Wednesday, May 9, 2012

End of Semester: Instructor Tasks


At the end of each semester, instructors can complete these
three tasks to bring classes to a close.  
Make each course unavailable
Making a class unavailable removes student access to the course.
This process also removes the course listing in the student view.

1. From the Control Panel, click Customization and select Properties.
2. Underneath Set Availability, select No.
3. Click Submit.
Backup each course grade center
It is recommended that instructors backup the grade center after any grading activity.
At the end of the semester, complete a final backup of the grade center for
record keeping purposes.
1.   From the Control Panel, click on Grade Center and select
Full Grade Center.
2.   Click Work Offline on the right side and select Download.
3.   On the Download Grades page under Data, select Full Grade Center.
4.   Under Options, select the Delimiter Type as Tab.
NOTE
: If users or columns have been hidden and you want the information
backed up, you must select Yes by Include Hidden Information.
5.   Under Save Location, select Download Location as My Computer.
6.   Click Submit.  A file containing the Grade Center data will be created.
7.   Click the Download button and choose where to save the file.
NOTE: The file will be downloaded with an *.xls extension which
will open in Excel.
Archive each Blackboard course
Instructors can archive each course so that materials can be copied into another course and valuable course materials can be maintained.

1. From the Control Panel, click Packages and Utilities and select Move
Files to Course Files
.

2.    
On the resulting page, select Selecting this option will add all content
in this course to Course Files

3. 
Click Submit.  Once you receive the process completion email, continue to
the next step.
From the Control Panel, click Packages and Utilities and select
Export/Archive Course
.
5. 
Click Archive.
6. 
On the Archive Course page under Select Copy Options, select Include
Grade Center History
.
7. 
Click Submit.
8. 
 An email will be sent when the archive has been completed.
NOTE
: Refresh the screen to view the zip file.  The course archive may take up
to 15 minutes to generate.
9. 
Click the Archive File of the course to save to computer.
NOTE:  You should receive this email within 15 minutes.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Top Tips for Instructors Testing


Make testing successful by adjusting specific settings.

·    Do not check Force Completion on test settings.
·    Set a time limit on the test instead of using Force Completion
·    Stagger proctored test times so smaller (25 or less) groups of students are
testing rather than larger groups
·    If you are creating a test with a large number of questions, consider using the
Test
Generator to bulk import questions into a test
·    Post Top Tips for Students in your class prior to the test along with directions for contacting the IT Help Desk.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Test Generator


A test generator created by BYU-Idaho allows instructors to create their test
in Microsoft Word instead of loading each question separately in Blackboard.
Using the test generator
1.     Formatting
  • Number the test questions.
  • Do not put numbers/letters next to the responses.
  • Press enter after the question and each answer.
  • Do not skip lines between the question and the answers.
  • Skip one line between test questions.
2.     Convert the test using the test generator
3.     Upload the test generator questions to a blackboard test
Once the test questions are uploaded, you can create, edit, and delete them on the Test Canvas page.

For step by step instructions about this process, please see

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Using Discussion Board Moderation


Discussion boards allow interaction in the online environment. Instructors prompt or question for students to thoughtfully respond just as in a face to face class discussion. One method to encourage original thinking in response is to use a “delayed release” of messages. This can be achieved by using the moderated discussion feature.
As usual in discussions, each student posts a response to the question or prompt, but with moderated discussions, students cannot see the responses of the other students until the instructor moderates and “publishes” them. This allows each student to formulate an original response without the influence of reading other students’ posts. Instructors can release all messages after initial posts to allow the discussion to flow.
To create a moderated discussion:
1.     In the discussion board area of the course, click Create Forum.
2.     Enter information in fields for name, description, etc. In section 3, be sure to select Force Moderation of Posts. Select any other criteria and click Submit.
NOTE: This setting can be modified on existing discussion board forums.
To publish students posts:
1.     After the deadline for students’ submissions, navigate to and click the discussion board forum. Click Moderate Forum. NOTE: Students posts will not appear until you moderate.
2.     By each student entry, click Moderate.
3.     By default, in Section 2, Publish is selected. To make the post available to other students, click Submit.
4.     When all moderation is completed, click OK.
NOTE: After publishing the initial posts for students, remove forced moderation of posts so that the discussion can continue without instructor intervention.
Thank you to the Office of Distance Education Instructional Designers for this tip!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Grade Center Back-up


