Welcome to the Blue User Guide! This guide will help you successfully participate in a Blue survey or feedback gathering process based on the role that you play within your organization.

Blue is an evaluation platform designed to cater to all aspects of the feedback experience. You can access your Blue evaluations through your computer or mobile device.

Evaluations can be accessed by:

• a website link
• an email
• an SMS
• a QR code shared with you
• a Learning Management System (LMS)

Types of roles

Student

Someone who attends a college/university and is enrolled in one or many courses.

Instructor

Someone who teaches one or many courses in a college/university.

Course Coordinator

A person who coordinates and maintains teaching quality and materials for one or many courses in a college/university.

Academic Leader

The head of an academic department, faculty, or institution.

Employee

A staff member in a corporation or organization.

Manager

A person in charge of activities, employees, and initiatives in a corporation or organization.

Blue terms to know

• 360 Degree Feedback
  A style of employee review in which feedback is collected for an employee from all levels in their organization, including their peers, their direct reports, and their managers.

A

• Academic periods
  meaningful time periods that can be established by the administrator to best represent the operations of their specific institution. For example, an administrator could define Spring 2016 as taking place from January 20 2016 through April 30 2016. An only contains data from courses that start within the defined period.
• Administrator
  A user that has access to all projects and reports in Blue and can perform any action related to those projects and reports.
• API key
  The unique code that allows BPI to access the Blue database.
• Aspects of teaching
  also referred to as an area, theme or competency. An AOT is a group of that are all focused on a single central teaching competency. The data can be spread across a number of projects, over a period of time, and among various courses, but ultimately the resulting data is presented together to provide valuable insights.

B

• BBLink
  The link that BPI establishes between Blue and the various portals that are compatible with Blue.
• Blue blocks
  A block that can be added to a number of popular portal providers to seamlessly integrate Blue with the portal.
• Blue connector
  A utility that allows Blue tasks to be accessed through an external system as well as using additional features of an LMS such as announcements, course blocking, calendar events and more.
• Blue grade pathway
  A separately sold module for BPI that allows Grade Blocking to be implemented between Banner and Blackboard.
• Blue integration gateway
  The Blue integration gateway
• Blue portal integrator (BPI)
  A communications tool that allows users to connect with Blue through their learning management systems (LMS) or portal.
• Blue text analytics (BTA)
  A powerful text analytics engine integrated with Blue that is able to provide quantitative analysis on free-form text feedback.
• Bluepulse
  Bluepulse is a live formative feedback platform that allows instructors to gather real-time feedback in the classroom so they can gauge student sentiment, understanding, and progress to drive success.
• BPI
  Abbreviation for Blue Portal Integrator.
• BTA
  Abbreviation for Blue Text Analytics.

C

• Comments question
  A question type that accepts free-form comments as a response.
• Course evaluation
  A feedback process that enables students to have their voices heard and contribute to improved teaching and curriculum, and provides teachers/faculty with insight on teaching feedback to improve the quality of the courses and curriculum.
• Cross category report block
  Compiles data from across the entire project and analyzes it using different rating items.

D

• Dashboard questions
  also referred to as a topic. A DQ is a question that appears in mapped projects as a quantitative question that makes up one part of an AOT. A DQ can be mapped across many projects but each DQ can only be mapped one time within a single project.
• Data Integrity Gateway (DIG)
  Helps improve the quality of an organization's data by enabling the right people to be involved with verifying and preparing data for use in feedback projects.
• Data preparation
  Assigned to group members that are participating in a DIG project so that they can be assigned DIG tasks for updating and verifying data.
• Data Sync Tool (DST)
  A client side utility that allows data to be pushed securely to Blue from CSV and Excel files, and SQL and Oracle databases using Blue web services.
• Datasource
  An external repository of information that can be linked to Blue, allowing Blue the ability to use that external data in evaluation projects.
• Date/time question
  A question type that accepts only date or date/time responses. Typically only used as a triggering mechanism in a questionnaire. Data collected from this question type cannot be used in reports.
• Default user
  Generally, these are the users invited to provide responses to a questionnaire. They may have little to no knowledge of Blue, they are not the subject of an evaluation and they are not system users of Blue.
• Definition
  Establishes subjects and groups and how they link to each other, which then forms the basis for the creation of all projects, tasks, questionnaires and reports in Blue.
• Demographics report block
  Displays demographic information related to different rater groups in the project.
• DIG
  Abbreviation for Data Integrity Gateway.
• DIG task
  The preparation activities and data that have been assigned to a participant with the Data Preparation privilege in a DIG project
• DS
  Abbreviation for Data Sync (Tool).

