Blackboard: an Introduction to the Learning Environment

Blackboard: An Introduction to the Learning Environment

http://blackboard.manchester.ac.uk

The University of Manchester

Table of contents

Aims and Objectives 1

Further Staff Development Opportunities 2

Introduction 2

Introduction 3

What is Blackboard? 3

What can you do with a Blackboard? 3

The Benefits of Blackboard 3

Blackboard’s (Learning Context) Hierarchy 4

A Blackboard Course vs. a Blackboard Section 5

Roles in Blackboard 6

Pre-Log in Checks 7

Task 1: Open your Web Browser 7

Task 2: Check Web Browser Compatibility 8

Task 3: Dealing with Red Ticks during Browser Check 9

Browser Check Error 9

Cookies and JavaScript 9

Pop-Ups Blocker Check 9

Java Check 10

Final Browser Check 10

Logging In 11

Task 4: Log In to Blackboard 11

The My elearning homepage 12

My elearning homepage ‘Channels’ 12

The My Elearning Home Page Logo Bar 13

My Settings 13

Task 5: Explore My Settings 14

Check Browser 14

Logout 14

Help 14

Task 6: Use Help to Learn about the Calendar tool 14

Accessing Global Mail from the My elearning Homepage 16

Task 7: Explore Global Mail 16

Common Functions in Blackboard (for reference) 17

Sorting Messages 17

Selecting items in a list 17

Moving or Copying items 17

Paging 18

Accessing the Calendar from the My elearning homepage 18

Task 8: Access the Calendar from the My elearning homepage 18

Customise ‘Channels’ on the My elearning homepage 20

Task 9: Add a Calendar Entry 20

Task 10: Make Additional Calendar Entries: 22

Task 11: Add a ‘To Do List’ entry 22

Task 12: Personal Bookmarks 23

Explore a Section as a Student 24

Task 13: Open a Section 24

The Home Page 24

The Home Page Logo Bar 25

Home Page Tabs 25

Build Tab 26

Teach Tab 26

Student View Tab 26

Navigating in Blackboard 27

Use Hyperlinks 27

Use the Course Tools Menu 27

Task 14: Use the Course Tools Menu to open a Discussion forum 27

Using the Course Content Tool 28

Task 15: Navigate to the web Links folder using the Course Content Map 28

Use the Breadcrumb Trail 28

Task 16: Navigate Using the Breadcrumb Trail 29

Using PeopleLinks 29

Using ActionLinks 30

Use Course Tools 30

Course Tools 31

Students’ My Tools 32

Use Course Tools 33

Announcements Tool 33

Task 17: Read an Announcement as a Student 33

Syllabus Tool 33

Task 18: Explore a course Syllabus as a Student 34

Learning Modules Tool 34

Task 19: Explore a Learning Module as a Student 35

Media Library Tool 36

Task 20: Access Resources in the Media Library as a Student 36

Task 21: Access Resources in the Media Library from a Learning Module as a Student. 36

Mail Tool 37

Task 22: Access Mail as a Student 37

Create a New Message 38

Include an Attachment 39

Delete an Attachment 39

Send an email as High Priority 39

Use Auto Refresh to see new email immediately 40

Discussions Tool 40

Task 23: Participate in a Threaded Discussion as a Student 41

Task 24: Participate in a Class Blog as a Student 42

Task 25: Explore a Journal Entry as a Student 43

Chat and the Whiteboard Tool 44

Task 26: Participate in a Chat and use the Whiteboard, as a Student 44

Assessments Tool 46

Task 27: Attempt and Submit an Assessment as a Student 46

Assignments Tool 47

Task 28: Attempt and Submit an Assignment as a Student 47

Task 29: Change text sizes from Points(pt) to Percentages 48

Folders 50

Task 30: Explore a Folder as a Student 50

What is Blackboard?

Blackboard is a Learning Management System often referred to as a Virtual Learning Environment or VLE. Blackboard provides a variety of tools to help the design, delivery and management of online and/or blended courses and includes tools to integrate communication and assessment.

What can you do with a Blackboard?

· Design and develop entire courses, or smaller course elements that can be delivered online.

· Supplement tutor-to-student and student-to-student communication using online tools.

· Provide access to digital resources within your course.

· Integrate your course with other digital resources.

· Support course administration through student tracking, marking and grading, and assignment submission.