All course grade centers can be backed up as an Excel file using Blackboard’s export feature. Blackboard support strongly advises backing up the grade center each time changes are made to ensure backup of sensitive grade information.
How to back-up a grade center
1.   From the Control Panel, click Grade Center and select Full Grade Center.
2.   Click Work Offline on the right side and select Download.
3.   On the Download Grades page under Data, select Full Grade Center.
4.   Under Options, select the Delimiter Type as Tab.
NOTE: If users or columns have been hidden and you want the information backed up, you must select Yes by Include Hidden Information.
5.   Under Save Location, select Download Location as My Computer.
6.  Click Submit.  A file containing the Grade Center data will be created.
7.  Click the Download button and choose where to save the file.
NOTE: The file will be downloaded with an *.xls extension which will open in Excel.
How to upload a file to the grade center
Excel offers complex mathematical functions that instructors can use for grade calculations. If you download the Grade Center to Excel to do additional grade calculations, you will need to upload the grades back into Blackboard.
  1. From the Control Panel, click Grade Center and select Full Grade Center.
  2. Click Work Offline on the right side and select Upload.
  3. On the Upload Grades page click Browse to locate the file.
  4. Select the Delimiter Type as Tab.
  5. Click Submit.  The Upload Grades Confirmation screen will appear.
  6. Click Submit.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Course Banners


Course banners appear at the entry point of a course. Instructors can create a banner using Microsoft Office PowerPoint. Banners can include various colors, images, or shapes.
Create a banner in PowerPoint
1.     In PowerPoint, on the Design tab, select Page Setup.
2.     In the section Slides Sized for, select banner from the drop down. Click OK.
3.     Create the banner with any colors, themes, images, or other design options.
4.     When finished, click File.
5.     Select Save As. When the Save As dialog box appears, add a file name.
6.     Navigate to the Save as type drop down and select PNG.
7.     Click Save.
Add the banner to Blackboard
1.     Log in to Blackboard and navigate to the specific course where the banner is to be added. On the Control Panel click Customization.
2.     Click Style.
3.     Under Banner, select Browse My Computer to attach the file.
4.     Click Submit.
Blackboard Byte: Course Banners (click to see video)



Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Grade Center Smart Views


Smart views can be used to group students by section in situations of team teaching or multiple teaching assistants. Smart views can also be used to view course groups, grouping of students by performance, and or grouping of certain assignment types.

How to set up grade center smart views:
1.   On the Control Panel click arrows to the right of Grade Center.
2.   On the Grade Center page, click Manage and select Smart Views from the dropdown menu.
3.   On the Smart Views page, click Create Smart View.
4.   On the Create Smart View page, enter a name (required) and description (optional).
NOTE:  You can make your commonly-used Smart Views favorites by clicking Add as Favorite. It will appear in the Grade Center dropdown of the Control Panel.
5.   Select a Type of View from one of the following:
·      Course Group (View one or more course groups)
·      Performance (View specific users based on their performance on a single item)
·      User (View individual users)
·      Category and Status (View items by their category and status)
·      Custom (Build a query based on user criteria)
6.   Select the criteria you would like to use to limit users.
7.   Use Filter Results to choose which columns you would like to view.
8.   Click Submit then OK.
9.   Click Filter. In the Current View dropdown, select a Smart View.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

What needs grading?

Blackboard offers a Needs Grading area to the Grade Center. This allows instructors to find Blackboard assignments and tests that need to be graded without having to load the entire grade center.

Access the Needs Grading Area

  1. Go to control panel and select Grade Center
  2. Click Needs Grading

Options Available

To view the options bar, click Filter.

Filter is based on:
  • Category: Assignment, test, etc.
  • Item: name of item
  • User: usernames
  • Date Submitted: Any date, before, after, exact date uses the date selection tool
After selecting options, click Go. A list of items needing to be graded will appear.

