Blackboard Basics

BLACKBOARD BASICS Support Training Series from

Technology Enhanced Learning Services

© Yavapai College 1100 East Sheldon Street Prescott, Arizona 86301 Phone 928-771-6120

Table of Contents TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING SERVICES ........................................................................................ 1  INTRODUCTION TO ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY IN BLACKBOARD ........................................................................................................................................... 1  COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY ONLINE UTILIZING EMAIL, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND DISCUSSION FORUM 1  Learning Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 1  Send Email in Blackboard .................................................................................................................... 2  Checking Email Addresses in Blackboard ............................................................................................ 4  Junk Email and Bulk Mail..................................................................................................................... 4  Best Practices on Communicating with Email ...................................................................................... 5  Posting Announcements in Blackboard ................................................................................................ 6  Create a Discussion Forum in Blackboard ........................................................................................... 8  Adding Discussion Threads in Blackboard ........................................................................................... 9  Managing Your Discussion Forums.................................................................................................... 10  ADDING CONTENT TO BLACKBOARD........................................................................................................ 11  Learning Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 11  Adding a Folder .................................................................................................................................. 11  Adding an Item .................................................................................................................................... 13  Adding an External Link ..................................................................................................................... 14  Adding a Course Link ......................................................................................................................... 15  Adding an Assignment......................................................................................................................... 16  Adding and Managing Gradebook Items ............................................................................................ 17 

Introduction to Essential Skills for Teaching with Technology in Blackboard All course sections that are currently listed in the AMIS or Registration system now have a Blackboard component available for instructors to utilize. There are a number of essential skills that are necessary for online teaching and learning. This three-hour session will cover the basic computer skills required for effectively teaching an online course utilizing the Blackboard system. The different sections we will be covering include: • Communicating effectively online utilizing email, announcements, and the discussion forum; • Adding content to Blackboard using folders, items, external links, course links and assignments; • Adding and managing gradebook items; .

Communicating Effectively Online Utilizing Email, Announcements and Discussion Forum Interaction is the most important aspect for student success in an online course. By allowing opportunities for the students to communicate with one another, it enhances their learning by letting them question and discuss issues in the course. As an instructor, you need to decide the level of interaction you want to have with each student - and build the courses accordingly.

Learning Objectives At the end of this section, learners will be able to: • Use email for effective communication as an online instructor; • Send an email from the Blackboard system; • Check the listed email address of students in the course; • Inform students of junk mail and bulk email issues; • Understand the best practices for effectively communicating to your students online; • Post an announcement in Blackboard; • Create a discussion forum in Blackboard; • Add a new thread to a discussion forum.

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Send Email in Blackboard Email is one of the most used forms of communication today. Compared to other communication media such as the telephone, radio, and television, email remains a relatively new invention. Email is an essential communication tool for distance education. Email is about staying connected to your students in your course. The Blackboard Send Email feature allows users to quickly send email to the students or other instructors in Blackboard. You cannot view incoming email, or send an email to someone outside of the class. Any emails sent to you from your students will be delivered to your Yavapai College email account. The Send Email feature can be accessed from two different areas: 1. When you first log into Blackboard, you will see a customized screen that states, “Welcome, (Your Name)”. There will be a “Tools” menu on the left hand side of your screen. Click the “Send Email” link. Select the course in which you want to send an email. 2. In the course, the “Send Email” feature is available in the Communications area. This can be customized accordingly so it appears on the left hand navigation. At this point, a screen similar to the following will appear:

Functions of Users: The following users and groups are available to send email to from the Send Email page: Description All Users All Groups All Teaching Assistants All Instructors Select Users Select Groups

Group Sends email to all users in the course. Sends email to all of the groups in a specified course. Sends email to all of the Teaching Assistants in a specified course. Sends email to all of the instructors for a specified course. Sends email to a single user or selected users in a specified course. Select a person(s) by placing checkmark in box next to name. Send email to a single group or selected groups in a course. Select a group(s) by placing checkmark in box next to name.

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If Select Users is chosen, the following screen will appear:

Type in the subject and email message after selecting the users. The following table will help with understand the areas in the email feature: Field Enter Message Details To: From: Subject:

Description

Names of users to receive the email will appear. Or, select the individual users depending on the option chosen. The user’s email address will automatically be displayed in this field. The user’s subject will automatically be displayed in this field.

Message: Enter the email message. A copy of this email will be sent to the sender. Add Attachments Add:

Click here to add attachments. Select Browse on the page that appears and navigate to the file that should be attached to the email.

Instructors and students can easily receive hundreds of legitimate emails per week. If you are teaching multiple courses and/or sections online, it can become overwhelming. Add junk email or spam, and the emails can continue to grow. Because of this large quantity of email, it is important to make email you send as easy to identify as possible, for you and your students. This can be done with meaningful display names and subject lines. For example, require the students to include the class, assignment, and student name in the subject line. Subject: ENG 101, Essay #1, Jane Doe This will help you identify and manage your class more efficiently.

