UB Online logo

Blackboard User Guide - For Faculty

 

All faculty at UB are able to utilize Blackboard for their campus or online courses.  New courses are created automatically each semester and students entered automatically into each course - so faculty do not need to create any courses or student accounts manually.  Simply login and you will find your new courses each semester with registered students already entered into the courses.  Faculty then need to make the course “available” to students (see Part 4 below) when the courses are ready for students.  Here are further instructions for using Blackboard at UB:

 

 

1)  Blackboard Introduction

 

2)  Blackboard – Getting Started

 

3)  Using Blackboard - Managing Content

 

 

4)  Using Blackboard – Students, Other Users, & Grading

 

5)  Using Blackboard - Courses & Settings

 

6)  Blackboard Help

 

 

 

 

 

What Is Blackboard?

 

 

Blackboard is UB’s “online classroom” where instructors can share online course materials that support student learning.  Blackboard is also simple for you to use - you can access your Blackboard courses from any computer with Internet access, anywhere and anytime!  All faculty at UB are able to utilize Blackboard for their campus or online courses.

 

 

 

How To Login To Blackboard

 

 

·       Set up your UBNet account:

A UBNet account is required for obtaining access to courses on Blackboard (and also allows you to access a yourname@bridgeport.edu email account, access the UB online library databases, and register online through myUB).

 

To set up your UBNet account:

http://www.bridgeport.edu/ubnet/ then click on New UBNET Account on the left

 

If you already have a UBNet account but don’t know your username or password, go to https://www.bridgeport.edu/ubnet/cgi-bin/resetpass.cgi

 

·       Login to Blackboard:

Once a UBNet account has been set up, students can access Blackboard through myUB within 24 hours.  If a student can login to Blackboard, but do not see their current courses listed, they should contact their instructors to make sure Blackboard has been made available to students for that course.

 

To login to Blackboard: go to myUB and click on Blackboard in the middle, or Academics--Blackboard on the top.

 

NOTE: You MUST also check your UB email through myUB to send and receive emails from your students (click on My Email on the left while in myUB).

 

 

 

If You Cannot Login To Blackboard

 

 

·         If you cannot login to myUB, please follow the instructions on the bottom for myUB help. You can then access Blackboard in the middle of the page, or by clicking on Academics--Blackboard on the top.

·         If you can login to myUB but cannot login or access Blackboard, contact the Distance Learning office at ubonline@bridgeport.edu

 

 

 

How To Find Your Courses On Blackboard

 

 

After you login to Blackboard, all of your courses will appear under your list of My Courses or by clicking on the My Courses tab along the top.  You then need to click on the course title for each course you wish to access.  You can then edit courses using the Control Panel.  For more information on editing your courses, read the following section: How to edit your courses using the Control Panel

 

·         By default, all of your courses will be marked as “unavailable” to students. To make your courses available, read the following section: Making Blackboard course sites available to students.

 

 

 

How To Get Access To Blackboard

 

 

All faculty officially assigned to courses will automatically get access to Blackboard (read “How Do I Login to Blackboard”).  If you can login but not see your courses, you must contact your academic department to confirm that faculty assignments have been sent to the registrar and posted in our Datatel system.  You will have access to the course the day after the assignment is posted to Datatel.

 

 

 

Are Instructors Required To Use Blackboard?

 

 

All courses at UB will have a course site available on Blackboard.  However, it is up to individual instructors to decide whether or not to use Blackboard.  Courses that have not been made available by instructors (see How Do I Make Course Sites Available To Students? below) will be invisible to students.

 

 

 

Using UB Email With Blackboard

 

 

You must check your UB email regularly while taking courses on Blackboard, as all email sent through Blackboard will go to your yourname@bridgeport.edu email account. To check your UB email, login to myUB and click on email on the left.

 

 

 

How Instructors Can Use Blackboard To Enhance Learning

 

 

A Blackboard course can include any of the sections listed below.  Names of these sections can easily be changed, and sections can be added or deleted, to allow you to structure your course to best meet your instructional needs.

