It is time for some housekeeping in Blackboard. As you may have already noticed, Summer 2013 (SU13) course areas in Blackboard have been identified and marked for removal on August 15th. Although the VCCS does maintain an archive of your courses, it is recommended that you maintain a copy of your course by exporting 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 "SU13"
2. Or created before May 1, 2013
You should export content from any courses planned for removal AND save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (These file are not stored in Blackboard.)
Click
on the link below and scroll down to the section called "Course
Management and Navigation". From there you will find instructions on
exporting course content. You can either view the instructions or
download to save or print.
Blackboard Instructional Handouts
Showing posts with label blackboard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blackboard. Show all posts
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Spring 2013 Courses to be Removed from Blackboard
It is time for some housekeeping in Blackboard. As you may have already noticed, Spring 2013 (SP13) course areas in Blackboard have been identified and marked for removal on May 2nd. Although the VCCS does maintain an archive of your courses, it is recommended that you maintain a copy of your course by exporting 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 "SP13"
2. Or created before May 1, 2013
You should export content from any courses planned for removal AND save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (These file are not stored in Blackboard.)
Click on the link below and scroll down to the section called "Course Management and Navigation". From there you will find instructions on exporting course content. You can either view the instructions or download to save or print.
Blackboard Instructional Handouts
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 "SP13"
2. Or created before May 1, 2013
You should export content from any courses planned for removal AND save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (These file are not stored in Blackboard.)
Click on the link below and scroll down to the section called "Course Management and Navigation". From there you will find instructions on exporting course content. You can either view the instructions or download to save or print.
Blackboard Instructional Handouts
Friday, November 22, 2013
Fall 2012 Courses To Be Removed from Blackboard
It is time for some housekeeping in Blackboard. As you may have already noticed, Fall 2012 course areas in Blackboard have been identified and marked for removal on December 5th. Although the VCCS does maintain an archive of your courses, it is recommended that you maintain a copy of your course by exporting 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 mouse-over the "My Blackboard Courses" module and click on the circular icon (looks similar to a gear) found on the upper right corner of that area. 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 on your tab. The criteria for removal at this stage is:
1. Course ID's ending in "FA12"
2. OR created before August 1, 2012
You should export content from any courses planned for removal AND save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (These file are not stored in Blackboard.)
Click on the link below and scroll down to the section called "Course Management and Navigation". From there you will find instructions on exporting course content. You can either view the instructions or download to save or print.
Blackboard Instructional Handouts
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 mouse-over the "My Blackboard Courses" module and click on the circular icon (looks similar to a gear) found on the upper right corner of that area. 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 on your tab. The criteria for removal at this stage is:
1. Course ID's ending in "FA12"
2. OR created before August 1, 2012
You should export content from any courses planned for removal AND save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (These file are not stored in Blackboard.)
Click on the link below and scroll down to the section called "Course Management and Navigation". From there you will find instructions on exporting course content. You can either view the instructions or download to save or print.
Blackboard Instructional Handouts
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Summer 2012 Course Removal from Blackboard
It is time for some housekeeping in Blackboard. As you may have already noticed, SUMMER 2012 (SU12) course areas in Blackboard have been identified and marked for removal on August 2nd. Although the VCCS does maintain an archive of your courses, it is recommended that you maintain a copy of your course by exporting 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 "SU12"
2. Or created before May 1, 2012
You should export content from any courses planned for removal AND save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (These file are not stored in Blackboard.)
Click on the link below and scroll down to the section called "Course Management and Navigation". From there you will find instructions on exporting course content. You can either view the instructions or download to save or print.
Blackboard Instructional Handouts
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 "SU12"
2. Or created before May 1, 2012
You should export content from any courses planned for removal AND save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (These file are not stored in Blackboard.)
Click on the link below and scroll down to the section called "Course Management and Navigation". From there you will find instructions on exporting course content. You can either view the instructions or download to save or print.
Blackboard Instructional Handouts
Monday, April 22, 2013
Spring 2012 Course Removal From Blackboard
It is time for some housekeeping in Blackboard. As you may have already noticed, Spring 2012 (SP12) course areas in Blackboard have been identified and marked for removal on May 2nd. Although the VCCS does maintain an archive of your courses, it is recommended that you maintain a copy of your course by exporting 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 "SP12"
2. Or created before January 1, 2012
You should export content from any courses planned for removal AND save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (These file are not stored in Blackboard.)