E

• Encapsulators
  A piece of custom code for some portal solutions that wraps around a Blue Block, allowing it to operate as a standard portal module.
• End user
  Anyone that uses Blue to complete tasks or view reports.
• Evaluation
  The term used to describe the determination of the level of quality.

F

• FFO
  Abbreviation of the fillout task or privilege.
• FFOS
  Abbreviation of the fillout signing task or privilege.
• Field filter datasource
  A field filter datasource is a datasource that allows you to import more than one value per field. Field filter datasources can only be imported using LDAP or a CSV file.
• Fillout
  A privilege and a task in which assigned users are able to complete questionnaires and submit responses.
• Fillout signing
  A privilege and a task which allows the responses from a questionnaire to be reviewed and "signed" before being included.
• Formative assessment
  An approach that is undertaken while an educational process is ongoing.

G

• Global group
  A group that has the ability to complete tasks for every subject without having any direct relationship with the subject.
• Group by report
  A report in which the response data is aggregated by groups within the organization (by department, by faculty, by course, etc.).
• Group link type
  Defines the relationship between the subject being evaluated and the users participating in the feedback project.
• Groups
  A set of end users within a datasource that can be granted privileges and assigned tasks in a project.

H

• Hierarchy datasource
  A hierarchy datasource is a type of datasource that is a special purpose datasource meant to work in conjunction with the organizational hierarchy to establish dynamic report viewers.
• Hierarchy link type
  A group link type in which a hierarchical relationship is established between the subject and the group member when they are in the same datasource by using a field in the same datasource. Similar to the Links to Link Type, but uses a 3-level hierarchy of Manager, Peer and Direct-report. Primarily used in 360 evaluations.

I

• IFD
  Abbreviation of the Instructor Feedback Dashboard.
• Individual feedback dashboard
  A dashboard that uses Blue data to track feedback trends. Similar questions that exist in different projects can be mapped together.
• Individual report
  A report that contains all the response data for a single subject or a unique primary/secondary subject pairing.
• Internal project title
  A name that is used only by system administrators, project managers, and project assistants to identify the particular project. Once an internal proect title has been added to a project, it will become the name that is used throughtout Blue for identification purposes.
• Interoperability
  The ability of a computer system, software, or product to work with or use the parts or another system without special efforts on the part of the user.

L

• Learning management system (LMS)
  A computerized system used by students and teachers to track the progress of classes and curriculum (Moodle, Brightspace, etc.).
• Learning tools interoperability
  A standardized protocol for integrating an outside application (such as Blue) into an LMS. These external applications using LTI are collectively referred to as LTI tools.
• Links-to link type
  A group link type in which a relationship is established between the subject and the group member by leveraging a field in the subject datasource. Typically used to create a one-to-one relationship or a one-to-many relationship.
• LMS
  Abbreviation for Learning Management System.
• LTI certification
  Allows a seamless and trusted connection between a cloud-based, external, or locally-hosted tool that is outside of the LMS with a learning platform.
• LTI tools
  Learning Tools Interoperability Tools - LTI is a standardized protocol for integrating an outside application into an LMS. These outside applications using LTI are collectively referred to as LTI Tools. Find out more information here: http://www.imsglobal.org/toolsinteroperability2.cfm

M

• Manual entry link type
  A group link type available only for groups with the fillout privilege which allows rater selection task owners to manually add new raters to the fillout task for the project.
• Manual selection link type
  A group link type in which the relationship between the subject and the group member is manually established by a project administrator or other user with the appropriate rights.
• Multiple selection question
  A question type that accepts more than one selection from a list of predefined options as an acceptable response.
• Multiple selection table question
  A group of multiple selection questions that share a common list of predefined options available for responses.