 

 

 

 

Making Blackboard Course Sites Available To Students

 

 

All course sites will be created as “unavailable” to students (hidden from students but accessible to the instructor).  Instructors must change the course availability setting when they are ready for students to access the course:

 

 

Make the course available to students

1.     Enter the control panel (on the bottom left)

2.     Click on Settings

3.     Then select Course Availability

4.     Select “Yes”

5.     Then click Submit - students will now be able to access the course

6.     You will also need to make the course unavailable to students at the end of the semester by following the same process above and select “No” in 3 above OR you can set specific dates for the course to be available to students (see Setting Start & End Dates below).

7.     After you make the course available to students, instructors should send students instructions on how Blackboard will be used in the particular course, along with a link to the “Blackboard User Guide For Students” below, which contains complete instructions for using Blackboard:

Blackboard User Guide For Students: http://www.bridgeport.edu/Media/Website%20Resources/documents/continuinged/dl/BbGuide-Student.htm

      To send an email to students through Blackboard:  login to course - control panel - send email - all student users

      Students should be reminded to check their @bridgeport.edu email accounts.

      The Distance Learning office will send instructions to students upon request by faculty.

 

NEED HELP? If you would like the Distance Learning office to make your course available and/or send instructions to students, please send your request to ubonline@bridgeport.edu 

 

 

 

Setting Start & End Dates For Course Availability

 

 

 

Setting start and end dates for course availability

1.     Enter the control panel (on the bottom left)

2.     Make the course available to students (see section above).

3.     Click on Settings

4.     Then select Course Duration

5.     Click Select Dates

6.     Place a check next to Start Date and End Date, and enter the appropriate start and end dates

7.     Then click Submit and students will now be able to access the course ONLY during the selected dates.

 

NEED HELP? If you would like the Distance Learning office to change your course availability dates and/or send instructions to students, please send your request to ubonline@bridgeport.edu 

 

 

 

How To Edit Your Courses Using The Control Panel

 

 

The Control Panel is your menu for building Blackboard courses.  When you first enter a course, you will see a column of buttons on the left side of the screen.  This is the Course Menu and students will use this to access your course content and documents related to your course (syllabus, assignments, etc.).  If you are an instructor, there is an extra button displayed near the bottom called the Control Panel.  Click here to begin adding content to courses.  Note:  Students do not have access to the Control Panel.

 

You can also edit courses directly from the content areas within the course.  For example, to add or edit a syllabus, click on Syllabus on the left, then click on Edit View on the top right.  This will now allow you to edit the Syllabus section of the course.

 

 

 

Adding New Course Materials

 

 

Instructors can edit courses, upload documents, create tests, etc. through the Control Panel.  Only instructors have access to this area.  You can get into the Control Panel by clicking on “Control Panel” on the bottom left menu after you enter a course.  Take some time to look through the various sections in the Control Panel to get an idea of how to use each section.

 

To upload course materials you can choose from the following options:

 

 

After adding material, you can revise anything you have added to your course by clicking on “Modify” on the right and you can remove anything you have added by clicking on “Remove”.

 

Here is some brief videos showing how to add specific types of content:

 

      How to add an announcement

 

      How to upload a syllabus

 

      How to create a faculty profile

 

      How to add course materials

 

      How to add links to external websites

 

 

 

Using The Discussion Board

 

 

The Blackboard discussion board allows students and faculty to interact within Blackboard.  The discussion board can be used to discuss important topics, post documents for students to share with other students, and even to build an online community (by setting up informal forums such as a “Water Cooler” where students can discuss matters outside of the course).  It is important to ask critical thinking questions that lead to interaction between students.  Here is a brief video showing how to use the discussion board:

 

How to use the discussion board

 

 

 

Creating An Online Test

 

 

Online tests can be created using a variety of question formats (multiple choice, matching, short answer, essay).  Tests are graded automatically (except for essay-type questions, which need to be graded manually by instructors) and results can appear online for students.  Once a test is created, it must then be made available to students.  Here are instructions for creating a test in Blackboard:

 

      Part 1 – Creating a test

·         Control panel

Test Manager

Add Test

Follow the instructions on the screen

 

      Part 2 – Making a test available to students

·         Decide where to place the test (Course materials, Assignments, etc.)