From this point, more options become available:
  • Show All: show all items needing to be graded
  • Edit Paging: limit the number of items to be listed
  • Drop down by each name:
    • Grade all users
    • Grade anonymously

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Student Group View

Instructors can use groups in their courses to allow team work among students. Blackboard 9.1 automatically shows a student that they are enrolled in group or groups directly below the course menu.
  • The My Group menu appears automatically when students are placed in a group.
  • Students can click on the My Group down arrow to see the group they are in for that class. The down arrow beside the group name shows the tools that the instructor enabled for that group, similar to the control panel for instructors.
  • If you would like to be able to have a student view in your course, contact Blackboard support blackboard@twu.edu.
  • Blackboard Byte: Student Group View

    (click to see video)



    http://youtu.be/qdvYyWGvIl8

    For instructor information about setting up groups, please visit our website www.twu.edu/blackboard

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Color Coding the Grade Center

Instructors can use color coding in the grade center to visually differentiate items in progress, needs grading, and exempt. Color coding can also be used for grade ranges such as items falling above or below a certain percentage.

Set color coding preferences:

  1. On the Control Panel, click Grade Center and select Full Grade Center.
  2. Click the Manage drop down arrow and select Grading Color Codes.
  3. In the Color Code Information section, place a check in the box by Enable Grading Color Codes.
  4. In the Color Coding Options section, use the drop down in each category (In Progress, Needs Grading or Exempt) to determine the color coding.
  5. In the Grade Ranges section, click Add Criteria to add color coding for grade items that are more than, less than or between specified criteria. Multiple criteria can be set.
  6. Click Submit.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A Blackboard Tip of the Week: Grading Discussion Boards

Grading Discussion Boards

Discussion boards can be graded from within each forum. To grade discussion boards, first verify that grading is enabled. Grading can be enabled at any point, even after students have posted to the discussion board.

Verify grading is enabled:

  1. Navigate to the discussion board.
  2. Click the drop down arrow by the specific forum and select Edit
  3. Under Forum Settings, check that Grade Forum or Grade Threads is selected
    • Grade Discussion Forum will allow you to assign grades for students’ posts to that forum
    • Grade Threads will allow you to assign grades for students’ replies to each thread in a forum

Grading discussion boards:

  1. Click the Grade icon next to the forum or thread to grade
  2. 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
  3. Type a grade in the Grade box and click Submit

Discussion grading and the grade center:

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 grade center.
  • When you enable grading by forum, a column for that forum is created in the grade center
  • When you enable grading by thread, a column for each thread in a forum is created in the grade center
Keep this in mind when choosing whether to grade by forum or thread. Grade center management can become cumbersome if you choose to grade a large number of threads.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A Blackboard Tip of the Week: Hiding Columns in the Grade Center

Hiding Columns in the Grade Center

Instructors are able to hide columns from display within the Grade Center. There are two types of “hiding” grade center columns: from the instructor or from the students.
NOTE: Hiding columns in the grade center from instructor view does not hide the grade column from students.

Hiding a column from students:

  1. On the Control Panel click Grade Center and select Full Grade Center.
  2. Click the action link (or down arrows) next to the column title. Click Show/Hide to users. A grey circle with a red line will appear next to the column name to indicate that the column is unavailable to students.
  3. NOTE: As the instructor you will still be able to see this column in your Grade Center.
  4. Click Submit.

Hiding a column from instructor view:

Hiding columns that are not being used from instructor view reduces the need for continuous scrolling across the page.
  1. On the Control Panel click Grade Center and then Full Grade Center.
  2. Click the action link (or down arrows) next to the column title. Click Hide Column.

Unhide a column from instructor view:

  1. From the Manage drop down menu, select Column Organization.
  2. Select the check boxes next to the Grade Center Columns to be shown.
  3. Select Show Selected Columns from the Show/Hide menu.
  4. Click Submit.
    NOTE: Hidden columns will appear greyed out in the Column Organizer.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

A Blackboard Tip of the Week: Multimedia Mashups in the Discussion Board

Multimedia Mashups in the Discussion Board

Students can add interest to discussion board posts by incorporating multimedia mashups. When using this feature, students can add a Flickr Photo, SlideShare Presentation, or YouTube Video.

