Instructors: Getting Started with Blackboard

Frequently Asked Questions, Training & Resources

Blackboard is a Web-based learning, discussion, and class administration tool that provides a secure, pre-made Web site for a class. Instructors can create their class Web site(s) without learning HTML or complex tools. Blackboard courses can be made accessible only to the people registered in the class.

Blackboard eases the publishing of course materials, facilitates evaluation and record-keeping associated with a course, and engages students in active learning through discussion boards and group Web pages. In addition, Blackboard provides contact among faculty and students between class sessions. You can post announcements of late breaking changes to keep students and their class assignments up to date. You can administer quizzes and surveys online, and even have them scored automatically. You can then post grades online, accessible securely to each student. Students can also submit assigments electronically.

Accessing Your Blackboard Course:

Building Your Blackboard Course:

New! Create a "Start Here" Button

Based on feedback from our students, we strongly recommend that you name one of your buttons "Start Here" or "Start Here - Syllabus" or anything that is a clear indicator where the students should begin. You may have a lot of information posted, and it can be overwhelming to the student where to begin. Simply go to Control Panel, Course Menu, Add Content Area.

New! Prevent "Folder Empty"

It is strongly recommended that you remove any menu items that you don't plan to use. Otherwise, students may become confused when they click on a menu item and receive the message "Folder Empty." Simply go to Control Panel, Course Menu, and delete the unnecessary items. You can always add them later if you decide to use them.

Bb Assessments:

Managing Course Users:

Getting Help:

Accessing Your Blackboard Course

How can I get a new Blackboard course?

A Blackboard course is automatically generated for each section of every course offered by UNO. The new course shells are created approximately 2 weeks prior to the beginning of the semester.

As soon as an instructor's 101 hiring paperwork is in order with Human Resources, a LAN account will be established for that individual. It is important that the academic department notify the registrar's office as to "Instructor of Record" assignments. The automated Bb enrollment process occurs once every 24 hour period at the beginning of each semester, placing the instructors into the Bb courses according to the data from the registrar.

How do I request that the multiple sections or courses I am teaching be combined into one Blackboard shell?

Email your request listing the courses and / or sections to be combined to Blackboard@uno.edu. When courses are combined, the automated process disables the original course shells and creates a new blank course shell that has all of the students from all requested sections enrolled therein. Therefore, neither original shell will exist anymore, there will be one big new course containing all the students.

Please note that:

• Blackboard does not distinguish which students are from which course, so ALL students will be listed alphabetically in the Gradebook (although there are workarounds to sorting students).
  
  
• The Blackboard System Administrator has no way of knowing whether a site is "crosslisted," so the instructor will have to specifically request a combination.
  

New! I have a combined-section Bb course site. How can I sort students by section in the Gradebook?

1. Go into the Gradebook, and select Add Item.
2. Name the new item something like "Section."), with the Category "Other" and Points Possible of 0,  display as Text, but do not make the item available to users. Click Submit.
3. Back into the main Gradebook view, notice that the item you just created (i.e. "Section.") has an * to the right of it, indicating that it is not visible to students. Click on the item, and then click Item Grade List.
4. In the Grade field, enter the appropriate section number, (i.e. ON1, ON2) or descriptor of your choice for each student.
5. To sort the Gradebook by section, click on the triangle above the item title. To return to sorting by last name, you can click on the triangle above the "Name" field.
   

Where do I find my course on the Web?

Once logged into Blackboard, you will first access the "My UNO" page. Under "My Courses," click on the link to your course. If you do not see your course listed under "Courses you are teaching" then you may not be assigned to the course/section in PeopleSoft. Contact your department and have them inform the registrar of your correct course/section assignments.

How do I log into Blackboard?

Go to http://uno.blackboard.com, click on the Login button and enter your LAN username and password.

How do I make my Blackboard Courses available to Students?

All Blackboard courses are initially created “unavailable” to students so the instructor can build the course, add content, etc. without onlookers. Then, when the instructor is ready to release the course to students, they make it available via the following steps:

1. Enter the course
2. Click on Control Panel
3. Click on Settings
4. Click on Course Availability
5. At the question “Do you want to make your course available to students” Click “Yes”
6. Hit the Submit button

What will happen to my course when the semester ends?

