Getting Started With Blackboard Handout

8/3/2019 Getting Started With Blackboard Handout

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2011 by Cornell Information Technologies, Cornell University

Copying, abstracting, or modifying without fee is permitted provided that the copies,

abstracts, or modifications bear this copyright and are not made or distributed for

commercial purposes. To copy otherwise, or to republish, requires a fee and specific

permission.

INTRODUCTION.............................................................................. 1GETTING STARTED ......................................................................... 2

OBTAINING A BLACKBOARD ACCOUNT................................................................. 2CREATING A BLACKBOARD COURSE SITE ............................................................. 3TOUR THE BLACKBOARD PORTAL ....................................................................... 5

SITE SETUP .................................................................................... 8BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR BLACKBOARD COURSE SITE.................................... 8COURSE ICONS AND NAVIGATION ..................................................................... 9SETTING THE COURSE PROPERTIES.................................................................... 9SETTING SITE-WIDE GUEST AND OBSERVER ACCESS............................................. 11SETTING ENROLLMENT OPTIONS ..................................................................... 12ANNOUNCEMENTS...................................................................................... 13THE COURSE MENU ................................................................................... 14

ADDING COURSE MATERIALS ....................................................... 17 CONTENT AREAS IN THE COURSE MENU ............................................................ 17ADDING CONTENT:ITEMS AND FILES ............................................................... 18ADDING AUDIO,IMAGES, AND VIDEO............................................................... 20

ADDING A URL ........................................................................................ 21ADDING CONTACT INFORMATION .................................................................... 21COURSE CONTENT FILES.............................................................................. 23ADAPTIVE RELEASE .................................................................................... 24

ORGANIZING CONTENT ................................................................ 26 USING FOLDERS ....................................................................................... 26COPYING/MOVING FOLDERS AND CONTENT ........................................................ 26COURSE LINKS ......................................................................................... 27REORDERING CONTENT ............................................................................... 28

COURSE ENROLLMENT .................................................................. 30 OVERVIEW OF USER ROLES .......................................................................... 30ADDING USERS TO YOUR COURSE SITE .............................................................. 31MODIFYING USER PROPERTIES....................................................................... 33REMOVING USERS FROM YOUR SITE ................................................................. 33

MORE INFORMATION AND SUPPORT ............................................ 35


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Getting Started with Blackboard Page 1

Introduction

Blackboard is a course management tool for instructors who want to deliver part or

all of their course materials and instruction online. Accessible via any Web browser,Blackboard course sites provide many useful administrative and interactive

communication features which allow for file-sharing, online assessments, discussionboards and collaborative group work. Instructors have the ability to customize theircourse sites as their individual needs dictate.

General Information and Support

Many forms of assistance are available to you when you have questions about usingor maintaining your Blackboard site.

Visit http://cit.cornell.edu/services/blackboard, our Cornell Blackboard web site, forannouncements, tips, and other helpful documents.

If you have any comments or questions, please send an e-mail to the

Academic Technologies support staff at [email protected]

You may also search the Blackboard manual, located in the Support

section of the Control panel.


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Getting Started

Obtaining a Blackboard Account

Requesting an Account

People at Cornell who have never used Blackboard before may need to request an

account before they can use Blackboard.

To request a Blackboard account:

In a Web browser, go to http://blackboard.cornell.edu.

Click the New User: Get an Account link on the left side of the page.

If you have students (or others involved in your course) who do not have a NetID,

they will not be able to create their own Bb account. Theyll need to get a GuestIDfirst, and then ATC support will do the rest. For assistance with GuestIDs, pleaseemail [email protected].

Log in with your Cornell NetID and password. You will be asked to verify your

identity. Click Click here if you wish to submit a request.
http://blackboard.cornell.edu/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://blackboard.cornell.edu/


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Click the Create a Blackboard user account link.

The User Account information screen will appear. In most cases, the information will

be prefilled. When you have verified that it is correct, click Submit.

You will receive a confirmation screen saying that your account has been created.

Logging In

Blackboard uses Kerberos for authentication so, in order to access any Blackboard

sites, you must log in with your NetID (or GuestID) and Kerberos password.

In a browser, go to http://blackboard.cornell.edu

Click the Login button. If you havent already logged in,the CUWebLogin screen will appear.

Enter your NetID (or GuestID) and Kerberos password inthe spaces provided.

If you are using a GuestID, change the ID Type to GuestID.

