Touro College INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION Faculty

Transcription

Touro College
INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION
Faculty Guidelines for Creating a Blackboard Course
Part I - COURSE DEVELOPMENT IN BLACKBOARD ............................................................3
Part II – GETTING STARTED ........................................................................................................9
Part III – THE COURSE CONTROL PANEL .............................................................................12
Part IV – ACCESS AND CUSTOMIZE YOUR COURSE MENU ..........................................14
Part V –CUSTOMIZE YOUR COURSE TOOLS ........................................................................17
Part VI – SUGGESTED USES FOR BLACKBOARD COURSE AREAS ..............................20
Part VII – ADDING ANNOUNCEMENTS ................................................................................23
Part VIII – MANAGE YOUR COURSE CONTENT - COURSE ITEMS ...............................25
Part IX – USING THE ASSIGNMENT MANAGER .................................................................32
Part X – MODIFY, REMOVE & COPY COURSE CONTENT .................................................34
Part XI – USING DISCUSSION BOARD ...................................................................................37
Part XII – INTERACT WITH STUDENTS – COLLABORATION, E-MAIL ........................42
Part XIII – GROUPS ........................................................................................................................45
Part XIV – ASSESS & GRADE YOUR STUDENTS - GRADEBOOK ...................................47
Part XV – TIPS FOR CREATING A BLACKBOARD COURSE .............................................53
Appendices ........................................................................................................................................56
Appendix I: New Features in Blackboard Learning System Release 6.2 ..............................56
Appendix II: Adding multimedia (audio) files to the Blackboard.........................................67
Blackboard 7.3 – New Features .....................................................................................................68
Adaptive Release – Overview.........................................................................................................68
Creating an Adaptive Release Basic Rule .................................................................................................70
Setting a Date or Time Criterion ...............................................................................................................71
Setting a Membership Criterion ................................................................................................................71
Setting a Gradebook Criterion ...................................................................................................................71
Setting a Review Status Criterion ..............................................................................................................72
Creating an Adaptive Release - Review Status .........................................................................................73
Adaptive Release – User Progress ..........................................................................................................75
Performance Dashboard ................................................................................................................76
New Quiz Question Types ...............................................................................................................78
Gradebook – New Features ............................................................................................................93
Adding Grades to the Gradebook ............................................................................................................93
Gradebook – Excluding Gradebook Nulls ...............................................................................................94
Gradebook – Adding Items to the Gradebook ...........................................................................................96
Gradebook – Modifying an Item ..............................................................................................................98
Gradebook – Downloading Grades/Gradebook ...................................................................................100
Gradebook – Removing an Item ..............................................................................................................101
Course Copy – Overview ...............................................................................................................102
Exporting and Importing Courses ..............................................................................................104
Opening Office 2007 Files using Office 2003 ............................................................................107
Using SafeAssign tool.....................................................................................................................109
Enable SafeAssign in the Control Panel ...........................................................................................109
View SafeAssign Documents ..............................................................................................................109
Create a Safe Assignment ...................................................................................................................109
Check a document that was not submitted through a Safe Assignment ....................................110
Definitions of reported percentages for checked papers. ...........................................................111
Part I - COURSE DEVELOPMENT IN BLACKBOARD
Blackboard 7.3 is a course Web site creation tool that enables you to add an online
component to traditional classes or teach an entire course on the Web. You can quickly
and easily create your own Blackboard course to bring your learning materials, class
discussions, and tests online. It's easy to get started.
Planning your Blackboard course is possibly the most important step to ensure a
successful online experience for your students. If you invest time in the planning stage,
the course building and managing stages will be significantly easier.
Before you begin organizing the online component of your class, consider these critical
questions:
Why am I using Blackboard for this course?
How much of this course will be Web-based?
How can the Web promote the learning goals specific to this course?
Which areas and tools in a Blackboard course site are best suited to particular
learning outcomes?
How much time do I have to develop or convert course materials for effective
online presentation?
Your answer may include one or more of the following ideas:
I want to use Blackboard so that my students…
... can access my class handouts, assignments, PowerPoint presentations, and
multimedia class materials on their computers.
... can engage in learning activities online, extending the classroom lectures.
... can quickly link to external websites that I select based on the sites'
intellectual value and relevance to class issues.
... can use online discussion to develop initial thoughts on a topic.
... will learn to work collaboratively, in an environment that requires active
learning and group exchange. They will learn by problem-solving together, in
groups, rather than merely asking me for the answers.
... can attend "office hours" with me regardless of weather, location, or mobility
constraints.
... will always know of changes to a course schedule, sudden class cancellations,
and other important announcements.
... can take practice quizzes (and/or graded quizzes) online, at their convenience,
rather than spend precious class time for this purpose.
... can still keep up-to-date, even if they have to miss class, once I post my
lecture notes online.
... will stop asking me, "When are you going to start using the Web in your
classes?"!
Once you have a clear sense of your goals for using Blackboard, you can start
developing your Blackboard course.
If this is your first time using Blackboard, online course development may require
more time than you anticipate. Consider using only a few of Blackboard's features
at first (for example: Announcements, Faculty Information, Course Information, and
Course Material for handouts). The next time you teach a Blackboard course, you
will feel comfortable enough to begin incorporating features like the Assignment
Manager, Discussion Board, Online Quizzes and surveys, and the Collaboration
Tools (Online Chat).
Blackboard can be accessed through any computer (PC or Mac) that has Internet
access. We recommend using either Internet Explorer version 6 and higher or
Netscape version 7.1 and higher. AOL or other Web Browsers that not listed here
are not supported by Blackboard. AOL can still be used as an ISP (internet service
provider), but should be minimized and Internet Explorer should be opened instead.
Transferring the classroom-based model of learning to an Internet-based model can be
difficult for instructors new to online learning. This tip sheet will provide you with a
basic guide to creating and managing a course web site.
1) General - Course Information
Provide students with an overview and/or orientation for your course Web site.
2) Content Management
a. Planning
Plan out the placement of your materials before you start creating
documents in Blackboard. Decide the hierarchy of folders you plan
to use so you can create the folder structure before adding
documents to them. Try to keep your folder depth to a maximum of
2-3 so students can find material easily.
b. Announcements
Use the Announcements feature consistently to inform students
when content is added or changed.
c. Adding Content
When adding course content, give clear explanations describing
what each item is, what programs are necessary to access it, and
how it fits in with the overall goals of the lesson.
Give comprehensive descriptions with each online assignment
indicating its relevance to the classroom-based course component
and corresponding materials.
Give placement cues directing students to related assignments,
readings, web sites, or course documents.
d. Evaluation
Check the Course Statistics in the Control Panel consistently to see
when and how often your students are accessing your course.
3) Secure Settings
a. Enable/Disable Buttons
Limit access to areas of your course to enrolled students by disabling
buttons from the navigation area. In the Control Panel, click on the
Course Settings and choose Manage Course Menu. You can
disable/enable buttons and rename button titles by selecting from
the drop-down menu.
b. Course Material
In the Manage Course Menu area, you can secure areas of your
course from users on your Blackboard installation who are not
enrolled in your course, or previewing the course as a guest. Student
Tools, Communication areas and Announcements are automatically
set to their defaults, but you may secure any other navigation area by
selecting the appropriate box.
1. Make sure you set Course Availability to Yes.
4) Interactivity
a. Asynchronous
Require students to participate in discussion board forums.
Students can participate in discussions with the entire class, or with
a specific group of students through the Groups feature.
Have students hand in assignments to you through the
View/Complete feature of the Assignment Manager or SafeAssign
(plagiarism detection).
b. Synchronous
Require students to participate in a virtual chat. Students can chat
with the entire class, or with a specific group of students through
the Groups feature.
Remember that some students may not be as comfortable in
synchronous communication as others, so keep the chat size
manageable. A recommended size is 3-7 students.
c. Groups
Enroll students into groups to focus on interactivity among a
smaller number of students, or to work collaboratively on projects.
d. Office Hours
Have specific online office hours for students who feel more
comfortable communicating in the online environment or for whom
it’s more convenient.
e. External Resources
Provide students with external resources or web sites and tie them
to your course assignments.
5) User Management
a. Student Roles
Understand the different roles that can be assigned to students,
course builder, grader, or teaching assistant, so you may have some
student assistance if necessary. You might want to reconsider giving
your students access to the Control Panel.
b. Email Addresses
Make sure that all of your students have/keep updated email
addresses so they can always receive email sent through
Blackboard.
6) Hints and Help
a. Icebreaker Activity
Include an icebreaker activity for students who may be new to the
online learning environment. A simple starting course activity might
be for students to create a student homepage or participate in a fun
discussion board.
If you know that you will have documents that require the user to
have a software application to open them, have a folder that
contains links to Plug-ins, Players, and Viewers. A simple way to find
most software plug-ins is to visit the software company’s website
and search through their available downloads.
We believe that instructional design plays an important part in developing online
education. Not surprisingly, a critical element contributing to the success of an online
learning experience is the role of the instructor and the instructional design of the
course.
Here are some instructional design tips to help you develop an engaging and
instructionally sound Blackboard Course:
Focus on the organization of online materials.
Provide transition between learning components.
Encourage opportunities for knowledge acquisition.
Encourage student participation.
Provide ample opportunities for feedback.
Provide methods for assessment.
Follow proven instructional design techniques.
Focus on Organization of Online Materials
In traditional classroom-based education, students are presented with assignments
coordinated to lecture materials. The instructor distributes required activities as
appropriate and can answer student concerns/questions in the classroom environment.
When online, students may be exposed to an entire semester's worth of materials all at
once. As such, they must be provided with clear, concise instructions regarding
navigation within a course and organization of the materials.
When developing online components, be sure to provide students with:
An overview and/or an orientation of the entire course.
A clear explanation about how the course materials are organized.
A list of priorities, deadlines, and responsibilities.
This is, most often, the same type of information included in a syllabus. Providing this
explicit organizational information can prevent students from feeling “lost” or
“overwhelmed” by the materials, as disorientation can significantly limit instructional
outcomes.
Create your course with explanations, descriptions, and cues about goals and
accomplishments, as students prefer clearly defined learning outcomes, or tasks, and
recommended sequencing, from which they can orient themselves at any time. Guide
students through the course by including elements such as:
Weekly announcements listing priorities and deadlines
Reminder e-mails (to both individuals and the entire class)
Downloadable syllabi, checklists, or task-lists students can use to monitor
progress through course materials
Provide transition between learning components.
Since the instructor is not physically present during the online learning process, it is
important to explain exactly WHAT materials are provided and WHY they are important
in the scheme of the course. Indicating relationships between materials helps students
develop bridges, see associations, and recognize the relevance of content elements.
