Blackboard for Beginning Users

Support Training Series

from

Technology Enhanced Learning Services

© Yavapai College
1100 East Sheldon Street
Prescott, Arizona 86301
Phone 928-445-7300
Table of Contents
TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING SERVICES ........................................................................................ 1 
INTRODUCTION TO ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY IN
BLACKBOARD ........................................................................................................................................... 1 
COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY ONLINE UTILIZING EMAIL, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND DISCUSSION FORUM 1 
Learning Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 1 
Send Email in Blackboard .................................................................................................................... 2 
Checking Email Addresses in Blackboard ............................................................................................ 4 
Junk Email and Bulk Mail..................................................................................................................... 4 
Best Practices on Communicating with Email ...................................................................................... 5 
Posting Announcements in Blackboard ................................................................................................ 6 
Create a Discussion Forum in Blackboard ........................................................................................... 8 
Adding Discussion Threads in Blackboard ........................................................................................... 9 
Managing Your Discussion Forums.................................................................................................... 10 
ADDING CONTENT TO BLACKBOARD........................................................................................................ 11 
Learning Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 11 
Adding a Folder .................................................................................................................................. 11 
Adding an Item .................................................................................................................................... 13 
Adding an External Link ..................................................................................................................... 14 
Adding a Course Link ......................................................................................................................... 15 
Adding an Assignment......................................................................................................................... 16 
Adding and Managing Gradebook Items ............................................................................................ 17 
Introduction to Essential Skills
for Teaching with Technology
in Blackboard
All course sections that are currently listed in the AMIS or Registration system
now have a Blackboard component available for instructors to utilize. There are a
number of essential skills that are necessary for online teaching and learning.

This three-hour session will cover the basic computer skills required for
effectively teaching an online course utilizing the Blackboard system. The
different sections we will be covering include:
• Communicating effectively online utilizing email, announcements, and the
discussion forum;
• Adding content to Blackboard using folders, items, external links, course
links and assignments;
• Adding and managing gradebook items;
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Communicating Effectively Online Utilizing

Email, Announcements and Discussion Forum
Interaction is the most important aspect for student success in an online course.
By allowing opportunities for the students to communicate with one another, it
enhances their learning by letting them question and discuss issues in the
course. As an instructor, you need to decide the level of interaction you want to
have with each student - and build the courses accordingly.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this section, learners will be able to:
• Use email for effective communication as an online instructor;
• Send an email from the Blackboard system;
• Check the listed email address of students in the course;
• Inform students of junk mail and bulk email issues;
• Understand the best practices for effectively communicating to your
students online;
• Post an announcement in Blackboard;
• Create a discussion forum in Blackboard;
• Add a new thread to a discussion forum.

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Send Email in Blackboard
Email is one of the most used forms of communication today. Compared to other
communication media such as the telephone, radio, and television, email
remains a relatively new invention. Email is an essential communication tool for
distance education. Email is about staying connected to your students in your
course.

The Blackboard Send Email feature allows users to quickly send email to the
students or other instructors in Blackboard. You cannot view incoming email, or
send an email to someone outside of the class. Any emails sent to you from your
students will be delivered to your Yavapai College email account.

The Send Email feature can be accessed from two different areas:

1. When you first log into Blackboard, you will see a customized screen that
states, “Welcome, (Your Name)”. There will be a “Tools” menu on the
left hand side of your screen. Click the “Send Email” link. Select the
course in which you want to send an email.
2. In the course, the “Send Email” feature is available in the
Communications area. This can be customized accordingly so it appears
on the left hand navigation.

At this point, a screen similar to the following will

appear:

Functions of Users:

The following users and groups are available to

send email to from the Send Email page:

Description Group
All Users Sends email to all users in the course.
All Groups Sends email to all of the groups in a specified course.
All Teaching Sends email to all of the Teaching Assistants in a specified
Assistants course.
All Instructors Sends email to all of the instructors for a specified course.
Sends email to a single user or selected users in a specified
Select Users course. Select a person(s) by placing checkmark in box next
to name.
Send email to a single group or selected groups in a course.
Select Groups
Select a group(s) by placing checkmark in box next to name.