Click OK.

You are now logged into Blackboard. Every Blackboard user, including both students

and instructors, has a personalized view of the Blackboard system (sometimes calleda portal).

Creating a Blackboard Course Site

In a Web browser, go to http://blackboard.cornell.edu. On

the left side under Support Information / For Instructors,

click Request a Course.
http://blackboard.cornell.edu/http://blackboard.cornell.edu/http://blackboard.cornell.edu/http://blackboard.cornell.edu/


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On the next screen, click

Create a BlackboardCourse Shell.

You will see a warning

screen indicating that the

course shell creationprocess is for instructorsand TAs only. Click the link to continue.

You will then be asked to confirm that you have read and agreed to the copyright

information presented. When you click Yes, I agree to the above statement, youwill be taken to the Create Blackboard Course Shell screen.

Fill in the Course ID, Course Name, Instructors Last Name, Semester, and Year.

Click Submit. A confirmation request page will appear.


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Access your Course Sites

The My Courses panel will

display any courses you arecurrently teaching or taking.

This is your passport to any

Blackboard courses in whichyou are participating.

Click on the course name toenter the course site.

Manage your Personal Tools

AnnouncementsDisplays all of the announcements related to courses in

which a user is participating

Calendar

Displays events for all the courses in which the user isparticipating; Allows users to add personal events, and

customize their calendar viewTasksUsers can view course-related tasks and add their own

personal ones

My Grades

Provides students with the ability to view their grades for your course (ifyoure using the student Grade Center tool) and others

Send E-mail

Allows you to send an email to selected users or groups who are enrolled in

one of your courses

Personal I nformationAllows users to change their privacy options

The Notifications Dashboard subtab contains three basic modules that give

information to users based on their enrollment and their role in the system. Users

with multiple enrollments will receive information in modules for all their classes andorganizations. Users with multiple roles will receive information in modules for alltheir roles. For all users, each course contains a Notification Dashboard specific tothat Course.

By default, the Notification Dashboard page displays these modules:

Alerts - Displays past due and early warning notifications for all courses.

Instructors, TAs, and Graders see the users in each course that have past due

items and who have generated early warning messages. Links are provided toemail students and view early warning system rules. Students see any

assignments, tests, or other items that are past due and any early warningmessages received.


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What's New - Displays a list of new items in all relevant courses and

organizations. Instructors, TAs, and Graders see any new assignments that

have been submitted, tests that have been submitted, new discussion boardposts. Students see new discussion board posts, new grades posted, newcontent that is available.

To Do - Displays the status (Past Due/Due) of relevant course work andtasks. Students see any grade items that have listed due dates in two

categories, what is past due and what is due in the future. Links to relevantcourse items are provided.

By clicking the Add Module button, instructors may also add a Needs Attention

module that displays all items in their courses that require some type of interaction.

Instructors, TAs, and Graders see assignments, tests, and surveys that have beensubmitted.

The All Blackboard Courses tab contains a list of all the courses you are teaching and

that you are taking. It also contains the Course Catalog, where students can searchfor (and sometimes enroll in) a course that has been categorized.

Clicking the Browse Course Catalog button takes you to a screen where you can

search the full catalog by course name, ID, instructor name, or description.

The Cornell University Library tab has two subtabs, Services for Students andServices for Instructors. The CU Library provides the information on these tabs.

To log out of the Blackboard system, click the Logout button ( ) at the topof the page. Be sure to close your browser w indow !


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Site Setup

Where will your site be listed in the course catalog?

Who will have access to your site?

How will students enroll in your Blackboard course?

Sending announcements to students

Customizing the course menu

Basic Information about Your Blackboard Course Site

When your course site was created, you were given an empty shell to start with.

Now, you can begin customizing the site and adding content.

The left side of your course site will always contain 2 components: the Course Menu

and the Control Panel. The Course Menu is available to your students, and you areable to control its contents. Information about setting up the Course Menu is foundbelow.

The Control Panel is only visible to people with instructor, TA, and Course Builderroles. It is through the Control Panel that you may access the Grade Center, handleenrollment, save backups of your course, and more.

The Control Panel

The Control Panel is broken up into eight sections: Files, Course Tools, Evaluation,

Grade Center, Users and Groups, Customization,

Packages and Utilities, and Help.