The Benefits of Blackboard

Here are just a few benefits Blackboard can provide:

· Support large, diverse groups of learners with different learning styles

· Support blended, flexible, distance and independent learning opportunities

· Make learning accessible beyond the classroom, 24/7

· Allow various modes of assessment to be used

· Enable the learner to control and govern their own pace of learning

· Edit and update existing course material quickly

· Control access to courses to specific learners

· Use a range of digital media; text, audio, video etc, to support learners

· Support collaborative and group working, fostering a social-constructivist learning pedagogy

· Enhance course communication through; discussion forums, e-mail and live-chat

Blackboard’s (Learning Context) Hierarchy

Blackboard has a very hierarchical structure, mainly for the purpose of administration. As someone that is going to be managing or developing online courses, chances are that you will only be working at Section level, but it’s useful to know the overall structure for reference.

Blackboard’s Hierarchy

TEACHING & LEARNING / ADMIN & SET-UP
• Institution level
• Faculty level
• School level
• Course level
• Section level (Course Unit level)

Different Admin ‘levels’ allow for the devolution of administrative controls.

A Blackboard Course vs. a Blackboard Section

Basically, the look and feel and content for a course can be developed at course level using a course template and then the course template can be assigned to a Section or many Sections in order to make the course live. This gives all the Sections within a course the same design consistency.

A Section (not a course) is where all grading, instruction, and interaction occur. A Section is a “live course”. Within Manchester University it can be regarded as the equivalent of a live Course Unit.

At least one Section must exist per course. There can obviously be multiple Sections per course.

Example of Course/Section structure:

Roles in Blackboard

As a Blackboard user you will operate within one or several ‘Roles’. The ‘Role’ you work within, determines the amount of administrative and management control you have within the Blackboard environment.

Note: Staff responsible for designing courses will usually be assigned both Designer and Instructor roles where the Build, Teach, and Student View tabs will all be available.

Role / Functions
Section
Designer / Build Sections, add files and course tools. For example:
· add course tools to the Section
· use the File Manager
· add content to a Section
· customise the look and feel of the Section
· add communication tools
· create Assignments and Assessments
· create Web links
Section
Instructor / Manage Sections, arrange content, tool settings, and manage and enrol users. For example:
· Create and manage Sections
· Enrol Section Designers/Instructors and Students
· interact with students in the Section
· change assignment & assessment settings
· grade assignments & assessments
Teaching Assistant / Limited Section Instructor functions (which can be set). For example:
· present the course
· interact with students on the course
· grade assignments & assessments
Student / Contribute and Interact with tools and content presented by your Section Instructor. For example:
· view course material
· access assignments and assessments
· participate in discussion and chat
Auditor / Similar experience to the Student role, but no grading occurs and no ‘footprint’ is left within a Section.

Pre-Log in Checks

The following tasks require you to carry out some checks to ensure that your computer’s web browser is capable of running Blackboard efficiently.

If you use more than one PC, you will have to carry out these checks for each computer that you use.

Web Browser Checks include:

· Is the web browser you are using, compatible with Blackboard?

· Are Cookies enabled?

· Is JavaScript enabled?

· Is the Pop-Up Blocker turned off?

· Is Java installed?

Task 1: Open your Web Browser

In this task you will open a browser and navigate to the Blackboard Web Server.

1. Open your web browser

2. Type the address below into the Address Bar of your web browser

3. http://blackboard.manchester.ac.uk - this is the address of the Blackboard Web Server, here at the University

4. Press Enter on your keyboard
the University of Manchester Entry Page shown in Figure 1 should appear

Figure 1

5. At this point you may find that your computer opens the Browser Check window and carries out the Browser Checks automatically.

– If it does and you encounter any red ticks in the results, move onto Task 3:Dealing with Red Ticks

– If the browser check window does not open, move onto Task 2: Check Web Browser Compatibility

Task 2: Check Web Browser Compatibility

In this task you will carry out a Browser Check to check its compatibility with Blackboard.

1. Ensure you are on the University of Manchester Entry Page

2. Click on Check Browser which you will find in the top right corner of your window
the Browser Check Results window will open – See figure 2

3. You computer will now automatically carry out the checks

4. Use the Scroll Bar or increase the size of the window to see all the Browser Check Results.

5. If you encounter any red ticks in the results, move onto Task 3:Dealing with Red Ticks

6. If all your boxes have green ticks in them, your computer is ‘Blackboard-ready!’

Figure 2: Browser Check Results window

Task 3: Dealing with Red Ticks during Browser Check

In this task you will deal with any Browser Check (red tick) errors. If you encountered any red ticks during your browser check, follow the relevant guidelines shown below to rectify the errors.

Browser Check Error

If you encountered a red tick like the one shown below: