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.
What's New in Blackboard
Course Shells 101
Tip Sheets & Tutorials
Training Workshops
Training Schedule
Online Professional Development
References
Frequently Asked Questions
E-Learning E-Letter
In December 2007, Northwest Nazarene University upgraded to Version 7.3 of the Blackboard Learning System (Enterprise license).
The main area that visibly changed is the Discussion Board, which now gives users the choice of using the current structure or the classic "tree" view from previous versions. A few other enhancements were also made, such as the ability to Mark as Read or Mark as Unread.
Discussion Board Resources
7.3 upgrade handout - To give returning adjuncts a quick glimpse of the changes
Discussion Board video tutorial - A 10-minute, silent overview
Discussion Board Guide for Instructors - A comprehensive handbook
Posting to the Discussion Board - A tip sheet for any user
Discussion Board Guide for Students - A detailed handbook
Face-to-face training for instructors is available in the Intermediate Blackboard workshop. Contact Crystal Nielsen, Instructional Technologist for E-Learning (CDNielsen(at)nnu.edu or 208-467-8782), with any questions.
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
Request a Master or Restored course
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
Logging In
Navigating in a Course
Using the Control Panel
Course Planning
Build
Adding a Banner
Modifying the Course Menu
Modifying the Course Menu (video)
Adding Content or a File
Adding an Internet Link
Creating Trackable Assignments
Creating Trackable Assignments (video)
Submitting Trackable Assignments (for Students)
Submitting Trackable Assignments (for Students) (video)
Communicate
Creating Announcements
Creating Announcements (video)
E-Mailing from Within Blackboard
E-Mailing from Within Blackboard (video)
Adding Instructor Contact Info
Creating Group Areas
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
Manage
Using a Master Course (.ppt, 1.1 MB)
Making a Course Available
Uploading Multiple Files (Document Unpackager)
Copying or Moving Content
Copying a Course
Managing Content Types & Tools NEW
Combining Sections
Creating & Managing Groups (Advanced)
Encouraging Accountability with Review Status
Exporting Content Between Courses
Customizing with Adaptive Release
Using the Early Warning System (video)
Assess
Evaluating Discussion Participation
Downloading and Grading Trackable Assignments
Grading Trackable Assignments (video)
Creating a Test or Survey
Deploying a Test or Survey
Building a Test or Survey (video)
Upgrades to Testing and Gradebook (video)
Creating a Test from a Question Pool
Test-Giving Guide (for Instructors)
Test-Taking Guide (for Students)
Training workshops lasting about one hour are scheduled at least monthly, usually in the Wiley or Helstrom computer labs. You may also visit the Bb Orientation for Instructors located on Blackboard itself for self-paced training.
The Basic Blackboard workshop generally covers:
The Intermediate Blackboard workshop gives an overview of:
The Advanced Blackboard workshop familiarizes you with:
The TurnItIn workshop explores:
The Streaming Media demonstration helps you with:
See below for the current schedule. To reserve a spot, contact Crystal Nielsen, M.A., Instructional Technologist for E-Learning (CDNielsen(at)nnu.edu or 208-467-8782). If the session is Open-Topic style, please include your topic(s) of interest.
WORKSHOP FOCUS |
DATE |
TIME |
LOCATION |
Open Topics in Blackboard |
Monday, July 7 |
4:30 to 5:30 p.m. |
Helstrom 205 |
Advanced Blackboard |
Tuesday, July 8 |
Noon to 1 p.m. |
Wiley 114 |
Streaming Media |
Tuesday, July 8 |
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. |
Media Tech Center (Wiley 119) |
TurnItIn |
Tuesday, July 22 |
Noon to 1 p.m. |
Wiley 114 |
Fully online training courses are also available at no charge to NNU faculty, adjuncts and support personnel. Or, participants may take either course for credit, with a fee.
Online Course Design
This training course focuses on designing and developing an online course.
Audience:
Topics:
Length and schedule:
Current course dates:
For more information, contact Dr. Christine Bauer, E-Learning Director (CHBauer(at)nnu.edu or 208-467-8240).
Instructor Manual: Downloadable version (PDF, 1.5 MB)
Instructor Manual: Online, searchable version