Otherwise, instructors run the risk of presenting fragmented information that appears
to the user as a series of discrete, rather than coherent, information elements.
You can easily add transitions into your course by providing:
Clear explanations describing what each file is, what programs are necessary
to access it, and how the file fits in with the overall goals of the lesson.
Comprehensive descriptions with each online assignment indicating the
relevance to the classroom-based course component and corresponding
materials.
Placement cues directing students to the "next" related assignment, reading,
or course document.
This does not mean that each step and learning activity be spelled out for the student.
While this may be appropriate for some content-based exercises, advanced concept
integration is better served when students are gently directed to a goal.
Encourage Opportunities for Knowledge Acquisition
While the instructor should determine the basic structure of the online learning
experience, ample opportunities for active learning and cognitive assimilation must be
provided. This is important because students presented with an engaging, quality
learning experience make their own bridges between concepts and obtain reach higher
levels of Comprehension. Utilizing the Blackboard course's framework, you can plan and
encourage activities that:
Provide representations of materials that support all types of learners, such
as text, video, audio, or multimedia activities.
Present real-world and case-based scenarios that require students to visit
external links and perform web research.
Encourage practice and application of concepts by having students take
online tests and quizzes.
Foster knowledge acquisition through collaboration, discussion and
negotiation by assigning group projects where students "meet" online.
Encourage Student Participation
Equally important to the role of the instructor in online education is the role of student
communication. If students share information by performing group activities and
posting assignments, learning is facilitated in a two-fold method. First, the student is
independently rehearsing and restructuring the knowledge while they develop opinions.
Second, the student is gaining exposure to other students’ evaluations of the materials.
To insure that your course provides ample opportunities for student participation,
collaboration, and reflection consider incorporating the following:
Weekly Discussion Questions or Problem Sets. Require each student to post
one answer to the assignment and also to reply/comment on at least one
other student’s answer.
Group Assignments. Divide students into small groups and assign a
collaborative project, paper, or presentation.
Online Fieldtrips. Provide the opportunities/assignments for students to
perform research online, visit related sites, and report experiences to the
rest of the class.
Open Forum. Provide a chat or open discussion area for students to
communicate, outside the constraints of an assignment. This will promote
friendly relationships.
Provide Ample Opportunities for Feedback
Communication and feedback provided throughout an online learning experience
facilitate social interchange, build relationships, and increase student motivation. Your
feedback is important to ensure that students feel that their contributions are an
important priority and contribute to the overall educational experience of the class.
Consider checking class discussion lists and responding to student e-mail on a daily basis
to provide your students with ample feedback. This helps build positive interpersonal
relationships with your students and increases instructor credibility.
Instructor feedback in discussion forums is also critical to maintaining the focus of the
activity. Monitor student discussions to insure students remain "on track" with the
assignment. If necessary, provide guidance and suggestions to the group or to
individual students.
Part II – GETTING STARTED
1. Obtaining a Blackboard account
a. The first steps in building your Blackboard course site are to set up a
Blackboard account (if you don't already have one) and to request your first
course. To access the Touro Blackboard system, you will need a username
and password. To request a Blackboard account, you can go to
http://bb.touro.edu/ and click on Faculty Account Request. After filling out
and submitting the Blackboard Account Request Form, you will be contacted
by email when your Blackboard ID is set up, usually within 1 to 2 business
days.
b. To request a blank course web site, you have to go to http://bb.touro.edu/
and click on Blackboard Course Request Form . After submitting this form
you will be contacted by email when the course is set up, usually within 1 to
2 business days.
Blackboard Login Page
If you already have an account, log on to the Touro College Blackboard site at
http://bb.touro.edu. A Blackboard course will be shown in your account for each
course you are teaching. If you don't see them, fill out the Course Request Form
so you can be added as the instructor of the appropriate Blackboard course. It
may take 1 to 2 business days to process your request.
To access a Blackboard course you have to go to http://bb.touro.edu/ and enter
your username and password.
Using an Internet browser (i.e. Internet Explorer or Netscape), go to
http://bb.touro.edu.
Click the User Login button on the main Blackboard page (located
on the left side of the screen).
Enter your username and password and click the Login button.
You will be taken to your personal Blackboard page
2. Touro College Welcome page
Once you have logged in to Blackboard, you will be taken to your personalized
Blackboard Welcome page. The information modules displayed on this page can be
customized by clicking the Contents and Layout buttons in the upper right corner of
the page. There is also a Tools box located on this page which gives you access to
several tools, most importantly your Personal Information. Here you can make
changes to your name, email address, and password.
a. The Tools section can be used to change your personal information and to
reset your password (by clicking on the Personal Information link).
b. Within the "My Courses" area, you will see your courses listed. It contains a
list of courses you are assigned as an instructor. It could also contain a list of
courses where you are participating as a student. Click on the title of one of
your courses, and you will be taken to the course home page.
Note: You can have different roles in different courses. An instructor in one
course can be a student, a TA, etc., for another course.
3. Default Course View
a. The Course Web Site that you requested must be customized before it can be
used.
b. There are 2 frames: Main Course Menus (customizable) at the left and the
Content Frame at the right.
c. Course Navigations (links that appear on top) show the current section you
are in and provide means to navigate back to any previous page.
d. Once you have entered your course site, locate the Control Panel button at
the very bottom of the left Main Course Menu.
4. Blackboard Navigation Links
Please try not to use the Back button in your browser when using the Control Panel.
Doing so can occasionally cause errors or prevent submissions from going through.
Blackboard has implemented navigation links for you to use in place of your Back
button. These navigation links are located just below the tabs that run across the top of
the page. It indicates where you are in Blackboard and lists each area you went through
to get there. Clicking on one of the links in the list will take you back to that area.
Part III – THE COURSE CONTROL PANEL
1. Using the Control Panel to Access Your Course Settings
You will build your entire course by using the tools in the Control Panel. The Control
Panel (shown below) allows you to add, modify, and delete course content, as well as to
manage communication and grading. Only the instructor has access to the Control
Panel.
Click the Control Panel button located under the menu on the left of your
course homepage.
You will be taken to the course's Control Panel.
The Control Panel is divided into 6 sections: Content Areas, Course Tools, Course
Options, User Management, Assessment, and Support.
The links under Content Areas allow you to add content to different areas of
your course site.
The Course Tools section controls all of the communication options,
including Announcements, Course Calendar, Discussion Board, and Digital
DropBox (for file exchange).
Course Options allows you to customize the navigation and appearance of
your course site, and set options such as course availability and course
design.
Within User Management you can manually enroll and remove students
from your course as well as create small groups for team assignments.
The Assessment area enables you to create online quizzes and surveys,
manage your course Gradebook, and review students' usage of your site.
Support houses the online instructor manual and other Blackboard resources
for instructors.
2. Course Options Area
Always start by clicking on the Settings link, where you can customize your
course
a) Modify the course name and description by clicking on the Course
Name and Description link
b) Set Course Availability to unavailable (No). Don’t forget to set it
back to Yes when your course is completely finished (otherwise, the
course will not be accessible by students).
c) Click on the Course Design link to change the course navigation
style and design for your menu buttons.
Part IV – ACCESS AND CUSTOMIZE YOUR COURSE MENU
In the section of the Control Panel titled "Course Options", click on Manage Course
Menu.
Blackboard's default Course Options will be displayed along with options to add,
modify, and remove items. You can remove or modify existing menus by clicking on
the Remove or Modify buttons for a specific menu item. You can also add new items
to your menu by clicking on the Add Content Area or Tool Area buttons.
See Part VI for tips on use of course menu sections
TO MODIFY A COURSE SECTION/AREA
1. Click the Modify button at the right of the section you wish to modify.
2. Blackboard will display the current information for that area and allow you to make
edits to:
a. the name and availability of the area
b. guest and/or observer access (if applicable)
c. where the item links to (if applicable)
3. Click the Submit button.
TO REMOVE A COURSE SECTION/AREA
1. Click the Remove button to the right of the section you wish to remove from your
course.
2. Blackboard will remind you that this is a permanent action. You will loose all
information that had previously been posted there. Click OK.
TO ADD A CONTENT AREA
1. Click the Add Content Area button to add a new section to the course.
2. You will be asked:
a. to enter a name for the new content area
b. if you want to allow guests and/or observers to access the material in this
content area
c. if you want to make the area available to enrolled students
TO ADD A TOOL AREA
1. Click the Add Tool Area button to add a direct link to a specific tool (i.e. Digital Drop
Box, Discussion Board, Student Gradebook, etc.).
a. to choose the type of tool you wish to add
b. to name the new tool area
c. if you want to allow guests and/or observers to access the material in this
area (some tool areas automatically prevent guest/observer access, so this
option will not appear for those tool areas)
d. if you want to make the area available to enrolled students
TO ADD A COURSE LINK
1. Click the Add Course Link button to add a direct link to a specific item within the
course content.
a. to enter a name for the course link
b. to browse for the course item you wish to link to
c. if you want to make the course link available to enrolled students
TO ADD AN EXTERNAL LINK
1. Click the Add External Link button to add a direct link to an outside web site (e.g.,
a link to Amazon.com or CNN.com).
a. to enter a name for the external link
b. to enter the URL (target) you wish to link to
c. if you would like the web site to launch in a new window
d. if you want to make the external link available to enrolled students
Part V –CUSTOMIZE YOUR COURSE TOOLS
Using Communication Tools
Blackboard has several tools available that allow you to communicate and
interact with students:
Announcements may be used to guide students through assignment
sequences, and to remind them of deadlines.
Send E-mail may be used to send email to all or selected students
Collaboration may be used as a way for students to meet with each other or
with the instructor online in a synchronous environment.
Roster may be used to see the names of the other students in the course.
Group Pages may be used by students who have been separated into groups
to communicate privately with the instructor and each other.
Discussion Boards may be used for online class discussions in an
asynchronous environment.
TO ENABLE/DISABLE COMMUNICATION TOOLS
1. Click the Modify button to the right of Communication (in the Manage Course
Menu).
2. You have the option of renaming the area and setting guest access and area
availability.
3. Choose Enable to the right of each tool you intend to use in your course, and
Disable for each tool you do not intend to use.
4. Click the Submit button to save your changes.
Using Course Tools
Blackboard has several tools available to instructors and students such as:
View Grades may be used by students to check their grade (if the instructor is
using Blackboard's online Gradebook).
Digital Drop Box may be used to transfer files between student and
instructor.
Edit Your Homepage may be used by students to create a homepage with
information about themselves.