You should export the Gradebook once your final grades are posted and save the file on your local computer, a cd-rom, or your UNO Network I-drive. During the semester break, students will be removed from your course. To keep the Blackboard database at a manageable size for optimal performance, courses are removed from the system after 13 months. An email notification will be sent to all faculty before courses are removed.

How to Export Gradebook to MS Excel

How to Export a Blackboard Course

How can I copy content from one Bb course to another?

Via the Bb Course Copy Tool:

1. Go to the control panel of the course you are copying from.
2. Click Course Copy, in the Course Options section of the control panel.
3. Click Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course
4. In the Destination Course ID box, enter the Blackboard course ID of the course that you are copying into. If you are unsure of the course code, please click Browse to search for it.
5. Enter the Blackboard course code of the course you are copying INTO
6. Under Select Course Materials, choose the areas that you want to copy into the course, using the checkboxes.
7. To copy deployed tests, you must select the appropriate Content Area, Gradebook Items and Settings, as well as Tests, Surveys and Pools
8. To copy deployed assignments, you must select the appropriate Content Area, as well as Gradebook Items and Settings,
9. Click Submit to proceed and wait for the process to complete.

New! If I copy content into a site that already has content, what happens?

If you want to copy content from one site to a site that already has content, content will be added but not replaced/removed. While typically you will only be copying into a new, blank site, if you are copying into a site that already has content, the Copy Course function will not remove or replace existing content in any site (it only adds content).

* Pay close attention to course menu items – if you remove default course menu items or rename them in your original course, the changes will be copied to the new course – but the default items may also appear. It is important to check the menu items to see where your content has been copied and to remove the unnecessary ones.

New! After Course Copy, my course menu items are out of order!

When your course is copied over to a new site, the default course menu items will remain, even if you did not use them in your source copy site. The default menu items are:

• Announcements
• Course Information
• Staff Information
• Course Materials
• Communication
• Discussion Board
• External Links
• Tools

So you may end up with more menu items than you need and will need to remove them. For each course, go to the Control Panel, Course Menu, and delete the unnecessary items. Also, it is strongly recommended that you remove any menu items that you don't plan to use. Otherwise, students may become confused when they click on a menu item and receive the message "Folder Empty." You can always add menu items later on if you decide to use them.

Also, the ordering may be changed, or there may be duplicate numbers. If you tried to reorder items and it does not work, try the following:

1. Make sure you have removed any additional buttons you don't plan to use.
2. Locate the item (i.e. "Course Documents") that you want listed last
3. Click on the drop-down menu and select the highest number.
4. Locate the second-to-last button that you want listed, and assign it the second-to-last number.
5. Continue locating and assigning numbers to each item until you reach number 1.

I once had a course on Bb and now it is gone.

A number of courses were unable to be salvaged post-Katrina; and, we were only able to restore academic courses from Spring 2004 forward. We are no longer hosting our own Blackboard servers, but instead all of our courses are hosted at the Blackboard server site in Washington, DC.

Building Your Blackboard Course

New! How can I change the way my name is displayed to students in Blackboard?

All first and last names in Blackboard are retrieved automatically and directly from the WebSTAR system, which is however you entered your name on your human resource forms. Due to this automation, there is no way from the Blackboard end to change a user's first name, last name, or user name.

New! What is a Course Cartridge and how do I import it into a course?

• Open Access. This type of cartridge does not require students to purchase an access code, and you should also be able to copy cartridge/publisher content from one site to another, from one semester to the next. These typically contain less content than the copyright-protected cartridges.
   
• Copyright-protected. IMPORTANT: This type of cartridge requires students to purchase an access code, and you will not be able to copy the cartridge to other sites (you will have to request a new cartridge download key for each site for each semester). After the student logs into Blackboard, and enters your site, and then clicks on a content area that contains cartridge content, they will be prompted to enter in an access code (just once for the entire semester) that they purchased (either shrinkwrapped with the textbook or sold separately - as determined by you and your publisher representative).

