GETTING AROUND GETTING AROUND

This quick reference guide will get you started using Blackboard Learn 9.1. The guide includes:

• Getting Around ............................................................. page 1• Getting Started ............................................................. page 2• Using the Collaboration Tools ..................................... page 4• Using the Blackboard Wizard...................................... page 5• Using the Grade Center ............................................... page 6• The Retention Center ................................................... page 8

Video training for “Blackboard Learn” is available for free to all CWRU faculty, staff and students using lynda.com. To access, go to case.edu/its/lynda and click the “Go to Lynda.com” button. Log in by entering your CWRU Network ID and password. Search for “Blackboard 9.x Essential Training for Instructors.” Click the link that appears in the search results to open the list of video training topics.

For a full guide and more materials please refer to the Blackboard page in the training section on help.case.edu. In addition, view help at help.blackboard.com, choose the link 9.1 SP 10 and SP 11 on the left. For additional assistance contact the ITS Service Desk at 216.368.HELP(4357). To request training, email [email protected].

GETTING AROUNDBlackboard Learn 9.1 has made it easier for you to work quickly and find things fast. The icons described below are common throughout the Blackboard Learn system.

The Control Panel is now one-click access and located below your course menu on the left of your Blackboard site. The menu options expand as you drill down.

The menu arrow to the right of an item indicates there are menu options available for the item or topic. The vertical double arrow icon to the left of an item name allows you to click-and-drag items to reorder them as you like.

The square icon will appear on the course menu on the right side next to a content area; it indicates that there are no items available in the content area.

The slash square icon will appear on the course menu on the right side next to an item; it indicates that the item is not available to students.

Another feature is the ability to preview the student view of your class using the Edit Mode switch on the top right. The Edit Mode switch ON means that you are in the edit mode and can see all editing options. The Edit Mode switch OFF means you are in the student view. NOTE: The Control Panel will stay visible to instructors, but students never see this option in their view.

The collapsible menu feature allows you to collapse the left menu column and expand the working page, this is most helpful when using the grade center. Hover over the menu area, then click the arrow icon again to bring the menu back.

Breadcrumb links along the top allow you to move around your course without using the back button or starting over from the course menu.

ACTIvATING OR DEACTIvATING TOOLs If tools are not available on the menu or not used, it is very easy to hide and unhide them. Start at the Control Panel by clicking Customization, then click Tool Availability. The screen will appear with all the tools available alphabetically on the left side with checkboxes to turn on and off the various tools and functions.

GLOBAL NAvIGATION You can now navigate between all of your course sites using the Global Navigaton button in Blackboard. Click on your name in the upper right to access the Global Navigation menu. Hover over the icons on the left to view sections quickly.

Quick Guide for usinG blackboard learn 9.1

GETTING AROUND

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BLACkBOARD hOmEDisplays an overview of the items that are due and recently graded.

POsTsDisplays the latest Discussion Board posts for the course selected. Replies can be made to posts from this section.

UPDATEsDisplays all updates for all of your courses.

GRADEsDisplays the status of gradable items.

RETENTION CENTER(See page 8 for more information)

CALENDAR Displays course and personal calendars.

GETTING sTARTED

CREATING A NEw sITE1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu.2. Click the Blackboard Wizard tab located at the top of the

Blackboard page.3. Click “Add a New Blackboard site” on the left menu.4. Choose the Desired Semester and click “Next.”5. Choose the Course and click “Next.”6. Enter in the Site Title and click “Next.”7. Create the Course Site ID. This CANNOT be changed

(even by the administrator). If you plan to reuse the course, avoid any unique identifiers (such as a specific semester label). Click the “Next” button.

8. A confirmation page will appear. Review information and click the ”Create site” button. NOTE: Course site creation may take several seconds or even minutes. Please be patient; clicking “Reload” or “Cancel” after submitting the request may cause errors.

mAkE ThE sITE AvAILABLE1 Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Click on the desired course from the My Courses list or

the Global Navigation list.3. From the Control Panel, select “Customization” 4. Select “Properties”. 5. Under “set Availability,” select “Yes” to make the course

available. If you do not want to make the site available, select “No.”

6. Click “submit.”

CREATING CONTENT FOLDERs wIThIN A sITE1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu.2. Click on the desired course from the My Courses or

Global Navigation list.3. Select a content area from the course menu.4. Select the “Build Content” tab and then “Content Folder.” 5. Type in a name for the folder in the “Name” box. If you

would like to add a more detailed description of the folder, type this within the text box provided.

