Using iSpring(Free) in Blackboard Learn

Using iSpring(Free) in Blackboard Learn The following steps will walk you through using the iSpring Free version to convert your PowerPoint Files to HTML5, Flash, or SCORM. If you are planning on using the SCORM option, know that you will have additional steps in Blackboard to complete when deciding on how your items will be graded. Those choices are not covered in detail in this handout due to the specific nature of the options.

1. Download iSpring (Free) – Navigate to the iSpring website and download the free version of iSpring. You will need to enter your email address in order to download the package. iSpring Free is only available for Windows.

2. Install -‐ Follow the steps to Install iSpring (Windows Only) then launch PowerPoint and open your

presentation for conversion. Select the iSpring Free 7 tab at the top of PowerPoint’s Menu to begin.

3. Publish – Several options appear under the iSpring Free 7 tab which includes previewing or publishing

the slideshow, or inserting additional media into the presentation. Choose Publish to begin converting the presentation to HTML 5, Flash, or SCORM.

Using iSpring(Free) in Blackboard Learn

4. Publish Presentation – On the Publish Presentation Dialog Box you will have several options for converting your presentation to Flash, HMTL5, or SCORM 1.2.

a. Presentation Title -‐ Name your presentation. This will become the name of the folder where your presentation is housed on your computer.

b. Local Folder – This is the location where you want the presentation files to be housed on your computer.

c. Slide Range – Choose All Slides if you want the entire presentation to be converted. Choose Selected Slides if you want a range of slides to be included. Please note you must select the slides you want included if choosing Selected Slides before clicking Publish in Step 3.

d. Output Options: • In most cases selecting Mobile (HTML5) will be the best option and will provide the

most flexibility with browser compatibility. • Choosing Desktop (Flash) is also an option, but this will limit the viewing options of

users who are accessing the presentation via mobile devices. In most cases, students viewing the Desktop (Flash) version on iOS mobile devices will not be able to view the presentation.

• Check the box if you wish to generate a SCORM 1.2 compliant course for grading or tracking purposes. Rate number of slides viewed: Set a minimum number of slides a learner must view to complete the lesson.

e. Publish – Depending on the number and size of the slides in your presentation this may take a few seconds to complete. Once the conversion is complete a sample preview of the presentation will automatically display in your default browser. You can close this window after reviewing.


5. Locate the files – Locate the folder containing your presentation on the computer in an explorer window. In the example below, it is located under My Documents à Presentations If you open this folder, you should see two items: a folder titled data and a file titled index.

6. Compress the files – Navigate back to your main folder containing these two items, in this example it is

titled Course Design and OER, right click on the folder name to compress the folder. Choose Send to à Compressed (zipped) folder. A zipped file with the contents will be created.


7. Content Collection – Navigate to the Content Collection of the course where you want to upload your presentation. Choose Upload à Upload Zip Package

8. Upload File – Click Choose File, navigate and select the zipped file you created in Step 6, click submit.

9. Content Collection – Once your file is uploaded, you will see that it is unzipped in the content

collection of the course. The folder containing your data file and index file should have taken the name of the original folder title from your computer.

10. Building Content – Navigate to the content area of the course where you are placing the presentation.

Choose Build Content à Item. Give your Item a Name (Title) and provide any additional information in the content editor. Hit Enter or Return on your keyboard to place a space after your instructions in the content editor.


11. Placing Presentation – Click the Insert/Edit Embedded Media icon in the content editor.

12. Media Options:

a. General – Change the Type of Media file to Iframe. Under File/URL choose Browse Course à Find your Folder containing the data file and index file inside of your Content Collection and click on the folder title.

b. Copy Link Address – Right click on the name of the index.html file to copy the link address.

After copying, click the black X at the upper right hand corner of this dialogue box or click Cancel at the bottom. You are not inserting this address in the File/URL area.

c. Source – Click on the Source tab at the top of the window and insert your cursor between the

two quotation marks after src= as shown below. Type Control + V on your keyboard to paste your index location address here. Example: <iframe width="320" height="240" src="INSERT CURSOR HERE"></iframe>

BEFORE à AFTER à


d. General – Navigate back to the General tab to adjust the size of your presentation. At this time, you should see a preview of your presentation in the window below the general information area. The default size is 320 x 240. You can adjust the size of your presentation by increasing the value of the first dimension and hitting the Tab key. The second width dimension will increase automatically. Constrain Proportions should always have a checkbox in order to maintain proportions when increasing or decreasing the size of your presentation.

• Once your adjustments are complete click insert at the bottom of the dialogue box. • You will be taken back to the creation of an Item and you can choose additional

standard options before choosing to submit to complete your item creation.

13. Final Step – This step is to ensure your files remain with the course when copied the following term.

a. In a content area create a Blank Page with a similar title as your presentation (for reference) and add the term Data Files to the end of your title OR add the term in the content editor. This will ensure you know what content these data files are referencing. If you need to enter additional information into the content editor for your reference only, do so now.


b. Under the content editor, choose Browse Course to select all of the data files. Navigate to the Content Collection and into the folder with the title of your presentation. Remember, you should have a folder called Data as well as an index.html file.

• Navigate into the folder called Data where you will see numerous files and scroll to the bottom and choose Show All to display all of the reference files on one screen.

• Scroll back up to the top to select all of the files at once by checking the box to the left of the word Type then scroll back down to choose Submit.

• This list will include ALL of the image and reference files for your presentation and could be over 100 files.

c. Under Permit users to view this item mark No. You do not want students to view this item, it is

only for reference to your original presentation for the purpose of maintaining the documents when a course copy occurs.

d. Choose Submit for the item to complete this step. e. You can collapse the list in your content area if it is too long by clicking the Hide Details Chevron

on the far right side of the item.

14. Permissions – By default, when you give your students access to the Index file in the content collection

their permission is granted towards a Read Only option. The same concept is not applied automatically applied to the remaining files inside of the Chapter (or similar) folder. You will need to give students access to these files by changing the permissions allowed.

a. Step 1: Inside the Chapter (or similar) folder in the content collection, choose the contextual menu to the right of the title and select Permissions


b. Step 2: Under Permissions notice all the default permissions are for instructor, course builder, etc. (higher level roles). Choose Select Specific Users By Place then choose Course.

c. Step 3: Select Student under Select Roles to apply the permission and below this set the

Permissions to Read. Choose Submit when complete. Once this step is complete, students should have permission to view all the files and folders within the selected folder.