Blackboard Tip: Beginning of the Semester Blackboard Checklist

Following a refresher for the beginning of the semester Checklist we recommend :

• Update the Syllabus
• Check if information is accurate when copying from last semester
• Due dates are updated
• Points system and assignments
• Check Course Menu (Confirm the Course Menu consist of only the links you want to use. To delete or rename a menu item click the chevron near it)
• Make Your Course Available

 Make sure   Edit Mode button located in the upper right corner is ON. You may use the drag and drop feature to change the order of menu items. Course Menu items that do not contain any content are automatically hidden from student view but are visible to the instructor while Edit Mode is on. You can check the course to see exactly what the student will be view  by checking the student view icon.

-  To add a new link to the Course Menu, click the “+” and select the area you want to add. Note: The “+” is unavailable when Edit Mode is turned off.

-  Rename, Hide or Delete links as necessary using the chevron (pull-down menu) next to each link.

Note: If you are doing a course copy , we would recommend deleting unwanted menu  links and Grade Center Columns in the destination course before doing the copy so the copy is cleaner and all links will be in place .

Course Copy Tutorial:

• From the source course  blue control panel – Under Course Management - Select Packages and- Click Course Copy   

• In Select Copy Options, Click Browse to locate the Destination Course ID.
• Select the radio button to the left of the Course ID of the course you want to copy the content into.
• Scroll down and Click Submit.
• Under Select Course Materials, Click Select All.

            Note: In Enrollments - DO NOT  select Include Enrollments in the Copy – this will bring over your old students.

            Click Submit. When the Course Copy process is complete, you will receive a confirmation email.

-  Organize your course menu using the drag and drop feature. For longer course menus you may want to consider creating Sub headers and Dividers by clicking on the “+” icon and selecting these features

TURN OFF UNNECESSARY TOOLS

To simplify your class you may want to hide links of tools that you will not be using. If you decide to use a tool later in the semester you may make it available at that time.  From the left menu click Tools section, maybe named Grades/Tools/Email

Improve course design and menu options: From within the course control panel Click on Customization and then select Teaching Style where you can:

Change entry point page to Announcements

Select a menu style

Add a course banner

        

Make your Course Available:

• From the control panel click Customization-Properties
• Under Set Availability-Make course available –select yes

Blackboard Tip: End of the Semester Check List

Following some recommendations and tutorial refreshers for the end of the semester:

•     Download course Grade Center.
•     Clean out unnecessary assignment files. (Important)
•     Make your courses unavailable
•     Hide old courses from your “My Courses” module list on AWConline page.

                                                                              

Download course Grade Center:

-          From the control panel click Grade Center- Full Grade center, click Work Offline - select Download.

The tab is located in the Full Grade Center. This tool allows the instructor to download the Grade Center as an Excel file to save to the computer or flash drive.

-    On the Download Grades page under Data, select Full Grade Center, and under Options keep the option section as default, click submit.

     Click the Download button and choose where to save the file.

The file will be saved with excel 2003  *.xls extension.

Video Tutorial: http://ondemand.blackboard.com/r91/movies/bb91_grade_center_working_offline.htm

Tip:  You can use course to course navigation to jump from one place in a course to the exact same place in the other course. Click the course to course down arrow  near the  home icon  located on the upper left of the screen  .

                                                                   

   Clean out unnecessary assignment files. (Important)

Deleting large unnecessary Assignment files can significantly reduce the space your course uses, helping to avoid Disk Quota errors.  To delete assignment: from the course Control Panel –click Full Grade Center

Click the Chevron next to the assignment title bar.  Select Assignment File cleanup

Check the box next to the User.  Click Delete

 Note: Once  a grade has been recorded, you can delete one or more student submission files to save space in their course..  

Video from Blackboard On demand

http://ondemand.blackboard.com/r91/movies/bb91_grade_center_clean_assignment_files.htm

Make your courses unavailable:

If you no longer want students to access the course after the end of semester, please make your course unavailable through Control Panel-Customization-Properties-Set Availability – Check No- Click Submit

 Note:   Blackboard will state when the course is unavailable to students

Hide old courses from your “My Courses” module list on AWConline page.

-Click the “Manage My Courses Module Settings” gear tool on the My Courses title bar.

Tip: You need to bring your mouse curser to the upper right of the box for the gear tool to show.

- Uncheck the courses that you have completed teaching.

- Click Submit

Blackboard Tip: Adding Instructor Information

Please check and send to faculty

While instructor contact information and office hours are added to the course syllabus ,as an online teaching best practice , instructors are encouraged to add contact information in a separate blackboard contact page  Following steps to add contact information

    From course control panel click “Course Tools” – “Contacts”

   From the Action Bar, click “Create Contact”

     Fill out the information form , if you are an adjunct faculty , you can enter "By appointment" in the office hours section.