6. Set user permissions within the “standard Options” section.7. Click “submit.”

ADDING CONTENT TO A FOLDER1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu.2. Click on the desired course from the My Courses or

Global Navigation list.3. Select a content area from the course menu.4. Optionally, select the content folder into which you

would like to add your content.

5. Select the “Build Content” tab. The content types that are available are listed under the first column.

6. Select the content type that you would like to add. For example, a PowerPoint presentation would be an Item or a File, wheras an external URL would be a Web Link.

7. Enter in a name and description for the content.8. Provide any additional information or files as

appropriate for the content type you have selected.9. Set user permissions within the “standard Options” section.10. Click “submit.” The file will appear within the

appropriate content folder.

UsING vIDEO EvERYwhERE1. View video instructions located on the BlackBoard

training page at http://www.case.edu/its/training/blackboardmain.html

CREATING AN AssIGNmENT 1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Click on the desired course from the My Courses or

Global Navigation list.3. Select a content area from the course menu.4. Optionally, select the content folder into which you

would like to add the assignment.5. Select the “Assessments” tab and then “Assignment.”6. Enter a name for the assignment.7. Optionally, enter the assignment information directly

into the instructions section.8. Optionally, click the “Browse my Computer” or “Browse

Content Collection” button to locate any attachments you wish to include.

9. Enter the number of points possible for the assignment in the “Points Possible” text box.

10. Choose the availability options in the “Availability” section.

a. The “make the Assignment Available” box will enable students to see the assignment immediately.

b. You can also limit the assignment availability by selecting the desired dates next to “Limit Availability.”

11. Choose whether or not to enforce a due date on the assignment by selecting the checkbox next to “Due Date” and setting the due date.

12. Choose the recipients for the assignment. a. All Students Individually – when each individual

student is receiving a grade. b. Groups of Students – for group assignments

(i.e. the group is receiving a grade).13. Click “submit.”

CREATING A sAFEAssIGNmENTSafeAssign is a plagiarism prevention tool that helps educators detect unoriginal content in student papers. It aids in educating students about plagiarism and the importance of proper attribution of any borrowed content.

1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Follow steps 2-4 in Creating An Assignment.3. Select the “Assessments” tab and then

“safeAssignment” (if this is not an option, see Activating and Deactivating Tools in the Getting Around section).

4. Enter a name for the assignment.5. Enter the number of points possible for the assignment

in the “Points Possible” text box.6. Enter instructions for the assignment.7. Choose the availability options in the “Availability”

section. 8. Choose if the student can view the assignment.9. Optionally, choose to create an announcement.10. Click “submit.”

vIEwING sAFEAssIGNmENT REPORTs AND sUBmITTING TO DIRECTsUBmIT1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Click on the desired course from the My Courses or

Global Navigation list.3. From the Control Panel, select “Course Tools.”4. Click SafeAssign from the menu (if this is not an option,

see Activating and Deactivating Tools in the Getting Around section).

5. Two choices appear, SafeAssignments and DirectSubmit.

a. Click safeAssignments to view submissions for the SafeAssignments in the course. Use the menu arrow to view the student submissions and view the SafeAssignment Report.

b. DirectSubmit allows the instructor to submit external documents to the SafeAssign database and receive a report. Click Directsubmit to get started.

CREATING A QUIz OR TEsT 1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Click on the desired course.3. Enter the Control Panel, select “Course Tools” then

“Tests, surveys, and Pools.”4. Select “Tests” from the list.5. You will be presented with the option to build a test

from scratch or to import questions from an Excel file.

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BUILDING A TEsT1. Follow steps 1 – 5 under Creating a Quiz or Test 2. Select “Build Test.” 3. Enter a name and description for the test.4. Enter test instructions in the text box and click

“submit.” 5. You will have the option of creating a question or

reusing questions. “Create Question” was selected.

6. Select the type of question that you would like to create from the drop-down list.

7. Type a title for the question in the “Question Title” box.8. Enter the actual question in the “Question Text” area.9. Set options for the test questions in the “Options” box. 10. Complete the Answers and Feedback sections as

appropriate to the type of question chosen.11. Optionally, set the “Categories and keywords” section.12. Enter any notes in the “Instructor Notes” section.13. Click “submit.”