NOTE: For this feature to work, the instructor must enable Allow File Attachments in the forum settings.


How do students add mashups to the discussion board?

When students are posting to a discussion board the mashup button is a part of the Text Editor tools.
  1. When posting in the discussion board, click the mashup tool. It is the last tool in the third row of tools.
    Mashup tool icon:

  2. Select Flickr Photo, YouTube Video, or SlideShare Presentation.
    Flickr Photo: search by full text, only tags, or specific photo (url). Search by keywords using all of the words, any of the words, or exact phrase.

    YouTube Video: search by all of the words, any of the words, without the words, or exact phrase. Also, a language selection is available.

    SlideShare Presentation: search by full text, tags only, or specific presentation (url). Also, a language selection is available.

  3. Click Select to choose an item.
  4. In the View area, select Thumbnail, Text Link with Player or Embed Video.
  5. In the Show URL or Show Information, select Yes or No.
  6. Click Submit.
  7. In the Attachments area, students can select Browse My Computer to attach items saved locally.
  8. Click Submit to complete the discussion board post.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

A Blackboard Tip of the Week: My Courses Module

The My Courses module on the Blackboard homepage is a list of all courses in which you have a role. This list can be modified to suit individual preferences.

Changing the Courses Displayed in My Courses

  1. Log in to Blackboard and locate the My Courses module, usually located on the right side of the screen.
  2. Click on the gear icon in the top right corner of My Courses to customize the My Courses module.
  3. You will now see a list of courses and you can uncheck the Course Name column for the courses to be removed from display.
  4. Click Submit to save changes.

Blackboard Byte: Organize your course list

(click to see video)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HKjinBFjmU

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Blackboard Tip of the Week: Making a class unavailable to individual students

When a student drops or withdraws from a class, instructors can make the course unavailable to that student.

It is recommended that instructors do not remove a user from a course where work is in progress. Removing a student from a course permanently removes all data for that student. If information is needed about a student’s online activity in a class, it cannot be retrieved.

How do I make a course unavailable to individual students?

  1. On the Control Panel click Users and Groups.
  2. Click Users.
  3. Click the drop down by the student’s name and select Change User’s Availability in Course.
  4. On the Change User’s Availability in Course page, set Available (this course only) to No using the drop down menu.
  5. Click Submit.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A Blackboard Tip of the Week: Dallas Support Information

Blackboard Support Information

There are several options available to faculty and staff for Blackboard support. Options include documentation, tips of the week, videos, helpdesk support, one-on-one or group training sessions. Be sure to investigate these options to make your semester run smoothly!

Blackboard Documentation

Documents are available on a wide variety of topics including the grade center, discussion boards, adding course content, blogs, wikis, journals, and much more! This information is available by visiting the Help tab from within Blackboard or visiting Blackboard Help.

Information Technology Help Desk

The Information Technology Help Desk is available by telephone, email or chat.
Telephone: 940 898 3971
Email: helpdesk@twu.edu
Web Site: Information Technology Help Desk

Dallas Training and Support

For onsite support, one-on-one training, or to schedule group training, please contact Rachel Clarke at RClarke1@twu.edu or 214 689 6653.

A Blackboard Tip of the Week: Houston Training Schedule Spring 2012

Blackboard Training Schedule Spring 2012

Houston faculty and staff are invited to attend our upcoming Blackboard Training opportunities for Spring 2012. These classes include both hands on as well as webinar sessions. Find a time that fits your schedule!