To obtain/import a cartridge:

1. Decide which site you want the cartridge in, and if needed, request a site (either an "official" site or a developmental site - should be a blank site). Because most faculty do end up using the cartridge they selected, and copyright-protected cartridges cannot be copied over (you'll have to request a new download key for each site), we recommend that you request that the cartridge be imported into an "official" but blank/empty site for an upcoming semester. That way, you won't have to worry about extra steps of copying over (if an option) later. If you decide not to go with the cartridge, we can just delete the site. Note however that there is no way to remove a cartridge, so do not copy over any content yet - the only way to "remove" a cartridge is to delete the site. If you would like to evaluate the cartridge prior to importing it into a live site, or the course has not yet been scheduled, you will have the option to request a developmental site.
    
2. Contact your publisher representative and tell them you are interested in a Blackboard Course Cartridge for a particular text that will go into the campus Blackboard server. Please be sure that your publisher orders the correct combination and that the bookstore receives it. There have often been problems with the bookstore receiving the wrong codes, delaying students from accessing content.
    
3. Once you have decided on a text/cartridge/package, the publisher representative will most likely direct you to an online form, where you will select the appropriate text and/or package, enter other details, and then request a Course Cartridge Download Key. You may be asked a few details:
   • We are using Blackboard Academic Suite 7.3
   • For the system administrator name, type "UNO Bb Administrator".
   • For the email address, enter Blackboard@uno.edu(do not use an individual's email address - using this alias email ensures that it reaches the UNO Bb administrator email box.
      
4. Submit the online form.
    
5. Check your email to see if you have received an email containing the Course Cartridge Download Key. Once you have received it, that means the Chabot Blackboard Administrator received it too. You can either wait until the administrator emails you to confirm which course you want this downloaded to, or you can forward a copy to Blackboard@uno.edu and specify exactly which course site this is for.
    
6. The administrator will then import the cartridge (usually only takes a few minutes) and you will be notified when this has been completed. Once you decide that you are going to use the cartridge, you can use the Copy Course tool to copy content from other sites and/or edit the site as you wish.

What is the Control Panel?

The Control Panel is the area where the instructor, TA or course builder can add or modify course materials and other information related to your course. To access the Control Panel, click on the "Control Panel" button at the lower left of the main page of your Blackboard course. Only instructors, course builders, and teaching assistants will see this button.

How do I change my course name or description?

Go to the Control Panel, Course Options area, choose Settings, then click on Course name/description. Make any desired changes in the course title or description boxes, then click on the Submit button.

How do I remove unused buttons from the front page of my Blackboard course?

Go to the Control Panel, Course Options area, and choose Manage Course Menu. Click the remove button next to the area that you would like to remove. Click the OK button to make the desired changes.

How do I rename the buttons on the front page of my Blackboard course?

Go to the Control Panel, Course Options area, and choose Manage Course Menu. Click the modify button next to the area that you would like to rename. Type the new name for the area then click the Submit button to make the desired changes.

New! Can I change the order of my announcements?

The display order of non-permanent announcements is based on their "start-display-date". When you modify an announcement you will notice that it has "Start display on ..." set. If you modify that date/time, you can control the order of announcements. Or simply clear the checkmark, which means the start-display-date will default to the current date and time, and hence the announcement will be considered the newest one. In the Control Panel, click on Announcements.

How can I restrict access to areas of my course?

Go to the Control Panel, Course Options area, and choose Manage Course Menu. Click the modify button next to the area for which you would like to restrict access. Remove the check mark next to "Allow guest access" and "Allow Observer access" to restrict the area from guest view.

In what formats can I have a document in my course?

Blackboard can deliver many file formats. The important consideration is that students have the software on their computers to read that format.

Word-processing (Microsoft Word, Corel Word Perfect), spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel, Lotus Notes), and presentation (Microsoft PowerPoint, Corel Presentations) documents can be placed on Blackboard.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the best format.

PDF (Portable Document Format), which is a static "picture" of a document, is also useful - especially for publishing slide shows, static tables, or graphs created in applications that students are not likely to have.