UPLOADING QUEsTIONs FROm AN ExCEL FILE To upload questions directly into Blackboard from an Excel file, the file must be formatted correctly as a tab-delimited text file. A formatting guide is located at help.case.edu in Training -> Blackboard -> Blackboard Training Materials.1. Follow steps 1 – 5 under Creating a Quiz or Test.2. Click “Import Test.” 3. Click either “Browse my Computer” to upload an Excel

file from your computer or “Browse Course” to upload a file already uploaded to Blackboard.


DEPLOYING A TEsT 1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Click on the desired course.3. Select a content area from the course menu.4. Optionally, select the content folder into which you

would like to add the test.5. Select the “Assessments” button and then “Test.” 6. Select the test that you would like to deploy from the

Add an Existing Test list .7. Click “submit.” 8. Complete the “Test Availability”.“Due Date” and “self-

assessment Options” sections.10. Select the type of feedback to display upon completion.11. Select whether to present the entire test at once or one

question at a time.12. Click “submit.”

UsING ThE COLLABORATION TOOLs

sETTING UP A DIsCUssION BOARD: CREATING FORUms1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Click on the desired course.3. From the Control Panel, select “Course Tools” then

“Discussion Board.” 4. Click on the name of the Discussion Board. By default, it

will appear as the Site ID of your Blackboard site.5. Click the “Create Forum” button at the top of the screen.6. Enter the name and description for your forum.7. Set the “Forum Availability.”8. Set the “Forum settings.” a. Standard View - anyone may to post in the forum. b. Participants must create a thread in order to view

other threads in this forum - if students are required to post before seeing what others have said, select this option.


ThE DIsCUssION BOARD: ThREADs1. Follow steps 1-4 THE DISCUSSION BOARD: CREATING

FORUMS.2. Click the “Create Thread” button at the top of the

screen.3. Enter a subject and message for your thread.4. Optionally, choose a file to attach to your thread.5. Click “submit.”

ThE DIsCUssION BOARD: REPLIEs1. Follow steps 1-4 on THE DISCUSSION BOARD: CREATING

FORUMS.2. Navigate to the post you wish to reply to, then click on

the “Reply” button.3. Optionally, choose a file to attach to your reply.4. Click “submit.”

CREATING GROUPs 1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Click on the desired course.3. From the Control Panel, select “Users and Groups” then

“Groups.” 4. Click “Create single Group” at the top of the screen.5. Choose either Self-Enroll or Manual Enroll . a. Self-Enroll – Users pick which group to be a member

of. Be aware that self-enrolled users will not be able to remove themselves from the group they choose; only instructors will be able to remove them.

b. Manual Enroll – You will manually select which users are placed in each group.

6. Add a name and description for the group.7. Set the “Group Available” option.8. Set the “Tool Availability.” Please note: If you would

like to have a group discussion board, verify that the “Discussion Board” box is selected.

9. Complete any other necessary sections as appropriate for the selected enrollment type.


UsING A GROUP DIsCUssION BOARD1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Click on the desired course. A Group must already be

created to proceed (see the “Creating Groups” section).3. Verify that the Discussion Board box is selected in the “Tool

Availability” section. If this box is NOT selected, see Activating and Deactivating Tools in the Getting Around section.

4. From the Control Panel, select “Course Tools” then “Discussion Board.”

5. Click on the discussion board that is named after the group that you created. From here, you can modify or manage the group discussion board and read posts.

CREATING A BLOG 1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Click on the desired course.3. From the Control Panel, select “Course Tools” then “Blogs.” 4. Click the “Create Blog” button.5. Enter a name and instructions for the blog.6. Set the blog availability.7. Set the date and time restrictions for the blog.8. Set the participation options.9. Select the desired blog settings.

10. Optionally, you can choose to create a Grade Center entry for the blog.


CREATING A wIkI 1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Click on the desired course.3. From the Control Panel, select “Course Tools” then “wikis.” 4. Click the “Create wiki” button.

5. Enter a name and instructions for the Wiki.6. Set the date and time restrictions for the Wiki.7. Set the participation options.8. Optionally, you can choose to create a Grade Center

entry for the wiki.9. Click “submit.”

UsING ThE BLACkBOARD wIzARD ADDING INDIvIDUAL UsERs TO A sITE1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at

case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard2. Select “Add Users to site” from the side menu.3. Choose the class to which you are adding users. Click

“Next.” 4. Click “Individuals” and then click “Next.”