Personal Information may be used by students to update their Blackboard
password, email address, etc.
Calendar may be used by the instructor to post announcements and due
dates. Students may also use it as a personal calendar.
Student Manual is a help resource center for students.
Tasks may be used to post assignments and their priority. Students can enter
their progress for the instructor to check.
Address Book may be used by students to store email addresses.
TO ENABLE/DISABLE TOOLS
1. Go to the Control Panel and click on the Manage Tools menu option
2. Select Enabling Blackboard Tools or Enabling content tools.
3. Click the Modify button to the right of Tools (Tools Area).
4. You have the option of renaming the area and setting guest access and area
availability.
5. Choose Enable to the right of each tool you intend to use in your course, and
Disable for each tool you do not intend to use.
Part VI – SUGGESTED USES FOR BLACKBOARD COURSE AREAS
Each Blackboard Course Web Site has several main areas (menu items), all of which you
can customize for your course. Each of the main menu items is listed along the left side
of the students' perspective of your course.
Before adding any new menu/item to your Main Course Menu, look through the default
list that your course Web Site comes with. This list is usually a good starting point when
developing your course structure. You will find many of these areas suitable for your
course materials. For example:
Announcements may be used to guide students through an assignment
sequence, and to remind them of deadlines.
Course Information may be used for your course description, learning goals,
participation guidelines, grading policies, etc.
Faculty Information may be used to post office hours, contact information,
etc.
Course Material may be used for module descriptions, readings, lecture
notes and handouts, quizzes, etc.
Assignments may be used to hold readings and assignments with specific
due dates.
1. ANNOUNCEMENTS
Use Announcements to guide students through an assignment sequence, and
to remind them of deadlines.
2. COURSE INFORMATION
Include information such as:
Course description
Learning goals and outcomes
Participation guidelines, including communication policies for e-mail and
discussions
Grading policies
Special instructor's notes: how quickly will you respond to e-mail? Will
you hold regular online "office hours" using the Collaboration Tools?
3. COURSE MATERIAL
Consider using a single organizational structure for each unit or module of
work. Once students become familiar with the standard components in
each unit, they will find it easier to navigate the course materials. Each unit
might contain some of the following:
a) Topic description (this can appear on the topic folder, or as a separate
document contained within the topic folder)
b) Learning outcomes and task list for the topic, with any deadlines clearly
indicated
c) Readings for the topic
d) Lecture notes or handouts (if your course has face-to-face lectures)
e) Quizzes (including self-tests) for the topic
f) Discussions for the topic (you cannot place discussions within Course
Document or Assignment folders directly, but you can create a short
description of the topic's discussion topic and a prompt for students to go
to that discussion within the Communication area of the course.
Advanced web users can locate the URL for a particular discussion, and
paste this URL into a course document as a clickable link [<a
href="URL">URL</a>].)
g) Links for further research on a topic
Useful Hints
If you use Blackboard to post long assignments, consider the most appropriate
and accessible way for presenting the material. If students have to do a lot of
scrolling to read lengthy information, they may have difficulty keeping their
place and maintaining attention. Some formatting considerations to keep in
mind are:
Break up a long reading into several, sequential parts. Each part should
be clearly labeled to indicate the proper sequence.
Rather than post a long reading to be viewed on screen, provide a link for
students to download the document for offline reading.
4. ASSIGNMENTS
Consider posting a list of course assignments that students must submit
to the instructor with due dates clearly indicated. This can be formatted
as a checklist, so students can keep track of which assignments they have
completed, or a list of folders with assignment number and due dates.
Each assignment will be displayed within its own folder (for easy
navigation).
Group Projects or Group Area: if your course will make extensive use of
learning groups, this is a good place to post a list of each group's
members. Don't forget that Blackboard allows you to create special group
communication areas (group discussion, chat, file sharing, e-mail...).
Use this area to post assignment submission guidelines, special
formatting requirements, and revision policies for your course.
Redundancy in an online environment is not a bad idea: don't be afraid to
repeat important information that may also be contained under "Course
Information."
5. COMMUNICATION
a) Discussion Boards: When you create a new forum, give it a clear title so
that students will be able to locate it easily. If the discussion is associated
with a set of course documents (example: a folder of materials titled
"Week One" or "Unit 4"), title the discussion so that it is clearly
associated with that set of course documents.
b) Because discussion forums are located in the Communication area of
your course, rather than within Course Documents or Assignments, you
may find it helpful to post "pointer" messages to students about the
beginning of a new discussion. Use the Announcement area to inform
students that a new discussion (provide the discussion title) is now
available. If you are organizing your course materials in weekly folders or
modules, post a file within those materials that reminds students to
participate in the associated discussion.
c) Consider establishing specific discussion forums for:
Technical Issues (where students can post questions and share tips about
technical aspects of navigating the online course environment, and
where instructors can post updates on any technical matters as needed)
General Course Questions (where class members can discuss issues
generally related to the course materials and topics, but which are not
specifically covered in other discussion forums)
d) Establishing discussion areas like this before the class begins, and
pointing out the location and purpose of these areas to students early in
the class, may help you to keep topic-specific discussions on track.
Part VII – ADDING ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Announcements page is usually the first screen students see when accessing your
course. For this reason, it is the perfect place to communicate timely information to the
entire class about upcoming assignments, due dates, review sessions, etc. These
announcements will also appear on the Welcome page for all students in your class.
TO ADD AN ANNOUNCEMENT
1. In the section of the Control Panel titled “Course Tools”, click on
Announcements.
2. Click the Add Announcement button.
3. Enter a subject for the announcement and the text for the message.
4. Choose if you would like this announcement to display permanently on the
Announcements page so that students will always see it. If it is time sensitive,
you can also choose which dates and times you want the announcement
available to students.
5. Click the Browse button if you wish to attach a file to the announcement.
6. Check this box if you want to email your students this announcement as well.
Part VIII – MANAGE YOUR COURSE CONTENT - COURSE ITEMS
An "Item" is an actual piece of content you add to your course. All of your course
materials will be added as course items in the appropriate sections of your Blackboard
course.
TO ADD A COURSE ITEM
1. In the section of the Control Panel titled "Content Areas", click on the
name of the area you wish to add a course item to.
2. Click the Add Item button.
3. Select a name for the Item from the dropdown menu, or type a name
into the text box. You may also choose a color for the name by using the
color swatch under the item name.
4. In the text box provided enter your content, or if you would like to attach
a file instead, enter a description for the file you intend to attach. You will
be able to spell-check your content before you submit it! In order to
format your content, you will have to know a little bit of HTML and will
have to choose the HTML display option.
5. Scroll down and click the Browse button to attach a file to the course
item, just as you would if you were attaching a file to an email message.
6. After attaching the file, select a Special Action for it. The Special Action
tells Blackboard how to display the file within the course item.
Create a link to this file will do just that. Enter text for the link in the
textbox just above the Special Action dropdown menu (i.e.
Homework 1). Your students will click on the link, which will be within
the course item, to view the attached file. The file will either open up
right in Blackboard or download to their computer.
Display media file within the page is used when attaching web-based
multimedia files such as images (.jpg or .gif), sound files (.wav, mp3,
etc.), or movie files (QuickTime, etc.). These files can be displayed
right in Blackboard along with any text entered into the text box in
Step 4. If you choose this option you will get another screen, after
submitting, with options on where to position the file. Your students
will see the media file displayed within the course item.
Unpackage this file is used when you are uploading a file that has
been compressed with WinZip or a similar program. If you choose this
option you will get another screen, after submitting, that asks which
of the compressed files you would like the students to see first. Your
students will click on a link, which will be within the course item, to
view this file. The file will generally display within Blackboard.
7. Select the options you would like to use for this particular course item:
Make the course item available to students
Track the number of times the course item is viewed
Choose between which dates and times you want the course item
available to students, if the information is time sensitive
Folders and Learning Units
From the instructor's point of view, folders and learning units are the basically the same
(although there is a slight difference, which you will see when you complete the
following steps). Their purpose is similar to that of a folder on the desktop of your
compute, and are simply used to group course content into sections. For example, you
could have a folder or learning unit titled "Week 1" and have all of the course items for
week 1 inside.
From the students' point of view, folders and learning units are different in the way the
course items inside are displayed. A folder will list the course items vertically, all on the
same screen. A learning unit will put each course item on its own screen. The student
will need to click through the course items like a slide show.
TO ADD A FOLDER
1. In the section of the Control Panel titled "Content Areas", click on the name
of the area you wish to add a folder to.
2. Click the Add Folder button.
3. Select a name for the folder from the dropdown menu, or type a name into
the text box. You may also choose a color for the name by using the color
swatch under the item name.
4. In the text box provided, enter a description about the intended contents of
the folder. Select the options you would like to use for this particular folder:
Make the folder available to students
Choose between which dates and times you want the folder available
to students if the information is time sensitive
TO ADD A LEARNING UNIT
of the area you wish to add a learning unit to.
2. Choose Add Learning Unit from the dropdown menu on the right, and click
Go.
3. Select a name for the learning unit from the dropdown menu, or type a name
4. In the text box provided, enter a description about the intended contents of
the learning unit.
5. Select the options you would like to use for this particular learning unit:
Make the learning unit available to students
Enforce sequential viewing of the learning unit (if you say No,
Blackboard will make the Table of Contents button a clickable list of
each item in the learning unit so students can jump to a particular
item without having to click through each one, like a folder)
Open the learning unit in a new window
Track the number of times the learning unit is viewed
Choose between which dates and times you want the learning unit
available to students, if the information is time sensitive
6.
Click the Submit button to save your changes.
Adding External Links (URLs)
An external link is a hypertext link that links to a web site on another server (i.e.
http://www.touro.edu could be an external link in Blackboard that takes the students to
the Touro College homepage).
TO ADD AN EXTERNAL LINK
1. In the section of the Control Panel titled "Content Areas", click on the
name of the area you wish to add an external link to.
2. Click the Add External Link button.
3. Enter a name and URL (i.e. http://www.touro.edu) for the external link.
4. In the text box provided, enter a description of the web site or directions
for what students should be looking for once they get there.
5. Select the options you would like to use for this particular external link:
Make the external link available to students
Launch the web site in a new window
Track the number of times the web site is viewed
Choose which dates and times you want the external link available to
students, if the information is time sensitive
Adding Course Links
A course link is a hypertext link that links to another section of your Blackboard course.
For example, you have Week 1's reading assignment in a folder named "Week 1". Week
4's reading assignment is in a folder named "Week 4" and it goes into more detail about
Week 1's reading. You could make a course link from Week 1 to Week 4 so that students
who are interested in learning more can quickly get to the detailed information.
