Course Evaluations

Don't forget to remind students in your online and hybrid courses to complete the online course evaluation. You have a course evaluation button on your course menu that you should make available to your students, and then post an announcement and send your students a reminder email directing them to that button. The more emphasis you put on completing the evaluation, the more students that will complete the survey.

I have placed a link below to a handout that mentions a few small things that you can do that may help increase the number of students that complete the evaluation. I have also included instructions in that handout on how to make the course evaluation button available in case you needed some help, and these suggestions would still apply for the spring semester. Something that you could keep in mind as you set-up your courses for the spring, you could identify the course evaluation survey as the students' final assignment. For some students, if you treat the evaluation as an assignment that they are required to complete, then they will do it. Some will at least! : )

Blackboard Training Materials
Course Evaluation Handout (Direct Link)
Blackboard Training Materials (To Download and/or Print Copies of Handouts)
Course Evaluation Survey (Direct Link)

If you have any questions or find you need any assistance with Blackboard, please let me know.

Removal from Blackboard: Fall 2009 and/or Courses Created Before August 2009

It is time again for the normal clean-up of Blackboard. As you may have already noticed, Fall 2009 (FA09) course areas in Blackboard have been identified and marked for removal on November 30th. Although the VCCS does maintain an archive of your courses, it is recommended that you maintain a copy of your course by exporting out the course content. All archived courses will be available through the VCCS for about 2 years after they are removed from Blackboard. You should also download a copy of your grade center from Blackboard for each course as back-up as well, if you have not done so already. (Downloading and Uploading from the Grade Center--Video Tutorial)

If you have taught online, login to your "MySVCC" page and click on "Blackboard" to see which courses you are enrolled in as an instructor. From your SVCC tab or Teach tab, you will need to click on the circular icon (looks similar to a gear) found on the upper right corner of your "My Blackboard Courses" module. This will allow you to see all courses that you have taught that are currently in Blackboard, even if you have chosen to not have them display in your "My Blackboard Courses" module. The criteria for removal at this stage is:

1. Course ID's ending in "FA09"
2. Or created before August 1, 2009

You should export content from any courses planned for removal and save the zipped files on your computer for future use.

Click on the link below to view instructions on how to export your content from within the Blackboard 9 environment.

Directions to Export Course Content

Upcoming Workshops

I am going to offer a couple of short 30 minute mini workshops that may help you get rolling with your spring courses.

In the first session, I will walk you through the process of exporting course content from a previous course area and importing content into a course area for the upcoming spring semester. This will probably not take thirty minutes, so there may be a little time at the end to just answer Blackboard questions.

I will then have a second mini (30 minute) workshop on using Google Calendar and linking to the calendar within Blackboard. Some of you may want to utilize this tool to create course calendars for your spring classes. Google calendar is also a great tool just to keep track of your personal schedule.

Please register if you plan to attend either workshop. Registration Form

Christanna Campus (Room C16)
1:30 - 2:00 November 17th: Exporting and Importing Course Content in Blackboard
Date and Time (Pending) Using Google Calendar

John H. Daniel Campus (Room 22)
2:30 - 3:00 November 18th: Exporting and Importing Course Content in Blackboard
3:00 - 3:30 November 18th: Using Google Calendar

Spring 2011 Blackboard Course Areas

Course shells have been created for all cyber, hybrid, and seated Spring 2011 courses.

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Export and Import Course Content (Alternative to Course Copy)

Course Copy was a very problematic process at the start of the Fall session. We are now recommending that you use the export and import options instead of course copy. Blackboard reps are also saying that it is a more reliable process. It will allow you to copy your content from one course to another and will give you a back-up copy of your content saved to either your computer or other storage device.

I advise you to use this method, and do so sooner rather than later. Don't leave copying content until you come back in January after the holidays. I know that sometimes classes are added at the last minute, and nothing can be done about those situations, but for classes that are on the schedule now...go ahead and complete this step early. If you decide to use the course copy tool as opposed to export/import, then it is even more important that you do this before January and make sure that you only run it once per course. Running course copies multiple times for courses contributed to the problems at the start of the fall semester.

I am going to offer a workshop on each campus in which we will walk through this process together using export/import to copy your content. Workshop Information

If you course copy or use Export/Import to copy content from a previous course(s) into a new course shell in Blackboard or if you use a publisher cartridge, you may unintentionally bring over additional buttons that you don't need. You shouldn't have duplicate buttons on your course menu. Please either remove those or make them unavailable to students. (See the Blackboard Training Materials below.) Here are some tips to keep in mind before you begin this copy process.

• Review this handout on export/import if you plan to use this process to copy content.
  
  
• Review this handout on course copy if you plan to go this route.
  
  
• Be prepared to wait. When copying, it might take a few minutes, a few hours or even over a day for your course to copy. Do NOT under any circumstances run the copy process more than once for a course. If a course copy takes more than a day, submit a ticket to Issuetrak to have this checked, but do not start it again. If you do, you will end up with multiple copies of your course content and deleting the duplicate content will take you quite a bit of time.
  
  
• Select "Grade Center Columns and Settings" during course copy and export/import if you utilize tests in Blackboard, the Assignment feature that allows students to upload work into BB, the "grade forum" option with discussion boards. If you want your grade center columns to copy over or if you have anything linked to the Grade Center, this must be selected during course copy or export/import. This does not bring over your students' names or grades from a previous semester.
  
  
• No matter what process you decide to use, if you copy content, review it carefully after the process is completed. Correct dates, modify content, and reorganize as needed. Within the assignments area, you will have more that one READI assignment due to the copy. Get rid of the items identified as READI assessments, and keep only the one called SmarterMeasure. This is the updated item that was in our template. Also, if you have two grades buttons on your course menu, get rid of one. (See the template information below.)