5. Type in the CWRU network ID of the individuals that you would like to add in the “Network ID” box and select their role from the drop-down list.

6. Click “Add Users.” 7. This may take a few minute. A page will appear that

displays that users have been added successfully.

REmOvING A UsER FROm A CLAss 1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at

case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard2. Select “Remove Users from a site” from the side menu.3. Using the drop down menu, choose the class you want

to remove users from and click “Next.”4. Click on “Individuals” and then click “Next.” 5. The users are categorized by roles. Check the boxes of the

users that you want to remove. Click “Remove Users.” wARNING! This will PERmANENTLY delete all

Blackboard data specific to the selected users in this course site, particularly gradebook entries and submitted assignments for students. This data cannot be recovered.

6. This may take a few minutes. A page will appear that displays that users have been removed successfully.



REsTORING AN ARChIvED sITE 1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at

case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard2. Select “Restore an Archived site” from the side menu. 3. Click the “Restore” button to the right of the class site

you want to restore.4. Type in a new course site ID in the box, then click the

“Restore” button.

ChANGING A BLACkBOARD sITE TITLE 1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at

case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard2. Select “Update a site Title” from the side menu.3. From the list, choose the course site you would like to

update and click “Next.”4. Choose the course and then type an extension in the

“Extra Title Text” box. The extension will be shown after the course title.

5. Optionally, enter an extra description in the large text box6. Click “Update title.”

vERIFYING sITE ENROLLmENT 1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at

case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard2. Select “verify Enrollment” from the side menu. 3. Choose your class from the drop down menu and click “Next.”

ChECkING COURsE QUOTA 1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at

case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard2. Select “Check site Quotas” from the side menu.

REmOvING AN ExIsTING BLACkBOARD sITEwARNING! This will PERmANENTLY delete all Blackboard data specific to the selected course. 1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at

case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard2. Select “Remove a Blackboard site” from the side menu. 3. Click the “remove” button next to the site that you

would like to remove.4. A page will display that the site has been removed successfully.

REmOvING AN ARChIvED sITE 1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at

case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard2. Click on the “Restore an Archived site” link.3. Click the “remove” button to the right of the class site

you want to restore.4. Click the “Delete” button to confirm deletion.

UsING ThE GRADE CENTER ACCEssING ThE GRADE CENTER 1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu2. Click on the desired course.3. From the Control Panel, select “Grade Center.” a. To view only assignments that need grading, select the “Needs Grading” option. b. To obtain full access to the Grade Center, select

“Full Grade Center.”

ADDING GRADE COLUmNs1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.” 2. Click the “Create Column” button.3. Enter a name and description for the column.4. Set the primary and secondary grade displays.

5. Optionally, categorize the column.6. Enter the “Points Possible” for the column.7. Optionally, select a due date and grading period.8. Set the display option for the column and its contents.


CATEGORIEs IN ThE GRADE CENTER1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.” 2. Click on the “manage” button then select “Categories.” 3. To add a category, select the “Create Category” button.4. Enter the category name and description.5. Click “submit.”

CALCULATED COLUmNs There are four different types of calculated columns within the Grade Center. These columns are capable of performing computations that some users find convenient when calculating student grades. Using calculated columns is optional in the Grade Center.

wEIGhTED COLUmNs 1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center” 2. Click the “Create Calculated Column” button and select

“weighted Column.” 3. Enter in a name and description for the column.4. Set the primary and secondary display options.5. Select either individual columns or entire categories to

include in the weighted column calculations. Use the arrow button to move items over.

6. Enter percentages that each item should contribute to the total for the weighted column. Make sure that the “Total weight” shows 100% when finished.

7. Select if you want to calculate the column as a running total.8. Select the display options for the weighted column.9. Click “submit.”

TOTAL, AvERAGE, mINImUm AND mAxImUm CALCULATED COLUmNs 1. Follow steps 1 and 2 above.2. Enter a column name, display name and description.4. Set the primary and secondary display options.5. Select to include all grade columns in the calculated

column or only specific columns and categories.6. Select if you want to calculate the column as a running total.7. Select the display options for the calculated column.8. Click “submit.”

ExPORTING ThE GRADE CENTER1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.” 2. Hover over the “work Offline”

button and select “Download.”3. Select the information to

include in your download of the Grade Center.