Click on the link below and scroll down to the section called "Course Management and Navigation". From there you will find instructions on exporting course content. You can either view the instructions or download to save or print.
Blackboard Instructional Handouts
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 "SP12"
2. Or created before January 1, 2012
You should export content from any courses planned for removal AND save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (These file are not stored in Blackboard.)
Click on the link below and scroll down to the section called "Course Management and Navigation". From there you will find instructions on exporting course content. You can either view the instructions or download to save or print.
Blackboard Instructional Handouts
Friday, April 12, 2013
Summer Course Areas Available and Preliminary Information on Upcoming Blackboard Update
Your course areas in Blackboard for all online, hybrid, and seated
summer classes are available to instructors. The following are reminders concerning Blackboard and information to keep in mind as you develop your courses.
Blackboard Update
There will be an update to Blackboard from version 9.1 Service Pack 9 to 9.1 Service Pack 11. There isn't a confirmed date on this at this time, but it looks like it will take place on either May 19th or the 26th. During the update Blackboard will be unavailable to all users. As soon as a date and time frame are set, a notification will be sent to instructors and students. Although more information will be sent out later, here is a link to a Blackboard page concerning new features and updates to existing features found in service packs 10 and 11. As you are looking through the features identified for SP10 and SP11, keep in mind that it does not look like we will have the "Social Learning Tools" enabled. I know that "User Profiles", "Cloud Profiles", and "Spaces" will not be in our upgrade.
What's New in Service Packs 10 and 11
This site has some good information on this upgrade as well, but once again user profiles will not be enabled, so the sections concerning profiles, people, and posts should not be enabled in our update.
New Features - Northern Illinois University
Course Availability
Instructors are to make course areas available by 8:00 AM on the day that the session begins.
Student Enrollments and Instructor Student Accounts
Student enrollments within Blackboard will be activated on May 20th, so students should be enrolled in course areas by the 21st. They will not have access to your course areas until you make the areas available within Blackboard.
Remember that your instructor student accounts are automatically enrolled in all course shells (as students). Guide to Using Your Student Account
Requirements
Requirements for Online Classes
Training/User Guides
Blackboard User Guides
Export and Import Course Content or Course Copy
You can copy your content from one course to another by using either "Course Copy" or "Export/Import". Neither option seems to be a perfect solution, so remember to always gives yourself time to review the copied content. Export/Import does give you a back-up copy of your content saved to either your computer or other storage device, and Blackboard reps have stated that this is a more reliable process, especially if you have a lot of content. At Southside, however, we have seen some problems when using export/import related to copying tests in Blackboard, so please be aware of that.
Whatever method you choose, do this sooner rather than later. Don't leave copying content until the week before classes begin, or even worse, the day that classes begin. Give yourself plenty of time to review and update your content. 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 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.
Blackboard Update
There will be an update to Blackboard from version 9.1 Service Pack 9 to 9.1 Service Pack 11. There isn't a confirmed date on this at this time, but it looks like it will take place on either May 19th or the 26th. During the update Blackboard will be unavailable to all users. As soon as a date and time frame are set, a notification will be sent to instructors and students. Although more information will be sent out later, here is a link to a Blackboard page concerning new features and updates to existing features found in service packs 10 and 11. As you are looking through the features identified for SP10 and SP11, keep in mind that it does not look like we will have the "Social Learning Tools" enabled. I know that "User Profiles", "Cloud Profiles", and "Spaces" will not be in our upgrade.
What's New in Service Packs 10 and 11
This site has some good information on this upgrade as well, but once again user profiles will not be enabled, so the sections concerning profiles, people, and posts should not be enabled in our update.
New Features - Northern Illinois University
Course Availability
Instructors are to make course areas available by 8:00 AM on the day that the session begins.
Student Enrollments and Instructor Student Accounts
Student enrollments within Blackboard will be activated on May 20th, so students should be enrolled in course areas by the 21st. They will not have access to your course areas until you make the areas available within Blackboard.