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Blackboard Template

Once again, course shells were created in Blackboard based on a template. Within the template a course menu was created with the minimum expectations on what should be found and used in all SVCC cyber courses (Announcements, Syllabus, Instructor, Assignments, Discussion Board, External Links, Student Grades, Email, and Student Help). You can add areas as needed, but the areas that are on the menu should be utilized appropriately. (Ex. Your syllabus should be in the syllabus area.) The hope is to have some consistency from course to course.

More information has been added to the "Student Help" section. Take a look at what is now available, so that you will be able to direct students to that area as needed. DO NOT REMOVE this button!!! If you remove that button from the course menu, all of the content located there will be removed from your course as well.

The Course Evaluation button has been hidden on the course menu. Be careful not to remove this from the menu, just leave it as unavailable to students for now. Near the end of the semester, all cyber and hybrid course instructors will need to make this area available to students on the course menu for online students to complete. This is only for CYBER and HYBRID COURSES. This online evaluation will not be completed by seated courses. There is a link at the bottom of this entry that will take you to a handout concerning adjusting the course menu.

An "Instructor Resources" area has been added as well, but it is not available to students and should not be made available to them on the course menu. There are links to materials and information on online resources that may be of interest to you. There is also a link to Southside's course syllabus template which you can download.

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Course Cartridges

Course cartridges are publisher supplied content. If you plan on going this route, please pay careful attention to the following:

• Publishers are not always clear about whether there cartridges require additional access keys to be purchased by students. Before ordering a cartridge, make sure that your students will not have to buy access keys. If they do, it is up to you to make arrangements with the Bookstore. Managing access keys is NOT supported by the Blackboard Administrator--it is an issue completely between the publisher and the instructor.
  
  
• Course cartridges can take several hours to load, and they can load a tremendous amount of content into your class. Be sure to budget time to review the loaded content before your class starts.
  
  
• When you order your cartridge, be sure and ask the publisher to copy blackboard@southside.edu when they send the key. Also, be sure to submit a ticket to Issuetrak or email me at the blackboard address above when the publisher sends you the key to request that the cartridge be loaded into your course.

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Blackboard Training Handouts

Blackboard Training Materials
Here you can find handouts on the following:
Adjusting the Course Navigation Menu (How to make the Course Evaluation Available to students)

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Blackboard Enrollments

Remember as students enroll in courses, do not enroll the students in your course(s)yourself. Please click on the BB/SIS link below for information concerning enrollments.

BB/SIS Integration Tool (This will be utilized for Blackboard enrollments this Spring.)

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Contact Information

Let me know if you have any questions or need any assistance with Blackboard. You can contact me at kelly.goscinski@southside.edu.

• Please submit all help requests concerning Blackboard through Issuetrak.
• Contact Ashley Leslie (ashley.leslie@southside.edu) for help in designing and developing your course content.

Copyright: What is legal?

I just recently attended the VCCS Distance Education Peer Group Conference (October 15th-16th). The keynote speaker for the conference spoke to the group about Copyright and Creative Commons License. There are so many gray areas when it comes to copyright that it can be difficult to understand what you can and can't do especially online. Often when working online, we find images, video, and music that we would like to use, because it is just perfect...but did you consider copyright. Everything is copyrighted upon creation, even without the "Big C". So just because you find it online and you don't see the copyright symbol, doesn't mean you can use it without permission. Instead, look for work that uses a creative commons license.

Creative Commons is a term you may be familiar with, but did you know that there are different levels of Creative Commons? Creative Commons allows groups or individuals to make their work available for some level of use (CC). You can use it under certain conditions, usually with certain restrictions. You do have to be careful and pay attention to what type of creative commons license applies to the work you want to use. There are six primary Creative Commons licenses offered. This website provides a brief description of each. Creative Commons: About Licenses

There are many websites that offer content with creative commons licenses. In fact, the web browser Mozilla Firefox has a built in search button to look specifically for creative commons licensed material. I have provided links to a variety of resources below, and I have embedded the presenters presentation which she has available on the Slideshare website.

Search Engine for Creative Commons Licensed Material
Flickr (Isolate Creative Commons Licensed Photos through Advanced Search)
Flickr Commons (No Known Copyright Restrictions)
Life Photo Archives Hosted by Google (Personal and Non-Commercial Use)
Stockvault (Use without Attribution)
Morguefile
CCMixter (Music Creative Commons)

Digital Copyright: Cool Tools to Legally Spice Up Your Learning

View more presentations from Michelle Lentz.

Blackboard Grade Center Training

I am going to offer a Grade Center training session on both the Daniel Campus and Christanna Campus for the end of October. The training is for those that have either never used the Grade Center or who need a refresher on how to set up the grade center.

This is open to all full-time and adjunct faculty and would be appropriate for both online and seated course instructors. Remember Blackboard course areas are set-up for ALL courses, not just those online.

This workshop will focus on the following topics/tools. If you would like to attend, please click the link below to view the dates and times and to register.

1. Creating a final grade column (calculated column)
2. Creating columns and entering grades
3. Deleting columns (keeping your grade center cleaned up)
4. Managing your grade center (categories, column organization)
5. Sending Emails through the Grade Center

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=p5OCzAypDL_96xU_szEzWSA

Availability of Previous Courses

Don't forget to make courses from previous semesters unavailable to students (Spring and Summer 2010).