Word-processing documents can also be saved in Rich Text Format (RTF). This format does not require a specific application, such as Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect to be viewed by the user.

How do I create PDF documents? How will my students read them?

Creating PDF documents requires the use of Adobe Acrobat writer, available at academic discount through the UNO Bookstore. Adobe Acrobat is also available in the Faculty Staff Resource Center, CC 104B.

To read PDF documents, students will use Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free software application that can be downloaded from: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

How will my students read word-processing documents?

Students must have either that software (e.g., Microsoft Word, Word Perfect) or a viewer to access the file. The Microsoft PowerPoint viewer can be downloaded here.

New! The "Add Item" button is missing.

If you are in a Content Area and you do not see the "Add Item" button, somehow it has been deselected from the list of available tools. To make it available again:

1. If you are not there already, go to the Control Panel of the course.
2. Within the Course Options area, select Manage Tools
3. Select Content Type Availability
4. Check the box for "Item"
5. Submit
6. Return to the Content area that you were at and verify that the "Add Item" button now displays.

New! Why aren't my students' files in the digital drop box?

Some students may be clicking on "Add File" rather than "Send File" function within the digital drop box. The "Add File" function simply allows a student to "add a file" to their personal drop box. Once the file is added to the personal drop box, the prompt display will read: "Posted on this date and this time," but the file was not sent. If a student wants to send a file to the instructor, the "Send File" function must be selected.  A new feature in  Bb6 is "Assignment", and it may be used in place of the digital drop box. Read more about "Assignments" in the Blackboard Manual.

New! What's the fastest way to read Discussion Board messages?

Discussion board postings do not have to be read individually. Enter the discussion forum in question and click on the "Show Options" tab in the upper right-hand corner of your screen to reveal a row of expanded option icons. Place a check in the box next to all the messages you'd like to read, and then select the "Collect" icon from the row of expanded options. All of the checked messages will appear on your screen at once, you may read them or print the entire session.

New! Is it possible to upload a DVD presentation to Blackboard for student viewing?

The answer is "it depends." For video any longer than a few seconds, UNO would need to save video files to a streaming server, which we don't currently have. If the video clip is not very long, you could check to see if the file type is on the list of file types supported by Blackboard as designated in the Blackboard Instructor's Manual and then try to add the file within a content area. However, even if you can add the file to Blackboard, note that the display area will be very small, which will not allow too much detail. A workaround would be to visit Media Resources to find out if you could get it duplicated for your students. That way, they could have the benefit of viewing in full screen and students who only have dial-up would not suffer slow performance.

NEW! My students do not see my quiz / test...and I'm sure I created and deployed it in a content area!

While the tests may be "deployed" in the content area they won't be available to students until you:

• make the tests available, and
• either specify specific dates or deselect the specific dates in the display options

The steps:

1. Within your course, go totheControl Panel
   
   
2. Click on the content area the quiz/test is located, in such as Course Documents
   
   
3. to the right of the test, click Modify
   
   
4. Click Modify Test Options
   
   
5. Scroll down to right under #2 to Make the Test Available - select Yes
   
6. Scroll down to the fields Display After and Display Until:

•  If you want to select a time frame for the quiz/test to display, select the dates you want it to display (if you want it to display immediately, and "Display After" displays today's date, change it to yesterday's date.
  
  
• If you want the quiz/test to display indefinitely, you can also not use date limitations at all. Make sure "Display Until" has no checkmarks. But note that when you no longer want the quiz/test to display to students, you'll want to make sure to click "No" to step #5.

New!How do I allow a student to re-take a quiz or exam?

Students may be 'kicked' out of a quiz for all kinds of reasons, such as:

• If they click the "Back" button during the quiz,
• Resize the Window on their screen, or
• Their browser times out.

To reset a quiz within Blackboard go to: Control Panel -->Gradebook"-->Spreadsheet View. When the Gradebook loads, locate the numerical score for the test and student. Click on the score (the numerical score is a hidden link) to pull up a copy of your student's completed exam. In the upper right-hand corner of the exam, locate the button that reads, "Clear Attempt." Clicking on that button will allow your student to take that test over. To prevent future problems, you may want to provide students tips for successful test taking (.pdf).