Remember that your instructor student accounts are automatically enrolled in all course shells (as students). Guide to Using Your Student Account
Requirements
Requirements for Online Classes
Training/User Guides
Blackboard User Guides
Export and Import Course Content or Course Copy
You can copy your content from one course to another by using either "Course Copy" or "Export/Import". Neither option seems to be a perfect solution, so remember to always gives yourself time to review the copied content. Export/Import does give you a back-up copy of your content saved to either your computer or other storage device, and Blackboard reps have stated that this is a more reliable process, especially if you have a lot of content. At Southside, however, we have seen some problems when using export/import related to copying tests in Blackboard, so please be aware of that.
Whatever method you choose, do this sooner rather than later. Don't leave copying content until the week before classes begin, or even worse, the day that classes begin. Give yourself plenty of time to review and update your content. 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 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 these handouts on export/import if you plan to use this process to copy content. Exporting Content and Importing Content
- Review this handout on course copy if you plan to go this route.
- Be prepared to wait. When copying content, it might take a few minutes, a few hours, or even over a day for your course to copy. The course copy process should not be run more than once. If a course copy takes more than a 24 hours and you still do not see your content, submit a ticket to Issuetrak to have this checked, but do not start it again. If you do, you could 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, or the grading option with discussion boards, wikis, journals, or blogs. 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 "Student Grades" buttons on your course menu, get rid of one. (See the template information below.)
- DO NOT include the "Instructor Resources", "Course Evaluation", or "Student Help" content areas in the course copy or export. These areas are set-up in our course shell template that we use to create all course areas in Blackboard. If you include these in the copy, you are going to end up with duplicate content that will need to be deleted.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Start of A New Semester
January 8th begins our Spring semester at Southside. The
enrollment process to place students into their Blackboard course
areas has begun, so any students displaying on your roster
within SIS should display within your course area in Blackboard sometime tomorrow (1/3/13) . This was 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. (If you
have an online or hybrid course that begins on January 8th, your course
should be available to students no later than 8:00 AM that day.) Please make sure that your course is ready to roll on time. We begin getting calls from students bright and early that morning when they can not get into their courses.
There are a few things that should be checked as you prepare to start this new session.
There are a few things that should be checked as you prepare to start this new session.
- Minimum Requirements for Distance Learning Courses -- (Online Course Checklist)
- Course Copy or Export/Import to Copy Content from One Course Area to Another: 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. Course Copy Instructions
Another option when copying content is to export the content out of your original course and import into the new one. By utilizing this option, you will have a back-up of your course on your computer or flash drive, and we have found this process to be more reliable and at times even faster than course copy. Export Course Content / Import Course Content
Neither process noted here is full-proof, you MUST check all of your content, test links, etc. and make corrections as needed.
- Course Check: Did you check all content, assignments, and tests? Make sure to check everything carefully to make sure all content is displaying correctly. Once you have made your course available, I recommend using your student account to access your course to double check your content . See what your Grade Center looks like for students. (See step 10 below.) Using Your Student Account
- Duplicate Menu Buttons or Content: When you copied over course content into your new course, you may have included areas that weren't needed. Delete or hide buttons on your course menu that lead to empty or duplicate content. (For example: You should have a "Student Help" button, not "Help?". Delete "Help?" if you see this in your course menu). Click into each area on your course menu (other than Student Grades), and check for duplicate content within those areas. Clean-up your course areas. Adjusting the Course Menu
- Copy and Paste from Word Tool:
There is a new copy and paste from word tool that was integrated into
our Blackboard system last May. This allows you to copy content from Word
into an area of Blackboard (announcement, item, test question, folder,
etc.) without formatting issues or other problems that can arise from
pasting from Word. This tool is easy to use, but would not be easy to
locate on your own. Take a look at the instructional guide linked
above.
- McGraw-Hill Connect and Blackboard Integration Tools:
Those of you who utilize McGraw-Hill Connect will need to check out
these tools. You now have the capability to link your Connect "Course"
with your Blackboard course shell.
Getting Started Instructions (Begin with this)
McGraw Hill's Connect Tutorials Page - Scroll down to the bottom for video tutorials on integrating your course with Blackboard. (This is a great follow-up to the getting started document with step-by-step instructions on adding content.)