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If Select Users is chosen, the following screen will appear:

Type in the subject and email message after selecting the users.

The following table will help with understand the areas in the email feature:

Field Description
Enter Message Details
Names of users to receive the email will appear. Or, select the
To:
individual users depending on the option chosen.
From: The user’s email address will automatically be displayed in this field.
Subject: The user’s subject will automatically be displayed in this field.
Message: Enter the email message.
A copy of this email will be sent to the sender.
Add Attachments
Click here to add attachments. Select Browse on the page that
Add:
appears and navigate to the file that should be attached to the email.

Instructors and students can easily receive hundreds of legitimate emails per
week. If you are teaching multiple courses and/or sections online, it can become
overwhelming. Add junk email or spam, and the emails can continue to grow.
Because of this large quantity of email, it is important to make email you send as
easy to identify as possible, for you and your students. This can be done with
meaningful display names and subject lines.

For example, require the students to include the class, assignment, and student
name in the subject line.

Subject: ENG 101, Essay #1, Jane Doe

This will help you identify and manage your class more efficiently.

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Also, remember to make sure the spelling and grammar are correct. Misspellings
and poor grammar distract from the subject of the message and reflect poorly on
the sender. While most email applications have built-in spell checkers, most do
not have tools to check grammar. If you want to check your grammar before
sending your email, copy your message text and paste it into a word processor
that has a grammar checker, such as Microsoft Word. Once the grammar check
is completed, copy and paste the text back into the email message.

Checking Email Addresses in Blackboard

The list of students in the course can be viewed by going into the course control
panel and selecting List/Modify Users.

Click the Search button and the class roster will appear. You can view the
students’ username and email here. (This is very helpful if you have students
who can’t log into Blackboard).

If their email address has a changeme@yc.edu then they will have to contact
Registration or change it in Electronic Student Services. Once the email address
has been changed officially in the Registration system, it will update itself in
Blackboard that evening.

Email relies on students having a valid email address and a way to access their
mail outside of Blackboard. Email messages are received in the user’s email
account that is listed in their Personal Information. Email messages do not
become part of the course record; no copies are retained within Blackboard.

Junk Email and Bulk Mail

If students are emailed through Blackboard as a group, they may not receive the
information due to the configuration of their hotmail, yahoo, etc. accounts. Many
times, email will be sent to their Junk Mail or Bulk Email accounts. If a student
has a setting in their email to delete junk email when they receive it, they may
never be graced with your words of wisdom. Please remind students to check
their junk mail and update the settings to receive your email.

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Best Practices on Communicating with Email
Please remember that Blackboard is new for many students. Send your
students a welcome email prior to the start of the semester. Some instructors
also include this information in their syllabus. If you are utilizing the different
features in Blackboard, provide the following information to the students.
• How to access Blackboard;
• Date of when students can access the course;
• How to check and change their own email;
• How to provide information in the subject line of
email.
Other topics to include in the welcome email are:
• How to utilize the discussion boards;
• How to check their grades;
• How to send assignments.

By contacting students using email from within the course, you are able to keep
them up-to-date, answering questions and providing feedback.

Notes

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Posting Announcements in Blackboard
Announcements in Blackboard should be posted on a consistent basis.

Push critical or time sensitive

messages out to all course users
using Announcements.
Announcements can be made
permanent, always displaying, or they
can be timed to release and expire on
particular dates. Announcements can contain hyperlinks as well as links to
course content. By default, announcements are set as the course entry point,
although you have an option to change this setting as an instructor.

In order to add an announcement to Blackboard, go into the course control panel

and select Announcements.

A screen that looks like the following will appear:

Click Add
Announcement.
Under
Announcement
Information, type a
subject for the
announcement and
add a message. If
you are using

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Internet Explorer on a PC, you will see a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You
Get) Editor. You have an option to format your content similar to a word
processing program.

