IT support team.
Why does the LMS icon not display within Extempore after connecting the assessment to Blackboard?
The LMS icon will display within Extempore after the first student accesses the assessment from Blackboard, or if the instructor clicks the assessment from Blackboard and then saves from the Extempore window.
Why is the LMS icon not displaying after at least one student has responded?
If the LMS icon still is not displaying within Extempore after students have started to respond, this most likely means the assessment was never connected to Blackboard, and students are finding a different way to access the content. You can check this by taking the step to connect the assessment again from Blackboard. If it displays with a button to connect, that likely means it was never connected.
How will students access the assessments in their accounts?
Students will access assessments directly from Blackboard Ultra. When they click on the Extempore assessment, they will automatically be SSO'd into their account on Extempore to complete the assessment.