Blackboard Support for Faculty and Staff
E-Learning Services provides a variety of resources to help faculty, adjuncts, course facilitators, and support staff. If you do not find below the help you need, please contact the Instructional Technologist for E-Learning (208-467-8782) for how-to help, or the Technical Response Center (208-467-8111) for troubleshooting assistance.
Blackboard Tip Sheets & Tutorials
Schedule for Learning Opportunities
Online Professional Development
E-Learning TAs Available to Help You
E-Learning Services has hired four students who are available to help faculty, adjuncts and support staff with course development using Blackboard and other online technologies, such as:
- exporting content between Masters and Official shells
- creating online tests
- preparing streamed media
- making course banners, and
- other projects both basic and complex that either you do not do very often or that are time-consuming
To request FREE help from an E-Learning Assistant, please e-mail your need to elearning(at)nnu.edu and include as many details as possible, or call Crystal Nielsen, Instructional Technologist for E-Learning (208-467-8782). She will assign the task to one or more assistants.
Web 2.0 Tools
Keep hearing about Web 2.0 and want to know more? Visit the new Web 2.0 page for some quick tutorials about wikis, blogs and podcasts, plus resources for incorporating these tools into your course.
Course Shells 101
At NNU, E-Learning Services refers to several types of course shells. For instance, you teach from an Official course, and you can store content in a Master course.
Find out more about course types or fill out a request for a Master
Blackboard Tip Sheets & Tutorials
You will need a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the tip sheets and Macromedia Shockwave Player to view the video tutorials. Both are found on campus computers or may be downloaded from their respective links for free. Note that you may need to maximize your browser window for best results when viewing tutorials, which were created by Blackboard Inc. and are marked with (video).
Start
Blackboard Accounts, Courses and Masters (.ppt, 1.1 MB)
Build
Modifying the Course Menu (video)
Creating Trackable Assignments
Creating Trackable Assignments (video)
Submitting Trackable Assignments (for Students)
Submitting Trackable Assignments (for Students) (video)
Communicate
Creating Announcements (video)
E-Mailing from Within Blackboard
E-Mailing from Within Blackboard (video)
Adding Instructor Contact Info
Creating Group Areas (video)
Discussion Board Guide for Instructors
Discussion Board Overview for Instructors (video)
Discussion Board Rating, Grading & Statistics (video)
Discussion Board User Roles and Moderating (video)
Posting to the Discussion Board
Discussion Board Guide for Students
Using the Live Chatroom - for Instructors
Manage
Uploading Multiple Files (Document Unpackager)
Managing Content Types & Tools
Creating & Managing Groups (Advanced)
Encouraging Accountability with Review Status
Exporting Content Between Courses
Customizing with Adaptive Release
Using the Early Warning System (video)
Assess
Downloading and Grading Trackable Assignments
Grading Trackable Assignments (video)
Evaluating Discussion Participation
Registering a Clicker (for Students)
Building a Test or Survey (video)
Upgrades to Testing and Gradebook (video)
Creating a Test from a Question Pool
Retrieving Test/Survey Results
Test-Giving Guide (for Instructors)
Test-Taking Guide (for Students)
Using the Gradebook with MS Excel
Learning Opportunities
The following opportunities are scheduled as face-to-face workshops periodically, usually at the beginning of a semester. They are also available as self-paced tutorials in the E-Learning Resource Center, a course site just for instructors located on Blackboard.
For one-on-one consultations on any of the following subjects, write to elearning(at)nnu.edu or call 208-467-8782.
Basic Blackboard
- Navigating
- Basic course planning
- Adding content, files and links
- Using communication tools such as announcements and e-mail
- Creating and managing trackable Assignments
Content Management
- Copying items within and between courses
- Exporting major chunks or tests between courses
- Using a Master course to retain or develop content
- Releasing certain content or tests to individual students
Student Management
- Handling adds & drops
- Setting up and managing Groups
- Combining course sections
- Using student accountability tools
Online Discussions
- Understanding the Discussion Board
- Using best practices to create discussion areas
- Reading, replying to and collecting posts
- Using forum moderation, post tagging and other extra features
- Assigning grades
Online Assessment
- Giving online tests and surveys
- Managing the Gradebook
Academic Integrity
- Understanding basic copyright & Fair Use issues
- Helping students understand academic integrity
- Using the TurnItIn plagiarism-detection software
Streaming Media
- Understanding what streaming means
- Following the NNU streaming policy
- Converting videos, DVDs or audio for Streaming
Web 2.0
- Building interactivity through blogs and wikis
- Using the Learning Objects applications to do so
Schedule for Learning Opportunities
WORKSHOP FOCUS | DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
Building Blogs & Wikis | Monday, Jan. 12 | 2 to 3 p.m. | Wiley 114 |
Basic Blackboard | " | 3 to 4 p.m. | Wiley 114 |
Blackboard for Students | " | 4 to 5 p.m. | Wiley 114 |
Online Professional Development
Fully online training courses are available at no charge to NNU faculty, adjuncts and support personnel. Or, participants may take a course for credit, with a fee.
Online Coursebuilding with Blackboard
This course focuses on the mechanics of building an online or hybrid course.
Audience:
- Those who are new to using Blackboard
- Those who wish to deepen their knowledge and skills in using Blackboard and other instructional technologies
Topics:
- Differences between traditional and online courses
- Features and benefits of using Blackboard
- Building content, assignments and assessments
- Creating and managing discussion forums and group areas
- Incorporating Web 2.0 elements such as podcasts, blogs and wikis
- Using media in a way that complies with copyright laws and file-size guidelines
Length and schedule:
- Three weeks, offered quarterly
Upcoming course dates:
- January 12-31, 2009
For more information, contact Crystal Nielsen, M.A., Instructional Technologist for E-Learning (CDNielsen@nnu.edu or 208-467-8782).
Online Course Design & Development
This course focuses on designing and developing an online course.
Audience:
- Those who must convert a traditional course to online
- Those who must develop a brand new course going online
Topics:
- The foundations for teaching and learning online
- An introduction to instructional design
- Creating multimedia instruction
- Creating community online
- Assessment and evaluation
Length and schedule:
- Six weeks, offered quarterly
Upcoming course dates:
- February 2-March 23, 2009
For more information, contact Dr. Christine Bauer, E-Learning Director (CHBauer(at)nnu.edu or 208-467-8240).
Online Teaching
This course focuses on best practices in teaching online or hybrid courses.
Audience:
- Those who plan to teach online
- Those who wish to deepen their knowledge and skills in teaching online
Topics:
- Creating rubrics to guide learners and aid assessment
- Using accountability tools such as Review status and the Performance Dashboard
- Managing content visibility through date/time restrictions, availability and Adaptive Release
- Using and managing the Collaboration tool (Virtual Classroom)
- Creating effective tests and match learning objectives
- Providing feedback through various means, such as within a test, through Comments, and via the Early Warning System
Length and Schedule:
- Three weeks, offered quarterly
Upcoming course dates:
- Spring 2009
For more information, contact Dr. Christine Bauer, E-Learning Director (CHBauer(at)nnu.edu or 208-467-8240).
References
Instructor Manual: Downloadable version (PDF, 1.5 MB)
Instructor Manual: Online, searchable version