Next, make the test available in that area of the course.  For example, if you choose to place the tests under Assignments:

            Control panel - assignments - +test - select the test you want to use (if more than one must be done one at a time) - submit - ok - modify the test options

·         You can then modify the test options.

·         You MUST select "Yes" after “Make the link available" in #2).  All other settings are optional.  Then Submit, and notify students that the test is available.

 

Here is a brief video showing how to create an online test:

 

      How to create an online test

 

 

 

Copying Content From Previous Blackboard Courses

 

 

All courses will have a Blackboard course site created automatically (so there’s no need to manually create or request course sites).  These course sites will be empty and will not contain any copied content from previous courses.  Instructors will have the choice of adding new content or copying content from their previous Blackboard courses.  The process involves only a few steps, and instructors will not have to “start over” from scratch:

 

Importing A Saved Course File

If you already have saved an export file from a previous course, follow these instructions:

·         Enter the original course (from which you want to copy materials)

·         Click on Control Panel

·         Click on Export Course under Course Options

·         Click on Export on the gray bar along the top

·         Select the materials you want to copy, then Submit

·         You will receive an email when the export is complete

·         Go back into the control panel and click on Export

·         Select the material to copy (if you are unsure, click on all boxes)

Leave Enrollments in Part 3 blank

·         Click on Submit on the bottom right

·         You will receive an email when the copy is complete - you can then enter the new course and begin editing

 

Course Copy

If you have not previously saved a copy of your course, follow these instructions:

·         Login to Bb

·         Enter the original course (from which you want to copy materials)

·         Click on Control Panel

·         Click on Course Copy under Course Options

·         Click on Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course

·         Browse to find the new course (into which you have copied materials)

(NOTE: If you have trouble finding your courses, select "instructor", enter your last name only, select "all courses", then click on Search)

·         Click on "select" on the right of the new course

·         Select the material to copy (if you are unsure, click on all boxes)

Leave Enrollments in Part 3 blank

·         Click on Submit on the bottom right

·         You will receive an email when the copy is complete - you can then enter the new course and begin editing

 

Editing your course after copying

After you copy content from a previously used course, you must update course materials, dates, etc. 

·         To edit the course, click on Control Panel..

The buttons/links on the left of the course may also change.  You can edit the left menu through the control panel:

 

NEED HELP?  If you would like the Distance Learning office to transfer your content please send your request to ubonline@bridgeport.edu

 

 

 

How To Create An Assignment

 

 

Instructors can create assignments that are automatically added to the Blackboard Grade Center.

 

To create an assignment:

·         Login to Blackboard & enter your course

·         Click on control panel and select the section to add the assignment - assignments, course materials, etc.

OR select the area from the left menu and click on "Edit View" on the top right

·         Select Assignment from the drop down menu on right then click on "go"

·         1 - Type in name, points, due date (optional), instructions

2 - Select an attachment (optional)

3 - Select "yes" for Make The Assignment visible (should already be selected by default), select "yes" for Tracking (optional) and set dates the assignment will be visible to students (optional)

·         Click Submit

·         Assignments will automatically appear as a column in the Grade Center

·         When students complete the assignment, it will appear as an exclamation mark ( ! ) in the Grade Center

 

To grade the assignment:

·         Go to control panel, Grade Center

·         Click on the arrows to the right of the ! then select Grade Details

·         Click on View Attempt on the right

·         Enter the grade and comments, and attach a file (optional)

·         Click Submit, then OK

·         The grade will automatically appear in the Grade Center, and be visible to students

 

Here is a brief video showing how to create an online assignment:

 

      How to create an online assignment

 

 

 

Accessing Student Rosters In Blackboard

 

 

There are several ways to view a list of students in Blackboard

 

 

You can also access official course rosters in Webadvisor through myUB.