By default, the “View Last 7 Days” tab appears. When you post an
announcement, it will be visible for 7 days and then move over into the “View
Last 30 Days” and “View All” tab. If you would like your announcement to
always appear, select Yes under “Permanent Announcement?” That way,
students will never miss any of your announcements. You also have the option to
Choose Date Restrictions on when you want your announcement to be
available.

You also have the option to browse to a course link. A course link allows you to
link directly to any content area of your course such as the syllabus or
assignments.

Notes

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Create a Discussion Forum in Blackboard
The Discussion Board is a communication tool that can be used to enhance an
online course or a way to continue the discussion outside of class. Access
discussion forums by clicking the Discussion Board link on the left side
navigation bar. Instructors have the option to customize where they add the
discussion forum in their courses. You can also locate a discussion forum by
clicking the Communication button.

The discussion forum is designed for asynchronous use, meaning users are not
present at the same time to converse online. For example email is asynchronous.
An additional advantage of the discussion board is that student conversations are
logged and organized. Conversations are grouped into threads that contain a
main posting and all related replies.

1. Click the Add Forum button to create a new Forum.

2. In the Title field, type the name of the forum such as Introductions.
3. In the Description field, provide the students with a question or
description of the forum.
4. Make Forum Available
5. Set the Forum Settings options.

Forum Setting What Happens?

Allow anonymous posts
Allow author to
modify own published posts
Allow author to
remove own posts
Allow file attachments
Allow member to create new threads
Grade > Grade Forum
If enabled, users have the option of
posting messages under the name
"Anonymous.”
If enabled, a user has the ability to
make changes to their messages after
posting them. Otherwise, only the
instructor may make changes to the
message.
If enabled, a user has the ability to
remove their messages after posting
them. Otherwise, only the instructor
may remove the message.
Enabling this function allows users to
attach files to messages they post to
the Discussion Board.
If enabled, users may create new
threads. Otherwise, no new threads
may be added to the forum.
If enabled, this will add the Discussion
Forum to the Gradebook. This works
similar to the Discussion Grader.

6. Click the Submit button.

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Adding Discussion Threads in Blackboard

1. Click on the title of the forum you wish to respond

2. Click the Add New Thread button.
3. Enter a subject and message. Click the Browse button to search for and
attach a document or image. (Instructors may take this option away).
4. Click the Submit button.

Note: If you are using Blackboard on a PC with Internet Explorer 5.5 or above,
then you will see a word processor screen. If you are using a MAC or different
Internet browser, you will see a less robust version of the text editor.

There are a number of options in the discussion forum view.

TO CLICK
Add New Thread. The Add Thread
Start a new discussion, which is called page will appear. On the Add Thread
a thread page a new subject title and new
discussion description may be added
See all the threads and responses Tree View
See only the threads List View

Notes

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Managing Your Discussion Forums

Most of the controls for managing a forum are shown above and below the
Discussion Board Threads.

1. Click the Go next to Select All.

2. Notice the options available under the dropdown menu of Display and
Change Status to.
3. Some options are available to everyone; some are only available to
instructors or users with forum administrator privileges, such as Flag,
Locked and Remove.
o For example, you might want to lock a thread when the discussion
has run its course and you no longer want students adding to that
thread.
o To Lock a Thread, you don't have to select all messages in the
thread; just the initial message.
4. Collecting messages allows you to view a group of messages in their
entirety on a single web page. This is useful if you want to see an entire
thread at once or perhaps all messages from a particular user. The collect
function is also useful if you want to print out a group of messages
because it saves you from having to print each message separately.
5. Remove the threads with the Remove option, however that permanently
deletes them.

TO CLICK
Read a message Click on message link.
Sort the list of messages Click on the drop-down menu at the
bottom of the forum and sort by Date,
Thread, Author, Status, Unread
Posts or Total Posts

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Adding Content to Blackboard
Instructors can add content to Blackboard by using items, folders, course links
and external links. When adding course content, give clear explanations
describing what each folder contains and how it fits in with the overall structure of
the course. Comprehensive instructions should be given with each online item
and assignment.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this section, learners will be able to:

• Add a folder and write a description of what users will see when they click
on the folder;
• Add an item that contains an attachment and text;
• Add an external link;
• Add a course link to your content item;
• Add an assignment;
• Add and manage gradebook items;
• Use the test manager to add multiple choice, true/false and short
answer/essay questions.