Blackboard's Instructional Guide (Page 15 begins the instructions on adding content) - Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing, Instant Messenger, and Voice Authoring Tools
- Blackboard Mash-Ups: Tools within Blackboard 9.1 to easily add YouTube videos, Slideshare
presentations, Flickr Photos, Links to Collaborate session or recordings
of sessions, Record Audio, and copy/paste Microsoft Word content.
- Course Availability: You will need to modify the availability of your course for students to have access. Modifying Course Availability
- Grade Center: Remember that your grade center area will need to be either set-up or cleaned-up. If you course copy or utilize export/import to copy content, 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. Use your student account, and click on the Student Grades button on the course menu to find out what students are seeing. Basic Set-Up and Clean-Up Instructions
- URLs to Remember
- Technology Training Site (This link will take you directly to BB handouts page.)
- SVCC Technology Page : This has links to information on Blackboard, Using Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing, Using Panopto, etc. There could be information here that you could link within your course to provide students with information on how to use these tools.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Fall 2011 Course Deletion
It is time for some housekeeping in Blackboard. Fall 2011 (FA11) course areas in Blackboard have been identified and marked for removal on November 9th. Although the VCCS does maintain an archive of your courses, it is recommended that you maintain a copy of your course by exporting 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 "FA11"
2. Or created before August 1, 2011
You should export content from any courses planned for removal AND save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (These file are not stored in Blackboard.)
Click on the link below and scroll down to the section called "Course Management and Navigation". From there you will find instructions on exporting course content. You can either view the instructions or download to save or print.
Blackboard Instructional Handouts
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 "FA11"
2. Or created before August 1, 2011
You should export content from any courses planned for removal AND save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (These file are not stored in Blackboard.)
Click on the link below and scroll down to the section called "Course Management and Navigation". From there you will find instructions on exporting course content. You can either view the instructions or download to save or print.
Blackboard Instructional Handouts
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
One Final Blackboard Upgrade Update and Summer Session Reminders
It is just about that time!! The Blackboard upgrade to version 9.1 is upon us. Blackboard will be unavailable from 8:00 AM Friday, May 11th until 11:30 PM Sunday, May 13th. Here are some last minute reminders and additional notes for you, and links to training materials for the major areas impacted by the upgrade and/or new tools available to you.
Reminders and Notes:
- Before the upgrade - Export your course content and save to your computer (It never hurts to back-up. This is a good rule of thumb as part of your wrap-up at the end of each semester. Export your content - This creates a zip file that you can save to your computer or flash drive. Just remember where you saved it!) : ) For instructions on how to do this, go this site and scroll down to 'Course Management and Navigation'. There is an 'Export Course' handout linked there. Blackboard 9.0 Handouts
- After the Upgrade - Check your course(s) after the upgrade. Those of you who are teaching summer courses, need to go through your courses very carefully to look for areas that may need to be fixed. Use this course checklist as a guideline. Be ready to make corrections.
- Change/Note Concerning File Management within Blackboard 9.1 -- Please review notation below within the training materials section.
- Two Additional New Tools: There is a 'Manage Users' tool and 'Copy and Paste From Word' option that will also be added to Blackboard at the time of the upgrade. These are not new 9.1 features, but are tools that have been approved to be integrated into our system and the upgrade seems like a good time to do it. : ) Although these are very minor additions, I believe they will prove to be extremely useful. Here are some guides to these tools for your review.
Manage User Tool Copy and Paste from Word Mash-Up
- Do not forget that you will no longer have the capability to enroll or remove students within your course areas. In the past, you had to enroll your own student account in your course(s), but you will not need to do this now. I do encourage you to utilize your student account when checking your courses before the start of the semester...especially after this upgrade. (Using Instructor Student Accounts)
- Course Copies - Feel free to run your course copy or export/import of your content into your new summer course areas before the upgrade. Please DO NOT wait until the day before classes begin to do this. It can take up to 24 hours for a course copy to process, so you may have to wait awhile, especially right before the beginning of a session. If the copy does not process in 24 hours, please email me at kelly.goscinski@southside.edu. I can submit a ticket with the VCCS to check their logs. You don't want to run a copy twice and end up with duplicate content. (The link above to our Blackboard 9.0 handouts has one on course copies and another on exporting/importing content depending on which method you use.)