Since Fall 09 incompletes were wrapped up at the end of the Spring 10 semester, I am going to make all Fall 09 course areas in Blackboard unavailable tomorrow evening (August 19th) before the new semester officially begins. If for some reason your Fall 09 course(s) need(s) to remain available to students, please just let me know by 4:00 pm on the 19th. The Fall 09 courses, if left available, will be most problematic for students. They see fall and don't notice the year, and they think they are enrolled in the wrong course in Blackboard.

As far as your Spring or Summer 2010 course areas are concerned, instructions on modifying course availability can be found at the web address linked at the bottom of this posting. If you are hiding courses from your view on the SVCC and/or Teach tab, you will need to first go to either your SVCC or Teach tab within Blackboard and click on the circular icon (picture) in the upper right corner of your My Blackboard Courses module (box). It looks a little like a flower. That will allow you to manage the settings for that particular module, and display the courses from previous semester on your tab. (Hiding course on your display only hides them from your view, not your students.) Once you have done this, you will be able to enter that course area to make the course unavailable to students. I appreciate your help with this. Students get very confused when they see links to courses they are no longer enrolled in at Southside.

Modifying Course Availability

Fall Courses and Blackboard: Are you ready?

August 20th begins our Fall schedule of courses at Southside. The enrollment process to place students into their Blackboard course areas will begin on Wednesday, August 18th, so students should be enrolled in course areas sometime Thursday. This will be done for all online, hybrid, and seated courses. You still control student access to your course area and will need to make your course area available by the start of the session. (Please have your course available to students by Friday morning, August 20th, if you teach an online or hybrid course that starts that day.)

There are a few things that should be checked as you prepare to start this new session.

1. Course Copy: If you still need to copy content from a previous course into your current course(s), here are instructions on how to do so. Please read carefully!! Remember that a course copy can take up to 24 hours or more to complete. DO NOT run a course copy a second time, you could end up with double content...this cannot be undone. Submit an IssueTrak ticket after 24 hours if you still have not received an email stating that the process has been completed. I can submit a request to the VCCS to check their logs. Click here for Course Copy Instructions (Read these instructions carefully!!)
   
   
2. Course Check: Did you check all content, assignments, and tests after the upgrade to Blackboard 9? Make sure to check everything carefully to make sure all content is displaying correctly.
   
   
3. Test Bank Software: If you utilize either Test Gen or Exam View, you may have issues with these publishers' test bank software that can only be corrected by updating to the latest version. TestGen (Pearson) needs to be v7.4.4 (go to help menu and click check for updates). ExamView (Cengage) needs to be v 6.2 – you will probably need to log in to their website get this update. If you run into trouble updating, you will need to contact your book rep for assistance.
   
   
4. Duplicate Menu Buttons: Check your course menu, do you have duplicate buttons? When you copied over course content into your new course, you may have copied buttons that you didn't need. You need to either delete or hide those to clean up your course menu. For example: You should have a "Student Help" button, not "Help?". Delete "Help?" if you see this in your course menu. Click here for Organizing the Course Menu Instructions (Warning if you course copied Instructor Resources or Student Help, you probably duplicated the content within those areas. Those areas are automatically created for all courses in the template. You don't need to include them in the course copy. Check the Student help button. You should see 4 folders. If you see duplicate folders, please get rid of them.) If your course is either an online or hybrid course, DO NOT remove the course evaluation button on the course menu. By default it is unavailable to students, but you can make it available near the end of the semester for your students to access the online course evaluation survey.
   
   
5. Invalid HTML Message in Blackboard 9: When you checked your course after the upgrade, within editing mode, you may have had some content items displaying an "Invalid HTML" message. You can use these instructions to remove that message. Click here for Invalid HTML Message: Removal Instructions
   
   
6. Course Availability: You will need to modify the availability of your course for students to have access. Click here for Changing Course Availability Instructions (If your content is not quite ready to go on the 20th, either make your course available and post a welcome announcement with information for your students, or send an email to your students stating when they can expect access. Students become very concerned if they can not access their courses on time. Making your course available and posting the announcement is preferred...not all students check their email account. )
   
   
7. Enroll Yourself As A Student: Did you enroll your student account in your courses to check them out as a student sees them? I recommend that you do this, and take a close look at the student grades area. You might be surprised at what students see. Click here for Instructions
   
   
8. Grade Center: Remember that your grade center area will need to be either set-up or cleaned-up. If you course copy, you will need to go through your grade center and clean it up. Check your categories (they duplicate every time you course copy) and remove categories that you aren't using other than the default categories that can't be removed. (Click on Manage and then Categories within the Grade Center.) Double check assigned column categories and points possible by going to Manage and then Column Organization. Remove columns that you are not using. Look at "Student's Grades" when you are enrolled as a student. Are there any problems or columns that you don't want them to see? (There will be grade center trainings scheduled in late August to help with this.)
   
   
9. URLs to Remember

• Blackboard 9 Issues: Tips and Workarounds (Please review. I will update this as issues arise or are resolved.)
  
  
• Technology Training Site (This link will take you directly to BB handouts and tutorials.)
  
  
• SVCC Distance Ed Page (Go to this website and scroll down to "Important Links". There you will find links to a Blackboard FAQ page, BB test taking tips page, Computer Maintenance Tips, etc. You might find useful information here that you direct your students to, such as how to submit an assignment into Blackboard or how to post to the discussion board.)
  