N

• Not captured
  A potential value found in the fillout analytics data that refers specifically to data that does not exist. The most likely cause for this value is that at the time the response was received that metric was not being tracked.
• NRP
  an abbreviation for 'No response provided', indicating that the item in question has not received any feedback from raters.

O

• Object datasource
  An object datasource is a type of datasource that stores the data for the non-human items that will be involved in an evaluation, such as courses, classes, facilities, projects, etc.

P

• Pathway
  BPI pathways provide the ability for a task in Blue to be used outside of Blue, more commonly in an LMS.
• Personalized comments question
  A comments question that can be customized for each individual subject.
• Personalized single selection question
  A single selection question that can be customized for each individual subject.
• Personalized single selection table question
  A single selection table question that can be customized for each individual subject.
• Portal
  A software package deployed by an organization for use by it's members. SharePoint and Blackboard are popular portal systems.
• Project manager
  A user that can create projects and reports and has access to perform any action on a project or report that they have been assigned to or created.
• Project manager assistant
  A user that has access to any projects or reports that they have been assigned to or that they have created. They have full control over the projects and reports they have access to, with the exception that they cannot publish them.

Q

• QP
  Abbreviation of the Question Personalization task or privilege.
• QPS
  Abbreviation of the Question Personalization Signing task or privilege.
• QR code
  A small usually black and white square image that looks similar to a bar code. They can be read by a smart phone with a camera. They are often used as an easy way to navigate to a specific web site from a mobile device.
• Question bank
  The set of predefined questions that can be included in a questionnaire through the use of placeholder questions such that the questions only appear for certain subjects based on demographic data.
• Question frequency report block
  A content display type for Question Report Block that tabulates how many times a particular answer for a particular question is selected by raters that have completed the survey.
• Question identifier
  A unique string that can be used to identify a question in a project. Question identifiers are necssary when implementing project mapping, question piping, question personalization and more. Even though using a question identifier is not required it is strongly recommended.
• Question personalization
  A privilege and a task in which assigned users can create or select questions that are specifically tailored for a particular subject and will then be included in the questionnaire. This task typically precedes the fillout task.
• Question personalization signing
  A privilege and a task in which assigned users can validate and digitally sign the question personalization task that has been submitted for a subject.
• Question report block
  Presents response data for a specific question through different content display types.
• Question score report block
  A content display type for Question Report Block that displays results for a Single Selection or Single Selection Table type question based on the project’s rater groups or the report’s Virtual Groups.
• Question spreadsheet report block
  A content display type for question report block that allows you to display multiple statistics in one table.
• Question statistical distribution report block
  A content display type for question report block that analyzes the responses for a specific question and displays the number of groups that have specific median or mean results.
• Questionnaire
  An instrument for collecting data, and almost always involves asking a given subject to respond to a set of oral or written questions; a list of questions when conducting a survey.