You can find information below on the primary new features and tools available within Blackboard 9.1. I have included links to the recordings of our online sessions (There are some areas that do not have recordings posted at this time.), and our instructional guides that we shared during the sessions are all linked below as well.
File Management within Blackboard 9.1: "Course files eliminate redundancy and simplify the management of content updates. An in-course file storage structure makes it easier to keep track of documents used in courses, similar to the type of file and folder structure that is used on your PC. A new thumb nail view and drag and drop upload applet make it quick and easy to get files into Blackboard and to view the image files."
Instructional Handout/Guide to File Management within Blackboard 9.1
- Course Files Tour
- Adding Course Files to Content Items
- Recording of Online Session (Recorded 4/2/12)
Adding Content - Creating Blank Pages, Learning Modules w/Table of Contents, Mash-Ups, Adding Textbook Information ( Getting started with Course Content )
Instructional Handout/Guide to Adding Content within Blackboard 9.1 (Extended Version)
Quick Guide to New Content Types in Blackboard 9.1
- Creating Blank Pages
- Learning Modules w/Table of Contents
- Creating a Mash-Up
- Adding Textbook Information
Interactive Rubrics: Creating a Grading Rubric, Associating a Rubric with a Gradable Item, Grading with a Rubric
Instructional Handout/Guide to the New Interactive Rubrics Tool
- Creating a Grading Rubric
- Associating a Rubric with a Gradable Item
- Grading with a Rubric
- Recording of Online Session (Recorded 4/9/12)
Instructional Handout/Guide to Discussion Boards, Wikis, Journals, and Blogs in 9.1 (Extended instructions)
Quick Guide to these Communication Tools
- Creating a Wiki
- Editing a Wiki Page
- Linking Wiki Pages
- Viewing a Wiki Page History
- Grading Wikis
- Grading Discussion Board Threads
- Communication (Recording -- Recorded 5/12)
Instructional Handout/Guide to the new Grade Center Features
- Anonymous Grading
- Grading Assessments Question by Question
- Color Code the Grade Center
- Needs Grading View (This document outlines this view with Blackboard 9.1 service pack 8. We are going to 9.1 service pack 7, but this component is very similar in these versions. This would introduce you to this capability.)
Instructional Handout/Guide to Testing in Blackboard 9.1
Guide to Using the Question Finder and Question Sets Options
Blackboard Collaborate: Integrated within Blackboard -- Provides instructors with a tool to set-up and utilize online meeting rooms.
Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing Tool
Instructional Handout/Guide to using Collaborate in Blackboard 9.1
How to Utilize Collaborate (Recording- Recorded 5/12
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Upgrading to Blackboard 9.1
Blackboard 9.1 Presentation
It is time to upgrade to Blackboard 9.1. This upgrade will take place on May 12th, so those of you teaching summer courses will have access to some new tools and options for use with your courses this summer. If you are not teaching any courses this summer, make sure that you are prepared and have worked with this version of Blackboard, before you come back in August.
I have planned an overview session on each campus to walk you through some of the new options (February 23rd: Alberta, Room B45, 11:30 - 12:00; February 28th: Keysville, Room 22 11:30 - 12:00), and Ashley Leslie and I are planning a series of training sessions for the month of April. I hope to see you at one of the the overview sessions, so please mark those calendars! : ) I will email out information in March concerning the workshops planned for April.
Upon request I can set-up a practice course area for you on our Explore site, so that you can work with Blackboard 9.1 now. To utilize the Explore site, please submit your name and MySVCC/Blackboard user name on the form linked below. I will then enroll you in a practice area, but be aware that you may be sharing a practice area with other Southside instructors. Once you are set-up with a practice area, you go can to the explore site (web address can be found below) and log-in using your regular MySVCC/Blackboard log-in information.
Practice Area Request
The explore site is accessible through the following web address.
http://explore.vccs.edu/
You may find that you need to clear out your browser cache and cookies for the site to accept your log-in. The following web address has instructions on how to do this through various browsers.
http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser%27s-Cache
It is time to upgrade to Blackboard 9.1. This upgrade will take place on May 12th, so those of you teaching summer courses will have access to some new tools and options for use with your courses this summer. If you are not teaching any courses this summer, make sure that you are prepared and have worked with this version of Blackboard, before you come back in August.