Adding a Folder
Folders are an excellent way to separate and manage content in your Blackboard
course.

1. Go into the course Control Panel and select a content area such as
Assignments or Course Information.

2. Click the Add Folder icon.

3. Under the Folder Information area, enter the name of the folder.

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 4. Choose the color of the name by click on the Pick button. You will be able
to select a color for the name of your folder.
5. Information for the folder can be added in the Text field. This is similar to
a word processing program. Formatting to enhance the instruction can
also be added by using bold, italics, underline and much more.

6. Under the Options section, you can choose to make the folder available
to your students or select dates of availability.

7. When completed, click the Submit button to finish.

Notes

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Adding an Item
Now that a folder has been added to the course, add the items that apply to that
folder. For example you can add course handouts, PowerPoint presentations,
media files, links, assessments and much more. Remember, Blackboard is only a
container to hold all of this information.

In order to add an item inside the folder:

1. Click on the folder title

2. Click the Add Item icon.

3. Follow the same steps as when the folder was created. Remember to be
descriptive for the students. Provide clear, concise, detailed instructions.
However, there will be an additional option to attach a file.

4. Click the Browse button to locate the saved file.

5. Provide a clear, descriptive name for Name of Link to File
6. Keep the Create a link to the file as the Special Action
7. Select Dates of Availability
8. Click Submit

Don’t forget that you can add items anywhere in the content areas of your
course.

Notes

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Adding an External Link

1. Click the Add External Link icon.

2. Under the External Link Information area, enter the name of the link,
URL address and provide a description of the link.

3. If you want to attach a file, you are able to do so.

4. Under Options, make sure that the following options are selected Yes

It is important to have the link open in a new window so students can navigate
through the site. They will also have the Blackboard course site open. You
should mention that students will need to turn off a pop up blocker, as the site
will open in a new window.

5. Select Dates of Availability

6. Click Submit

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Adding a Course Link

1. Click the Add Course Link icon.

2. Under the Course Link Information area, enter the name of the link,
and type text.
3. Under the Location area, click the Browse button.
4. A Course Map window will appear. Select the area in your course that
you wish to link.
5. Select Dates of Availability
6. Click Submit

Notes

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Adding an Assignment
1. Click the Assignment button from the drop down menu in the content
area.

2. Click the Go button.

3. Enter a name for the assignment and the number of points.
4. Provide clear, concise instructions on the assignment needed for the
students to complete. It would be helpful if the following information was
provided for students.

1. Click on the blue “View/Complete Assignment” link.

2. In the “Assignment Upload” area, add any “Comments” for
the instructor.
3. To attach your file, click the “Browse” button and locate your
saved assignment file. Your saved file should be in Rich Text
Format (rtf).
4. Click “Open” to attach.
5. If you want, you can “Add Another File” by clicking on the
button.
6. Click “Submit” to send the assignment to your instructor.

5. Select Dates of Availability

6. Click Submit

When you create an assignment in Blackboard, it automatically adds a column in

your gradebook.

Notes

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Adding and Managing Gradebook Items
Access the Gradebook by going into the course control panel and selecting
Gradebook. You will come to a screen that resembles the following:

Students will be added in the column that states Name (Last, First). Your
assignments will be added as you create them. Click the Add Item button and
fill out the information.

Remember that any

assignment, test or
survey added will
automatically create a
column in the
gradebook.

Would you like a tip

on best practices
utilizing the
Blackboard
gradebook?

Change your Date

according to when
assignments are due.
Otherwise, it will
default to the date that
you have added this
item. In many cases, this is way before the semester even begins! Students
will question you on the date that appears.

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Notes

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We have reached the end of our Blackboard for Beginning Users workshop.

Please contact Ruth Alsobrook-Hurich, Instructional Technology Specialist, for

more information on Blackboard.
Ruth_Alsobrook@yc.edu or (928) 776-2076

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