Files

View all of the files that you have uploaded from yourcomputer into your course; import new files; exportfiles that you have previously uploaded

Course Tools

Add course-related announcements, calendar events,

a glossary, and tasks to your site; update contact

information for faculty and TAs; send email;participate in blogs, wikis, or class discussions; andcreate assignments and quizzes

Evaluation

View user activity reports and summary data on student participation in the

course

Grade Center

Assign grades, track student progress, provide feedback to students,download grades to your computer


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Users and Groups

Enroll users and assign roles; create groups and assign students to them, or

allow students to choose a group

Customization

Set up enrollment options; customize your site menu, color scheme and

navigation; enable and disable Blackboard tools; add a banner image to yourmain page

Packages and Utilities

Import, back up, or copy your course; bulk delete content and other course

materials

Help

Search the help manual, email the System Administrator, and visit thesupport page on the Blackboard web site

Course Icons and Navigation

In order to add or edit content in your Blackboard course, you need to set Edit Modeon by clicking the on/off button in the top right of the course.

When you set Edit Mode on, you will see a number of different icons, identified

below. Setting Edit Mode off will allow you to see what students in your course willsee.

The following icons are used in the course site:

Downward Chevron Expand a menu to show options

Upward Chevron Collapse a menu to hide options

Right Chevron Display a menu in the main area

Drag and Drop Arrow Drag and drop an item to reorder

Not Available Icon Item is not available to students

Content Empty Icon Content area is empty

Reordering Arrows Reorder content

Setting the Course Properties

Course properties are modified by going to the Control Panel > Customization andclicking the Properties link.


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The following properties may be changed on the Properties page:

Course name and description

The course name and description of your site, along with the names of all the course

instructors, will appear in the Blackboard course catalog. This information will helpstudents locate your site in Blackboard.

Classification

The Subject Area and Discipline fields under Classification are not used and can besafely ignored.

AvailabilityWhile your site is under construction, or when you are not teaching the course, you

can limit access to the site so that only instructors and users with administrativeprivileges can get in.

When the course is unavailable, you see the word unavailable appear next to the

course name in the My Courses list. As the instructor, you will still be able to enter

the site and make changes in the Control Panel, but the link will be disabled forenrolled student users. Also, unavailable courses will not appear in the course

catalog.

When the course is ready for the public, set the availability back to Yes.

Course Duration

By default, your course duration is set to Continuous. You may choose to set startand end dates for your course. The Course Duration affects whether your course is


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available to your students; students will only be able to see the course during the

selected date range.

Categorize Course

The Blackboard course catalog is organized by College or School and Department,rather than appearing as one long list.

To ensure that students will find your course sites in the catalog, you need to make

sure they are categorized appropriately.

To categorize your course, select the appropriate department from the list on the left

side of the box (don't select a college or school) and click on the right arrow betweenthe boxes.

Click Submit when you have finished setting the Course Properties.

Setting Site-Wide Guest and Observer Access

Guest users on the Blackboard system can access course sites at the instructors

discretion. By default, site-wide guest access is disabled when your course iscreated, but you can enable it if you choose to do so. When site-wide guest access isturned off, a guest user will not be able to see any part of your site.

role is assignedto observe a specific user in Blackboard.

Guest Access settings are modified by

going to Control Panel > Customization and clicking theGuest and Observer Access link.

Click Submit if you have made any changes to Guest Access.


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Setting Enrollment Options

You or your administrative staff can manage course enrollments, or you can allow

users to enroll themselves in your course. These options are set by going to ControlPanel > Customization and clicking on the Enrollment Options link.

Enrollment by Instructor or Administrator While enrolling each student individually is time

consuming, this feature is handy for specialcircumstances in which a student is a late addition to the

class, or for adding administrative staff and TAs to the site.

Student Self-Enrollment

This option allows students to enroll themselves in your site. When self-enrollment is

enabled, students will be able to browse the course catalog and click the Enroll

button that appears next to your course. You can limit the enrollment period byentering start and/or end dates for enrollment.

Note: Even if Student Self-Enrollment is enabled, instructors will still be able to enrollusers from the control panel.

Batch Enrollment

Batch enrollment (based on class rosters obtained from the Registrars office) isavailable. For more information, see page 32.

To set up enrollment options:

Choose the desired enrollment option and related settings.

To enable student self-enrollment, choose the Self Enrollment option. You may

choose to select a start and/or end date for the enrollment period, or to require anaccess code.

If you choose self-enrollment, make sure that your course has been categorizedproperly using Categorize Course in the Course Properties dialog!