TO ADD A COURSE LINK
of the area you wish to add a course link to.
2. Click the Add Course Link button.
3. Select a name for the course link from the dropdown menu, or type a name
4. In the text box provided, enter a description of the course item or section
you will be linking to.
5. Click the Browse button and select the course item or section you wish to link
to in the popup window. Then click the Submit button.
6. Select the options you would like to use for this particular course link:
Make the course link available to students
Track the number of times the course link is viewed
Choose which dates and times you want the course link available to
students if the information is time sensitive
Part IX – USING THE ASSIGNMENT MANAGER
An "Assignment" is essentially homework activity that the student accesses, completes,
and submits through a single course item in Blackboard (this function does not use the
Digital Drop Box). When you create an assignment, it is automatically entered into
Blackboard's Gradebook. It is through the Gradebook that you can view student
responses, enter comments, and assign grades.
Once an assignment is graded, the student can then view the grade and your comments
through the “View Grade” link.
TO ADD AN ASSIGNMENT
of the area you wish to add an assignment to.
2. Choose Add Assignment from the dropdown menu on the right and click Go.
3. Enter a name for the assignment. You may also choose a color for the name
by using the color swatch under the item name.
4. Enter the point value of the assignment and any instructions.
5. Select the options you would like to use for this particular assignment:
Make the assignment available to students
Track the number of times the assignment is viewed
If the information is time sensitive, choose which dates and times you
want the course link available to students
6. If desired, click the Browse button to attach a file to the assignment, just as
you would if you were attaching a file to an email message.
7. Enter the text you want to display as the link to the attached file.
8.
Part X – MODIFY, REMOVE & COPY COURSE CONTENT
TO MODIFY COURSE CONTENT
1. In the Control Panel, choose the Content Area that contains the course item,
folder, or learning unit you wish to modify.
2. Click the Modify button to the right of the item you wish to modify.
3. The content will be displayed in the same form that was used to create the
content. Make any changes here.
TO REMOVE COURSE CONTENT (after removal, content cannot be retrieved)
folder, or learning unit you wish to remove.
2. Click the Remove button to the right of the item you wish to remove.
3. Blackboard will ask you: "Are you sure you want to remove this item?"
4. Click Yes.
TO COPY/MOVE COURSE CONTENT
Instructors are able to copy or move course items, folders, and learning units to other
sections of the same Blackboard course, or to another Blackboard course altogether.
folder, or learning unit you wish to copy or move.
2. Click the Copy button to the right of the item you wish to copy or move.
3. Blackboard will display the content information for the course item, folder or
learning unit you have chosen to copy or move.
4. The dropdown menu provides a list of all Blackboard courses you are teaching.
The course you are currently editing will show up as the default. If you wish to
copy or move content to a different Blackboard course, choose that course from
the list.
5. Click the Browse button to select the area you wish to copy the content to. You
can copy or move content into a specific folder within one of the main content
areas by clicking on the plus ( ) icon to view the area’s contents. Click the
Submit button once you’ve chosen a destination.
6. Once back at the main window, choose whether you would like to delete the
original course item once the copy is complete.
7. Click the Submit button to complete the move.
Part XI – USING DISCUSSION BOARD
The Discussion Board is a way of communicating with your students outside the
classroom in an asynchronous environment, which means you do not all have to be
online at the same time. It is convenient because you can read and post messages
whenever you have time to do it. The conversations that take place within the
Discussion Board are logged, so they can be reviewed at a later date. Each discussion
topic is created by the instructor as a forum. All new posts and responses added to a
forum are organized into threads.
TO ADD A DISCUSSION FORUM
Follow the steps below to create a Discussion Forum in a Blackboard course:
1. Click on the Discussion Board link in the Course Tools section of the Course
Control Panel.
2. Click on the Add Forum button at the top of the Discussion page.
3. Enter a title for the forum in the Title field of the Add Forum page.
4. Enter a description into the Description field.
5. Forum Settings:
Settings can be specified for anonymous postings, allowing the editing of
messages after posting, allowing the removal of posted messages, allowing file
attachments, and allowing new threads. The checked boxes show suggested
settings.
It is not recommended that you allow Anonymous Posts in the discussion
forum.
6. Click Submit to create your forum. If you change your mind and do not want the
forum, click Cancel.
Discussion Board – Creating Threads & Reading Postings
1. Click on Discussion Board in the Course Menu or click on Communication and then on
Discussion Boards.
2. Click the name of the forum in which you want to post a message. In the example below,
you could click on “Math Forum” or “Statistics Forum”:
You will be able to see how many messages are posted to the discussion and how many New
messages have been posted to the Forum since you last read your messages.
Starting a new thread
1. Click the Add New Thread button.
2. Enter the subject and message to be posted.
3. You may also attach a file to the message by clicking on Browse to find and attach the
file.
4. You may preview you message before posting by clicking Preview.
5. Click Submit to post your message or Cancel if you change your mind.
Replying to a posting
1. Click on the Subject of the posting that you wish to reply to.
The message is opened for you to read it.
2. Click on the Reply button.
Discussion Board – Blocking a User
Follow the steps below to block users from accessing a particular discussion forum.
1.
Access the discussion board area in the course in which you wish to block access to.
2.
Click the Manage button associated with the forum you wish to block.
3.
4.
You will find a list of all the students in the class.
Click the drop down box to select the role of the user. To block a user, select “Blocked”.
Note: This will prevent all selected users from accessing this particular forum.
Please
keep in mind that this will prevent them from accessing it altogether not just
from posting
messages. This means they will no longer be able to read or review the
forum.
postings within this
Discussion Board – Grading Threads and Forums
Overview
In a classroom setting, students are often expected to participate in class discussions
and that participation is part of the equation when assessing performance. Within a
classroom, participation performance can be ambiguous. It is sometimes difficult to
differentiate the student who is active but does not advance the discussion from the
student that speaks less frequently but with greater impact.
Student interactions with the Discussion Board are a permanent record of
participation. The Instructor has the option to grade Students at the forum level or
at the thread level. In this way the Instructor can accurately compare Student
participation to the expectations set forth.
Enable Grading
Grading options are enabled when the forum is created or by modifying the forum.
Click Modify on the Discussion Board for a forum to change its settings.
The Grade settings appear at the bottom of the Add Forum Page and the Modify
Forum page. Select Grade Forum and enter a point value to evaluate participants
on performance throughout the forum. Select Grade Threads to evaluate
participants on performance in each thread. When the Grade Threads option is
used, a Points Possible option appears each time a thread is started. Keep in mind
that users cannot create new threads if Grade Threads is selected for the forum.
Grade User Participation in a Forum
Follow these steps to evaluate performance in a forum.
1. Open the Discussion Board. A list of forums will appear. For each forum that
may be graded, an icon will appear in the Grade column.
2. Click the icon in the Grade column. Only users with a forum role of Grader or
Manager may enter a grade for a forum. A Grader may not view their own
work.
A list of users will appear. Click Grade for a user.
A collection of the user’s posts in the forum will appear. Evaluate the posts
and assign a Grade.
3. Click Submit to add the grade to the Gradebook.
Grade User Participation in a Thread
Follow these steps to evaluate performance within a thread.
1. Open a Discussion Board and then open a forum and select a thread.
2. Click Grade Thread. This button will only appear to users with a forum role
of Grader or Manager.
A list of users will appear. Click Grade for a user.
A collection of the user’s posts in the Thread will appear. Evaluate the posts
and assign a Grade. Click Submit to add the grade to the Gradebook.
Disable Grading for a Forum or Thread
Use the Modify Forum feature to change the grading option to select No Grading. If
Grades have already been entered for the forum or its threads, a warning message
will appear that changing the setting will remove the associated Gradebook Items.
Click OK to continue or click Cancel to preserve the Gradebook Items.
Discussion Board – Peer Review with Ratings
Overview
A common learning tool in classrooms is providing feedback to other students on
their work. Students prepare an essay, lab report, or presentation and share it with
the class. Other students are asked to comment on the work and offer criticisms for
improvement. This process helps the student improve their assignment, but is even
more valuable to the students that review the work. Reviewing the work of another
student enforces classroom learning and helps the reviewer practice important
communication skills.
The Discussion Board is the perfect place in a course for peer review. Each student
may start a thread and include their work in the initial post. Other students then
review the work, assign a rating to the initial post, and include comments in a
response. As users respond, the feedback expands as users reinforce and build on
points made by other students.
Users can respond to a post using a 5-star rating system. To enable this feature,
select Allow members to rate posts when creating the forum.
Rating a Discussion Board Post
1. Open a thread and view the posts.
2. Each post has an Overall Rating field with five stars.
The stars show the overall rating that the post has received from users.
3. Click on the Rate this Post drop down list and select a rating from 0 to 5
stars. Your rating is now included in the Overall Rating and your individual
rating appears in the Rate this Post field. A user may not rate the same post
more than once.
Part XII – INTERACT WITH STUDENTS – COLLABORATION, E-MAIL
The Collaboration Tools are used for synchronous communication via the web, when
participants are online at the same time.
The Virtual Classroom enables the instructor and the students to communicate using
tools such as:
a whiteboard for drawing diagrams and writing equations
a group browser for viewing and discussing web sites
a course map for viewing and discussing course materials
a question inbox so students can submit questions to the instructor
Virtual Classroom sessions can be recorded and archived by the instructor, who must
start the recording at the beginning of each session.
The Lightweight Chat enables the instructor and the students to communicate using a
text-based chat tool, without using the tools listed above. These sessions can also be
recorded and archived.
Interact With Your Students - Send Email
When a Blackboard account is set up for an instructor or a student, their current email
address is entered into the system. When someone uses the Send Email function in
Blackboard, the email is sent to the address listed in Blackboard’s system. You do not
have a Blackboard email address and you cannot retrieve your email from within
Blackboard. Any email sent through Blackboard will show up in your regular email inbox.
TO SEND EMAIL
1.
In the section of the Control Panel titled “Course Tools”, click on Send Email.
2.
Select the recipients of your message:
3.
4. Enter a subject and your message.
If you wish to receive a copy of the email, check the box next to “Send copy of
message to self”.
5. Click the Add button to add attachments to the email, if resired.
6.
Click the Submit button to send.
Part XIII – GROUPS
The Groups feature in a Blackboard course can be used to form study or project groups.
The instructor can give the group access to a Discussion Board, Virtual Classroom, Digital
Dropbox, and/or Email. Students can access these communication tools within their
own groups only.
ADD A GROUP
1. In the section of the Control Panel titled “User Management”, click on Manage
Groups.
2. Click the Add Group button.
3. Enter a name for the group and a description of the group’s purpose. You may
find it useful to list the names of the students in the group as part of the
description. This does not make students part of a group. See below for
instructions on how to add students to a group.
4. Select the communication tools, that you would like the group to use. These
tools exactly the same as they do on a course-wide basis, except that they are
accessible by only the students in the group. You can also choose whether you
wish to make the group visible to students.
Click the Submit button.
5. Click OK to return to the list of groups you have created.
TO ADD STUDENTS TO A GROUP
1. Click the Modify button to the right of the group you wish to add students to.
2. Choose Add Users to Group from the list of options.
3. Search for the students you wish to add by entering a last name as search
criteria, or by clicking List All. After selecting the students you wish to add, click
the Submit button.
4. Click OK to return to the group options, or click Manage Groups in the top
navigation links to return to the list of groups for the course.
TO MODIFY A GROUP
1. To change a group’s title, description or properties, and to add, remove, or view
the students in a group, click the Modify button to the right of the group.
2. Here you have a list of options that allow you to modify the group.
Part XIV – ASSESS & GRADE YOUR STUDENTS - GRADEBOOK
All students, online tests, online surveys, and online assignments, along with any
corresponding grades that Blackboard can automatically generate are added to the
online Gradebook. Instructors can also add outside assignments to the Gradebook to
generate final, weighted grades and to post all student grades in one place. Each
student can only see his/her own grades, along with the class average for each
assignment.
TO ACCESS YOUR GRADEBOOK
In the section of the Control Panel titled “Assessment”, click Gradebook.
Blackboard will display the Gradebook in the form of a spreadsheet, listing all the
students down the left, and all the assignments across the top.
GRADEBOOK LEGEND
This icon means that a student is in the process of completing an assessment or
assignment.
This icon means that the student has not yet submitted the assessment or
assignment.
This icon appears when a student submits an assignment or an assessment that
contains essay questions, which need to be graded by the instructor.
This icon appears when an error has occurred in the Gradebook. Usually it
indicates that a student submitted an assessment without answering all the
questions. This could mean that the browser quit or the computer crashed in the
middle of taking the assessment.
TO VIEW STUDENTS' RESULTS ON AN ONLINE TEST
1. Click on the grade Blackboard recorded in the Gradebook.
2. Click the View button to the far right to see how the student answered each
question.
3. Blackboard will display the test information along with each question and the
student’s answer. The points received for each question can be changed by the
instructor, so partial credit can be given.
TO CLEAR AN ATTEMPT AT AN ONLINE TEST OR ASSIGNMENT
1. Click on the grade recorded in the Gradebook. If there was a technical error, a
question mark (?) will appear in place of a grade. Assignments will display an
exclamation point (!).
2. Click the View button to the right to view the details of the test/assignment.
3. Click the Clear Attempt button which is displayed at the top along with the
general information about the test/assignment.
4. Click OK to confirm.
TO GRADE AN ASSIGNMENT
1. Click on the exclamation point (!) which indicates that the student submitted the
assignment.
2. Click the View button to the far right.
3. Blackboard will display the assignment information along with the student’s
comments and links to any files they attached. After reviewing their response,
enter a grade, comments, and upload any necessary files. The student will see all
of these things when they check their grade online.
4. Enter any additional notes to yourself. The student will not see anything entered
here.
TO VIEW RESULTS OF GRADEBOOK ITEM AS CLASS PERCENTAGES
1. Click the title of the Gradebook item you wish to view.
2. Click Assessment Attempt Details.
3. Blackboard will display the general item information and how many students
completed it. The results of each question will be displayed as a percentage of
those students who completed the assessment.
TO ADD AN ITEM TO THE GRADEBOOK
1. Click the Add Item button.
2. Enter a name for the item, select a category (used for sorting purposes), enter a
description, select a date, enter the total points possible, and select how you
wish to display the grade.
3. Choose whether you would like to make the item visible to the students when
they check their grade, and whether you want this item to be calculated toward
the final grade.
TO WEIGHT GRADES
1. Click the Weight Grades button.
2. Choose whether you would like to weight by category or by item and then enter
the percentages.
Part XV – EDIT YOUR COURSE SETTINGS
Make Your Course Available – Settings
All Blackboard courses, when created, are set as “unavailable” by default. This means
that the instructor can see it, but the students cannot. This way, if an instructor chooses
not to use the Blackboard course, the students will not see it and be confused about
why it is empty.
After populating your Blackboard course and checking to make sure that all is working
properly, you must make your course available to your students so they can access the
materials.
1. In the section of the Control Panel titled “Course Options”, click on Settings.
2. You will be presented with a list of options, which deal mostly with the
availability of your course:
Course Name and Description: Allows you to make edits to the title and
description of your Blackboard course.
Course Availability: Choosing Yes makes your course available to
students.
Course Duration: Set the dates between which your course will be
available to students.
Categorize Course: Select a Category for your course so that it can be
found in the Course Catalog.
Set Course Entry Point: The course entry point is the first page students
see when they access your course. It is set to the Announcements page
,by default. Here, you can change it to another section of your course.
Course Design: Allows you to change the button style of your course
navigation and upload a course banner.
Part XV – TIPS FOR CREATING A BLACKBOARD COURSE
A. CREATE COURSE COMPONENTS OFFLINE
Save course components on your hard drive, and organize them into folders that
correspond to the structure you will use in the online course. Then, you can just
copy and paste them into Blackboard. If you type all of your course components
directly into Blackboard, you may lose your work if your computer suddenly freezes
up or if you lose your Internet connection.
B. CHOOSE THE MOST EFFICIENT AND "USER-FRIENDLY" MODE OF PRESENTING
COURSE MATERIALS
Keep in mind the challenge of reading dense, text-heavy documents on a computer
screen. If you want students to download large documents, remember that some of
them will be dialing up on slow modems (long download times). Blackboard can
house many different file types (MS Word documents, HTML pages, PowerPoint
presentations, audio files), but students must have access to software that can
translate these file types. Downloads of some common "plug in" applications are
available at the Blackboard support website.
C. THINK ABOUT TRANSITIONS BETWEEN ONLINE COURSE MATERIALS
Without a clear indication of how different course components relate to one
another, your Blackboard site can appear fragmented rather than coherent. If
students will participate in a discussion that is based on an assigned reading,
indicate this in your descriptions of the reading assignment and the discussion. If you
want to share recommended links to online resources, indicate the relationship
between specific course materials/activities and specific links.
D. USE "REDUNDANCY" WISELY
Communicate important events and activities in several different areas of your
course: use the Announcements area, send e-mail, post something in a discussion
board, and/or add an item of information in an appropriate Course Materials or
Assignments location. This type of redundancy is a good idea in the online
environment, where you cannot predict how students will navigate your site. "Bad
redundancy," on the other hand, involves posting materials in a messy manner
throughout your course. Create a system and organizational rubric and stick to it:
students will come to expect certain types of information in certain areas of your
course site.
E. GO EASY DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASS
Many students will be experiencing the online course environment for the first time.
They will need a little time to grow comfortable navigating the Blackboard
environment. Do not overload the first week with content-heavy assignments;
design some low-pressure activities to guide students through the online course
environment. Post a brief, clear overview of your Blackboard course site in the
Course Information area. Explaining the logic of your organization will help students
navigate the online course environment.
F. FILE TYPES
The flexibility of Blackboard permits the upload of many different file formats to
support your course content. While most of this material is text or html, you can
also use many other items, including slide shows, movies, audio clips,
spreadsheets, and applets.
Any files you wish to upload should have a three or four letter file extension
(such as ".txt" or ".html") which designates its type and is a commonly used
extension name recognized by web browsers. Do not use special characters like
(! @ # $ % ^ & * ?) or spaces in the file names.
For example: If you wish to upload a Microsoft Word document, it must be
named similarly to "myfile.doc", ".doc" being the file extension for Word (see the
table below for commonly used file extensions).
This also helps because web browsers such as Netscape Navigator are preconfigured to recognize common file types. That way, a student can click on a
file such as "sample.xls" and the browser will automatically launch the
associated program, in this case, Excel. Accordingly, items that are uploaded
may require that the users/students taking your course have the associated
program residing on the computer they use.
Important things to consider when uploading files.
Extension
File Type
.aam
.aiff
.asf
.au
.avi
.doc
.ea
.ev, .ev2
.exe
.gif
.html, .htm
.image
.jpg, .jpeg
.jif
.mpg, .mpeg
.mov, .movie
.pdf
.ppt, .pps
.qt
.ra
.ram
.swa
.swv
.swf
.tiff
.txt
.wav
.wpd
.xls
.rtf
Multimedia
Audio
Multimedia
Audio
Video
Text
Audio
Video
Program
Image
Web Page
Image
Image
Image
Video
Video
Text
Slide Show
Movie
Audio
Video
Audio
Multimedia
Multimedia
Image
Text
Audio
Text
Spreadsheet
Text
Associated Programs
Authorware plug-in
(www.macromedia.com)
Audio program
Microsoft Net Show (www.Microsoft.com)
Real Audio Player (www.realaudio.com)
Video player (not Macintosh compatible)
Microsoft Word or other word processor
Java enabled Web browser
Java enabled Web browser
--NA—(not Macintosh compatible)
Graphics program or Web browser
HTML editor or Web browser
Movie or Media Player
Movie or Media Player
Adobe Acrobat
(www.adobe.com)
PowerPoint & PowerPoint Player
Quick Time (www.apple.com)
Real Audio Player (www.realaudio.com)
Real Audio Movie (www.realaudio.com)
Shockwave plug-in (www.macromedia.com)
Text or HTML editor, word processor
Audio program
WordPerfect or other word processor
Excel
WordPerfect or other word processor
Touro College Distance Learning Division
Appendices
Appendix I: New Features in Blackboard Learning System Release 6.2
The WYSWIG Editor can be enabled and disabled by selecting Personal Information, then Set Text Box
Editor at the Touro Welcome screen.
Remember when embedding images, movies and sound files to consider file sizes and hence download
times, especially via modem lines. When including a link to files you should state the size, especially if it
is larger than 1.4MB (floppy disc size).
The Spell Checker:
�recognizes double words as errors
�does not recognize irregular capitalization as an error
�does not check initial capitalization at the beginning of sentences.
9. Better Course Copying Options
When copying courses, you can now better retain you existing setup. Gradebook
columns are being preserved, as well as any forums and groups you may have. The
forums will be empty, and groups won't have members yet, but at least you save the
effort of recreation the shells. You will also copy the new glossary of terms, of course.