4. Set the delimiter type to “Tab” so that the file will open in Microsoft Excel.

5. Click “submit” to process your request.6. Click the “Download” button .7. Click “Open or save” when the dialog box appears8. If you choose Save, the dialog will open asking where to save your file on your computer. Click “save”.

9. Once in Excel, you may see these messages:

11. Click “Ok” or “Yes” to continue saving the file in a Tab-delimited format.

ImPORTING ThE GRADE CENTER 1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.” 2. Hover over the “work Offline” button and select “Upload.” 3. Browse for the file and select the delimiter type. The

file should have been saved in a tab-deliminated text format.

4. Choose Tab as the “Delimiter Type.”


vIEwING GRADE ATTEmPTs1. Access the Grade Center and

select “Full Grade Center.”2. Submitted assignments that require grading are marked

using a in the Grade Center. 3. Click the menu arrow to the right of “Grade Center” to

view the drop down menu.4. Click on “Attempt (Date)” from the drop down menu.5. Click on the file name under “Review Current Attempt”

to view the assignment submission. 6. Review the user’s attempt, make any necessary notes

and feedback, and provide a grade for the attempt.7. Enter notes about the submission or grade that only

the Instructor can view in the Instructor Notes section.8. Click “submit.”

GRADING AssIGNmENT ATTEmPTs UsING INLINE GRADINGInline Grading is a feature in Blackboard that allows instructors to leave comments and grade student submissions from within their web browser. This new tool simplifies the grading process. Supported document types that can be converted are Word (DOC, DOCX), PowerPoint (PPT, PPTX), Excel (XLS, XLSX), and PDF (PDF). 1. View video instructions located on the Blackboard

training page at http://www.case.edu/its/training/blackboardmain.html


sAFE AssIGNmENTs IN ThE GRADE CENTER1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.”2. Locate the SafeAssignment that needs grading and

click the menu arrow next to it.3. Click “view Attempt (Date)” from the drop down menu.4. The Assignment page will appear. From this page click

the to view the SafeAssignment (SA) Report.

ExTRA CREDIT1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.” 2. Click on the “Create Column” button located at the top

of the screen. Enter in a name and description for the column.4. Optionally, set the category.5. Enter “0” as the value in the “Points Possible” box.6. Click “submit.” 7. Click on the menu arrow at the top of the Total or weighted

Total column (or the column you are using that calculates the final grade) and select “Edit Column Information.”

8. In the “select Columns” section, either: a. Select the “All Grade Columns” option. b. Select the “selected Columns and Categories” option

and make sure the Extra Credit Column is included under “selected Columns.“


ENTERING GRADEs IN ThE GRADE CENTER1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.” 2. When you first click on a grade box, the box will turn

blue and will allow you to type in a value.3. Type in the value and hit the “Enter” or “Return” key on

your keyboard.4. If you enter a grade and do not hit the “Enter” or

“Return” key, you will see this warning message:

5. Click “Ok” to save the grade or “Cancel” to abort changes.6. To navigate between grade boxes, simply use the arrow

keys on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can click directly on the box you wish to edit.

ExPORTING GRADEs FROm ThE GRADE CENTER TO ThE sTUDENT INFORmATION sYsTEm (sIs)1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at

case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard2. Click on “Upload grades to sIs” on the left menu.3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the

grade transfer from the Grade Center into the SIS.

ThE RETENTION CENTERThe Retention Center provides an easy way for instructors to discover which students in your course are at risk. Based on preconfigured rules and rules you can create, students’ engagement and participation are visually displayed,quickly alerting you to potential risk. From the Retention Center, you can communicate with struggling students and help them take immediate action for improvement.

ACCEssING ThE RETENTION CENTER

1. View video instructions “Retention Center Basics” located on the Blackboard training page at

http://www.case.edu/its/training/blackboardmain.html

CREATING A CUsTOm RULENOTIFYING INDIvIDUAL sTUDENTsNOTIFYING mULTIPLE sTUDENTs

1. For more information on these topics, view the video “Retention Center Advanced Features” located on the Blackboard training page at

http://www.case.edu/its/training/blackboardmain.htm

To request additional copies of the Quick Reference Guide, email [email protected] with the quantity needed, your name, department and department location.

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Documents

GETTING AROUND GETTING AROUND