To disable student self-enrollment, choose the Instructor/Admin option. You maychoose to allow interested students to send enrollment requests to you via email.


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Click Submit to save your changes.

Announcements

You can use announcements to remind students about assignments or due dates,

and notify students of room changes or class cancellations. They can also be used tohighlight new content on your site, or to communicate other date/time-specificinformation.

Announcements are displayed in the My Announcements module on the course home

page.

When you create an announcement, you can specify when and for how long it will be

displayed. You can make some messages permanent and others restricted by date.You may also choose to have the announcement emailed to your students.

To add an announcement:

In the Control Panel, under Course Tools, click the Announcements link.

Click the Create Announcement button ( )

In the Subject box, type a subject for your message.

In the Message box, type the body of your message.

Set the display options for the announcement. If you enter date restrictions for your

announcement, the announcement will only be displayed during the dates and times

listed.

No te tha t ev en i f y ou s e t t h e announc em en t t o s ta r t be ing d i s p lay ed a f te r a

g i v en d a t e , t h e e m a i l w i l l b e se n t i m m e d i at e l y .


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If the announcement contains information about a specific section of your Blackboard

course site, you may use the Course Link to send your students directly to thatsection.

For more information about course links, see page 27.

Click Submit to create the announcement.

The Course Menu

The Course Menu is visible to everyone who can access your site. When your course

is created, some items are included in your menu by default. You can modify ordelete these items, and add your own items.

The types of items that can be included in the Course Menu include:

Content Area

contains content items such as readings, handouts,

assignments, quizzes, and links

Tool Linka link to a tool such as a discussion board, blog, or wiki

Course Linka link to a specific entry point in the current course


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External Link

a link to another site on the Web

Module Page

a page containing modules, such as a Dictionary Module, a Thesaurus Module, aCalculator, or library information

Subheader

used to add a subheader to your menu. It does not link to anything and so mayconfuse users

Dividera line used to separate items in the Course Menu.

In order to edit the Course Menu, you need to set Edit Mode to On in the top right

corner of the screen.

To add an item to the Course Menu:

Click on the plus sign above the Course Menu and select the type of item you want to

add.

To rename an item on the Course Menu:

Click on the downward chevron to the right of the menu item and select RenameLink.

The menu item becomes a text box where you can change the item name. Type in

the new name, then click the green check mark to the right (or click the red X to

cancel).


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To make a course menu item link unavailable:

Click on the downward chevron to the right of the menu item and select Hide Link.

Hiding the link allows you to not display an items to students without deleting it. Forexample, you may have a content item that you dont want to show until mid-semester you can continue to build content and show the item when youre ready.

Items which are hidden have an icon (a square with a slash through

it) next to the name.

If an item is hidden, you can show it again by choosing the Show Link item from the

drop-down menu that is displayed when you click the downward chevron.

To reorder items in the course menu:

Click on the up-and-down arrow to the left of the menu item, and drag it to a newlocation in the menu list.


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Adding Course Materials

Which course materials do you want to deliver on-line?

How will the material appear? As text, images, or links to files?

Do any of your existing materials need to be digitized or converted into aWeb format?

Will all the materials be posted on the Web at the beginning of a course orupdated regularly during the semester?

Content areas are places to add and organize your course materials, as well as web

references, assignments and quizzes. Here, you can upload text, image, andmultimedia content in a variety of file formats.

Content Areas in the Course Menu

In the default course menu, there are two Content

Areas: Information and Content. The Information itemis intended to contain information about the course

itself, such as the syllabus, information about theinstructors, etc.. The Content item is for course

content such as readings, assignments, links, andquizzes.

Overview of Content Types

There are several different types of content to choose

from in Blackboard. All content areas are created equal,so youll see the following options in each and every

content area of your site.

Content is broken up into four types: Content, Assessments, Interactive Tools, andTextbooks. Basic content types include:

Item

An item is an all-purpose type of content that allows instructors to add text contentand upload materials in a variety of file formats

File

An uploaded file that can be selected and viewed as a page within the course or as aseparate piece of content in a separate browser window


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Audio

An uploaded audio file; options include autostart and loop. A

transcript file can be included for people who are hearingimpaired

Video

An uploaded video that will appear in a player directly on thepage. A transcript file can be included for people who arehearing impaired

URL

An external link that will take users to another web site,optionally in a separate window

Learning ModuleA collection of content items set in a path for sequential viewing

Course Link

A shortcut to an area, tool, or item within the same Blackboard

course

Adding Content: Items and Files

The course materials you choose to put on your Blackboard site may include a

syllabus, readings, assignments, readings, lecture notes, presentations, lab

instructions, and more. Content can be posted to your site in several differentwaysas text, an embedded image or media file, an HTML document, or as a filethat can be downloaded, viewed and printed.

