Setting up a Section in Blackboard: The Complete Beginner's Guide

Blackboard (Campus Edition 6) is the upgraded VLE that Edge Hill University is currently switching over to.

The following screencast videos have been created to introduce staff to setting up and using their own Blackboard areas, and to act as a reference. They are available as streaming WMV (Windows Media) files.

The first section will briefly introduce you to teaching with on-line technologies at Edge Hill University, and show you the Blackboard environment. It is probably worth watching all of these if you are new to Edge Hill or to Blackboard CE 6.

The second section will demonstrate the various tools available in Blackboard, such as discussion boards, student profiles and online assignment submission. You are probably best just using the videos that relate to your needs at a particular time, rather than watching them all as there's over 90 minutes of videos.


Part One: An Introduction

01 - Introduction - 1:55 (details of contacts)
02 - Logging In - 1:53
03 - The Environment - 3:15
04 - The Home Page - 3:24
05 - Manage Course - 5:55
06 - File Manager - 2:13
07 - Instructor Tools - 3:15
08 - Adding a Student - 0.53
09 - Turnitin - Adding - 1.25
10 - Turnitin - Settings - 0.53


Part Two: The Blackboard Tools
Communication Tools

Discussion
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 1:01
02 - Setting up Discussion Boards - 2:41
03 - Things to Consider - 1:54

Profile
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:50
02 - Editing and Viewing Profiles - 1:45

Mail
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 1:08
02 - Settings - 1:12
03 - Sending and Managing Messages - 2:40

Chat
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:41
02 - Chat Rooms - 0:38
03 - Checking Java - 0:57
04 - Using a Chat Room - 4:08

Who's Online
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:39
02 - Using in Your Section - 1:12
03 - Using Via the myBlackboard Page - 0:33
04 - Setting Your Availability to Chat - 0:44

Announcements
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:46
02 - Navigation of the Calendar - 1:33


Content Tools

Learning Modules
01 - Introduction - 0:46
02 - Add Tool - 0:29
03 - Add Learning Modules - 1:23
04 - Add Content - Externally Created Files - 1:53
05 - Add Content - Content Links - 0:33
06 - Add Content - HTML Pages - 0:47
07 - Content Page Headings - 0:55
08 - Editing the Titles of the Links - 0:29

Web Links
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 1:00
02 - Add Categories - 0:36
03 - Add Links - 1:42
04 - Linking to the Library Catalogue - 3:08
05 - Adding Links to Folders and the Home Page - 0:55
06 - Managing Links - 2:13
07 - Alternative to Web Links: RSS Feeds - 3:16
08 - Sharing Lists of Feeds with Students - 2:19

Media Library
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:51
02 - Creating and Linking to Glossary Entries - 1:36
03 - Creating Collections of Images, Audio and Video - 1:06

SCORM
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:39
02 - Importing the Content- 1:12


Organisational Tools
Calendar
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:42
02 - Navigation of the Calendar - 1:02
03 - Adding Entries - 1:20
04 - Settings - Part 1 - 1:26
05 - Settings - Part 2 - 1:11

Search
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:33
02 - Searching - 1:18

Syllabus
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:45
02 - Adding Sections to the Syllabus - 1:41


Student Learning Activities Tools

Assignments
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 1:15
02 - Add Assignments - 3:33
03 - View as a Student - 1:20
04 - Manage Assignment Dropbox - 1:31

Assessments
01 - Introduction - 0:38
02 - Adding the Tool - 1:20
03 - Creating an Assessment - 1:26
04 - Changing Assessment Settings - 2:27
05 - Creating a Question - 2:20
06 - Previewing Questions - 0:50
07 - Managing Questions - 0:57
08 - Adding Questions to Assessments - 0:35
09 - Exporting and Importing Assessments - 1:03
10 - Revealing Assessments to Students - 1:53
11 - Assessment Manager - 3:57

Goals
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:56
02 - Creating Categories and Goals - 1:16
03 - Linking Goals to Content - 1:04


Student's Own Tools

My Grades
01 - Introduction - 1:37

My Progress
01 - Introduction - 1:16

Notes
01 - Introduction- 1:02

The Blackboard Student Tools: My Grades, My Progress and Notes (4 minutes)

Here is a beginners guide to using the My Grades, My Progress and Notes tools in your Blackboard CE 6 section. Again, these are initial versions and feedback/corrections are welcome.


My Grades - 1:37
My Progress - 1:16
Notes - 1:02

More Blackboard Tools: Assignments, Goals, Media Library and SCORM (17 minutes)

Here is a beginners guide to using the Assignments, Goals, Media Library and SCORM tools in your Blackboard CE 6 section. Again, these are initial versions and feedback/corrections are welcome.

Assignments
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 1:15
02 - Add Assignments - 3:33
03 - View as a Student - 1:20
04 - Manage Assignment Dropbox - 1:31

Goals
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:56
02 - Creating Categories and Goals - 1:16
03 - Linking Goals to Content - 1:04

Media Library
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:51
02 - Creating and Linking to Glossary Entries - 1:36
03 - Creating Collections of Images, Audio and Video - 1:06

SCORM
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:39
02 - Importing the Content- 1:12

More Blackboard Tools: Chat, Discussion, Mail and Who's Online (20 minutes)

Here is a beginners guide to using the Chat, Discussion, Mail and Who's Online communications tools in your Blackboard CE 6 section. Again, these are initial versions and feedback/corrections are welcome.

