Blackboard Tip: Beginning of the Semester Checklist

Checklist we recommend for the beginning of the semester:

Following helpful quick tips:

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.

-  To add a new link to the Course Menu, click the red “+” 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 remove a content area menu item, all information within that area is removed permanently.

-  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, 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:

Make your Course Available:

From the control panel click Customization-Properties

Under Set Availability (3)-Make course available –select yes

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 top gray bar

Under My Other Courses section you want to go to.

Blackboard Tip: End of The Semester Check List

Blackboard End of the Semester Checklist

Here is an end of a semester checklist for your online course.

Grade Center

Complete all grading; confirm all calculated columns are working correctly

Check columns in the grade center and look for anything that is out of place (i.e., blank scores or missing scores).  You can set blackboard to calculate blank items as Zeroes: 

Click the chevron (two down arrows) near the weighted or total column.

Select Edit Column Information

Select No for Calculate as Running Total.

Click Submit

Download course Grade Book:

-          From within your 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.

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 top gray bar

Under My Other Courses section you want to go to.

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.

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.