Is your course Blackboard Ultra or Original?
Check first, because Anthology documents the two course views separately and the buttons differ. In an Ultra course you work from the Course Content page, and your grades for the course are on its Gradebook tab. In an Original course, Anthology says “To view the grades for the course you’re in, select the course link on the main Grades page or on the Tools page,” which opens My Grades. In both, Grades in the main navigation lists every course.
How do you see feedback in Blackboard Ultra?
Two routes lead to the same feedback.
From the assignment or test
- Open the graded item from the Course Content page. Its Details & Information panel opens.
- Under Grading, review your submission, your grade and any correct answers your instructor has released.
- Select the speech bubble button to read your instructor’s feedback.
- If you made more than one attempt, the Submission panel shows which attempts have grades and feedback. Select an attempt and expand the Feedback panel. If your instructor left feedback on several attempts, you can read each one. Whether you get another attempt is your instructor’s setting (can you unsubmit on Blackboard?).
From your grades
- Select Grades from the navigation bar. Courses are grouped by course name and term.
- Select the course, then the Gradebook tab. New grades put a number on the tab and a purple dot on each newly graded item.
- Where feedback exists, “a View button appears in the Results column.” Select it to open your submission and read comments.
Rubric feedback is one click further. In the Details & Information panel, select “This item is graded with a rubric” to open the rubric beside your work; the levels you were awarded are highlighted. For a graded discussion, select the grade pill to open its rubric. Video or audio feedback sits in the Feedback panel: select the video button to play it.
How do you see feedback in Blackboard Original?
- Open My Grades for the course: select the course link on the main Grades page or on the Tools page. To see every course, select Grades in the list where your name appears.
- Select the View Feedback icon next to an item to read your instructor’s feedback in a pop-up box.
- For an assignment, select its title to open the Review Submission History page and see “the grade, annotations, and feedback in context.” Uploaded files open in the Bb Annotate viewer.
- For a test, select its title to open View Attempts, then select the grade in the Calculated Grade column to see the test, your answers and any instructor feedback.
- If a rubric was used, select View Rubric.
A feedback recording shows as an icon in the feedback area of My Grades; Anthology notes “You can’t export or download the feedback recording at this time.” A Graded Anonymously icon means your instructor graded with student names hidden.
How do you see correct answers on Blackboard?
By reviewing your own graded attempt, once your instructor releases them. Anthology’s instructor guide for Ultra says “By default, correct answers and scores per question are hidden from students,” and instructors choose when to show them. The choices differ by course view:
| Setting | Ultra: Assessment results | Original: Show Test Results and Feedback |
|---|---|---|
| Out of the box | Your submission is viewable after you submit; question scores after all grades are posted; correct answers off | After Submission, with Score per Question |
| When results can appear | After individual grade is posted, after due date, after all grades are posted, on specific date | After Submission, One-time View, On Specific Date, After Due Date, After Availability and End Date, After Attempts are graded |
| What can be shown | Submission view, automated question feedback, question scores, correct answers | Score per question, all answers, correct answers, submitted answers, feedback, incorrect questions |
In Ultra, when answers are held back, “a banner appears at the top of the assessment,” and Anthology’s student guide says to “Check back later to see if answers have been revealed.” For questions where you picked from several choices, select Show other options to see the choices again. In Original, Anthology says “Students can always see their overall test scores” unless the instructor hides the Grade Center column. Moodle and Canvas hold answers back the same way, each with its own message (“Review not permitted” on Moodle, Canvas quiz answers after you submit). This page covers reviewing your own submitted work. It has no answers to any test.
Why can’t you see your feedback on Blackboard?
Usually a grading step or a setting. These are the cases Anthology documents:
- It isn’t graded yet. Essays and some other question types are graded by hand. “If your instructor needs to grade questions in your assessment, Not graded appears.”
- Feedback waits for posted grades (Ultra). When correct answers are held until everyone submits, Anthology tells instructors “Any feedback you’ve provided won’t appear until grades are posted.”
- The test’s Feedback option is off (Original). “Students won’t see the feedback provided by the instructors unless the Feedback option has been turned on in the test settings page.” Then there is no bubble icon for the test.
- It was a one-time view (Original). “Immediately after a student navigates away from the test or survey, any other results and feedback are restricted.” Your overall score stays visible.
- The column is hidden (Original). When an instructor hides a test column, students “see nothing about the test in My Grades.”
- Submission view is off (Ultra). Your submission is hidden, but “the overall assessment feedback, final grade, and originality report (if applicable)” stay visible. What the originality report’s percentage means is in our SafeAssign score guide.
None of these can be changed from a student account. If the release date has passed and nothing shows, ask your instructor.
Can you see Blackboard feedback in the app?
Yes, for Ultra courses. In the Blackboard LMS App, select More, then Grades, pick a course, and select View More for the full gradebook. For each graded item you can “Read instructor feedback” and open attached files or comments, and “Inline annotations on submitted files are also visible in the app for Ultra courses.” Anthology’s app guide describes grades for Ultra courses only.
Where Silent Student fits
We make Silent Student, a Mac and Windows desktop app with a Blackboard mode for Learn Ultra courses; it skips courses in the Original view. It signs in as you, so feedback or answers your instructor hasn’t released are hidden from it too. Our free Blackboard grade calculator works out an overall grade by points or weighted categories.
Questions people ask
Where is the speech bubble on Blackboard?
In an Ultra course it is in the Details & Information panel under Grading, on the graded item. It appears when your instructor left feedback.
Why can’t I see correct answers on Blackboard?
Your instructor’s settings decide. In Ultra, correct answers are hidden by default and can be released after your grade is posted, after the due date, after all grades are posted or on a set date.
Can I see feedback for each attempt?
Yes. In Ultra, the Submission panel shows which attempts have grades and feedback. Select an attempt to read its feedback.
Why is there no feedback icon on my Blackboard test?
In an Original course, the instructor may not have turned on the test’s Feedback option. Anthology says the bubble icon does not appear in that case.
Can I download a Blackboard feedback video?
No. Anthology says you can’t export or download the feedback recording at this time. You can stream it in your browser.
Does the Blackboard app show instructor feedback?
Yes, for Ultra courses. The app shows your score, instructor feedback, rubric details and inline annotations on submitted files.
Sources
All fetched and checked October 29, 2026.
- Assessment Grades (Anthology, Blackboard student help, Ultra)
- Submissions and Feedback (Anthology, Blackboard student help, Ultra)
- Course Grades (Anthology, Blackboard student help, Ultra)
- Discussion Grades (Anthology, Blackboard student help, Ultra)
- Grades (Anthology, Blackboard student help, Original Course View)
- Assignment Grades (Anthology, Blackboard student help, Original Course View)
- Tests and Surveys (Anthology, Blackboard student help, Original Course View)
- Assessments and Grades in Blackboard App (Anthology, Blackboard student help)
- Assessment Results (Anthology, Blackboard instructor help, Ultra)
- Test and Survey Options (Anthology, Blackboard instructor help, Original Course View)
How this guide was made. We read each Anthology help page listed above on October 29, 2026 and quote them directly. The instructor pages explain the release settings that decide what students see. We wrote the guide with AI assistance and checked each quote against its source, then re-checked every quote against the live pages on November 2, 2026.
Related: What is a good SafeAssign score? · Does SafeAssign detect AI? · Can you unsubmit on Blackboard? · Silent Student on Blackboard · Blackboard grade calculator · All free grade calculators · All guides
Written by the company that makes Silent Student. Silent Student is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthology. Blackboard and Blackboard Learn are trademarks of Anthology Inc.