Tip #43: 2009 Blackboard Exemplary Course Program

Tip: Announcing the 2009 Blackboard Exemplary Course Program

The Blackboard Exemplary Course Program aims to help faculty use e-Learning technology more effectively by identifying and disseminating best practices for designing engaging online courses.

Using a rubric, instructors and course designers are able to evaluate how well their own course conforms to best practices for Course Design, Interaction & Collaboration, Assessment and Learner Support.

Consider participating in the 2009 Exemplary Course Program by submitting a course of your own or volunteering to be a reviewer or both!

There are many benefits to participating in the Exemplary Course Program:

• Learn course design best practices to improve the engagement, collaboration, assessment and learner support within your own courses
• Develop a fresh perspective by seeing how other instructors and designers from your discipline or area of interest are developing their courses
• Apply lessons learned from the Exemplary Course Rubric to your own courses or those you are helping to develop
• Receive detailed feedback on your own course development on the best practices you are employing or areas in which it can be improved
• Gain professional development experience and recognition for your accomplishments and participation in the program
  
  This is a valuable learning experience for even the most seasoned instructor or designer.
  
  To learn more about the 2009 Exemplary Course Program visit http://www.blackboard.com/ecp where you will find information on how to:
• Volunteer to be a reviewer
• Download the Exemplary Course Rubric and explore best practices
• Learn about how to participate in the 2009 Exemplary Course Program

We encourage you to consider participating in the Exemplary Course Program. If you have questions please send an email to: ecp@blackboard.com

Tip #42: Test Generator

Tip: You can upload tests from Word to Blackboard using a test generator.

A test generator created by BYU-Idaho allows instructors to type their test in Word and then upload into Blackboard. Tests must be formatted for the generator to work correctly. This program is designed for simple test designs including essay, multiple answer, multiple choice and true/false questions. Question options can be modified once the test is imported into Blackboard.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Type in your test and format it in Word:

Number your test questions. Do not put number/letters next to the responses.
Skip one line between test questions.
Place an asterisk (*) in front of the correct answer.

Multiple choice questions: Type your question, and on the very next line start your answers. Put an asterisk(*) directly in front of any correct answers.

Example:
1. Which one of these is not another name for sugar?
sucrose
*sodium
glucose
maple syrup

Multiple answer questions: Type in your question, press Enter, on the very next line enter your answers. Put an * directly in front of any correct answers.

Example:
1. Whole grains are an important part of a healthy diet. The three parts of a grain kernel are:
Exoskeleton
*Bran
*Germ
*endosperm

Essay questions: Type your question and give no answer. Move on to the next question number.

Example:
1. What should you consider when selecting food from the fruit group?

True/False questions: Type your question, and on the very next line type True. On the next line type False (T and F won’t work). Put an *asterisk directly in front of the correct answer.

Example:
1. The meat and beans food group includes only beef and lima beans
True
*False

2. Convert the test using the test generator:
Copy the test from the Word document. Open the test generator located at: http://www.byui.edu/insttech/bbtest.asp and paste (CTRL-V) your test into the text box. Click Save as text file. Note the location of the saved file.
Open the saved file. This will open the file in Notepad and you can perform a quick check to see if there are any obvious errors. If there are no errors, it will look similar to the first example. If there are errors, it will have question marks in the left column as seen in the second example. Go back and check the formatting in Word. If the correct number of questions is not listed, check that Enter was pressed between each question in Word.



3. Upload questions into a test.
From the Control Panel, select Test Manager. Click the Add Test Button. Name your test. Description and Instructions are optional at this point (they can be changed later). Scroll to the bottom and click Submit. Click the drop down menu next to Add Question and select Upload Questions. Click GO. Click Browse to find the file you saved from the test generator. Click Open. Set the number of points possible per question. Click Submit. A Question Upload Complete screen should appear. Click OK to proceed.
The questions will appear in the test.

NOTE: If an Error message appears, the Word document was not formatted correctly. Make changes and copy past it again into the Test Generator. Repeat the steps again from Section 2.

NOTE: Questions can also be added to a test pool by selecting Pool Manager and following the same steps for uploading questions.

Tip #13: Excel: Charts

Microsoft Office 2007 has removed the chart wizard feature. Charts are now created by a single click on the Office Ribbon’s Insert tab. This new charting feature allows easier customization. Once the chart is created you can modify it to display additional information and data.

Creating a Basic Chart
1. Arrange the data in rows and columns on a worksheet. Excel will determine the best way to plot the data. If you prefer a certain layout, look at the suggested data arrangements provided by Microsoft Office.
2. Select the cells that contain the data for the chart.
3. On the Insert tab, in the Charts group click the chart type, and then click the chart subtype.
NOTE: To see all available chart type, click one chart type, and then click All Chart Types.
4. The chart will be placed in the worksheet as an embedded chart.

Moving the chart to a separate sheet
To place the chart in a separate sheet so that it can be viewed by itself:
1. Click the chart to select it.
2. On the Design tab, in the location group, click Move Chart.
3. Choose where you want to place the chart.

Changing the chart layout or style
Pre-defined chart layouts and styles allow you to instantly change the look of a chart. Chart layouts allow you to change the information displayed and how the information is positioned on the chart. Chart styles allow you to change the chart color and design.

Applying a predefined chart layout
1. Click the chart.
2. On the Design tab, in the Charts Layout Group, click the chart layout you want to use.
Applying a predefined chart style:
1. Click the chart.
2. On the Design tab, in the Chart Styles Group, click the chart style you want to use.
Many more options are available for chart formatting and customization. See Microsoft Office’s Chart Creation for thorough directions on all charting options.