 

 

 

Contacting Students By E-mail Through Blackboard

 

 

Email in Blackboard is one way - it can be sent from Blackboard but students and faculty must read the email through their UB email account.  To send an email to your students through Blackboard, follow the steps below:

 

·         Enter your course

·         Click on Communication on the left (you can also access through Control Panel - Send Email)

·         Select Send Email then All Student Users (or Select Users to choose specific students)

·         If you selected Select Users, highlight the name of the student and click on the right arrow

·         Type in your subject and message and click on “submit” on the bottom right

 

 

 

Using The Blackboard Grade Center

 

 

Instructors can keep track of grades right in Bb.  Through the Grade Center, faculty can post grades for assignments and give students an opportunity to keep track of their progress online.  To use the Grade Center, click on Control Panel, then “Grade Center” on the right.  Here is what you will see in the Grade Center:

 

With the Grade Center you can:

 

 

 

 

Grading Discussion Board Forums

 

 

To grade student participation in Discussion Board forums:

 

·         Enter the Discussion Board

·         Modify

·         In #3 select "grade forum" and enter point value

·         Submit

 

·         Click on box with 2 dots under "grade" column to right of forum (just left of modify)

·         Click on "grade" on the right, you'll then be able to view all posts from that student in that forum

·         Enter a point value in "grade box" on top, then submit

·         Click ok on bottom, then continue with the next student

 

Grades will automatically go into grade center, and be visible to students.

 

 

 

Adding & Dropping Students From Blackboard

 

 

Adding Students:

 

Instructors should send the following instructions to students who add a course:

(To send email through Blackboard:  login to course - control panel - send email - all student users)

http://www.bridgeport.edu/Media/Website%20Resources/documents/continuinged/dl/BbGuide-Student.htm

NOTE: Instructors SHOULD NOT manually add students into Bb courses or create student accounts as this will interfere with the automated process!

 

NEED HELP?  If you would like the Distance Learning office to send instructions to students who have added your course, please send your request to

ubonline@bridgeport.edu

 

Dropping students:

·         Drops are processed automatically on a daily basis.  Students who drop a course are disabled in Blackboard (disabled makes students inactive so they CANNOT access the course, but retains a record of their coursework & course activity).

 

HAVE QUESTIONS?  If you have any questions about the process of adding or dropping students from Blackboard, please send your questions to ubonline@bridgeport.edu

 

 

 

How To Add Additional Instructors To A Blackboard Course

 

 

It is possible to manually add additional instructors to a Blackboard course (for use with TA’s, GA’s, second instructors, etc.)  To add additional instructors:

 

 

NOTE: If you cannot find an account for the instructor, DO NOT create a new account or this will prevent the user from accessing other courses and being a part of the automated system in the future!  The new account must be created by the automated system (so the user must be listed as in instructor for the course in our Datatel system – please have your academic department contact the registrar to add the instructor to the course in Datatel, and the account will be created the following day.)

 

NEED HELP?  If you would like the Distance Learning office to ad additional instructor to your course, please send your request to ubonline@bridgeport.edu 

 

 

 

Using the Digital Drop Box

 

 

The Digital Drop Box page allows students to exchange files with the instructor.  To Use the Digital Drop Box:

 

Checking for files from students:

·         Enter the control panel for the course

·         Click on Digital Drop Box (under Course Tools on the left)

 

Sending files:

   1. Click on Tools

   2. Click on Digital Drop Box

   3. To ADD a File (NOTE: Only use this option to save the file as a draft):

         1. Click Add File

         2. Enter the Title of the File

         3. Click Browse to Locate a File (This is Just Like Adding an Attachment to Email)

         4. Enter any Comments Related to the File

   4. To SEND a File (You MUST use this option to send the file to your instructor):

         1. Click Send File

         2. Click on the Drop Down Arrow to Select a File to Send

         3. Enter the Title of the File

         4. Or you can Browse to Locate a File (This is Just Like Adding an Attachment to Email)

         5. Enter any Comments Related to the File.

 

Tips:

- You do not have to ADD a file before you SEND a file.  You can skip the first part and send the file to the instructor without first adding the file in your Drop Box area.