Tests and surveys will not be copied.
You may now copy and/or move documents and assessments from one folder to
another within the same course or from one course to another.
10. Improved Blackboard Assessment Features
A number of changes were made to improve the workflow for assessments and quizzes.
These improvements include:
A new option, "Force Completion", has been added. If this option is selected by the
instructor, students will be forced to complete the assessment the first time they launch it.
They will not be able to exit the quiz and work on it at a later date. The status of "Force
Completion" will be displayed to students after logging in to the assessment.
The status of "multiple attempts" (if they are or are not allowed) is now displayed to
students at the top of the assessment.
The "submit" and "save" buttons will now be displayed for assessments that have the
"reveal questions all at once" option checked, as well as for "reveal questions one at a time".
If a student clicks Submit without answering all questions, they will receive a warning
message indicating the questions that have not been answered.
Navigational arrows will now appear for assessments set to display questions one at a time
(unless backtracking is prohibited.)
Note: The "save" button does not function properly therefore we recommend "force
completion" for all exams.
11. Customized Course List
You can now select which courses will be displayed on the Blackboard Welcome page. It
is also possible to customize the Announcement box, Contents and Layout of the
Blackboard Welcome page.
Note: Only the Welcome Page will be affected by this feature. All courses will still be
accessible through the My Courses page.
12. ChalkBox Support
ChalkBox Support allows the installation and
management of Chalk Titles, which are nextgeneration course cartridges that contains both
content and interactive, personalized Publisher
tools for specific disciplines. Three leading
academic publishers have already developed
interactive ChalkBox applications.
The instructor installs a Blackboard Chalk Title in
their course much as they would a Blackboard
Course Cartridge. Like a Blackboard Course
Cartridge, the Blackboard Chalk Title populates
the course with discipline-specific learning
materials, test banks and rich media, but it also
enables additional functionality in the instructor
Control Panel of the course web site.
With Blackboard ChalkBox, publishers can provide
instructors and students with discipline-specific,
online tools to create a higher value learning
experience around their content.
Appendix II: Adding multimedia (audio) files to the Blackboard
Step 1
Creating an audio file.
To create an audio file you need following: a microphone, attached to your PC and a program that allows
you to record your own audio file.
Windows 2000/XP operating system comes with a special tool that helps you to create an audio file.
Select Start | All Programs | Accessories | Entertainment | Sound Recorder.
Connect you microphone to its port and click Record Button in the Sound Recorder panel.
Start recording your file
When done click Stop button
Go to File menu | Save As option
Name your file (it must have a file extension .WAV)
Click Play button to test your audio
Step 2 Adding you audio file to your Blackboard Course.
Go to the Control Panel and Select Content Area that you want to add your audio file to.
You can a folder first and then place an audio file inside or just add an item by clicking on Add
Item button
Specify your content name (for example “A Welcome Message from your Instructor”).
Add a text that will be displayed (for example “Click on the link above to listen to my Welcome
Message”)
In the Content Attachments section enter the file path or click Browse to locate a file. The file will
appear with the item as a link to the actual file contents.
Type in Name of Link to File (example: “Click Here to listen”)
In the Special Action select Create a link to this file
Click Submit.
Step 3
Listening to an audio file in Blackboard.
To listen to an audio file in the Blackboard the file must be an application recognizable by
Blackboard 5.
o
o
o
o
Supported digital media formats are:
Graphics: GIF and JPEG
Video: MPEG, Quicktime, AVI
Audio: WAV and AIFF
Multimedia: Shockwave Flash
By clicking on the link to an audio file your Internet Browser will start looking for either
Windows Media Player or RealPlayer Software. Either one must installed on your computer.
MS Windows (any version) comes with such plug-in. You can also download RealPlayer from
www.real.com
Blackboard 7.3 – New Features
Adaptive Release – Overview
Adaptive Release allows the instructor to make the course content (i.e. items and folders)
available or unavailable to students based on various criteria: review status of other content,
scores on assignments or quizzes, group memberships, or others. The instructor creates rules
that determine the availability of the content.
There are three different forms of adaptive release:
Adaptive Release lets you create a basic release rule for the item or folder. This rule
applies to all students in the course.
Adaptive Release: Advanced lets you create more complex release rules for the item or
folder. You can create different rules for different groups of users or situations.
Review Status lets you enable a “review” requirement for the item or folder. When
review status is set on an item, it applies to all users who can see the item.
Follow these steps to access Adaptive Release:
1. Click Control Panel.
2. Click any of the areas in the Content Areas group.
3. Locate the item or folder to which you want to add an adaptive release rule.
4. Click Manage next to the item.
5. Perform one of the following actions:
Click Adaptive Release to create, view or modify the basic release rule for this item or
folder.
Click Adaptive Release: Advanced to create, view or modify complex rules.
Click Review Status to view, modify or enable the review requirement for this item.
Click Adaptive Release and Review Status: User Progress to view the availability and
review status of this item or folder for each student.
Creating an Adaptive Release Basic Rule
Using an Adaptive Release basic rule, you can control the availability of a content item or
folder according to the following criteria:
date and time
user list or group membership
Gradebook data
review status
To create a basic adaptive release rule follow the steps below:
8. Locate the item or folder to which you want to add an adaptive release rule.
10. Click Adaptive Release.
11. Set one or more adaptive release criteria by following the instructions in the following
sections.
12. Click Submit.
Setting a Date or Time Criterion
You can set a criterion that displays the item or folder only after or until specific dates. By
setting the Display After and Display Until dates, you can create range of dates on which the
content is available.
To set a Display After date, check the Display After box and specify the date beneath
it.
To set a Display Until date, check the Display Until box and specify the date beneath
it.
Setting a Membership Criterion
You can set a criterion that displays the item or folder only to specific users. These users
may be specified either in a user list or by group membership.
To set a membership criterion based on a user list, type the usernames of the students who
will have access to the content in the Username field, separated by commas.
e.g. bjspitz, knsingh, mfgeller
Tip: To search for usernames, click Browse.
To set a membership criterion based on group membership, select the name of a group that
will have access to the content, and click the right arrow.
Setting a Gradebook Criterion
You can set a criterion that displays the item or folder only to students who have attempted
an assignment or achieved a certain score on an assignment.
To set a gradebook criterion, first select a Gradebook item from the list.
Then select one of the following Gradebook conditions:
Item has at least one attempt.
Score is greater than, less than, or equal to a specified value.
Score is between two specified values.
Setting a Review Status Criterion
You can set a criterion that displays the item or folder based on the review status of another
item in the course.
To set a review status criterion, click Browse and select an item.
Creating an Adaptive Release - Review Status
Review status can be enabled for any content item or folder. This will add a Mark Reviewed
button to the student view of the content. Students can click this button to indicate they have
reviewed the item. Review status can be used as a criterion for release of other content
within the course (e.g. Students can be required to mark the chapter one folder as reviewed
before the chapter two folder is presented to them).
Once you have enabled review status, a Mark Reviewed button appears next to the item.
When a student clicks this button, it changes to Reviewed.
Instructors can check the review status of individual items for each student from the Adaptive
Release and Review Status: User Progress pages. From the Performance Dashboard area,
instructors can view adaptive release status for all items and students in the course.
Follow these steps to enable review status on a content item or folder:
3. Locate the item you want to enable review status for.
5. Click Review Status.
6. Select Enable.
7. Click Submit.
Adaptive Release – User Progress
The Adaptive Release & Review Status: User Progress functions allow the instructor to view
availability and review status information associated with a content item or folder for each user.
Follow these steps to view the user progress for an item or folder:
10. Locate the item for which you want to view user progress.
12. Click Adaptive Release and Review Status: User Progress.
A table appears, indicating the availability of the item for each student; whether they have
reviewed it; and the date it was reviewed.
Note: The Reviewed and Date Reviewed columns appear only if review status has been enabled
for this item.
Performance Dashboard
The “Performance Dashboard” provides the instructor with a ‘quick glance’ of each student’s
performance within the course: dates since last login, review status, adaptive release, discussion
board postings (not covered in this tip sheet), and grades.
Follow the steps below to access the Performance Dashboard and begin using it:
1. From the Course Control Panel click on the “Performance Dashboard” link in the
ASSESSMENT area.
2. The Performance Dashboard will be displayed.
3. The “Last Login” column displays the date the associated student last logged into the
course.
The “Days Since Last ” column displays the number of days which have passed since
the user last logged in.
4. The “Review Status” column displays the number of items which have been reviewed by
a particular user.
Clicking on the review status icon ( ) will display detailed information (i.e. visibility &
review status) about all content items and folders requiring review.
Click the “OK” button to return to the Performance Dashboard.
5. The “Adaptive Release” column allows the instructor to view the visibility of all items in
the course for a particular user.
Clicking on the adaptive release (
are visible to this student.
) icon will display window indicating which items
6. The “View Grades” column allows the instructor to access the Gradebook information
for a particular user.
Clicking on the view grades (
) icon will display the “User Options: student name” page.
From here the instructor can access the ‘user grade list’ and modify grades; access the ‘user
detail’ information and view statistical information for the user; and view the ‘user contact
information’
7. Click on the “Print” button in the Performance Dashboard to print a copy of this
information.
New Quiz Question Types
Quiz Question Type - Calculated
A Calculated Formula question contains a formula, the variables of which can be set to change
for each user. The variable range is created by specifying a minimum value and a maximum
value for each variable. Answer sets are randomly generated. The correct answer can be a
specific value or a range of values. Partial credit may be granted for answers falling in a range.
Adding a calculated question to an Assessment is a three step process:
Create the question and formula.
Define the values for the variables.
Confirm the variables and answers.
Create the Question and Formula
The question is the information presented to students. The formula is the mathematical
expression used to find the answer. Be sure to enclose variables in square brackets.
Follow these steps to create the question and formula:
1. Open the Test Canvas for an assessment.
2. Select Calculated Formula from the question type drop-down list. Click Go.
3. Enter the information that will display to Students in the Question Text box. Surround
any variables with square brackets, for example, [x]. The value for this variable will be
populated based on the formula. In the example [x] + [y] = z, [x] and [y] will be replaced
by values when shown to Students. Students would be asked to define z.
Variables should be composed of alphabets, digits (0-9), periods (.), underscores (_) and
hyphens (-). All other occurrences of the opening rectangular brace ("[") character
should be preceded by the back-slash ("\") character. Variable names must be unique
and cannot be reused.
4. Define the formula used to answer the question in the Formula box. For example, x + y.
Operations are chosen from the buttons across the top of the Formula box.
