"Edit Mode"
Instructors must turn "Edit Mode" on to expose the action
menus that enable editing and adding content to pages.
The "Edit Mode" button is in the upper right of a course
content page. Click on the button to turn it on or off.
Content Areas & Pages
Use the left navigation functionality to add and organize pages and the
course navigation.
Add a Content Area
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From the course left navigation, click on the "plus sign" in
the navigation box just above the course title.
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Select "Create Content Area" from the available options. A
popup box will appear with a text entry field.
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Enter a name for the content area.
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Select the checkbox to make the area immediately available to users;
this can also be done at a later time.
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Click "Submit" to complete the creation process.
A new content area is created and the name will become a link in the
course left navigation. Next, content can be added in the new
content area or more can be added to the left navigation.
Add a Blank Page
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From the course left navigation, click on the "plus sign" in
the navigation box just above the course title.
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Select "Create Blank Page" from the available options. A popup
box will appear with a text entry field.
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Enter a name for the page.
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Select the checkbox to make the area immediately available to users;
this can also be done at a later time.
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Then click "Submit" to complete the creation process.
A new page is created and the name will become a link in the course left
navigation. Next, fill out the page information to set up the page
or continue setting up the left navigation.
Create & Insert a Module Page
Blackboard provides several informational and web application resources
(modules) that can be added to a Module Page. Module Pages
present/organize these information sources and web applications in
discrete boxes or modules. Instructors can select and arrange modules on a
Module Page for students to access. Currently the available modules
include: Alerts, Calculator, Dictionary, Announcements, Calendar, Tasks,
Report Card, Textpad, Thesaurus, To Do.
Create a Module Page
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Click on the "Build Content" button to expose a dropdown menu
listing various content types.
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Select "Module Page" listed under the "New Page"
heading.
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Enter information about the Module Page, decide when to make it
available to students, and select options.
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Enter a name and optional descriptive information associated
with the Learning Module.
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Select whether or not to allow students to personalize the module
page (if yes, students can also add, remove, and rearrange modules
on the page).
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Select from options for when to make the page available to students
and whether to track the number of times students launch/view the
page.
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Click "Submit" to create the module page.
Insert Modules into a Module Page
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Navigate to the Module Page, then click the
"Add Course Module" button to select from the list of
individual modules to add to the Module Page.
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Click "Submit" to complete the process.
"Edit Mode"
Instructors must turn "Edit Mode" on to expose the action
menus that enable editing and adding content to pages.
The "Edit Mode" button is in the upper right of a course
content page. Click on the button to turn it on or off.
Add Content
Instructors can easily add, organize, and link to course materials. In
your Blackboard course, with "Edit Mode" on, select "Build
Content" from the action menu items to add various types of content
including:
Add an Item
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Navigate to a content area within your course, then click
"Item" from the "Build Content" menu.
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Enter text in the text input box and/or attach files and/or link to
external content.
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Set the timeframe when students can see the content item and/or select
whether or not to track the number of times students access/view the
item, or you may maintain the default settings for these options.
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Click "Submit" to create the item.
Add a Folder
Content Folders are handy for organizing materials within a particular
content area. To begin, navigate to a course page and turn "Edit
Mode" on. An action menu will appear containing several action
buttons.
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Click on the "Build Content" action menu button to expose a
dropdown listing of content types to choose from.
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Select "Content Folder" listed under the "New Page"
heading.
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Name the folder and decide when to make it available to students.
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Enter a name for the folder and designate a color for it.
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Enter any descriptive information you may want for the folder.
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Using the "release options", choose when to make the
course folder available to students.
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Click "Submit" to complete the creation process.
Note: You should see the newly created folder in the content
area where you added it.
Add a Course Link
You can cross-link sections of your Blackboard course by adding a course
link.
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Click on the "Build Content" action menu button to expose a
dropdown listing of content types to choose from.
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Select "Course Link" listed under the "Create"
heading.
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Link to an item, page, or tool in your course.
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When you click "Browse" next to "Choose Item" in
the "Create Course Link" page, a popup window containing
all of the items in your course will appear in the upper right of
your monitor. Using this window, you will select the item, page, or
tool you want to link to.
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Name the link and enter any descriptive information you may want for
the link.
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Decide when the link will become available to students.
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Click "Submit" to complete the creation process.
Note: You should see the newly created course link in the
content area where you added it.
Add an External Link
An external link can be used to direct students to a web content residing
outside of your Blackboard course.
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Click on the "Build Content" action menu button to expose a
dropdown listing of content types to choose from.
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Select "URL" listed under the "Create" heading.
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Enter URL information (e.g. http://www.cmu.edu), decide the
behavior of the link (e.g. launch a new window).