Chat
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:41
02 - Chat Rooms - 0:38
03 - Checking Java - 0:57
04 - Using a Chat Room - 4:08

Discussion
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 1:01
02 - Setting up Discussion Boards - 2:41
03 - Things to Consider - 1:54

Mail
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 1:08
02 - Settings - 1:12
03 - Sending and Managing Messages - 2:40

Who's Online
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:39
02 - Using in Your Section - 1:12
03 - Using Via the myBlackboard Page - 0:33
04 - Setting Your Availability to Chat - 0:44

More Blackboard Tools: Profile, Search, Syllabus and Announcements (9 minutes)

If you are wanting a quick introduction to using the Profile, Search, Syllabus or Announcements tools in Blackboard CE 6, these might help you get started. Again, these are initial versions and feedback/corrections are welcome.

Profile
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:50
02 - Editing and Viewing Profiles - 1:45

Search
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:33
02 - Searching - 1:18

Syllabus
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:45
02 - Adding Sections to the Syllabus - 1:41

Announcements
01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:46
02 - Navigation of the Calendar - 1:33

The Calendar Tool in Blackboard (6 minutes)

The Calender tool in Blackboard (CE 6) is a very simple way of sharing times of events with students, and keeping track of appointments.

If you have your own calendar/diary you probably won't want to use it as it will be another place for you to look for appointments, but it's there if you want to use it.

Again, these screencasts are initial versions, so any feedback will be appreciated.

01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 0:42
02 - Navigation of the Calendar - 1:02
03 - Adding Entries - 1:20
04 - Settings - Part 1 - 1:26
05 - Settings - Part 2 - 1:11

Podcasting in Plain English by Common Craft

Lots of people are still confused about what podcasting is, and why they should care.

Common Craft are always worth a look when you need technologies explaining to you in a simple way, and they've got round to creating a video about using podcasts. While the best way to get your head round it is to subscribe to some podcasts, this video will introduce some of the concepts to you.



Probably the easiest way to get started consuming podcasts is to install iTunes on your computer, and search the podcast area of their store for podcasts on subjects that you are interested in.

Ask your students if they use podcasts. If they do perhaps you can start a podcast on a subject that you are an expert on, and share it with them and other people around the world? Perhaps you can encourage students to create their own as part of their learning.

Just listening to/watching podcasts alone is unlikely to result in deep learning, but it is a way of getting an introduction to subjects and discussions that are going on around subjects. Personally I listen to them while I'm travelling, doing housework, and in other situations where I might be bored and am glad of something to think about. So for me, well made podcasts are a free and welcome way of learning the basics about a subject, without the pain.

Creating Learning Modules in Blackboard (7 minutes)

Learning Modules in Blackboard CE 6 allow you to create a series of pages (web pages, images, files, web links, discussions, etc) that a student can work through. You might want to use this to present online lessons to students.

In these videos we explain how to set up a Learning Module. These are the first drafts of the training, so please let us have feedback.

01 - Introduction - 0:46
02 - Add Tool - 0:29
03 - Add Learning Modules - 1:23
04 - Add Content - Externally Created Files - 1:53
05 - Add Content - Content Links - 0:33
06 - Add Content - HTML Pages - 0:47
07 - Content Page Headings - 0:55
08 - Editing the Titles of the Links - 0:29

The Web Links Tool: Sharing Links to Resources on the Web (15 minutes)

The Web Links tool in Blackboard CE6 is used to create and organise links to resources on the Web. In this session we look at using this tool and an alternative to it.

These screencasts are streamed WMV files. Please let us have any feedback that you have.

01 - Introduction and Adding the Tool - 1:00
02 - Add Categories - 0:36
03 - Add Links - 1:42
04 - Linking to the Library Catalogue - 3:08
05 - Adding Links to Folders and the Home Page - 0:55
06 - Managing Links - 2:13
07 - Alternative to Web Links: RSS Feeds - 3:16
08 - Sharing Lists of Feeds with Students - 2:19

The Learning Theory Podcast

Often Learning Technolgists move into education with a background in technology but not educational theories. For those of with that background Dan Campbell's bi-weekly Learning Theory podcast might be a useful introduction. It is in the form of monologues which isn't as engaging as conversations, but it is very concise and as it is audio you can listen on the way to work, walking round the supermarket or whatever.

It might give you a skeleton of understanding about learning theories and thinkers that will help you explore, and that you can build upon.

The Assessment Tool: Setting up Quizzes and Surveys in Blackboard CE6 (18 minutes)

We're putting together some just-in-time training for those who want to set up areas in Blackboard. I'll put the initial versions online section by section as they are produced.

The first section that I've recorded is for the Assessment Tool, which you can use if you want to create quizzes and surveys.


01 - Introduction [Google Video] - 0:38
02 - Adding the Tool [Google Video] - 1:20
03 - Creating an Assessment [Google Video] - 1:26
04 - Changing Assessment Settings [Google Video] - 2:27
05 - Creating a Question [Google Video] - 2:20
06 - Previewing Questions [Google Video] - 0:50
07 - Managing Questions [Google Video] - 0:57
08 - Adding Questions to Assessments [Google Video] - 0:35
09 - Exporting and Importing Assessments [Google Video] - 1:03
10 - Revealing Assessments to Students [Google Video] - 1:53
11 - Assessment Manager [Google Video] - 3:57

Please give any feedback that you have :)