Blackboard
is software tool that allows course materials to be presented
on the web. If offers a variety of communication and collaboration
tools for both faculty and student.
Helpful Tips
Tip
- Organize and use folders
Before
you start uploading files to Blackboard, take some time to think
about how information and documents will be organized and presented.
If you will be placing more than a couple of documents in your
course, create folders first and then place documents in the folders,
so that you and your students can clearly identify and find the
materials. Decide on the organization of the documents, it may
be by class session, by topic, by type of document, by source,
or by any number of other criteria.
Tip
- Order documents
Documents
can be listed in a particular order on the page by clicking on
the number box that preceeds the title of the document within
the Control Panel. You can also color code titles, by clicking
on the "Pick" button within the "create" or "modify"
a document screen.
Tip
- Be sure to "submit"
Whenever
you add or modify a document, make sure to scroll down to the
bottom of the page and click the "submit" button. If you click
the browser "back" button, your changes will be lost. After clicking
the "submit" button, you will see a confirmation screen, at which
point you can click the "OK" button on the screen to return to
the documents page.
Tip
- File types
Students
may not have the capability to open a WordPerfect or Word document
at home. To prevent any file type or version problems, save your
wordprocessing document as an html file to upload into Blackboard.
This can generally be done by the "Save As" menu item
under "File." Then Save As either an html or web page.
Documents
embedding numerous images or using complex formulas or symbols
might be best presented as an Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file.
Tip
- Upload files and don't use the text box
Typing
information in the text box in Blackbaord is quick and easy. However
it is often more effective to attach (upload) a document. This
is very useful when: 1. The content is a large file that students
will need to read and print. 2. The content is a worksheet, handout,
or tip-sheet that students will need to save for future reference.
3. The content exists in a format other than HTML or a word processing
document, such as Excel or PowerPoint. 4. The content requires
a specific embed tag to run properly. Also, you keep a copy of
all your documents for future use.
Tip
- Use "Expand All" with discussion threads
Discussion
groups are threaded thematically - according to topic. To better
view replies to discussion threads, click on "expand all."
Tip
- Student homepages.
Require
students to fill out the homepage in Blackboard to include name,
address, work and home phone numbers, and other pertinent information
you might need throughout the semester.