The first two content types, items and files, are very similar; the primary difference

is that with items, you are able to add a description and attach a file, whereas withfiles, the student clicks on the name of the file and it downloads immediately.

To add an item:

In the course menu, click on the name of the content area thatyou will be working with.

Hover your mouse over Build Content, and select Item.

Give your item a name. In the text box, type or paste text for

the item. This is optional, but you can use the text area for short amounts ofcontent, to describe the file you've attached, give instructions, or note the date that

the file was last updated.


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To add a file as an attachment to your content item:

Click the Browse My Computer button, and find the file on your computer.

Once the file is uploaded, it will be listed under Attached Files.

You may change the wording on the link in the box under Link Title.

If you decide not to attach a file, click the Do not attach link.

Common formats for document attachments include:

Word documents (.doc)

Adobe PDF documents (.pdf)Excel spreadsheets (.xls)

PowerPoint presentations (.ppt)HTML files (.htm, .html)

After your file(s) is uploaded, select the appropriate options.


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Permit Users to View this Contentallows you to add the material but keep it from being visible to students.

Track number of views

records statistics about how many times the item is accessed. Statistics can besummarized by user, by date, by day of the week, or by time of day.

Date Restrictions

allows you to specify the time period (by date and time) that your item will beavailable, or visible, to students. When you add content items to your course, you

may not want students accessing them right away. By using Date Restrictions, youwont have to go back into the control panel to activate or deactivate the item lateronBlackboard will do the work for you.

Click Submit to add the content item to your site.

To modify an item:

Click the downward chevron next to the name of the item you want to modify, thenselect Edit.

At this point, you can add or edit text, upload additional files, or adjust options.

Click the Submit button to save your changes.

Adding Aud io, Images, and Video

Adding audio, images, and video is very similar to adding an item with anattachment, with the primary difference being the options available for each.


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To add an image, audio, or video:

Select the appropriate item from the Build Content menu.

Browse for the file on your computer.

Choose the options that you want for your file. For example,

with audio and video files, you can choose Autostart to have thefile play automatically when it is opened.

An additional option is to add a Mashup, which may be a

SlideShare presentation (available from SlideShare.com) or a

YouTube video (available from YouTube.com). SelectingMashup, either from the Add Video screen or from Build Content > Mashups, allows

you to search those sites for the video you want. The video is then embedded intoyour Blackboard page.

Be jud i c i ous i n add ing aud io and v ideo to y ou r B lac k boa rd s i t e ! Large audio or

video files can be difficult and time-consuming for some students to download. For

assistance with compressing audio or video files, or for information on storing thesefiles on Cornells video platform, please email [email protected].

Adding a URL

One of the advantages of using a Web-based course management system like

Blackboard is that you can integrate your course materials with links other online

resources. Links to other web sites, or URLs, can be used to supplement coursematerial, support class activities, or provide sources for research assignments.

To add a URL:

Select Build Content > URL.

In the Name box, type a title for the web resource.

In the URL box, type or paste the complete address of the web page.

In the description box, type a description for the resource.

You may choose to add an attachment to your URL item.

This is optional, but the description is a good place to tell your users a little bit aboutthe site, highlight things to look for, or give instructions for where to click.

Decide whether to launch the item in an external window.

Click Submit to create the link.

Adding Contact Info rmation

You are able to create a Contacts menu item where instructors can post

information about themselves, teaching assistants, guest speakers, and othersinvolved in the course. This includes campus and email addresses, office hours,


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pictures and personal web sites. You may also choose to provide a link to thisinformation from the Information page.

To add a Contact item:

Go to Control Panel > Course Tools > Contacts.

Click the Create Contact button.

In the Profile Information section, fill the appropriate name and contact

information.

(optional) In the Options section, click the Browse button to locate a profile image.

(optional) In the Personal Link box, type the complete URL for the staff members

personal or professional web page.

Keep in mind that, in order for the link to work, youll need to enter the completeaddress--http:// and all.

Click Submit.