;    Under  Options – Select  Yes near “Make the Profile Available”.  You can add a profile image to this section , click Browse near Attach Image to select the image from your computer ,  the recommended size is 150 by 150 pixels

    Click Submit

      If not found on the course menu you need to add the page. With “Edit Mode” set  to “On” –click + Sign - Tool link

       Type in the name (Instructor Information ) , from the drop down menu select Contacts

- Check the box near "Available to Users " and click Submit

Blackboard Tip : Embed YouTube Videos by Creating an Item

Users  are getting an error when trying to embed a YouTube video through Mash ups feature in blackboard : “Error: An error was returned by YouTube: No longer available”

Until the problem is resolved you can you embed YouTube videos through creating an item.

From within the content area click Build Content- Create Item.

Enter the name of the video.

Open YouTube website in another window or browser tab.  

Search for a YouTube video by entering the video name in the search box and clicking on the search button.

      

Click on the video title you want to embed into Blackboard.

On  the video page , click Share

The link is selected by default, right click and select Copy  

 Go back into the editor in Blackboard

 Click Embedded Media icon

<![if !supportLists]>·         <![endif]>From the Type drop down menu select Iframe

Paste url in the File/Url section – Click anywhere outside that space (you should be able to see a preview of the video) -click  Insert

Click Submit

Tip: For the current YouTube videos  that were embedded through Mash ups the workaround seems to be that the users right click the thumbnail and select play the video in a new window.

Important Information for Online Teachers

The Distance Education department is eager to help you improve and enhance your online courses so more students will be successful. As you successfully complete the semester with your online students please remember the following guidelines.  In addition, I have attached a rubric for evaluating your online course.  

Expectations for Online Courses

As an instructor for a course taught fully online, there are basic requirements that must be met.  Below are the basic expectations:

• Courses must have sufficient content.  For example, a three credit traditional course meets 2.5 hours per week and then there is work outside of class.  An online class must mirror this.  There needs to be teaching content for students to interact with that engages them for as much time as would a traditional course.  This content can be handouts, readings, instructor created audio lectures, videos, or a wide range of other learning activities. 
• Online courses must have the same learning outcomes as traditional courses.
• Teachers must be actively engaged with the course.  They cannot set-up a course on “auto-pilot” and then not be present in the course.  Teachers must log into their online courses, interact with the students and keep grades current.
• Students must have the opportunity to interact with the teacher and with other students.  Interactions include emails and discussion boards, but can also be other interactions such as phone conferences, feedback in the grade center, and others. 
• Students should not have to wait for a response to an inquiry (email, phone, discussion board, etc.) for more than 48 hours.

Blackboard Tip: End of the SemesterChecklist

Following some recommendations and tutorial refreshers for the end of the semester:

•     Download course Grade Center.
•     Archive your course
•     Clean out unnecessary assignment files. (Important)
•     Make your courses unavailable
•     Hide old courses from your “My Courses” module list on AWConline page.

Download course Grade Center:

-          From the control panel click Grade Center- Full Grade center, click Work Offline - select Download.

-    On the Download Grades page under Data, select Full Grade Center, and under Options keep the option section as default, click submit.

     Click the Download button and choose where to save the file.

The file will be saved with excel 2003  *.xls extension.

Video Tutorial: http://ondemand.blackboard.com/r91/movies/bb91_grade_center_working_offline.htm

Tip:  In blackboard 9.1 you can use course to course navigation to jump from one place in a course to the exact same place in the other course. Click the chevron near the course name in the top gray bar.

Under My Other Courses section you want to go to.

The tab is located in the Full Grade Center. This tool allows the instructor to download the Grade Center as an Excel file to save to the computer or flash drive.

    Archive your course

-    From the Control Panel, click Packages and Utilities and select Export/Archive Course.

   

-          Click Archive.

Note:  Archive saves all elements of the course, which includes all student grades, tests, student activities and the course roster. Export saves all or part of the course structure. Exporting does not include student activities or student roster.

 

-   On the Archive Course page under Select Copy Options, select Include Grade Center History. -    Click Submit.

   

Note:  The archived course is saved in a zip and may take some time to be processed.  An email will be sent when the process is completed.

-    Click the Archive File link to download to your computer or click the chevron near the file name and select open.

Note: AWC archive courses on regular bases but having an archived copy on your desktop in very helpful in various aspects. The Archive  course enables to make a complete record of the course , including all of user information. It only takes few minutes to archive a course which may have taken months to develop. To restore an archived course you need to contact the helpdesk and have the archive file sent to the Blackboard System Administrator to be restored

   Clean out unnecessary assignment files. (Important)

Deleting large Assignment files can significantly reduce the space your course uses, helping to avoid Disk Quota errors.  To delete assignment: from the course Control Panel –click Full Grade Center

Click Assignments-Click the Chevron next to the assignment title bar.  Select Assignment File cleanup 

Check the box next to the User.

  Click Delete

Video from Blackboard On demand

http://ondemand.blackboard.com/r91/movies/bb91_grade_center_clean_assignment_files.htm

Make your courses unavailable:

If you no longer want students to access the course after the end of semester, please make your course unavailable through Control Panel-Customization-Properties-Set Availability – No-Submit

 Note: The gray bar at the top of the course will let you now that the course is unavailable to students.

Hide old courses from your “My Courses” module list on AWConline page.

-Click the “Manage My Courses Module Settings” gear tool on the My Courses title bar.

- Uncheck the courses that you have completed teaching.

- Click Submit