I have planned an overview session on each campus to walk you through some of the new options (February 23rd: Alberta, Room B45, 11:30 - 12:00; February 28th: Keysville, Room 22 11:30 - 12:00), and Ashley Leslie and I are planning a series of training sessions for the month of April. I hope to see you at one of the the overview sessions, so please mark those calendars! : ) I will email out information in March concerning the workshops planned for April.
Upon request I can set-up a practice course area for you on our Explore site, so that you can work with Blackboard 9.1 now. To utilize the Explore site, please submit your name and MySVCC/Blackboard user name on the form linked below. I will then enroll you in a practice area, but be aware that you may be sharing a practice area with other Southside instructors. Once you are set-up with a practice area, you go can to the explore site (web address can be found below) and log-in using your regular MySVCC/Blackboard log-in information.
Practice Area Request
The explore site is accessible through the following web address.
http://explore.vccs.edu/
You may find that you need to clear out your browser cache and cookies for the site to accept your log-in. The following web address has instructions on how to do this through various browsers.
http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser%27s-Cache
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Blackboard Collaborate
The entire community college system now has access to a program called Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing tool. Through Collaborate, you can provide live online instruction, hold meetings, or provide one-on-one help. This is a similar product to the Adobe Connect program that we have been using for several years. We have been needing to either replace or update Adobe Connect, so this is a welcome addition.
Blackboard Collaborate is integrated into your course areas in Blackboard which should make it very easy for instructors to utilize this program with students. It can, however, be used independently from Blackboard. So, if you don't teach any courses, but would like to utilize this program to meet with colleagues on other campuses or if working with students that you can't meet with in person, using this is an option.
Here is a link to the Blackboard Collaborate website where there are some presentations on the web conferencing component. Blackboard Collaborate Website
We are hoping that there are a few of you who would like to be our early implementers with this product. We would like to begin with training a small group to begin using this program very soon. We can then get feedback from that group before offering training sessions open to everyone later this spring. If you are interested in being in our first group, please click on the link below to submit your name. Ashley is going to hold a training session for this group at the end of the month, so don't delay in submitting your name. We would both appreciate your participation.
Sign-Up
Blackboard Collaborate is integrated into your course areas in Blackboard which should make it very easy for instructors to utilize this program with students. It can, however, be used independently from Blackboard. So, if you don't teach any courses, but would like to utilize this program to meet with colleagues on other campuses or if working with students that you can't meet with in person, using this is an option.
Here is a link to the Blackboard Collaborate website where there are some presentations on the web conferencing component. Blackboard Collaborate Website
We are hoping that there are a few of you who would like to be our early implementers with this product. We would like to begin with training a small group to begin using this program very soon. We can then get feedback from that group before offering training sessions open to everyone later this spring. If you are interested in being in our first group, please click on the link below to submit your name. Ashley is going to hold a training session for this group at the end of the month, so don't delay in submitting your name. We would both appreciate your participation.
Sign-Up
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Summer 2010 Course Removal from Blackboard
It is time again for the normal clean-up of Blackboard. Summer 2010 (SU10) course areas in Blackboard have been identified and marked for removal. The removal date for those course areas has been set to August 11th. Although the VCCS does maintain an archive of your courses, it is recommended that you maintain a copy of your course by exporting 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 "SU10"
2. Or created before May 1, 2010
You should export content from any courses planned for removal and save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (Please make sure that you save these files in a logical place. You need to remove where these files are located on your computer or flash drive.)
Click on the link below, scroll down to "Course Management and Navigation". Look for the handout "Export Course" to either view or download/print instructions on how to export your content from within the Blackboard 9 environment.
Directions to Export Course Content
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 "SU10"
2. Or created before May 1, 2010
You should export content from any courses planned for removal and save the zipped files on your computer for future use. (Please make sure that you save these files in a logical place. You need to remove where these files are located on your computer or flash drive.)