Removal from Blackboard of Summer 2009 and/or Courses Created Before May 2009

It is time again for the normal clean-up of Blackboard. As you may have already noticed, Summer 2009 (SU09) course areas in Blackboard have been identified and marked for removal on July 30th. Although the VCCS does maintain an archive of your courses, it is recommended that you maintain a copy of your course by exporting out the course content. All archived courses will be available through the VCCS for about 1 year after they are removed from Blackboard. You should also download a copy of your grade center from Blackboard for each course as back-up as well, if you have not done so already. (Downloading and Uploading from the Grade Center--Video Tutorial)

If you have taught online, login to your "MySVCC" page and click on "Blackboard" to see which courses you are enrolled in as an instructor. From your SVCC tab or Teach tab, you will need to click on the circular icon (looks similar to a gear) found on the upper right corner of your "My Blackboard Courses" module. This will allow you to see all courses that you have taught that are currently in Blackboard, even if you have chosen to not have them displayed in your "My Blackboard Courses" module. The criteria for removal at this stage is:

1. Course ID's ending in "SU09"
2. Or created before May 1, 2009

You should export content from any courses planned for removal and save the zipped files on your computer for future use.

Click on the link below to view instructions on how to export your content from within the Blackboard 9 environment.

Directions to Export Course Content

Blackboard Updates, Fall Courses, and Training

• Fall Course Shells: Fall course shells have been created and instructors enrolled. If you are planning to course copy content from a previous semester into your fall course area, you need to review these updated instructions on the course copy process. DO NOT assume that you can figure this out. Review this handout first. https://docs.google.com/a/email.vccs.edu/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZW1haWwudmNjcy5lZHV8c291dGhzaWRlLWluZm9ybWF0aW9uLXRlY2hub2xvZ3ktc2l0ZXxneDoyODNiNGUxNDc1Zjg1MGQ2
  
  
• Student Enrollments in Fall Courses: Students will not be enrolled until the day before the Fall session begins, and they will be enrolled for all cyber, hybrid, and seated courses. You should not be enrolling any students manually. Remember that Blackboard and Student Information are now linked.
  
  
• Fall Course Availability: When your course areas were set-up, they were set as "unavailable" to students. You will have to make it available when your session is ready to begin. Here is the handout on modifying course availability. https://docs.google.com/a/email.vccs.edu/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZW1haWwudmNjcy5lZHV8c291dGhzaWRlLWluZm9ybWF0aW9uLXRlY2hub2xvZ3ktc2l0ZXxneDo0MDdhMzQ4ZjQ5YjIxZjNl
  
  
• Spring 2010 Course Availability: Did you make your Spring 10 course areas unavailable in Blackboard at the end of the last semester? If not, please do so ASAP. If you have students with incompletes, I can help with this. Put in an Issuetrak ticket with the course information (ex. HIS 102 K6) and identify the students who need to retain access. (See handout linked above on how to modify course availability if needed.)
  
  
• Blackboard 9 Tips and Workarounds: I have been developing a list of Blackboard 9 tips and workarounds for problems, and I will continue to add to this list as new issues arise. Please review the information carefully at this link!! Bookmark this link and check back to it periodically and if you encounter a problem. http://svtechtime.blogspot.com/2010/06/blackboard-9-issues-tips-and-work.html
  
  
• Blackboard 9 Training Materials: Don't forget that there are many handouts and tutorials that have already been created on using Blackboard. Ashley Leslie and I will continue to add to this. (Recently Added: Collecting and Viewing Discussion Board Threads and Replies, Enabling and Utilizing Grade Forum in the Discussion Board, Listing User in Blackboard, Enrolling your Student User Account in your Course) https://sites.google.com/a/email.vccs.edu/southside-information-technology-site/blackboard-1/blackboard-training/blackboard-9-training-materials
  
  
• Student Online Learning Workshop: We have scheduled new online learning workshops for students on both campuses, and the information has been posted on the college website and emailed to students. Please promote these with your students. We have not had a great turnout for these in the past. Here is the link to information on these workshops with dates and times, locations, and an online registration form. http://southside.edu/academics/disted/studenttraining.asp
  
  
• Grade Center Training: Instructor training workshops have been scheduled that will focus on the Grade Center in Blackboard. A two-hour "Back to the Basics" session has been scheduled on each campus. This will be geared towards those who have not used the Grade Center before or feel they need a refresher of the basics. A one-hour session has also been scheduled on each campus that will look at what's new with the Grade Center in Blackboard 9 and will look at clean-up from one semester to the next. This is geared for those of you who have been using the Grade Center, but would like some assistance with looking at the changes from version 8 to 9. This would also be good for those instructors who would like some pointers on what needs to be done to their Grade Center at the start of a session. Go to the website linked here to see the dates, times, and locations for each session and to sign-up to attend. If you register, make sure that you know your user name and password to login to your MySVCC page prior to attending the training session. If you have not logged in to your MySVCC page or to Blackboard in a while, try to do so at at least a few days before the workshop. There will be a hands-on component to each workshop, and logging in issues should be resolved before the workshops. https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=p5OCzAypDL_96xU_szEzWSA

Attachments Not Opening in Internet Explorer 8

ATTACHMENTS NOT OPENING WITH IE8 – There is a known issue between Blackboard 9, Internet Explorer 8 and Microsoft Office files (.doc, .docx, etc.) that results in users not being able to click to open attachments in Blackboard. This impacts file attachments to content areas, files attached to the grade center, files attached to the discussion board, etc for both students and instructors.

The problem is described below along with four possible resolutions. Remember that this only affects Internet Explorer. Instructors and students may attempt to open a file by clicking on the link.

• (Solution 1) When clicking on an attached file in Blackboard 9 when using Internet Explorer, you should see the Information Bar appear at the top of the page To access the attached file, the user will need to click on “Allow” and then “Download File…” or simply “Download File” depending on the browser settings on the Information Bar. This will result in the File Download window appearing at which point the user can proceed to Open or Save.
  
  
• (Solution 2) Try right clicking on the file and selecting 'Open in New Window'. From this window, you would then have the option to 'Save' or 'Open'.
  
  
• (Solution 3) If you have administrator rights to your computer you can adjust the browser settings on the computer from which Blackboard is being accessed, the problem can be resolved through changing the following browser settings. Follow the steps below.
  
  
  • Open Internet Explorer.
  • Click on ‘Tools’.
  • Click on ‘Internet Options’.
  • Click on the ‘Security tab’.
  • Click on ‘Custom Level’.
  • Scroll down and locate ‘Downloads’ and select Enable for ‘Automatic prompting for file downloads’.
  • Click ‘Ok’.
  • Select ‘Yes’ on the Warning window that appears.
  • Click ‘Apply’ and then ‘Ok’.
    
    
• (Solution 4) If the first two solutions do not work for you, or if you are not able to change your browser settings, use Firefox!

Blackboard 9 Issues: Tips and Work Arounds

As we run into issues with Blackboard that might cause problems for instructor or students, those items will be noted here. If at all possible a work around or tip will be provided as well. This posting will be updated continually with issues being removed, expanded upon, or added. (Click on the images below to see a larger, clearer image. Use your web browser's back button to go back to this posting after you are finished viewing it.)

• Internet Explorer 8, 9 and Blackboard – Internet Explorer 8 and 9, when used with Blackboard, have some compatibility issues which are listed below. As a workaround, “Compatibility View” in IE8 or 9 can be used, which is under the Tools menu (Compatibility Mode). The website linked here has instructions on how to add a website to always be viewed in Compatibility Mode. If you go to that link, you must click on "Compatibility View" on the left vertical menu. The recommended workaround is to download and use Mozilla Firefox as your web browser for working in Blackboard.
  
  • A security warning may appear when logging into Blackboard. This warning will say “Do you want to display only the webpage content that was delivered securely?” This error may also occur when accessing the Grade Center for Instructors.
  • Students may experience an elongated timer that may cover the Save and Submit buttons. This will only be evident with certain exams in which the timer feature has been enabled.
  • Students may receive an error saying “Please enter a valid file” while trying to upload a file using the assignment submission tool.
  • Instructors attempting to upload a Grade Center file may receive “Please enter a valid file.”
  • If using IE9, students will be unable to attach multiple files to an assignment upload area.
    
    
• ATTACHMENTS NOT OPENING WITH IE – There is a known issue between Blackboard 9, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office files (.doc, .docx, etc.) that results in users not being able to click to open attachments in Blackboard. This impacts file attachments to content areas, files attached to the grade center, files attached to the discussion board, etc for both students and instructors. Click the link above for work around options.
  
  
• Blank White Screen After Closing Documents and/or External Websites - After opening and closing a document or external website linked in Blackboard, if there is a blank white screen and/or the course menu is gone, you must use the breadcrumb trail at the top of your course area. If you click on the course title, it will bring you back to the course entry page for your course, which is generally set to the announcements page, and the course menu is back.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Course Duration Dates - Within course properties, you have the option to set the course duration in section 3. For now, this SHOULD NOT be utilized. Do not set start and end dates. Leave this option set to 'Continuous' and set course availability to 'Yes' at the start of the semester and 'No' at the end.
  
  
• Due Dates and Notifications -Students have the capablility to set blackboard to receive email notifications for a variety of things...past due notices are one thing. Instructors can also utilize module pages in their course(s) and add modules with past due notifications for students. If you create a grade column in the Grade Center, when you apply the due date to that column it doesn't let you apply a time. Blackboard automatically identifies the time as 12:00 AM, and Blackboard also identifies an assignment as late until you input the grade. If a student enables this notification or if you are using a module page with a due date module, students will have that assignment identified as past due at 12:00 AM of the day it is due.
  
  
• Grade Center Scroll Bar Missing in IE – When using Internet Explorer the Grade Center may not display correctly. The solution is to turn on Compatibility Mode in IE8. Under the Tools menu enable Compatibility Mode. The website linked here has instructions on how to add a website to always be viewed in Compatibility Mode. If you go to that link, you must click on "Compatibility View" on the left vertical menu.
  
  
• Setting Display or Due Dates and/or Times for Items - When setting these dates or times, use the calendar or clock icons to select the date and time. Don't type the date or time into the text boxes. If you type it in directly, it may not apply the date and time restrictions correctly.

• Course Menu Problems - If your course menu completely disappears, you may have simply hidden the menu. Look for a right arrow on the left of your Blackboard window. Click it to display the course menu and click it again to hide it. If you or your students find that course menu items seem to disappear and reappear, you can try refreshing the menu or switching to folder view. Click on "Course Menu Problems" link above for assistance.
  
  
• DO NOT Copy and Paste from Word Files into Blackboard - This has always been a problem, even with previous versions of Blackboard. The issue is more prevalent when copying and pasting from Office 2007 and 2010 programs like Word. There is a lot of background "code" that is copied from a Word 2007 file that when pasted into any web-based application, like Blackboard, it can cause many, many problems. It can cause issues that you never would have thought would be related to that. Follow the instructions below to copy and paste your text without copying over the code. (This is even better than saving your Word file as a text file. Even when you save it as a text file you still bring some coding over with it, and this will also give you a second file on your computer which could get confusing. The method below is better.)
  1. Copy the text in Word that you want in Blackboard.
  2. Open Notepad. (Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Notepad)
  3. Paste into Notepad. (Don't worry about what it looks like.)
  4. Click on Edit and then Select All (In Notepad).
  5. Click on Edit and then Copy (In Notepad).
  6. Go to your course in Blackboard where you want the text and paste.
  7. Format the text as needed within Blackboard.
  
  
• Invalid HTML Warning in Course or Problems Formatting Text - There is an html validation button that when clicked will remove that warning and will sometimes help if you are having trouble formatting text when creating items in your course. The link above will take you to a handout concerning this.
  
  
• Entering Feedback on Assignments for Students - There is more than one location in which you can enter feedback for a student on a particular assignment, and it doesn't always display for students the way one would think. When entering feedback in the Grade Center for assignments set-up using the Assignment tool or for tests set-up in Blackboard, the best way to input feedback is through Overide in the Grade Details window. If you use feedback in the Edit area or through 'Open Attempt', students will have to click on their grade for a particular assignment in the student grades area to see the feedback.
  
  
  
  
  *If you hover over a cell within the grade center, a double down arrow will display. When you click on that double down arrow this menu displays with the 'View Grade Details' option. (See figure above.)
  
  

  If you enter feedback for a column you created in the grade center or in a column created when you enabled 'Grade Forum' for a discussion board forum grade, you can use either Edit or Override within the 'View Grade Details' window. The comments display correctly.
  

Getting Started: Summer 2010 Courses and Blackboard 9

May 24th begins our Summer schedule of courses at Southside. The enrollment process to place students into their Blackboard course areas will begin on Friday, May 21st. This will be done for all online, hybrid, and seated courses.

There are a few things that should be checked as you prepare to start this new session.

1. Course Copy: If you still need to copy content from a previous course into your current course(s), here are instructions on how to do so. Please read carefully!! Remember that a course copy can take up to 24 hours or more to complete. DO NOT run a course copy a second time, you could end up with double content...this cannot be undone. Submit an IssueTrak ticket after 24 hours if you still have not received an email stating that the process has been completed. I can submit a request to the VCCS to check their logs. Click here for Course Copy Instructions (Read these instructions carefully!!)
   
   
2. Course Check: Did you check all content, assignments, and tests after the upgrade to Blackboard 9?
   
   
3. Duplicate Menu Buttons: Check your course menu, do you have duplicate buttons? When you copied over course content into your new course, you may have copied buttons that you didn't need. You need to either delete or hide those to clean up your course menu. For example: You should have a "Student Help" button, not "Help?". Delete "Help?" if you see this in your course menu. Click here for Organizing the Course Menu Instructions (Warning if you course copied Instructor Resources or Student Help, you probably duplicated the content within those areas. Those areas are automatically created for all courses in the template. You don't need to include them in the course copy. Check the Student help button. You should see 4 folders. If you see duplicate folders, please get rid of them.)
   
   
4. Invalid HTML Message in Blackboard 9: When you checked your course after the upgrade, within editing mode, you may have had some content items displaying an "Invalid HTML" message. You can use these instructions to remove that message. Click here for Invalid HTML Message: Removal Instructions
   
   
5. SafeAssignment Evaluation Option Missing: If you utilize Safeassign within Blackboard, the upgrade seems to have caused some courses to make that tool unavailable. Luckily it is an easy fix. These instructions will walk you through that. Click here for SafeAssignment Tool Availability Instructions
   
   
6. Course Availability: If your course is part of the first five-week session or the ten-week session, you need to make your course available by the morning of May 24th. Double check the status of your course within Blackboard and make any necessary modifications. Click here for Changing Course Availability Instructions (If your content is not quite ready to go on the 24th, either make your course available and post a welcome announcement with information for your students, or send an email to your students stating when they can expect access. Students become very concerned if they can not access their courses on time. Making your course available and posting the announcement is preferred...not all students check their email account. )
   
   
7. Enroll Yourself As A Student: Did you enroll your student account in your courses to check them out as a student sees them? I recommend that you do this, and take a close look at the student grades area. You might be surprised at what students see. Click here for Instructions
   
   
8. Grade Center: Remember that your grade center area will need to be either set-up or cleaned-up. If you course copy, you will need to go through your grade center and clean it up. Check your categories (they duplicate every time you course copy) and remove categories that you aren't using other than the default categories that can't be removed. (Click on Manage and then Categories within the Grade Center.) Double check assigned column categories and points possible by going to Manage and then Column Organization. Remove columns that you are not using. Look at "Student's Grades" when you are enrolled as a student. Are there any problems or columns that you don't want them to see? (There will be a grade center training in June to help with this.)
   

Create SafeAssignment Not Showing on Evaluation Drop-Down Menu

If you are utilizing SafeAssign with your students, when we converted to Blackboard 9, it seems that the tool defaulted to unavailable in some of our courses.

To add a SafeAssign assignment, within a content area you would go to the Evaluation menu at the top of the content area and select "Create SafeAssignment". If you don't see this option, then you are a SafeAssign victim of our upgrade. : ) Luckily this is easy to correct.

Step 1
Go to "Customization" on the Control Panel and click on "Tool Availability".

Step 2
Scroll down through the list of tools and click in the box beside "Safeassign" and Safeassignment. Each only have one box to check.

Step 3
Click "Submit".

Now you should have the "Create SafeAssignment" option on the Evaluation drop-down menu.

Want to view your Blackboard course as a student?

If you are teaching an online course, it can be beneficial to see the course from a student's perspective. All VCCS faculty and most staff have a student account based on his or her current user id and password. These accounts have been in place for a few semesters now. Unless you are new to Southside, this isn't anything new, but the instructions on how to enroll your student account in your course are a little different now that we are in Blackboard 9.

You can and should use your student user id to enroll yourself in your course as a student, and view the course as your students see it. I especially encourage you to view the student grades area, you might be surprised at what you see and how it is displayed.

Here is the formula for your student user id...add " _student" to your current user id (minus the quotation marks of course), and your password will stay the same. The user id just has the minor addition with no changes to the password.

You can find the directions below or click here for a handout with screen captures.

To enroll yourself in your course...

Step 1
From within the Blackboard course area, click on "Users and Groups" on the Control Panel and "Users" from that drop-down menu.

Step 2
Click the "Enroll User" button on the top left of the Users window.

Step 3
Type in your student user name in the user name box. username_student

Step 4
Change the role to "student" if necessary and enrollment availability should be yes.

Step 5
Click "Submit"


To log-in and access your course as a student... (Remember a course must be available to access it using a student account.)

Step 1
Go to http://learn.vccs.edu/ This is a direct url for Blackboard. Your student account does not have an SIS or Gmail account, so you can not go through your MySVCC page. If you were already in blackboard, make sure that you actually click "log-out" before trying to login as a student.

Step 2
Log-in using you student user id and your regular password for accessing Blackboard.

Step 3
Once you have logged in, you should see a link to your course on the SVCC tab, as long as that course is available to students. Click the link to access the course. You should not see the control panel as a student, so if you do you are not logged in as a student. Click log-out at the top of your Blackboard window and try logging in again.

Invalid HTML Notation in Blackboard 9

Blackboard 9 has an HTML validation tool. HTML refers to HyperText Markup Language, that is the code used to create web pages. (Remember that your Blackboard courses are webpages that have this code running in the background. ) This automatically checks the content of your courses to hopefully catch problems with how your items display in web browsers.

Since we just transitioned courses from Blackboard 8 to version 9, you may come across "Invalid HTML" error messages on some content items. (See Image Below)


With editing mode turned off, the content still displays as normal, but to get rid of this error message within editing mode you need to...

1. Click the double down arrow beside the item name to display the menu for that item and then click "Edit".

2. Once in the editing screen, click on the "Markup validation" icon.


3. Click "Ok" to close the the Markup Validation Report window that appears, and then click "Submit".

This should clear the invalid html message from that item.

Blackboard 9 is Almost Here!!

Reminders and Updates:

• When: The upgrade to version 9 (9.0 Service Pack 3) of Blackboard will take place on Saturday, May 15, 2010. Blackboard will be unavailable to all users from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM on May 15th to perform this upgrade.
  
  
• Where/Location: This upgrade will take place on our normal Blackboard area. After the upgrade, you will follow the same process as usual to access your Blackboard courses. The Explore site that we used during training was just for training purposes.
  
  
• Blackboard 9 Hotline: The VCCS will provide additional Blackboard 9 tech support from May 16th - May 23rd from 6:00 AM - 10: AM and 5:00 PM - 11:00 Pm. This hotline is to be used by faculty and staff if they need assistance with their course on Blackboard 9, and they cannot access their regular avenues of support. Directions on accessing this hotline have been posted below, and an additional email we be sent on Sunday just concerning this hotline. If Needed -- Meeting Number: 737 131 170 Meeting Password: samson
  
  1. Go to https://freetrial.webex.com/freetrial/j.php?ED=134073647&UID=926337867&PW=NNzMyNzkwOWY0&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
  2. Enter your name and email address.
  3. Enter the meeting password: samson
  4. Click "Join Now".
  5. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
  Additional Note: (For Audio Only) Call-in toll number: 1-650-429-3300
  Access code:737 131 170
  
  
• Summer Course Content: Working on your summer courses before the upgrade is fine. This upgrade should not effect your content, but it is always a good rule of thumb to back-up. Back-up your content by exporting a copy of your course(s) before the upgrade.
  
  
• Training Materials: A variety of training materials have been developed on utilizing Blackboard 9. Click on "Train Materials" above to view a presentation on the differences between Blackboard 8 and 9 AND to access handouts and video tutorials.
  
  
• Checklist (Post-Upgrade Course Check): You will need to check your course(s) after the upgrade. Here is a checklist that may help you in your review.
  
  
• Web Browsers: Firefox is a better web browser to use with Blackboard 9, but you should go to the web page here concerning supported web browser and operating systems. (For example, if you are using Windows 7 as your operating system you should not use Internet Explorer 7. ) If you are using Internet Explorer 8 and run into problems, you may want to switch to Firefox or try IE 8 in compatibility mode. Versions of Internet Explorer before version 7 are no longer supported.
  
  
• Email Notifications: Blackboard 9 sends out email notifications when students are enrolled in a course (if the course is available), and if they are enrolled in a course that is unavailable they receive an email when the course is made available. If you make your course area unavailable and then available throughout the semester when making modifications to your course (this is with active courses in the current semester). Students will be inundated with emails during the semester. Keep this notification process in mind.
  
  

Removal of Spring 2009 Courses from Blackboard

It is time again for the normal clean-up of Blackboard. As you may have already noticed, Spring 2009 (SP09) course areas in Blackboard have been identified and marked for removal on April 30th. Although the VCCS does maintain an archive of your courses, it is recommended that you maintain a copy of your course by exporting out the course content. All archived courses will be available through the VCCS for about 1 year after they are removed from Blackboard.

If you have taught online, login to your "MySVCC" page and click on "Blackboard" to see which courses you are enrolled in as an instructor. You will need to click on the "pencil" icon found on the upper right corner of your "My Blackboard Courses" module. This will allow you to see all courses that you have taught that are currently in Blackboard, even if you have chosen to not have them displayed in your "My Blackboard Courses" module. You should export content from your SP09 courses and save the zipped files on your computer for future use.