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Also, remember to make sure the spelling and grammar are correct. Misspellings and poor grammar distract from the subject of the message and reflect poorly on the sender. While most email applications have built-in spell checkers, most do not have tools to check grammar. If you want to check your grammar before sending your email, copy your message text and paste it into a word processor that has a grammar checker, such as Microsoft Word. Once the grammar check is completed, copy and paste the text back into the email message.

Checking Email Addresses in Blackboard The list of students in the course can be viewed by going into the course control panel and selecting List/Modify Users.

Click the Search button and the class roster will appear. You can view the students’ username and email here. (This is very helpful if you have students who can’t log into Blackboard). If their email address has a [email protected] then they will have to contact Registration or change it in Electronic Student Services. Once the email address has been changed officially in the Registration system, it will update itself in Blackboard that evening. Email relies on students having a valid email address and a way to access their mail outside of Blackboard. Email messages are received in the user’s email account that is listed in their Personal Information. Email messages do not become part of the course record; no copies are retained within Blackboard.

Junk Email and Bulk Mail If students are emailed through Blackboard as a group, they may not receive the information due to the configuration of their hotmail, yahoo, etc. accounts. Many times, email will be sent to their Junk Mail or Bulk Email accounts. If a student has a setting in their email to delete junk email when they receive it, they may never be graced with your words of wisdom. Please remind students to check their junk mail and update the settings to receive your email.

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Best Practices on Communicating with Email Please remember that Blackboard is new for many students. Send your students a welcome email prior to the start of the semester. Some instructors also include this information in their syllabus. If you are utilizing the different features in Blackboard, provide the following information to the students. • How to access Blackboard; • Date of when students can access the course; • How to check and change their own email; • How to provide information in the subject line of email. Other topics to include in the welcome email are: • How to utilize the discussion boards; • How to check their grades; • How to send assignments. By contacting students using email from within the course, you are able to keep them up-to-date, answering questions and providing feedback.

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Posting Announcements in Blackboard Announcements in Blackboard should be posted on a consistent basis.

Push critical or time sensitive messages out to all course users using Announcements. Announcements can be made permanent, always displaying, or they can be timed to release and expire on particular dates. Announcements can contain hyperlinks as well as links to course content. By default, announcements are set as the course entry point, although you have an option to change this setting as an instructor.

In order to add an announcement to Blackboard, go into the course control panel and select Announcements. A screen that looks like the following will appear:

Click Add Announcement. Under Announcement Information, type a subject for the announcement and add a message. If you are using

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Internet Explorer on a PC, you will see a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Editor. You have an option to format your content similar to a word processing program. By default, the “View Last 7 Days” tab appears. When you post an announcement, it will be visible for 7 days and then move over into the “View Last 30 Days” and “View All” tab. If you would like your announcement to always appear, select Yes under “Permanent Announcement?” That way, students will never miss any of your announcements. You also have the option to Choose Date Restrictions on when you want your announcement to be available. You also have the option to browse to a course link. A course link allows you to link directly to any content area of your course such as the syllabus or assignments.

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Create a Discussion Forum in Blackboard The Discussion Board is a communication tool that can be used to enhance an online course or a way to continue the discussion outside of class. Access discussion forums by clicking the Discussion Board link on the left side navigation bar. Instructors have the option to customize where they add the discussion forum in their courses. You can also locate a discussion forum by clicking the Communication button. The discussion forum is designed for asynchronous use, meaning users are not present at the same time to converse online. For example email is asynchronous. An additional advantage of the discussion board is that student conversations are logged and organized. Conversations are grouped into threads that contain a main posting and all related replies. 1. Click the Add Forum button to create a new Forum. 2. In the Title field, type the name of the forum such as Introductions. 3. In the Description field, provide the students with a question or description of the forum. 4. Make Forum Available 5. Set the Forum Settings options. Forum Setting Allow anonymous posts

Allow author to modify own published posts

Allow author to remove own posts

Allow file attachments

Allow member to create new threads

Grade > Grade Forum

What Happens? If enabled, users have the option of posting messages under the name "Anonymous.” If enabled, a user has the ability to make changes to their messages after posting them. Otherwise, only the instructor may make changes to the message. If enabled, a user has the ability to remove their messages after posting them. Otherwise, only the instructor may remove the message. Enabling this function allows users to attach files to messages they post to the Discussion Board. If enabled, users may create new threads. Otherwise, no new threads may be added to the forum. If enabled, this will add the Discussion Forum to the Gradebook. This works similar to the Discussion Grader.

6. Click the Submit button.

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Adding Discussion Threads in Blackboard 1. Click on the title of the forum you wish to respond 2. Click the Add New Thread button. 3. Enter a subject and message. Click the Browse button to search for and attach a document or image. (Instructors may take this option away). 4. Click the Submit button. Note: If you are using Blackboard on a PC with Internet Explorer 5.5 or above, then you will see a word processor screen. If you are using a MAC or different Internet browser, you will see a less robust version of the text editor. There are a number of options in the discussion forum view.

TO

CLICK Add New Thread. The Add Thread page will appear. On the Add Thread page a new subject title and new discussion description may be added Tree View List View

Start a new discussion, which is called a thread See all the threads and responses See only the threads

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Managing Your Discussion Forums Most of the controls for managing a forum are shown above and below the Discussion Board Threads.