Click on the link below, scroll down to "Course Management and Navigation". Look for the handout "Export Course" to either view or download/print instructions on how to export your content from within the Blackboard 9 environment.
Directions to Export Course Content
Friday, May 13, 2011
Blackboard Update
Just a few Blackboard Updates and/or Reminders
- Fall 2011 Course Shells: Fall course shells have been created and instructors enrolled. If you are planning to course copy or export/import content from a previous semester into your fall course area, instructions for both are linked below for your review. Do not wait until you come back in August to run this process. For classes that are on the schedule now...go ahead and complete this step early. It is not uncommon for the VCCS to end up with a backlog of these processes running during the fall semester, which can delay the content showing up in your course for days.
- 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.
- Review this handout on export/import if you plan to use this process to copy content.
- Enrollments in Fall Courses: Students will be enrolled in Blackboard course areas a couple of days before the Fall session begins. They will be enrolled for all cyber, hybrid, and seated courses, but students will not gain access to those areas until instructors make them available. You should not be enrolling any students manually. Remember that Blackboard and Student Information are now linked.
- Spring 2011 Course Availability: Did you make your Spring 11 course areas unavailable in Blackboard at the end of the 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. (Go to the website linked below if you need instructions on modifying course availability.)
- Blackboard 9 Training Materials: Don't forget that there are many handouts and tutorials that have already been created on using Blackboard. https://sites.google.com/a/email.vccs.edu/southside-information-technology-site/blackboard-1/blackboard-training/blackboard-9-training-materials
Monday, April 18, 2011
Summer Courses and Blackboard
Your course areas in Blackboard for all online, hybrid, and seated summer classes were available as of April 11th. The following are updates concerning Blackboard and information to keep in mind as you develop your courses.
Export and Import Course Content or Course Copy
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.
Information concerning copyright in higher education has been added to the "Instructor Resources" section. Take a look at what is available in the "Student Help" area so that you will be able to direct students there as needed. DO NOT REMOVE these buttons!!! If you remove the buttons 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.
The "Instructor Resources" area 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.
Course Cartridges
Course cartridges are publisher supplied content. If you plan on going this route, please pay careful attention to the following:
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); Modifying Course Availability; etc.
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. Students will automatically be enrolled in all summer courses in Blackboard on May 18th, but they will not have access until instructors make those course areas available.
Each instructor does have a student account which you can enroll in your courses so you can see your course exactly as your students do. Soon, instructors will no longer have the ability to enroll students in their course areas. When this happens, your student account will automatically be enrolled in your course areas for you. (More information on that later.) For now though, you must enroll your instructor-student account yourself. I have added a link below on how to enroll and utilize these accounts.
BB/SIS Integration Tool
Enrolling and Utilizing Instructor-Student Accounts
Export and Import Course Content or Course Copy
You can copy your content from one course to another by using either "Course Copy" or "Export/Import". Neither option seems to be a perfect solution, so remember to always gives yourself time to review the copied content. Export/Import does give you a back-up copy of your content saved to either your computer or other storage device, and Blackboard reps have stated that this is a more reliable process, especially if you have a lot of content. At Southside, however, we have seen some problems when using export/import related to copying tests in Blackboard, so please be aware of that.
Whatever method you choose, do this sooner rather than later. Don't leave copying content until the week before classes begin, or even worse, the day that classes begin. Give yourself plenty of time to review and update your content. 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 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, or 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 "Student Grades" buttons on your course menu, get rid of one. (See the template information below.)
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.
Information concerning copyright in higher education has been added to the "Instructor Resources" section. Take a look at what is available in the "Student Help" area so that you will be able to direct students there as needed. DO NOT REMOVE these buttons!!! If you remove the buttons 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.
The "Instructor Resources" area 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.
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 kelly.goscinski@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.
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); Modifying Course Availability; etc.
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. Students will automatically be enrolled in all summer courses in Blackboard on May 18th, but they will not have access until instructors make those course areas available.
Each instructor does have a student account which you can enroll in your courses so you can see your course exactly as your students do. Soon, instructors will no longer have the ability to enroll students in their course areas. When this happens, your student account will automatically be enrolled in your course areas for you. (More information on that later.) For now though, you must enroll your instructor-student account yourself. I have added a link below on how to enroll and utilize these accounts.