In order for your students to see the Contact information, you need to add it either

as an item in your course menu or as a link from a content page (for example, theInformation page.)

To add Contacts as a course menu item:

Click the + icon at the top of the course menu, then select Create Tool Link.

Give your menu item a name for example, Contacts or Staff Information.


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Select Contacts from the Type pull-down menu.

Check the Available to Users box so that your students can see the information.

Click Submit.

To add Contacts as a link from a content page (e.g. Information):

From the content page, select Build Content > Tools Area.

Select Contacts and click Next.

Provide some text to describe to students what theyll find on the Contacts page.

Click Submit.

Course Content Files

All files that are uploaded to Blackboard from your computer are stored in the Files

area for your course. To get to the Files area, go to Control Panel > Files and clickthe right facing chevrons.

Any files that you have already uploaded will be listed.


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To upload additional files, go to Upload > Upload Files.

If you have the Java Plugin, version 1.5 or higher on your machine, you may uploadseveral files at the same time. Select the files on your computer (either through MyComputer (PC) or Finder (Mac), and drag them into the box provided.

Alternatively, you can press the Browse button and browse for the files on your

computer.

Click Submit when you have uploaded your files.

The other upload option, Upload Package, allows you to upload a zip file withmultiple files. The files will be uncompressed after the upload takes place.

From the Files page, you may also create folders to organize your files, or download

a group of files by clicking in the checkbox next to the files to be included andselecting Download Package.

Any files that are listed in the Files area may be reused in a course when you addcontent, by clicking Browse Course instead of Browse My Computer.

Adaptive Release

Adaptive Release allows you to make a content item available (release it) onlyunder a specific set of circumstances. Adaptive Release options include:


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Date

the item is only availableduring a specific date range

Membership

the item is only available to

specific users or groups

Grade

the item is only available to people who meet specified conditions for a grade in theGrade Center. For example, it may only be available to people who have received atleast an 85 on a particular assignment.

Review Statusthe item is only available to people who have visited a specific content item


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Organizing Content

Using Folders

Folders in your course site function in the same way as folders or directories on yourhard drive; you can use them to group related documents and information. You will

want to create folders and use them to organize the many documents you place on

your course site. This will help you locate documents more quickly when editing, andit will make the site easier for students to navigate.

To create a folder:

In the content area, select Build Content > Content Folder.

Give the folder a name and a description, then click Submit.

Click on the folder name to display the contents of the folder.

Check the breadcrumb trail near the top of the screen to make sure that you are

inside the appropriate folder.

Once you are inside the folder, you can add, modify or remove content items as

needed.

Copying/ Moving Folders and Content

If you decide to reorganize your materials after youve created and uploaded them,

you can move or copy the items to another location in your course. You can evencopy materials to other courses (if you have instructor privileges).

To move or copy content:

Click the downward chevron to the right of the item, and select Copy or Move.

If you are moving or copying the content to another course, choose the appropriate

course name from the Destination Course menu. This menu will display all of thecourses for which you have instructor or administrator privileges.


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Click the Browse button to select a destination.

Choose the section or subfolder where youd like to place the item and click Submit.

The path to that location will appear in the Destination Folder box.

Click Submit.

Test the site to make sure the content is in the desired location.

Course Links

You can create course links to take users from one place in your site to another.

Course links can help you guide students through the content in your site, create amore web-like structure, and can be used in announcements to highlight newcontent.

Please note, you cannot create a course link directly to files (like PDFs) that you have

uploaded, only to the Bb content items with which they are associated.

This means that if youve uploaded a file using the link to file option, users will stillhave to click on that link to view or print the file.

To add a course link from a content area:

Select Build Content > Course Link

Choose the Browse button next to Choose Item. The

Blackboard course browser will open in a small window.

In the Name box, type a title for the course link.

(optional) In the Text box, type a description for the link.


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Click the name of the section, folder or document you want to link to. Use the + or

signs to expand / contract folders if necessary.

In the Name box, type a title for the course link.

The path to the location will appear in the Location box.

(optional) Provide a description for the link.

Click Submit. You should now see the path to the syllabus in the Link Location box.

Click Submit to create the course link.

Course links can also be added to Announcements. For more information aboutAnnouncements, see page 13.

Reordering Content

Once you have added multiple documents andfolders to a section, you may wish to reorder

the items. To do so, click on the up-and-down

arrow to the left of the item you wish to move,and drag the item to a new location.