Directions to Export Course Content
1. Go to the "Control Panel" within your course.
2. Click on "Export Course" within the "Course Options" box.
3. Click "Export" again.
4. Select all materials you wish to export...including "Grade Center Columns and Settings".
5. Click "Submit".
6. When you receive an email confirmation that this has been processed, go back to "Export Course", you should see the zipped file with your content. Click on the zipped file and save to your computer or flash drive.

Summer Course Shells and Blackboard 9

Summer? What happened to the Spring semester?

It is time to start organizing and arranging your Blackboard course areas for the upcoming Summer session. Course shells are up and instructors enrolled. Remember that students will not be enrolled until the day before the Summer session begins, and they will be enrolled for all 5-week and 10-week courses. You should not be enrolling any students manually.

When your course areas were set-up, they were set as "unavailable" to students. You will have to make it available when your session is ready to begin. (I will send you updated instructions before the start of the summer session.) As you know, Blackboard will be upgraded from version 8 to 9 on May 15th, so if you are teaching a summer course using Blackboard...be prepared to do so with Blackboard 9.

Even with this upgrade, you can follow your normal course set-up procedure and go ahead and begin putting your course together, but keep in mind that you will need to check it with a fine-tooth-comb after the upgrade. Blackboard will be down for at least 24 hours beginning at 12:00 AM on May 15th to complete this update. After all is completed and you are able to access your course areas, you will need to double check all content and areas of your summer course(s). Be prepared for some clean-up, although hopefully any problems will be minor. : ) You should export (not archive) a copy of your course(s) before the 15th as a back-up, and I will send a reminder out with instructions as we get closer to the date.

Remember that we are offering a series of Blackboard 9 training sessions throughout April. Go to our Technology Training Site for more information and to register to attend a session. A Blackboard 9 Basics workshop has been added on the Christanna Campus for April 14th from 2:00-3:30 due to a conflict with the original session time. If you would like to attend, please click the link above to sign up.

Potential Grade Center Viewing Problem

There is a Grade Center aggravation that has started popping up amongst instructors in the VCCS. This is something that I have experienced myself and wanted to make sure that you were aware.

There seems to be an issue that can be caused by zooming in and out when using Internet Explorer 8. This can apparently cause you to then be unable to view the last row of your students within the full grade center view. You would no longer be able to see the row for your last student. Even if you don't think that you have been using zoom within Internet Explorer, if you are using IE8...you need to double check this. This is not a problem when using Firefox.

An easy check for this is to...

1. Click the yellow triangle at the top of the last name column within the Grade Center. This will put your students in reverse alphabetical order by last name.
   
   
2. Make note of the student now at the top of your grade center.
   
   
3. Click the yellow triangle at the top of the last name column again to put them back in alphabetical order.
   
   
4. Scroll down to view the last row of your grade center. Can you see that last student? (The one that was at the top when you put it in reverse alphabetical order.) If not, then you are experiencing this problem.
   
   If this happens to you, there is a pretty easy fix. While viewing the grade center, hold the "Ctrl" button down on the keyboard and click your + or - symbols to zoom in and out. You may need to do this a couple of times. After trying this, scroll down to the last row of your grade center again and see if you can now see that student. If not, try the zoom in and out again a few times. This should correct the problem.

I know. This sounds crazy, but it works!! : )

Hi Everyone,

A few Blackboard reminders as we begin a new semester.
If you are still in the process of course copying from an early semester into your new course area, please keep in mind that this is happening throughout the VCCS system. There has been a backlog of course copies, which means they are taking longer to process. It can take up to 24 hours for a course copy to complete. DO NOT run course copy a second time. Submit a ticket on Issuetrak concerning the problem, and I can in turn ask the VCCS to check there logs and see if the copy is pending before you run it again. If you run it a second time and there was just a delay, you will end up with duplicate content. (Here is a link to a tutorial in course copying if needed. http://southside.edu/academics/disted/tutorials/coursecopy/)

Check your course menu, do you have duplicate buttons or areas that are empty? When you copied over course content into your new course, you probably copied buttons that you don't need. You need to get rid of those to clean up your course menu. Here is a web address with instructions on modifying your course menu (http://www.scribd.com/full/15707877?access_key=key-avw8aev9x04v7hwpguu) . If you have both a "Student Help" and "Help?" buttons, please keep the "Student Help" and remove the other. The "Help?" was brought over when you did your course copy and is not needed. This also applies with "Student's Grade" and "My Grades". You don't need both buttons, so you can remove the "My Grades" option.

I am starting the student enrollment process. If all goes well, students will be enrolled in your course areas in Blackboard tomorrow (Thursday). Please make sure that you make your course area available to students by Friday morning if it is a regular session online or hybrid course. Go to this web address for instructions on how to make your course available. http://svtechtime.blogspot.com/2009/05/changing-course-availability-in.html If your content isn't quite up and ready to go, at the start of your session, make your course available, but post a welcome announcement with information for your students. Let them know when you will have the content ready. Students become very concerned if they can not access their course on time.

Remember that you are NOT to manually enroll your students or remove students from your course. Blackboard and SIS are linked now, so your enrollments in Blackboard will be updated every morning. Here is a web address with more information that was sent out in November concerning this Blackboard/SIS Integration tool. http://svtechtime.blogspot.com/2009/11/student-informationblackboard.html

Blackboard course shells have been created for all online and seated courses. Although student enrollments are being run for all courses, including seated, these course areas will be unavailable to students until the instructor changes the course availability.

Good luck this semester, and if you need any assistance with Blackboard, please let me know.