This document outlines the steps required to test the CES and Blackboard LMS integration, including both data sync and user-level functionality.
New Client Notice: If your institution is new to CES and is in the Implementation phase, a Test Project and Survey has already been created for you. This Project and Survey will be identifiable by the word "Test" in the title. Please skip steps 1, 2 and 3 of this article and proceed directly to Step 4: Import Course Data.
Prerequisites: LMS Side
Before beginning the test, please ensure:
- A Test course exists in Blackboard.
- The course should be active.
- The course should have user enrollments:
- At least one test student
- At least one test instructor
- The test users must use dummy/fake email addresses, as automated email notifications may be triggered during testing.
- Please ensure that the test users have only a single role assigned to them, not multiple roles.
Step 1. Create a Test Project in CES
1.1 Log in to CES.
1.2 From the top navigation bar, click Surveys & Projects.
1.3 Select Projects.
1.4 Click Create New Project.
1.5 In the pop-up window, click Begin.
1.6 Enter a Project Title (e.g., Test Project, Sandbox Test, etc.).
Set the dates:
- Start Date: At least one week before the current date.
End Date: At least one week after the current date.
Scroll to the bottom and click Save.
Step 2. Align a Survey to the Project
2.1 Click on Survey within the project.
2.2 Select a Survey.
2.3 Choose any available survey from the pop-up list.(Create a new survey if its not already there in the system)
Confirm the selection.
Step 3. Creating a Test Survey
If no surveys are available for selection, please follow the steps below to create a test survey:
3.1 From the top navigation bar, click Surveys & Projects.
3.2 Select Surveys.
3.3 Click Begin in the pop-up window that appears.
3.4 Enter the desired Title and Description for the survey.
3.5 Click Save New.
3.6 Click Save once again to finalize the creation.
Your test survey will now be available and can be used within the Test project.
Step 4. Import Course Data from Blackboard
4.1 Sync Accounts (This is done so that courses can be pulled from all the accounts in the Blackboard)
4.1.a Go to Courses.
4.1.b Click on the Data Import dropdown.
4.1.c Select Blackboard.
4.1.d Click Re-Sync Accounts.
4.1.e In the pop-up, click Re-sync Sub Accounts.
4.2 Sync Courses
4.2.a Click Re-Sync Courses.
4.2.b Enter the exact Course Name as it appears in Blackboard.
- The name must match exactly.
If the course name is correct, the Re-Sync date and time will update to the current timestamp.
4.3 Import Course
4.3.a In the Keyword search field, enter the exact Course Name or Course Code again.
4.3.b Apply filters if needed.
4.3.c Select the course from the search results.
4.3.d Scroll to the bottom.
4.3.e Click Import Data.
Note: If you want to import in bulk, you can use More Options to search for a larger list all at once.
4.4 Confirm Course Alignment
4.4.a Scroll to the top.
4.4.b Click Courses to refresh the page.
4.4.c Confirm that the course appears with its survey alignment.
Step 5. Deploy the Project
5.1 Open the project.
5.2 Click Deploy Project.
5.3 Click Deploy to confirm.
This confirms that the data settings are functioning correctly.
Step 6. User Settings Testing (Role-Based Validation)
To confirm that user-level settings are functioning correctly, perform the following checks by impersonating users in Blackboard (Only valid for users who have been imported into the CES using the steps above.)
6.1 Student Role Testing
Impersonate a test student enrolled in the course and verify:
6.1.a Survey Notification appears:
- On the Activity Stream
- Inside the specific course
- On the Institution Page
6.1.b Users Can Access the Survey through the tools:
- When they click on Tool>>Particular tool
If both the notification and the tool are visible, the student configuration is working correctly.
6.2 Instructor Role Testing
Impersonate a test instructor enrolled in the course and verify:
6.2.a Users Can Access the Survey through the tools:
- When they click on Tool>>Particular tool
The tools are visible, the Instructor configuration is working correctly.
Step 7. Expected Outcome
If all steps are completed successfully:
- Course data sync functions correctly.
- Project deployment is successful.
- Survey notifications appear for students.
- Tools are visible for both students and instructors.
- User settings and role permissions are confirmed to be working as expected.
If all of the above conditions are met, the CES–Blackboard integration is fully operational.