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To change the order of your items using Reorder Content:

You may also reorder items using the Reorder Content feature. This can be useful if

you have several large items in your content area. To use this feature, click on thearrows at the right of the creation buttons:

Select the item you want to move, then use the arrow icons to move the item up ordown in the list.


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Course Enrollment

How do you enroll users in your site?

What should you do if a person does not have a Blackboard account?

How can you give TAs and administrative staff access to the control panel?

Every Blackboard user is required to have his or her own username and password to

access courses. Blackboard accounts grant course site access privileges to users

based on their role in a course. A single user may have different roles in different

courses; for example, an undergraduate could be a student in one course, but needaccess to the Control Panel as a TA in another course. Anyone with access toBlackboard may have guest privileges, but they can only browse unsecured areas ofBlackboard courses.

Overview of User Roles

There is an additional course role called Observer. Observer is a system role, whichmeans it can only be assigned by our Bb system administrators, not by instructors.

Role Privileges

Guest The user is able to view certain areas of the site (if you enable site-wide guest

access), but cannot participate in discussion boards or other classcommunications. Also, guests cannot access tests, surveys or the studentgradebook.

Student The user is able to access all available course materials, resources andassessments, as well as any tools that youve enabled.

Grader The user is able to access all areas under Assessments, as well as selectedCourse Tools (Announcements, Course Calendar). Graders can also view a listof enrolled users and have the ability to modify the properties of studentusers.

Course

Builder

The user is able to add content to the site through the Content Areas and

Course Tools on the Control Panel. Course builders can also create tests andsurveys.

Teaching

Assistant

The user is able to control all aspects of the course through the course Control

Panel, but wont be listed as an instructor in the course catalog.

Instructor The user is able to control all aspects of the course through the course Control

Panel.


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An Observer is tied to a specific Blackboard user, and can monitor that users activity

in a site. The role is used mainly in K-12 settings, specifically in cases where parentswant to monitor their childs participation.

When managing your Bb tools and course menu in the control panel, you may see an

Allow Observer option. Just know that the observer role is not currently in use at

Cornell.

Adding users to your course site

Enrolling Users

If a person already has a Blackboard user account, you can enroll that user in yoursite. This is the first thing to try when you need to add a user to your site.

To enroll a user:

In the control panel, under Users and Groups, click Users

then click Enroll User > Find Users to Enroll.

At Cornell, all Blackboard userids for students are the same as their NetID (with the

exception being Guest IDs see below). One option you have in adding students to

your course is to enter their NetIDs in the Username box. You can add multiple usersby separating the userids with commas.

Alternatively, you can find the student IDs in the Blackboard system by clicking theBrowse button and searching for them.

You can search by Username (i.e. their NetID), Last Name, First Name, or email

address. Click Go.

A list of Blackboard usernames that meet the search criteria appears.


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If you get the message "No Users Found", or if the person you're looking for isn'tthere, check to make sure that the search criteria you entered is correct and/or trymodifying your search. If you still cannot find that person in the system, they

probably do not have a Blackboard account. Theyll need to get one before you can

enroll them in your site (you can refer them to the instructions on page 2).

To add the user to your course, click in the checkbox by the users name, then clickSubmit. The students name is added to the Username box.

Select the role for the selected user(s), then click the Submit button. The users are

then added to the course site with the selected role.

Batch Enrollment

If your course has a large number of students, you will not want to enroll students

individually. You can allow your students to enroll themselves in your site by

adjusting the Enrollment Options (see page 12 for instructions), or you can useBlackboards batch enrollment feature. This allows instructors to enroll multiple

students in a single step. To do a batch enroll, youll need to upload a special file.

Upon request, the Academic Technologies staff can get your course roster from the

University Registrar and create the file for you. Contact [email protected] for

more information about the batch enrollment process.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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To remove everyone on the page, click in the checkbox in the title bar; this will add

checkmarks for everyone on the page.

Click Remove Users from Course.

Click Submit. The following message will appear.

Click OK to remove the users.


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More Information and Support

Many forms of assistance are available to you when you have questions about usingor maintaining your Blackboard site.

Visit http:// our Cornell Blackboard web site, forannouncements, tips, and other helpful documents.

If you have any comments or questions, please send an e-mail to the support staff [email protected]

You may also search the Blackboard manual, located in the Support section of theControl panel.

Documents

Getting Started With Blackboard Handout