New! How do I download a copy (file) of my Gradebook?

1. From the Gradebook main view, click Download Grades, you'll be asked to select the delimiter type for the downloaded file.
   
   
2. The two options are Comma and Tab. Choose Comma.
   
   
3. Click Submit.
   
   
4. Click Download.
   
   
5. Click Save.
   
   
6. Make sure it displays the folder where you want to save the Excel file. Be sure to save it where you can easily find it later.
   
   
7. Leave the file name as is, or, if you have saved a copy of your Gradebook in the past, in the "File name" field, type in a file name. Be sure the "Save as type" field has the default "Microsoft Excel Comma Separated Values File" (csv file format).
   
   
8. Click Save. A "Download Complete" dialog box should appear, giving you the option to open the file now or close for later use.

New!How do I download, modify, then upload my Gradebook?

If you downloaded a copy of your Gradebook (steps above), you can now modify or add one or more items as needed (such as adding a test or changing a student's score), and then upload the file to make the changes to the "live" Gradebook.

1. Be sure to complete steps #1-8 above for downloading a copy of your Gradebook.
   
   
2. If you are still at the "Download Complete" dialog box (from the download step #8, above), you can click "Open," or if you closed it already, can open Excel, locate the file, and open the file.
   
   
3. Make the modifications to the Excel file / grades that you want made.
   
   
4. When you are finished, Save the file (you will receive several save prompts).
   
   
5. To upload the grades, from the Blackboard Control Panel Gradebook, click Upload Grades.
   Click Browse to select the Excel/csv file you just saved (must be a *.txt or a *.csv file).
   
   
6. Blackboard will ask you to select the column to upload from a file. Note that you can only select one column (you will need to repeat the Upload Grades steps for each column).
   
   
7. You will need to either select the destination column for the uploaded data, or select Create New Gradebook Item for the data to appear as a new Gradebook item.
   
   
8. Click Submit.
   
   
9. (If applicable) Check the boxes for the students in which you want to upload modified scores.
   
   
10. Click OK. You will be returned to the Gradebook with the changes made.

Managing Course Users

How will students be enrolled in my Blackboard course(s)?

Student enrollment is an automated process that updates daily. To view your course roster, go into your control panel, click on list/modify users, then list all.

How do I handle Add / Drop of students?

Late registrants will be added to your course automatically for you on a continuous basis. Students that drop a course will remain in that Blackboard course.

How do I remove students from my course?

You cannot remove students from your course. If a student has dropped the course and it is a hardship for you to have their name remain in your course, please send an email request to blackboard@uno.edu that the student be removed.

How do I check the student roster?

From your control panel click on "List / Modify users" and then choose List All.

New! I do not see one of my students listed in the Blackboard roster.

If a student does not show up in your roster in Blackboard, then most likely they aren't in the roster in WebSTAR. Enrollment data is loaded directly from WebSTAR into Blackboard. Most likely the student needs to check with the Registrar's office to find out why he / she isn't enrolled. If you verified that the student is in fact in your WebSTAR roster but you still don't see their name in the Blackboard Roster, request assistance by contacting the UNO Help Desk.

How do I add a Teaching Assistant to my course?

Instructors cannot add users to a course. To request that a user be added as a TA, please send email to blackboard@uno.edu.

How do I create a group of students within my course?

In the Control Panel, select Manage Groups from the User Management area.
Click on the Add Group button. Enter a name and description for the group.
In the Group Options area, select the tools allowed for this group.
Click on Submit. Click OK.
Select Add Users To Group and search for users to add to this group.
Click Submit. Click OK.

How do students change their email address in Blackboard?

Blackboard users will not be able to modify any of their personal information in their account, including their email address.

Getting Help

How do my students get help with Blackboard login problems?

Where can instructors go for assistance with Blackboard problems?

Email a UNO Blackboard Administrator: blackboard@uno.edu

UCC Help Desk: 280-HELP (4357) (Computer Center Room 101-R)
Email the Help Deskhelpdesk@uno.edu