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Select whether you want to the link to "Open in a New Window"
or display in the same window as where the link is placed.
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Using the "release options," choose when to make the link
available to students.
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Click "Submit" to complete the creation process.
Note: You should see the newly created course link in the
content area where you added it.
Add a Learning Module
A Learning Module is a collection of course content with options for
navigating through the content: a gated approach/sequential order or a
structured path that allows students to navigate in any order. Setting
up content in a Learning Module is similar to that of adding items to a
folder, but some functionality is added, like the sequential order feature
and a table of contents feature.
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Click on the "Build Content" action menu item to expose a
dropdown menu listing various content types. Select "Learning
Module" listed under the "Create" heading.
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Enter "Learning Module" information and select from options
for how users should navigate the content.
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Enter a name and descriptive information for this Learning Module.
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Select options for this module.
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Select "Yes" if you want for students to follow the
sequential viewing of this module.
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Click "Submit" to complete the creation process.
A "Learning Module" folder is created. Click the
"Learning Module" link to begin building/adding content for the
module.
Add a Syllabus
The "Syllabus" is essentially a template that instructors can
use to create, present, and modify their syllabus in a Blackboard course.
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Click on the "Build Content" button to expose a dropdown menu
listing various content types.
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Select "Syllabus" listed under the "Create" heading.
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Enter a name for the syllabus, then select either to "create a new
syllabus" or "use an existing file".
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Click "Submit" to create the syllabus object.
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Add content to the Syllabus, select the visual style, and add
"Lessons" (projects, assignments, etc.).
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A page will appear with several text input boxes for you to enter and
customize information for the syllabus (e.g., description, learning
objectives, required materials). Enter/edit the syllabus information,
section headings, and content.
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Choose when the syllabus will become available to students in the course.
Click "Submit" to complete the creation process.
Add Lessons to a Syllabus
Click on the "Add Lesson" button. A lesson editing page will
appear. Enter a title, set the Lesson properties, and enter content.
Click "Submit" to complete the process.
Delete Lessons in a Syllabus
Select the checkbox next to the "Lesson" to be deleted, then
click the "Delete Lesson" button.
"Edit Mode"
Instructors must turn "Edit Mode" on to expose the action
menus that enable editing and adding content to pages.
The "Edit Mode" button is in the upper right of a course
content page. Click on the button to turn it on or off.
Rearrange Items on a Page
Once you've created several items, you can easily adjust their order on
the page by using either the "drag-and-drop" functionality or
the "reorder content" function.
Rearrange via Drag & Drop
Note: "Edit Mode" must be "On". If it is,
a double-headed arrow icon will appear to the left of each content item
listed on the page.
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Place your mouse over an item you would like to rearrange.
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Click and hold down while dragging the selected item above or below
other items listed on the page.
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Release the mouse to drop it into the new position.
Note: As you move an item, a visual dotted guideline will
appear indicating the hot spot in which to drop the item.
Rearrange via "Reorder: Content" Panel
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In the action menu of a content page, where you have added multiple
content items, a small two-way arrow icon button rearrange arrow icon
button will be visible to the right of the menu. Click on the arrow icon
button to expose a dropdown window that lists all of content items on the
page.
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Select an item to rearrange.
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Use the up-down arrow buttons located beneath the listed items to move
it up or down relative to the other items.
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Click "Submit" to complete the process.
"Edit Mode"
Instructors must turn "Edit Mode" on to expose the action
menus that enable editing and adding content to pages.
The "Edit Mode" button is in the upper right of a course
content page. Click on the button to turn it on or off.
Export/Archive a Course
Instructors can choose to save a copy of your course by using the
Export/Archive function in Blackboard.
Course Lifecycle
The Eberly Center maintains a copy of all courses on
the Blackboard server. Instructors of record for each Blackboard course
continue to have access. However access to students is removed two weeks
into the following semester after the course was taught.
How To Export or Archive Your Course
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Log into the Blackboard course.
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Expand "Control Panel" > "Packages and
Utilities" and select "Export/Archive Course".
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Click the "Export" or "Archive" button, located
at the top of the page within the heading area.
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Export will allow you to select which course materials you wish
to export.
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Archive will archive the entire course.
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Click "Submit". Blackboard will take a few moments to generate
a .zip file which will appear in a listing once it has been created and
you have refreshed the browser page.
Note: These files will be purged every 24 hours: Make sure to
download them immediately after creation.
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Click on the course export/archive .zip file link listed on the
"Export/Archive Course" page, or select "Open"
from the contextual menu associated with the link to download the
file to your local machine.
Note: Contents of the course archive and export .zip files are
only readable once imported back into Blackboard.