BB/SIS Integration Tool
Enrolling and Utilizing Instructor-Student Accounts
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.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Blackboard Spring 2010 Course Removal
It is time again for the normal clean-up of Blackboard. Spring 2010 (SP10) course areas in Blackboard have been identified and marked for removal. The removal date for those course areas has been set to May 6th (this is a change) . Although the VCCS does maintain an archive of your courses, it is recommended that you maintain a copy of your course by exporting 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 "SP10"
2. Or created before January 1, 2010
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
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 "SP10"
2. Or created before January 1, 2010
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
Friday, April 8, 2011
Blackboard Mobile Pilot
Southside Virginia Community College, in conjunction with the other Virginia Community Colleges, is participating in a pilot of Blackboard Mobile Learn. Blackboard Mobile Learn is a way for you to access Blackboard from anywhere using any capable device, including iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Blackberry, and Palm Smartphones. You will not be able to design a course on your iPad or other mobile device, but it does make viewing your course content, adding announcements, working on the discussion board, and sending email through Blackboard much easier and user friendly. If you have one of these devices or other capable device, I would appreciate you trying out this application. At the end of the pilot, I am going to ask for some feedback to give to the VCCS as they consider purchasing this. (The pilot ends June 15th.)
To use this application, you will need to install the app on your device and since we are piloting this you will need to input an access code into your device. The code is noted below, but before you get rolling, please complete this VERY brief survey first. There are only a few questions, so this should not take more than a few minutes...completely painless.
Blackboard Mobile (Brief Survey)
Steps to Get Started With this Application
1. Install the app through the app store on your device.
2. Open the application
3. Type the Access Code AO2RZS in the search box
4. Scroll Down to 'Southside Virginia Community College' and select it
5. Log-in using your normal Blackboard user name and password
If you would like to read more concerning Blackboard Mobile and how it works, you can go to this link for Blackboard's information page on this application. Blackboard Mobile Learn Information Page
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Spring 2011 Courses and Blackboard
January 7th begins our Spring schedule of courses at Southside. The enrollment process to place students into their Blackboard course areas will begin today, Wednesday, January 5th, so students should be enrolled in course areas sometime Thursday, January 6th. 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, January 7th, if you teach an online or hybrid course that begins that day.)
There are a few things that should be checked as you prepare to start this new session.
There are a few things that should be checked as you prepare to start this new session.
- Course Copy or Export/Import: 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!!)
Another option when copying content is to export the content out of your original course and import into the new one. By utilizing this option, you will have a back of your course on your computer or flash drive, and we have found this process to be more reliable and at times even faster than course copy. Export/Import Instructions - Course Check: Did you check all content, assignments, and tests? Make sure to check everything carefully to make sure all content is displaying correctly. I recommend that you enroll your student account in your course(s) and access it using that account. See what your Grade Center looks like for students. (See step 7 below.)
- 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.
- Invalid HTML Message in Blackboard 9: If you have content items displaying an "Invalid HTML" message. You can use these instructions to remove that message. Click here for Invalid HTML Message: Removal Instructions
- 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 7th, 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. )
- 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
- Grade Center: Remember that your grade center area will need to be either set-up or cleaned-up. If you course copy or utilize export/import to copy content, 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? We have several handouts already created on using the Grade Center, including one with reminders and tips on setting-up and cleaning up the Grade Center. Blackboard Handouts (Just scroll down the page to the Grade Center Handouts after clicking this link to the Google site.)
- Student Enrollment: Remember DO NOT enroll students or remove students from your course area in Blackboard. This is all automated. Students are enrolled and disabled in your course according to what is in Peoplesoft. If you drop a student from your class, once this change is made in Peoplesoft, the Blackboard enrollments update the next morning.
- 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.)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
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
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
Friday, November 12, 2010
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
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
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Spring 2011 Blackboard Course Areas
Course shells have been created for all cyber, hybrid, and seated Spring 2011 courses.
Export and Import Course Content (Alternative to Course Copy)
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.
Course Cartridges
Course cartridges are publisher supplied content. If you plan on going this route, please pay careful attention to the following:
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)
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.)
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.)
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.
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.
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)
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.)
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.
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