5. Assign a point value for the question. Several other options may appear based on the
Creation Settings.
6. Set the Answer Range. This defines which submitted answers will be marked correct. If
the exact value must be entered, enter 0 and select Numeric from the drop-down list. If
the answer can vary, enter a value and select Numeric or Percent. Numeric will mark
every answer as correct that falls within a range of plus or minus the Answer Range from
the exact answer. Percent will mark every answer as correct that falls within a percentage
of plus or minus the Answer Range from the exact answer.
7. Select Yes or No for Units Required. If Yes, correct answers must include the correct unit
of measurement, for example, Seconds or Grams. Enter the correct unit of measurement
and choose if the unit of measurement is case sensitive. The answer may still receive
partial credit if the unit of measurement is not correct. Enter a percentage in Unit Points
Percentage. The unit of measurement will account for that percentage of the total credit.
8. Define partial credit for answers that fall outside the correct Answer Range. Select Yes or
No for Allow Partial Credit. Enter a value for the Partial Credit Points Percentage.
Now, set the range for partial credit by entering a value and selecting Numeric or Percent
for the Partial Credit Range. Answers falling within this range will receive a portion of
the total points possible for the question equal to the Partial Credit Points Percentage.
9. When finished with the question, click Continue to proceed.
Define the Variables
The next page in the three step process defines the variables in the formula. Follow these steps
to define the variables.
1. For each variable, set a minimum and a maximum value.
2. For each variable, select a decimal place using the drop-down list that appears in the
Decimal Places column.
3. Under Answer Set Options, select the Decimal places for answer from the drop-down
list. Users must provide the correct answer to this decimal place.
4. Enter the number of different Answer Sets. The Answer Sets will be randomized so that
different Students will be presented with a different set of variables.
5. Click Continue to proceed. Or, Click Back to return to the previous page or click Calculate
to reset the variables after making a change.
Confirm the Variables and Answers
The last step in the process displays the Answer Sets in a table. For each set, each variable and
the answer are displayed. Make any changes or remove any unwanted answer sets and click
Calculate. Below the Answer Sets are the standard options for adding feedback and metadata to
questions.
Quiz Question Type – Calculated Numeric Response
This question resembles a fill-in-the-blank question. The user enters a number to complete a
statement. The correct answer can be a specific number or within a range of numbers.
Follow these steps to create a Numeric Response question.
2. Select Calculated Numeric from the question type drop-down list. Click Go.
3. Enter the Question Text. Click the equation buttons at the bottom right of the Question
Text box to invoke the WebEQ Equation Editor.
4. Assign a Point Value. Complete any advanced features for the question as defined by
the Creation Settings of the assessment.
5. Enter the Correct Answer. This value must be a number.
6. Enter the Answer Range. If the answer must be exact for Students to receive credit,
enter 0. Any value that is less than or more than the Correct Answer by less than the
Answer Range value will be marked as correct.
7. Complete the question by adding optional feedback for correct and incorrect answers.
Assign the question metadata.
8. Click Submit to add the question to the assessment.
Quiz question type – – either / or
Users are presented with a statement and asked to respond using a selection of pre-defined two
choice answers, such as:
Yes/No
Agree/Disagree
Right/Wrong
Follow these steps to create an Either/Or question.
2. Select Either/Or from the question type drop-down list. Click Go.
3. Enter the Question Text.
4. Assign a Point Value.
5. Click the Correct Answer and select a positive value and a negative value from the
dropdown lists.
Assign the question metadata.
Quiz question type – File Response
Users upload a file from the local drive as the answer to the question. This type of question is
graded manually.
Follow these steps to create a File Response question.
2. Select File Response from the question type drop-down list. Click Go.
5. Assign the question any metadata.
Quiz question type – Hot Spot
Users indicate the answer by marking a specific point on an image. A range of pixel coordinates
is used to define the correct answer. Hot Spot refers to the area of an image that, when selected,
yields a correct answer.
Follow these steps to create a Hot Spot question.
2. Select Hot Spot from the question type drop-down list. Click Go.
5. Enter the path to the file in the Attach Local File field under the Upload Image heading.
Make sure to upload the image in the correct field. Remember that Creation Settings
allows uploading a file as part of the Question Text.
6. Click Next. The uploaded image will appear.
7. Click the mouse and drag it to create a rectangle over the correct answer. When
Students select a point within the rectangle they will receive credit for a correct answer.
The area of the hot spot is defined by pixels. Click Clear to remove the hot spot and
select a new hot spot.
Assign the question a category or other metadata.
Quiz question type – Jumbled Sentence
Users are shown a sentence with a few parts of the sentence as variables. The user selects the
proper answer for each variable from drop-down lists to assemble the sentence. Only one set of
answers is used for all of the drop-down lists.
Follow these steps to create a Jumbled Sentence question.
2. Select Jumbled Sentence from the question type drop-down list. Click Go.
3. Enter the Question Text. Enter each blank as a variable surrounded by square brackets.
5. Select the Number of Answers and enter a value for each. These values will appear in a
drop-down list for each variable when users view the question. Enter the answers in the
order they should display to Students in the drop-down.
6. Click Next.
7. The question will appear with the drop-down lists in place of the variables. Select the
correct answers.
Quiz question type – Fill in Multiple Blanks
This question type builds on fill-in-the-blank questions with multiple fill in the blank responses
that can be inserted into a sentence or paragraph. Separate sets of answers are defined for each
blank.
Follow these steps to create a Fill In Multiple Blanks question.
2. Select Fill In Multiple Blanks from the question type drop-down list. Click Go.
3. Enter the Question Text. Enter each blank as a variable surrounded by square brackets.
5. Click Next. A list of variables found in the question will appear. Enter one or more
correct answers for each variable.
Quiz question type – Opinion Scale
Question type based on a rating scale designed to measure attitudes or reactions. Users indicate
the multiple choice answer that represents their attitude or reaction. When the instructor
creates an opinion scale question, six answer fields are pre-populated with the following
answers:
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Not Applicable
Follow these steps to create an Opinion Scale/Likert question.( Opinion Scale/Likert Questions
are usually used in surveys. The respondent is asked to state their opinion based on a scale)
2. Select Opinion Scale from the question type drop-down list. Click Go.
5. Determine how the answers will be displayed by selecting Answer Numbering and
Answer Orientation.
6. Check Allow Partial Credit and options will appear under each answer to assign a
percentage of points possible.
7. The Answer fields are pre-populated with values on a Likert scale. Select a correct
answer and change any of the answer values.
Assign question metadata.
Quiz question type – Quiz Bowl
The user is shown the answer and responds by entering the correct question into a text box. An
answer must include a phrase and a question word, such as who, what, or where, to be marked
as correct. Partial credit may be given if the question word is not included in the answer.
Follow these steps to create a Quiz Bowl question.
2. Select Quiz Bowl from the question type drop-down list. Click Go.
5. Click the Allow Partial Credit and enter a percentage of credit. This is the amount of
credit that will be given to answers that include the correct phrase but do not include
the correct interrogative word.
6. Select the Number of Interrogative Words. Enter each acceptable interrogative word
in the fields below. One of these words must appear in the response for the Student to
receive full credit.
7. Select the Number of Answer Phrases. Enter each acceptable phrase into the fields
below. One of these phrases must appear in the response for the Student to receive any
credit.
Quiz question type – Short Answer
Short Answer questions are similar to essay questions. The length of the answer can be limited
to a specified number of rows in the text box.
The number of rows is meant as a guideline when entering an answer; it does not impose an
absolute limit on answer length.
Follow these steps to create a short response question.
2. Select Short Answer from the question type drop-down list. Click Go.
5. Select a number of rows for the answer.
6. Enter an example of a correct answer to assist Graders.
Gradebook – New Features
Adding Grades to the Gradebook
Follow the steps below to enter manual grades into the Gradebook:
1. Click on the Gradebook link in the Assessment section of the course control panel.
2. Click on the Item Name from the top row of the spreadsheet view. (For example: Assignment
1)
3. On the Item Options page for that assessment, click on Item Grade List.
4. Under the Grade column, enter the grades for each of the students.
5. Click Submit.
Gradebook – Excluding Gradebook Nulls
You can now exclude untaken or ungraded items when calculating Total and Weighted Total.
When nulls are ignored, the Total and Weighted Total columns in the Gradebook are renamed to
Running Total and Running Weighted Total. This is the DEFAULT setting for the gradebook.
The running total is designed to display to students their current grade in the course at any
point in the semester. The running total doesn't calculate NULL (ie. a "-" = no score) values into
the total. That is, if an assignment hasn't been graded yet, it doesn't negatively affect their total
grade in the class; therefore, the student can check their performance thus far in the class.
For example, say it's the beginning of the semester and the gradebook has 10
assignments, 5 exams, and 1 project in it. Say the student completed 5 of the
assignments so far. Their running total will reflect an average of the
assignments that he/she has completed thus far in the semester, thereby giving
them an accurate view of their performance in the class up to the current point
in the semester.
If running total wasn't used, the student would be failing the class (as far as the
total column is concerned) because they haven't yet completed the 5 exams, 5
assignments, and 1 project.
In other words, the running total displays a student's current grade in the
course, and the null values or assignments that haven’t been completed are not
included in the running total.
In this scenario, if a student fails to turn an assignment in, then they would earn
"0" (zero) points, and this value should be entered into the grade column for
them.
To exclude nulls in your Gradebook follow the steps below:
1. From the course Control Panel click on the “Gradebook” link.
2. To exclude ‘null’ items from the total column click on the “Total” column heading in the
Gradebook spreadsheet.
3. Click on “Item Information” to change the settings for this column
4. Set the option to “exempt items that have not been graded” to YES and click the
“Submit” button.
5. The total column heading has now been changed to “Running Total” and will only
display the sum of items which have been graded.
Gradebook – Adding Items to the Gradebook
Follow the steps below to add an item to the Gradebook.
1. Click on the Gradebook link in the Assessment section of the course Control Panel.
2. To add a new column (e.g. assignment) click the Add Item button.
3. Under Information:
Enter a Name for the new column
Select a Category
Provide a brief Description of the item
Enter the Date that the item is due (optional)
Enter the Points Possible (how many points the item is worth)
Select what you would like the grade to be Displayed As (e.g. letter, percentage,
etc…)
4. Under Options, indicate if you want your students to be able to see the item you just created
and if you want the item included in gradebook calculations.
5. Click Submit to create the column or Cancel if you do not want to add the item.
Gradebook – Modifying an Item
Follow the steps below to modify an item from the Gradebook:
1. Click on the Gradebook link in the Assessment section of the Course Control Panel.
2. From the Gradebook View Spreadsheet page, click on the title of the column you wish
to modify (blue underlined text).
