Welcome to the Blackboard Mailbag, where we feature a commonly asked question that has been hitting our mailbox recently: blackboard@fordham.edu. You’ll find an archive of all of the previous questions and answers on our fordham.edu/blackboard website.
Note: Features may change with future updates.
When designing or updating your Blackboard course, it’s essential to ensure that students experience your content as intended. Blackboard’s Student Preview Mode allows you to view your course exactly as a student would, helping you verify that materials, activities, and assessments are functioning properly. This feature is an invaluable tool for quality assurance, allowing you to catch potential issues before your students do.
What Is Student Preview Mode?
Student Preview Mode creates a temporary preview user account that lets you navigate your course as a student. When you enable the Student Preview Mode you will see it listed in your course roster and gradebook. With this account, you’ll be able to:
- View content, announcements, and assessments from the student perspective
- Submit assignments and tests
- Participate in discussions, journals, and other interactive activities
- Check grades and feedback visibility
This mode provides you with a realistic and interactive preview of your course, helping you confirm that everything is properly configured.
Why Use Student Preview Mode?
Student Preview Mode will help you:
- Identify and fix issues before students encounter them
- Confirm that course content appears and behaves as expected
- Experience the course from your students’ perspective, improving overall course design and usability
How to Enter Student Preview Mode
Accessing Student Preview Mode is quick and easy. In the top-right corner of your course, click on the Student Preview icon which looks like an eye and two arrows.
Exiting Student Preview Mode
When you’re ready to return to instructor mode, click the Exit button at the top right of the screen. You’ll have two options to choose from when exiting preview mode.
- Save: Retains the preview user and any data (e.g., submitted assignments, test attempts) so you can review them later. This is useful if you want to evaluate how your course tracks and displays student progress. You should also select this option if you are testing an assignment as a student but want to be able to view it in the gradebook as an instructor.
- Discard: Removes the preview account and all associated data. This is useful if you no longer want to see the preview user in your gradebook or roster. This option also removes the preview user and data from these areas:
- roster
- gradebook
- gradebook filter
- messages
- messages recipient
- discussions
- journals
- conversations
Testing with Student Preview Mode
Whenever you add or modify course content, it’s best practice to test it using Student Preview Mode. This ensures that:
- All content and assessments are visible as intended
- Course navigation is clear and intuitive
- Gradebook settings display correctly for students
- Adaptive release rules or conditions function properly
Tip: Test your assessments to confirm that quizzes, tests, and assignments are set up properly.
- Submit a test attempt and review the feedback displayed
- Verify that grades and correct answers are revealed based on your settings
- Ensure availability rules and due dates are functioning as expected
Resources and Support
For more detailed information about the Student Preview Mode, visit the Blackboard Instructor Guide.
By regularly using Student Preview Mode, you can ensure that your course content is clear, accessible, and student-friendly—leading to a smoother and more effective learning experience.
For additional FAQs and resources about Blackboard, visit fordham.edu/blackboard, attend one of our workshops, sign up to meet with us on our EdTech Consultation Calendar via Zoom, or reach out to us with your availability and we will work with you to accommodate small groups and one-on-one sessions.
Have feedback or suggestions on features? Blackboard’s parent company Anthology hosts The Idea Exchange. This is a place specifically for Blackboard to track and manage enhancement requests. It allows for things like upvoting ideas and sharing development plans and statuses. You will need to create an account to access the Idea Exchange.