- Be sure that you send any Drop Box files in the format specified by the instructor, such as .doc (Word), .xls (Excel), .pdf (Adobe Acrobat), etc.

- Be careful to avoid using special characters when naming your files (such as #, *, %).  Files with special characters in their file names will not open in Blackboard.

 

 

 

Setting Up & Using Groups

 

 

To Create A Group Within A Course:

·         Enter the course control panel

·         Manage groups (top right)

·         Add group

·         Type in name of group

·         Select appropriate functions to activate (discussion board, email, virtual classroom, file exchange)

·         Make sure select group marked as available (default)

·         Submit

 

To Add Users To A Group:

·         Enter the course control panel

·         Manage groups (top right)

·         Modify (on right)

·         Add users to group

·         Click on "search" button on right to see all

·         Select students

·         Submit

 

To Send Email To A Group:

·         Control panel

·         Send email

·         Single/select groups

·         Click on name of desired group, then type in subject and message

·         Submit

 

To Use A Group Discussion Board:

·         Control panel

·         Discussion board

·         Click on name of group

·         TO CREATE FORUM – select +Forum, type in name of forum, submit

·         TO VIEW FORUM – click on name of forum

 

 

 

How To Remove Old Courses

 

 

Old courses will be deleted permanently from Blackboard at periodic intervals (with advance notice to instructors).  To remove courses from your list of My Courses so your old courses are not visible, follow these steps:

 

·         Login to Bb

Click on the small pencil icon on the top right border of the My Courses box on the right

Uncheck any courses that you don’t want to appear on your list of courses (this will not delete the courses but will hide them from view)

Click Submit on the bottom right

 

·         Then click on the My Courses Tab along the top

Click on the small pencil icon on the top right border of the Course List

Uncheck any courses that you don’t want to appear on your list of courses (this will not delete the courses but will hide them from view)

Click Submit on the bottom right

 

To edit your homepage in Blackboard, click on Modify Content or Modify Layout when you first login.  You can then choose from various options to customize your Blackboard homepage.

 

 

 

How To Combine Multiple Course Sections / Cross-Listed Courses

 

 

In Blackboard, multiple sections of the same course assigned to one instructor (see example #1 below) and cross-listed courses (see example #2 below) are treated as separate courses in Blackboard.

 

Example #1: Multiple sections of ENGL 101 taught by the same instructor (such as section 1A, section 2A, and section 3A) are treated as 3 separate courses in Blackboard.

 

Example #2: Cross-listed PHIL 101/WREL 101 is treated as 2 separate courses in Blackboard, PHIL 101 and WREL 101.

 

Rather than teach each of these sections separately, instructors often prefer to teach one combined course (a single ENGL 101 course rather than 3 separate sections as described in Example #1 above, or a single PHIL 101 course rather than 2 separate courses as described in Example #2 above).

 

This can be accomplished by combining rosters of multiple courses into a single section.  To combine rosters:

 

1) If you would like the Distance Learning office to combine your cross listed courses or courses with multiple sections, please send your request to

ubonline@bridgeport.edu

 

2) Instructors can combine the course rosters:

·         Choose one of the sections or cross listed courses to use as the Master Course (such as section 1A in Example #1 above).

·         Enrollments for each of the unused courses (such as sections 2A and 3A in Example #1 above) need to be entered into the Master Course.

·         Enter the control panel for one of the unused courses (must be done individually for each unused course).

·         Click on Course Copy on bottom left under course options

·         Then click on Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course

·         Then under Section 1 (search for the appropriate course ID of the master course, the click on “select” on the right)

·         Then under Section 2 (place a check in the box to the left of at least one content area - even if there is no content in the course, one area must be selected for the copy to work)

·         Then under Section 3 (place a check in the box to the left of enrollments)

·         Submit (on bottom right)

·         Repeat (must be done individually for each unused course).