3. Select Item Information from the Item Options list.
4. Modify Item Information as desired:
Enter a Name for the new column
Select a Category
Provide a brief Description of the item
Enter the Date that the item is due
Enter how many points it is worth
Select what you would like the grade Displayed As (e.g. letter, percentage,
etc…)
5. Under Options, indicate if you want your students to be able to see the item you just
created and if you want the item included in gradebook calculations.
6. Click Submit to create the column or Cancel if you do not want to create it.
Gradebook – Downloading Grades/Gradebook
If you want to work with the grades in a spreadsheet program (e.g. Microsoft Excel), it’s
recommended that you first download the Gradebook from Blackboard. This way you can
upload back into Blackboard following your edits in MS Excel, and it will be in the format that
Blackboard requires. You may also backup your Gradebook by downloading it into a
spreadsheet program.
Follow the steps below to download the Gradebook from Blackboard:
1. From the Gradebook View Spreadsheet page of the Gradebook, click on Download
Grades.
2. Select Tab delimited and click Submit. (A delimiter separates the information in the
Gradebook so that it can be split into columns correctly when opened in a spreadsheet
program such as Excel. You can choose to separate your columns by a comma or a tab.
If you plan to view in Excel, we recommend tab delimited.)
3. Read the instructions carefully, then click the Download button.
4. On the File Download box, click on Save
In the box that appears next, select where you will save your file. It’s recommended that
you add your course code and semester to the file name so it does not get overwritten
(i.e. gb_export_BI101.1234.F06.xls ). It is also recommended to save your file on the
network, CD, or another secure device for backup purposes.
5. You can open the file you downloaded in a spreadsheet program (e.g. MS Excel) and add
columns & grades if you would like. If you plan to upload the gradebook back into
Blackboard, be sure not to change any student information, and save the file in the same
format it was downloaded (ie. “.xls”).
Gradebook – Removing an Item
Follow the steps below to remove an item from the Gradebook:
1. Click on the Gradebook link in the Assessment section of the Course Control Panel.
2. From the Gradebook View Spreadsheet page, you will be able to view your Gradebook.
3. Click the Manage Items button.
4. On the Manage Items page click Remove beside the item that you would like removed.
You will be prompted to confirm the removal, click Yes.
Course Copy – Overview
The Course Copy feature enables you to copy content from one course into another course you
are teaching. This is extremely helpful as you prepare to teach another class in the next
semester.
You can select areas, such as Course Information, Course Documents, Announcements, and Staff
Information to copy from one course to another. Course Copy will copy content to a course, but
it will NOT remove or replace existing content.
1. Click on the Control Panel button from within the course you are copying from.
2. Click the Course Copy link in the Course Options area of the Control Panel.
3. Click the Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course link.
4. Click the Browse button beside Destination Course ID.
5. Enter the Search Criteria for the Course you want to copy the content into (Destination
Course). Type in the subject or section code and click on Search to locate the course.
Note: You must be listed as a professor/ instructor/teacher assistant/course builder
in both courses in order to copy content.
6. Click on the Select button beside the course.
7. Check the areas you want to copy. Check everything, except Enrollment . When finished
click the Submit button.
Remember: This will not overwrite the content in the destination course, the process
will only add to the existing content in the destination course.
Note #1: You may have to click the Refresh (
) button on the bottom of the
menu in the destination course to see any changes made. As well, after the content is
copied, duplicate items may exist in the course menu. These can be cleaned up using
the Manage Course Menu function from the Control Panel.
Important Note #2: After you receive an email indicating that the copy is complete, go
into your destination course (the one you copied TO) and verify the:
1. Syllabus - dates, assignments and grade requirements
2. Gradebook - points possible for each item, and totals
3. Discussion Board - settings and starter threads
4. Assignments & Announcements - dates and availability
5. SafeAssignments - ensure the course is re-synchronized
6. Assessments - redeploy as appropriate
Exporting and Importing Courses
Exporting Courses:
Creates a package of the course content that can later be imported into Blackboard.
Does not include any user interactions with the course—it only includes the content
of the course.
Does not include student lists and student grade information.
Downloads the course package as compressed .zip files (they are imported into
Blackboard in the same format).
Can be imported as the whole course, or as selected parts of the course through
Import Package. Therefore, it is recommended that you select all areas when
exporting a course.
Can only be viewed by being imported into Blackboard.
Importing Courses:
Allows an exported course to be imported as a whole or as selected parts of the
course.
Does not overwrite existing information in the destination course in the following
areas: Content, Discussion Boards, Gradebook Items, Groups, Tests, Surveys, and
Pools. Imported information in these areas is added to existing information in the
destination course.
Does overwrite Course Settings (if selected) in the destination course (other than
the Course ID and Menu Settings).
Follow the steps below to EXPORT a course from Blackboard:
1. Select the course you wish to export.
2. Click the Control Panel button from the menu
3. Select Export Course from the Course Options menu
4. Select the
button to export the class.
5. Select the sections of your course you would like to export.
6. Click Submit once you have chosen the sections you would like to export. Then
Click OK.
7. An email will be sent to your Faculty email once the exporting process is complete.
8. Go back to the export page (if you have forgotten how to access it, repeat steps 1-3).
Your course is now exported to a zip file. Save the file to your computer by rightclicking on the file and selecting “Save Target As”
Follow the steps below to IMPORT a course into Blackboard:
1. Navigate to the course control panel of the course in which you would like to import
content into. From there, click the Import Package link in the Course Options menu.
2. Select the course file you would like to upload for that class.
3. Select the sections you would like to import into the course.
4. Click the Submit button. Then, click OK. An email will be sent to your faculty email
once the importing process is complete.
Opening Office 2007 Files using Office 2003
Microsoft Office 2007 is the latest version of PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. While the college
hasn’t yet deployed this new version, some students may be using it to complete assignments
since Office 2007 is sometimes included with the purchase of a new computer. As students
begin to use Office 2007, a few tips can help in your document exchange with them.
One key difference from earlier versions is that Office 2007 saves new files, by default, with a
new format that is XML-based and is not readable by earlier versions of Microsoft Office. With
this format, new documents will have an added "x" in the file extension (i.e., ".docx" for Word,
".xlsx" for Excel, and “.pptx” for PowerPoint).
Because of the new default file format, faculty and staff using a PC, a Macintosh, or a PDA will not
be able to read Office 2007 files.
Student Instructions for Saving Office 2007 files in Office 2003 Format
The easiest solution to the incompatibility of the Office file formats is to have students, who are
using Office 2007, save their files in formats supported by Office 2003.
Here are the instructions for saving files in Office 2003 format for students who are using Office
2007:
13. Open your file in your Word Processor
14. Choose the File menu
15. Choose Save As
16. Under the Save as type: dialog box, click the drop down box and select “97- 2003”
specific file extension (e.g., “.doc”, “.xls”, or “.ppt”). (Students can also set their
preferences so that the default file format is compatible with Office 2003 software.)
17. Save the file to your computer.
18. Use this file to send to your instructor.
Student Instructions for RICH TEXT FORMAT (RTF) Files
Another suggestion when working with electronic file submissions from students is to require
them to turn in a file in RTF format. This will enable any word processor to be able to open the
file, while maintaining the majority of formatting.
Here are the instructions for students to save a file in RTF format:
19. Open your file in your Word Processor
20. Choose the File menu
21. Choose Save As
22. Under the Save as type: dialog box, click the drop down box and select RTF or Rich Text
Format.
23. Save the file to your computer.
24. Use this file to send to your instructor.
Installing the Office 2003 Compatibility Pack
If you prefer to be able to open files from students in the Office format you will need a software
update for your Office 2003 install. In order to view Office 2007 files sent to you from a student,
you will need to download and install a compatibility tool from Microsoft if you are using Office
2003.
Here are the instructions for obtaining this compatibility pack:
25. Go to the following URL
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en
26. Download the software.
27. Follow the instructions to install the compatibility pack.
A similar tool is available for Macintosh.
Using SafeAssign tool
Enable SafeAssign in the Control Panel
Manage Tools > Building Block Tool Availability > click the box to make SafeAssign available
View SafeAssign Documents
You can view the SafeAssign documents two ways
1. Through the Gradebook (refer to "Grade a Safe Assignment" that follows)
2. Through the SafeAssign Link in the Control Panel (refer to "Check a document that was not
submitted using a Safe Assignment?" that follows)
Create a Safe Assignment
To create an assignment using SafeAssign follow these steps
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Once in your course, click Control Panel
Select a content area, for example Assignments
In the drop down box to the right, select SafeAssign, then Go
Enter the criteria for the assignment
If you want students to be able to view the report set Student Viewable to 'Yes'. Leave Urgent
Checking set to 'No'.
You can also add an additional announcement for the assignment which will show up in the
Announcement section of the course.
Submit
The assignment is now available for students to complete. The assignment is also entered in the
gradebook for you to view/score student submissions.
Check a document that was not submitted through a Safe Assignment
In some cases, you will receive a paper by email or other communication system and
not through a Safe Assignment. You can check these documents using the "Direct
Submit" option where documents can be submitted directly to SafeAssign by the
instructor only, without having the students submit them as an assignment.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Once in your course, click Control Panel
Click SafeAssign
Click the Direct Submit tab
Submit the document and wait for the report
View the report
Definitions of reported percentages for checked papers.
This information was obtained from the SafeAssign Documents provided by
Blackboard.
Sentence matching scores represent the percentage probability that two phrases have the
same meaning. This number can also be interpreted as the reciprocal to the probability that
these two phrases are similar by chance. For example, a score of 90 percent means that
there is a 90 percent probability that these two phrases are the same and a 10 percent
probability that they are similar by chance and not because the submitted paper includes
content from the existing source (whether or not it is appropriately attributed).
Overall score is an indicator of what percentage of the submitted paper matches existing
sources. This score is a warning indicator only and papers should be reviewed to see if the
matches are properly attributed.
Scores below 15 percent: These papers typical include some quotes and few common
phrases or blocks of text that match other documents. These papers typically do not require
further analysis, as there is no evidence of the possibility of plagiarism in these papers.
Scores between 15 percent and 40 percent: These papers include extensive quoted or
paraphrased material or they may include plagiarism. These papers should be reviewed to
determine if the matching content is properly attributed.
Scores over 40 percent: There is a very high probability that text in this paper was copied
from other sources. These papers include quoted or paraphrased text in excess and should
be reviewed for plagiarism.

Touro College INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION Faculty

Transcription

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