1. Click the Go next to Select All. 2. Notice the options available under the dropdown menu of Display and Change Status to. 3. Some options are available to everyone; some are only available to instructors or users with forum administrator privileges, such as Flag, Locked and Remove. o For example, you might want to lock a thread when the discussion has run its course and you no longer want students adding to that thread. o To Lock a Thread, you don't have to select all messages in the thread; just the initial message. 4. Collecting messages allows you to view a group of messages in their entirety on a single web page. This is useful if you want to see an entire thread at once or perhaps all messages from a particular user. The collect function is also useful if you want to print out a group of messages because it saves you from having to print each message separately. 5. Remove the threads with the Remove option, however that permanently deletes them. TO

CLICK Click on message link. Click on the drop-down menu at the bottom of the forum and sort by Date, Thread, Author, Status, Unread Posts or Total Posts

Read a message Sort the list of messages

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Adding Content to Blackboard Instructors can add content to Blackboard by using items, folders, course links and external links. When adding course content, give clear explanations describing what each folder contains and how it fits in with the overall structure of the course. Comprehensive instructions should be given with each online item and assignment.

Learning Objectives At the end of this section, learners will be able to: • • • • • • •

Add a folder and write a description of what users will see when they click on the folder; Add an item that contains an attachment and text; Add an external link; Add a course link to your content item; Add an assignment; Add and manage gradebook items; Use the test manager to add multiple choice, true/false and short answer/essay questions.

Adding a Folder Folders are an excellent way to separate and manage content in your Blackboard course. 1. Go into the course Control Panel and select a content area such as Assignments or Course Information. 2. Click the Add Folder icon. 3. Under the Folder Information area, enter the name of the folder.

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4. Choose the color of the name by click on the Pick button. You will be able to select a color for the name of your folder. 5. Information for the folder can be added in the Text field. This is similar to a word processing program. Formatting to enhance the instruction can also be added by using bold, italics, underline and much more.

6. Under the Options section, you can choose to make the folder available to your students or select dates of availability.

7. When completed, click the Submit button to finish.

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Adding an Item Now that a folder has been added to the course, add the items that apply to that folder. For example you can add course handouts, PowerPoint presentations, media files, links, assessments and much more. Remember, Blackboard is only a container to hold all of this information. In order to add an item inside the folder: 1. Click on the folder title 2. Click the Add Item icon. 3. Follow the same steps as when the folder was created. Remember to be descriptive for the students. Provide clear, concise, detailed instructions. However, there will be an additional option to attach a file.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Click the Browse button to locate the saved file. Provide a clear, descriptive name for Name of Link to File Keep the Create a link to the file as the Special Action Select Dates of Availability Click Submit

Don’t forget that you can add items anywhere in the content areas of your course.

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Adding an External Link 1. Click the Add External Link icon. 2. Under the External Link Information area, enter the name of the link, URL address and provide a description of the link.

3. If you want to attach a file, you are able to do so. 4. Under Options, make sure that the following options are selected Yes

It is important to have the link open in a new window so students can navigate through the site. They will also have the Blackboard course site open. You should mention that students will need to turn off a pop up blocker, as the site will open in a new window. 5. Select Dates of Availability 6. Click Submit

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Adding a Course Link 1. Click the Add Course Link icon. 2. Under the Course Link Information area, enter the name of the link, and type text. 3. Under the Location area, click the Browse button. 4. A Course Map window will appear. Select the area in your course that you wish to link. 5. Select Dates of Availability 6. Click Submit

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Adding an Assignment 1. Click the Assignment button from the drop down menu in the content area.

2. Click the Go button. 3. Enter a name for the assignment and the number of points. 4. Provide clear, concise instructions on the assignment needed for the students to complete. It would be helpful if the following information was provided for students.

1. Click on the blue “View/Complete Assignment” link. 2. In the “Assignment Upload” area, add any “Comments” for the instructor. 3. To attach your file, click the “Browse” button and locate your saved assignment file. Your saved file should be in Rich Text Format (rtf). 4. Click “Open” to attach. 5. If you want, you can “Add Another File” by clicking on the button. 6. Click “Submit” to send the assignment to your instructor.

5. Select Dates of Availability 6. Click Submit When you create an assignment in Blackboard, it automatically adds a column in your gradebook.

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Adding and Managing Gradebook Items Access the Gradebook by going into the course control panel and selecting Gradebook. You will come to a screen that resembles the following:

Students will be added in the column that states Name (Last, First). Your assignments will be added as you create them. Click the Add Item button and fill out the information. Remember that any assignment, test or survey added will automatically create a column in the gradebook. Would you like a tip on best practices utilizing the Blackboard gradebook? Change your Date according to when assignments are due. Otherwise, it will default to the date that you have added this item. In many cases, this is way before the semester even begins! Students will question you on the date that appears. 17

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We have reached the end of our Blackboard for Beginning Users workshop. Please contact Ruth Alsobrook-Hurich, Instructional Technology Specialist, for more information on Blackboard. [email protected] or (928) 776-2076

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