The content editor appears almost anywhere you can add text in Blackboard — discussion posts, assignment submissions, messages, and more. Use it to format text, embed images, attach files, and insert equations, links, and tables.

On a smaller screen, options condense into dropdown menus or a second row of icons that stay open until you select something else. To jump to the editor toolbar with your keyboard, press Alt + F10 (on a Mac, Fn + Alt + F10), then use the arrow keys to move between icons.

What you can add

• Text styles (title, header, subheader, paragraph), font, size, color, bold/italic/underline, alignment, and lists
• Tables, math equations, and code snippets (11 programming languages supported)
• Links, local files, images or media from the web, YouTube videos, and cloud storage content

At the top of a course, quick-access icons let you check the calendar, drop into discussions, view grades, and send a message without leaving the page. Select the Content icon to return to everything your instructor has made visible.

If content becomes available on a future date, your instructor can list it with that date so you know what's coming — you just can't open it yet. A small activity icon appears next to an item when someone contributes to a related conversation or discussion.

Your instructor's name and picture appear in the course. Select the Roster to see everyone enrolled, and check the Details & Actions panel for your attendance records if your instructor tracks attendance.

Instructors can set conditions for when you can view and access content, based on course membership, dates and times, or performance. An item can have more than one condition.

Performance conditions

• Grade requirement: for example, scoring at least a B on a test before the next one unlocks.
• Point requirement: for example, earning at least 70 points on a quiz before moving on.
• Submission requirement: you must submit something before continuing, but you don't have to wait for it to be graded first.

Visibility

When your instructor sets content to Show, you can see the release date and time, the first condition you need to meet, and when access ends — and it appears on your calendar and Grades page as well as Course Content.

When set to Hide, you only see the content during its access window; the window itself isn't shown, and once it ends you can't view the item again. You can still see your grade and any instructor comments in the gradebook.

Content in a course can take several forms, each with its own icon on the Course Content page:

A learning module is a container for an organized collection of content — readings, files, assessments, group projects, discussions, and collaboration tools — that keeps you focused on one lesson or concept at a time. It looks similar to a folder on the Course Content page; select its title or arrow to open it.

Navigating a module

Opening a module shows a collapsible table of contents on the side of the screen. Select any item to open it directly, unless your instructor has enforced a specific order. Use the Next and Previous buttons to move through content in sequence; if forced sequence is on, the next item stays locked until you meet its conditions, though you can still revisit anything you've already unlocked.

Tracking your progress

You can leave a module before finishing it. When you come back, icons next to each item show where you left off:

• Green circle with a checkmark — complete
• Partially filled gray circle — in progress
• Empty circle — not started
• Lock icon — conditions not yet met

Assessments opened from inside a module display in a full-page panel to keep you focused on the material.

Progress tracking shows your status on content items right on the Course Content page, next to the item's name:

• Empty circle — you haven't accessed the item yet.
• Partially filled circle — you've opened it (including through Ally).
• Green checkmark — you've marked it complete or submitted it.

You can mark documents, files, and links complete by selecting the circle, and unmark them the same way if you want to revisit an item. Journals and discussions outside a learning module sequence need to be marked complete manually. Assignments, graded LTI content, and tests are marked complete automatically once submitted.

Learning module progress

Modules show a progress bar — completed items in blue, started items in black, unopened items in gray — along with how many items you've completed out of the total. Select Start to begin, or Continue to pick up where you left off. When every item in a folder or module is complete, the container itself is automatically marked complete.

An AI Conversation lets you explore a topic or scenario with an AI persona your instructor has defined. After you finish, your instructor reviews the conversation, and you'll typically reflect on how it advanced your understanding.

• Press Enter for a line break; select Send or press Shift + Enter to send your response.
• Your instructor may set a time limit or a message cap — once reached, you can't send more messages.

Two common formats:

• Socratic Questioning: the persona won't tell you if you're right or wrong — it asks a series of questions to help you explore the topic until you're ready to move to a reflection question.
• Role Play: you work through a realistic scenario, such as a workplace interaction or interview practice.

AI personas may be biased or inaccurate. Use your judgment, and note anything that seems off in your reflection.

Video Studio lets you record or upload audio and video and experience recordings others have shared. Full access requires a separate license from your base Blackboard license — check with your instructor or the WSU Technology Help Desk if you're not sure whether it's available.

Without a separate license, recording is still available in discussion topics and in test/assignment responses as part of core Blackboard. You can also view instructor-created recordings in Course Content, Documents, journal topics, forms, and announcements wherever Video Studio is enabled.

Specifications

• Recordings made directly in Video Studio: up to 30 minutes (uploaded videos have no length limit).
• Maximum upload size: 10GB.
• Supported video formats include .mp4, .mov, .avi, .mkv, .wmv, .webm, and more; supported audio formats include .mp3, .wav, .aac, and more.

Recording options

When creating a recording, choose Camera, Audio, Screen, Audio & Screen, or Screen and Camera (records both at once, with your camera as an inset you can minimize or restore). You can also upload a file from your device. Select Start Recording, wait for the countdown, and pause, resume, retake, or end as needed. After recording, preview it, edit the title and description, and select Save.

You can also blur your background or replace it with an uploaded image before you start recording — open Camera Settings and choose Background Blur or Browse for an image; you can use one or the other, not both at onc