Hands on sessions

Date Time Subject Room
1/20/2012
Friday
1 pm – 2 pm BB9 Open Lab 4322
2/10/2012
Friday
1 pm – 2 pm The Grade Center in Blackboard 9 4322
2/24/2012
Friday
1 pm – 2 pm Creating Assignments and Assessments in Blackboard 9 4322
3/9/2012
Friday
1 pm – 2 pm Communication Tools in Blackboard 9 4322
3/30/2012
Friday
1 pm – 2 pm BB9 Open Lab 4322
4/20/2012
Friday
1 pm – 2 pm The Grade Center in Blackboard 9 4322
5/4/2012
Friday
1 pm – 2 pm Getting Ready for Next Semester 4322 4322

Webinars

Date Time Subject Room
2/3/2012
Friday
2 pm – 3 pm The Grade Center in Blackboard 9 Webinar
2/17/2012
Friday
2 pm – 3 pm Creating Assignments and Assessments in Blackboard 9 Webinar
3/2/2012
Friday
2 pm – 3 pm Communication Tools in Blackboard 9 Webinar
4/13/2012
Friday
2 pm – 3 pm The Grade Center in Blackboard 9 Webinar
4/27/2012
Friday
2 pm – 3 pm Getting Ready for Next Semester Webinar

Note: All times are subject to change with prior notice. If the above schedule doesn't work for you, please feel free to contact Jeff Brown (jbrown@twu.edu) or Iris Du (jdu@twu.edu) to schedule an individual training.

Webinar is online seminar that you could attend at anywhere with Internet connection.

A Blackboard Tip of the Week: Open Lab

Blackboard Open Lab- Wednesdays 11 am – 2 pm

Blackboard open lab is open to all faculty and staff on the Denton campus every Wednesday from 11 am-2 pm. Meet Blackboard staff in Stoddard Hall 307 to ask questions, discuss innovative ideas, or have some focused work time in the faculty center.

Come and Go as Convenient!

Just show up and we’ll address the topics you need. These are just a few common topics that our Blackboard staff can assist with during open labs:
  • Grade discussion boards from within Blackboard?
  • Tricks and tips in the grade center?
  • How to load content in your courses?
  • Setting up blogs, wikis, and journals?
  • Use “smart views” in the grade center?
  • Troubleshooting problems or issues
Is another time better for your schedule? Contact our Blackboard team to schedule a one-on-one or small group appointment.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

A Blackboard Tip of the Week: Start of Semester FAQ’s

This tip will discuss the three most frequently asked faculty questions at the beginning of the semester:
  1. How do I make a course available?
  2. How do I copy a previous semester's content into a new course shell?
  3. How do I combine multiple course sections into one shell?

How do I make a course available?

(click here for video) Blackboard courses are created as unavailable to students by default. This means that students cannot access a course listed in Blackboard until the instructor makes the course available. To make a course available:
  1. On the Control Panel, click on Customization and then select Properties
  2. Under Set Availability, select Yes to Make Course Available. Click Submit.

How do I copy a previous semester's content into a new course shell?

Instructors can copy materials into a Blackboard 9.1 course from previous courses by using Course Copy. This feature allows instructors to use materials in more than one course, section or semester.
  1. Enter the course from which you will be copying the material (the source course).
  2. On the Control Panel click Packages and Utilities and then Course Copy.
  3. Under Select Copy Options, click Browse next to Destination Course ID. In the Course window that pops, select the destination course, and click Submit.
  4. Select the Course Materials to copy.
    • If you select content areas with Tests, Assignments, or Discussions, then you must also select Grade Center Columns.
  5. Click Submit. At this point, you should receive a message that states "Success: Course copy action queued. An email will be sent when the process is complete."

How do I combine multiple course sections into one shell?

If you are teaching multiple sections of the same course, or a cross-listed course, you may want to combine all students into one Blackboard shell. Instructors can merge multiple course sections into one shell by using the course copy tool.
  1. Access the course from which you want to move users
  2. On the Control Panel, click Packages and Utilities and select Course Copy
  3. From the Select Copy Options dropdown select Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course
    • Click Browse. In the pop-up window that appears select the Destination Course. Click Submit in the lower right-hand corner of the pop-up window
    • NOTE: The Destination Course is the course to which the enrollments will be copied
  4. Place a checkmark next to Tasks
  5. Place a checkmark next to Include Enrollments in the Copy
  6. Click Submit.