R

• Rater
  Refers to any users that have been assigned the fillout task
• Rater selection
  A privilege and a task in which assigned users are asked to select the users that will be completing the evaluation of a subject.
• Rater selection signing
  A privilege and a task in which assigned users are asked to validate and digitally sign the rater selection task that has been submitted for a subject.
• Relationship datasource
  A relationship datasource is a type of datasource used to link multiple datasources together according to relationships within the data. Relationships can be established as user to user, user to object, or even object to object depending on the data at hand. Additional demographics related to the relationship can Relationship datasources are essentially linker tables.
• Relationship datasource link type
  A group link type that requires a third datasource that links subjects to users. Primarily used to build many-to-many relationships between subjects and users.
• Report block
  A report block is the container of data that generates specific types of content (tables and/or charts) in reports. For example, the Question report block presents response data for a specific question or set of questions while the Frequency report block displays the number of times a particular answer was selected.
• Report creation
  A privilege in which assigned users can create reports, but only if their role allows report creation.
• Report viewer
  A user assigned the privilege of report viewing. This user can view reports that have been assigned to them either through static report viewers or through dynamic report access.
• Report viewing
  A privilege in which assigned users are able to view published reports for which they have been provided access.
• Response rate monitor
  A set of tools that allow project response rates to be monitored in real time.
• Rollover report
  A report in which questionnaire information is aggregated for all subjects in the evaluation project.
• RS
  Abbreviation of the Rater Selection task or privilege.
• RSS
  Abbreviation of the Rater Selection Signing task or privilege.

S

• Secondary subject grouping
  A survey question that asks respondents to pick from a list of secondary subjects grouped by a demographic (e.g., teachers listed by teaching type, such as TA or lecturer).
• Section report blocks
  Break up a report into sections, create headings, force page breaks and adjust the layout of a report.
• Section title
  A question type that provides layout and flow to a questionnaire. They can be used to add additional content to the questionnaire, create sections for secondary subjects or personalized questions, or can simply be used to insert a page break.
• Single selection question
  A question type in which a user selects only one of several predefined responses.
• Single selection table
  A question type that is composed of a number of single selection questions that share a common set of predefined responses.
• single sign on
  A service typically deployed by large organizations to allow users to sign on to various websites and devices using only a single username and password.
• SIS
  A Student Information System is a system that contains necessary data and information about students enrolled at a university (i.e. course enrollment, grades, course history, and other data related to a student’s academic career).
• SM
  Abbreviation of the Subject Management task or privilege.
• SSO
  Single Sign On is a system that allows a user to authenticate with one central system and gain access to multiple applications. Once a user is logged in, they do not have to reenter their username and password every time they want to access a different system or application.
• Subject
  The entity being evaluated, they can exist in either object or user datasources.
• Subject management
  A privilege and a task in which assigned users are able to view subject details like current response rate, start and stop dates for the fillout task, how the fillout task will be delivered and other information. If allowed, users assigned this task can also make some changes.
• Subject view
  A privilege in which assigned users are able to view information about a subject. Primarily used as a way for users to view current response rates for a subject.
• Survey
  A process for gathering data that could involve a wide variety of data collection methods, including a questionnaire.
• SV
  Abbreviation of the Subject View privilege.

T

• Thresholds
  in an effort to ensure that specific feedback cannot be traced back to a specific student, minimum response thresholds have been created for both course and student demographic data. To drill into the data, there must be at least 5 responses available for the course demographics and 2 responses available for the student demographics. These defaults can be modified by the administrator.
• Triggers
  Used to adjust the questionnaire dynamically based on certain conditions.

U

• UID
  Unique identifier stored in the Blue database that is used to uniquely identify Blue users.
• Undetermined
  One of the system defined values that may appear in the fill out analytics data for the Channels metric. This value is used when data is captured, but the system is not able to determine which Channel was used to access the task.
• User datasource
  A user datasource is a type of datasource that contains the people involved in an evaluation whether they be students and teachers, management and staff, or doctors and patients, etc. user datasources are used to assign roles, store user credentials, establish raters, administrators and even subjects.

W

• Web app
  A small block of HTML code that can be added to any web page. Used to integrate Blue data and features into portals without support for Blue Blocks or LTI Tools.

X

• X509 signed certificate
  Issued by a domain registrar, it is used by the client-side email application to verify the origin of an email or website. Email coming from a verified sender is much less likely to be considered SPAM.