·         NOTE: Students who have previously dropped the Master Course will not be able to be added to that course.

·         NOTE: Any students who add one of the unused courses after the course has started will need to be added manually to the master course.

 

 3) Instructors can also add students individually to the Master Course:

·         Enter the control panel of the Master Course

·         Click on Enroll Users

·         Search for the individual students

·         Place a check in the box on the left for each student you wish to add, then submit

·         NOTE: Students who have previously dropped the Master Course will not be able to be added to that course.

·         NOTE: Any students who add one of the unused courses after the course has started will need to be added manually to the master course.

 

 

 

What Happens To Blackboard Courses At The End of The Semester?

 

 

At the end of each semester, it is recommended that instructors make courses unavailable to students (so students can no longer access course materials) and save a copy of course materials for future use. 

 

To make courses unavailable to students:

1.     Click on Settings

2.     Then select Course Duration

3.     Click Select Dates

4.     Place a check next to End Date

5.     Select the appropriate end date

6.     Then click Submit and students will now be able to access the course until the date selected.

1.     Click on Settings

2.     Then select Course Availability

3.     Select No

4.     Then click Submit - students will no longer be able to access the course

 

NEED HELP? If you would like the Distance Learning office to make your course unavailable to students, please send your request to ubonline@bridgeport.edu 

 

 

 

How To Save A Copy Of A Blackboard Course

 

 

To save a copy of course materials:

Instructors should also keep a copy of the course content for future use.  Courses will be deleted from the server one year after the start of the semester.  For instructions on saving a copy of your course:

(Note: If you want to transfer all course materials including student work, discussion postings, etc, select Archive rather than Export.  Archived course materials cannot be transferred into a future course by faculty, and must be done administratively by the Distance Learning office.  Please contact ubonline@bridgeport.edu for further instructions.)

 

NEED HELP? If you would like the Distance Learning office to save a copy of your course materials and forward to you, please send your request to ubonline@bridgeport.edu 

 

 

 

Blackboard Tutorials For Instructors

 

 

Instructors can practice using Blackboard through UB’s Online Tutorial.  To access the Online Tutorial follow the instructions below:

 

Go to http://www.ctdlc.org/Sample/index.cfm

Follow the instructions for Blackboard

 

http://www.bridgeport.edu/academics/online/support/blackboard.aspx

 

If you need additional training on using Blackboard, contact the Office of Distance Education at ubonline@bridgeport.edu.

 

 

 

Blackboard Help

 

 

Faculty needing help with Blackboard should use the following resources:

 

·         Need help with your login or have questions about Blackboard at UB?

            Contact the Distance Learning Office at ubonline@bridgeport.edu or 800-470-7307

 

·         Need technical help using Blackboard or resolving a Blackboard issue?

            Click on Help or Technical Support on the top while in Blackboard, or visit our technical support site: http://www.bridgeport.edu/academics/online/support/blackboard.aspx

 

·         Need help with email or other services at UB?

            For more resources available to UB faculty & students, visit our Online Support page: http://www.bridgeport.edu/academics/online/support

 

 

 

What If Students Need Help With Blackboard?

 

 

Students needing help with Blackboard should use the following resources:

 

·         Need help with your login or have questions about Blackboard at UB?

            Contact the Distance Learning Office at ubonline@bridgeport.edu or 800-470-7307

 

·         Need technical help using Blackboard or resolving a Blackboard issue?

            Click on Technical Support on the top while in Blackboard, or visit our technical support site: http://www.bridgeport.edu/academics/online/support/blackboard.aspx

 

·         Need help with email or other services at UB?

     For more resources available to UB faculty & students, visit our Online Support page: http://www.bridgeport.edu/academics/online/support

 

 

 

Online Test-Taking Tips For Students

 

 

Here are several tips to help students get the best results & reduce technical issues when taking an online test in Blackboard:

 

Blackboard Test-Taking Tips For Students