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 http://www.byui.edu/ats/testgen.htm 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 Blackboard 9.1: Tests-Test Generator

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!

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. From the Control Panel, click Grade Center and select Full Grade Center. Click Work Offline on the right side and select Upload. On the Upload Grades page click Browse to locate the file. Select the Delimiter Type as Tab. Click Submit.  The Upload Grades Confirmation screen will appear. Click Submit.

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)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhhtbTsILhA&list=PLA6F88267DF7543EA&index=3&feature=plcp

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.

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

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

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.