Where can I find more information about Office 2007? The ISS Training site provides Quick Reference Guides and Courseware for Microsoft Office. https://portal.twu.edu/iss-training/appstraining/ms_applications.htm
For additional support, please contact the Help Desk, (940) 898-3971.

Tip #41: Adding and removing instructors in your course

Tip: You can add instructors to your course and remove instructors from your course.

Here’s how to do it:
Navigate to your Control Panel and click Enroll User. Search for the instructor’s username by typing the last name and clicking the Search button. Place a checkmark next to the desired user’s name and click Submit. Return to the Control Panel and click List/Modify Users. Click the Search button and click the Properties button next to the instructor’s name. Under Role and Availability, select the Instructor role and click Submit.

To remove an instructor from your course, navigate to the Control Panel and click List/Modify Users. Click the Search button and click the Properties button next to the instructor’s name. Under Role and Availability, select the Student role and click Submit. Return to the Control Panel and click Remove Users from Course. Click the Search button and place a checkmark next to the instructor’s username. Type Yes in the confirmation box and click Submit.
NOTE: You must type Yes, with a capital Y.

Using the Add Users by Role feature:
If you know the Blackboard username of the instructor you want to add, you can use the Add Users by Role feature. Navigate to your Control Panel and click Add Users by Role. Select the role for the user from the drop-down box. Type the Blackboard username(s) in the username box. NOTE: You can add multiple users at once by separating each username with a comma. Click Submit to add the user.

Tip #12: Word: Quick Styles

As in previous versions of Office, users are able to apply formatting to words or a block of text using the styles feature. Office 2007 introduced Quick Styles, a faster way to add and change styles.

Applying a Quick Style to text
1. Select the text to which you want to apply a style. To apply a style to an entire paragraph, place the cursor in the paragraph.
2. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click the style that you want. If you don't see the style that you want, click the More button to expand the Quick Styles gallery.

Note: You can see how selected text will look with a particular style by placing your pointer over the style that you want to preview.

Note: If the style that you want does not appear in the Quick Styles gallery, press CTRL+SHIFT+S to open the Apply Styles task pane. Under Style Name, use the drop down menu to find the style you want to apply.

Add a new style to the Quick Styles gallery
To add a customized style to the Quick Styles gallery:
1. Format the text to reflect the formatting needed.
2. Select the text.
3. On the Home Tab, in the Styles Category click the More button.
4. Select Save Selection as a New Style.
5. Give the style a name and click OK.
The style that you created appears in the Quick Styles gallery with the name that you gave it.
When you want to use that formatting, select the text and click on the quick style box.

For more information about using Quick Styles, see the Microsoft Office Quick Styles Tip Sheets.

Where can I find more information about Office 2007? The ISS Training site provides Quick Reference Guides and Courseware for Microsoft Office. https://portal.twu.edu/iss-training/appstraining/ms_applications.htm
For additional support, please contact the Help Desk, (940) 898-3971.

Tip #40: Grade Discussion Board forums or threads

Tip: You can grade Discussion Board forums or threads.

Here’s how to do it:
Navigate to your course Discussion Boards and click the Modify button for a discussion forum. Under Forum settings, select Grade forum or Grade threads. Grading a forum will allow you to assign grades for students’ posts to that forum. Grading a thread will allow you to assign grades for students’ replies to each thread in a forum.

After you have enabled grading, click the Grade icon next to the forum or thread you want to grade. Click the Grade button next to a student’s name. The student’s posts to the forum or thread will display. You can filter, sort, and print the student’s posts. To submit a grade for the posts, type a grade in the Grade box and click the Submit button.

Discussion grading and the gradebook:
It is important to note that when you enable grading for a forum or thread, columns for those forums or threads are automatically generated in the gradebook. When you enable grading by forum, a column for that forum is created in the gradebook. When you enable grading by thread, a column for EACH thread in a forum is created in the gradebook. Keep this in mind when choosing whether to grade by forum or thread. Gradebook management can become cumbersome if you choose to grade a large number of threads.

Tip #11: Word: Changing Default Formatting

Do you miss the single space after pressing enter in Word 2007? By changing a few settings you can adjust the default spacing for newly created Word documents.

The Normal Template is what you see when creating a new document- the blank document with spacing, font, etc. By changing the normal template, you change preset formatting features for any new document that is created.

Changing Spacing Defaults
To change default spacing, begin by closing any open Word documents. Open a new word document. On the Home tab, navigate to the Paragraph group. Click the Line Spacing icon . Select Line Spacing Options. To eliminate extra spaces inserted before or after pressing enter settings should be set as follows:

Adjust line spacing to fit your preference (Single, 1.5 lines, Double, etc.)
Once settings are adjusted, click Default. Select Yes on the confirmation window.

Changing Font Defaults
To change font defaults, begin by closing any open Word documents. Open a new word document. On the Home tab, navigate to the Font group. Click the open dialog box icon . Select the font, font size, and other features preferred for the default setting.
Once settings are adjusted, click Default. Select Yes on the confirmation window.

Where can I find more information about Office 2007? The ISS Training site provides Quick Reference Guides and Courseware for Microsoft Office. https://portal.twu.edu/iss-training/appstraining/ms_applications.htm
For additional support, please contact the Help Desk, (940) 898-3971.