Adding and Modifying Course Content

Adding and Modifying Course Content

Adding and Modifying Course Content

Adding and Modifying Course Content

Version 1.00.05242006


FrancisTuttleTechnologyCenter

eLearning Department

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Purpose and Objectives ...... 3

Formatting Conventions ...... 3

Creating Different Types of Course Content ...... 4

Modifying Course Content ...... 6

Purpose and Objectives

This document is designed to show instructors the options available for creating and modifying content within a course. This document provides information and instruction on how to:

  • Create different types of course content
  • Modify existing course content

Formatting Conventions

Throughout this document you’ll see various symbols and specially formatted text. Here’s what it all means:

  • General instructions and hands-on activities are laid out in numbered lists, like this:

1. Log into the Blackboard system.

2. Click on the Control Panel button.

3. And so on…

  • Menu commands are written in the form, Menu > Submenu > Submenu. For example, the instructions “choose Edit > Copy” would be the equivalent of the following if put into a numbered (step) list:

1. Choose Edit from the menu bar.

2. Choose Copy from the drop-down menu that opens.

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Last updated: 11/2/2018

Copyright, Fair Use, the TEACH Act, and Blackboard

  • Important words or phrases are formatted in bold text.
  • Text formatted in a different font is text that you need to type. In some of the hands-on activities, you may be asked to type a URL in the address bar of a browser, or to type a passage into a text box. For example, the following instructs you to type the word “appreciate” into the box provided:

Type appreciate into the box provided.

  • Folder and file names, as well as options you may choose to select from a menu are formatted in italics.

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Last updated: 11/2/2018

Adding and Modifying Course Content

Creating Different Types of Course Content

You will have to put documents, such as Information Sheets,that provide content to your students in the content area of your course. You may also want to add external links—links to web content and pages, assignments, tests, and other types of content into your course. This procedure explains how to add various types of content to your Blackboard course.

Before you can add any content to your Blackboard course, you must be logged into Blackboard and have open the course into which you want to add content. Then you can complete the following steps:

  1. Click the menu item to which you want to add content. (For example, if you have a menu item called Course Documents, click the Course Documents menu link.)
  1. Click the folder in which you want to add the content. (In most cases, you will have created a folder that corresponds to a specific week or type of content in your course.)
  1. Click the Edit View link near the top right of the Blackboard window to switch from the student view to instructor view. (This is the Quick Edit option. If you choose not to use it, you can complete these steps by going through the Control Panel until you are in the folder where you want to add content. The result is the same.)

Now you can create various types of course content including the following:

  • Information in text format. This content includes such things as Information Pages found in Francis Tuttle’s paper-based LAP (Learning Activity Packet) documents.
  • External links. These are links to any website page that is not part of the actual course.
  • Course links. These are links to anything within this course.
  • Tests and links to tests.Tests are a series of questions prepared within this course, and the test link is the link within the course that launches the test.
  • Learning Units. These are areas of content from which controlled access can be granted. They are used primarily to control a student’s progress from one part of the course to another, and can be used to manipulate a student’s ability to progress in the course based on accomplishments in previous learning units.
  • Surveys. These are non-graded questions designed to solicit feedback from students.
  • Assignments. These are tasks given to students that require them to download a file from the instructor, fill it out, and then resubmit it to the instructor.
  • Discussion boards. These are areas within the course where online communication and interaction between students and the instructor can take place; they are often used for discussing a course-relevant topic and encouraging online communication.
  • Syllabi. These are specific to each course and are used to identify to the student what to expect from the course as well as what will be expected of him or her.
  • Offline content. This allows for access to content that is on a CD but which is integrated within the course.
  • SCORM content. This allows you to bring in any prepared content that has been developed by any course development software, the output of which is a SCORM-compliant course component.

To add any of these items of content to your course, you access the menu bar found once you are in Edit View. (Use the Quick View option, the instructions for which were provided above.) Once you are in the area of the course where you want to create one of these types of course content, complete the following steps:

  1. Click the related option on the menu bar, or select it from the drop-down menu and click Go For example, to create a text document, click the Item option on the menu bar. The Add Item page opens.
  2. Provide any requested information depending on the page that opens.
  3. Click Submit, and then click OK.

For the most part, that is all there is to providing content within your course. Each type of content has its own specific information requirements, and you need to provide that as well. But the process is the same.

Because the type of content you provide differs with the type of information you are creating within your course, separate procedures have been written for each of the different kinds of content. Those procedures are provided on the Francis Tuttle Blackboard Support website. Most are available in PDF form, but some also have demonstrations available. To locate the procedure that explains the type of content you want to add to your course, go to the Francis Tuttle Blackboard Support website, which can be found at: (The How To and Teaching With Blackboard links will provide you with access to procedures and demonstrations.)

Modifying Course Content

To change course content that you’ve added to your Blackboard course, complete the following steps:

  1. If you do not already have it open, open the Blackboard course with content that you want to change.
  2. Click the menu item in which the content is located. (For example, if the content to be modified is in the menu item called Lessons, click the Lessons menu link.)
  3. Click the folder containing the content you need to modify.
  4. Click the Edit View link near the top right of the Blackboard window to switch from Display View to Edit View.
  5. Click the Modify button next to the item you want to change.
  6. Make changes as appropriate to the content, click Submit, and then click OK.

You have now been introduced to the types of content you can add to or modify in your course, and the basic process for adding and modifying content. For more information, refer to specific procedures found on the Francis Tuttle Blackboard Support website.

Last updated: 11/2/20181

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