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While we are making the transtition to Blackboard Ultra format, you will likely continue to have some courses in Original format. Watch Blackboard's introduction video or choose a topic below for resources and more information.
Course Work
Content Editor
Content Editor Video transcript
The editor appears in many locations throughout Blackboard Learn. It provides text editing functions, and much more. Let's take a look.
Use the options n the editor to format text, attach files, embed multimedia, and insert equations, links and tables.
You have flexibility and creative control over how your content appears.
You can alsu use the mouse right click text to access commonly used options. The menu changes based on the location of the cursor and whether or not you've selected text.
Select the spell checker icon for the Spellcheck pop-up window to appear and show you misspelled words and word suggestions to replace them. Just select the right word from the list to automatically replace it in the text.
Finally, you can select the HTML Code View icon to edit or add code for more advanced functionalities.
Assignments
Submitting Assignments:
Assignments are created by your instructor. They can be used for simply submitting homework. Assignments can also be used to participate in a back-and-forth review process of projects and papers. This tutorial shows you how to access assignments, download and edit an assignment file, and upload it back to Blackboard.
- Open the assignment by selecting its title
- Read the instructions
- Select Write Submission to write a text submission, or Attach a file from your computer, the course content colection, the cloud, or your dropbox.
- Add comments for your instructor, if needed.
- Select Submit.
Assignments Overview Transcript:
Assignments can be used for simply submitting homework, or participating in a back-and-forth review process with your instructor.
Your instructor can add assignments to different areas of your course. You might access assignments from a link on the course menu called something like "Assignments," or, your instructor might incorporate assignments into the organization of the course. Ask your instructor if you have questions about how assignments in your course are organized.
Alternatively, you can access assignments from the calendar. Assignmnet due dates are linked so you can jump directly to any assignmnet.
Your instructor may choose to make some assignments available after a certain date, or after you complete a certain task. For example, you might have to watch a lecture before you can access the assignment. Contact your instructor if you don't see an assignment that you think should be there.
On the Upload Assignment page, review the instructions, due date, points possible, and download any files provided by your instructor. If your instructor has added a rubric for grading, you can view it here.
Select Save Draft to save your work and continue later. Your text and files are saved on the page. When you return, you can resume working.
Your instructor may allow you to submit an assignment more than once. For example, your instructor may provide comments on your first draft so that you can try to improve your work. If you may make another attempt, Start New appears on the Review Submission History page.
When you submit your assignment, your instructor is notivied automatically that your assignment has been resubmitted.
Discussion Boards
Discussions video transcript
Discussions allow you to share thoughts and ideas. Let’s take a look.
The main discussion board page provides a global view of all available forums. You can search for posts, see how many posts are in each forum, and jump to a collection of unread posts.
Select a forum to view its threads. A thread includes an original post and all of its replies. Instructors, and students, if they're allowed by the instructor, can create threads. Students do not see this button if the instructor has not allowed student thread creation for this forum
Select an existing thread's title to view its posts and reply to them.
You can expand or collapse all posts. If you like to start with all posts collapsed, you can expand them one at a time. Point just below a post's subject line and select Expand.
When you point to the thread page, the Search and Refresh buttons appear at the top. You'll want to refresh the thread page to see posts that were submitted since you accessed the page.
The number of posts displays at the top of the thread. Selecting the unread number displays only unread posts. Expanded posts are marked as read automatically as you scroll down the page.
Select the indicator to manually change the post's status. You can also flag posts that you want to review again later or mark as important.
To perform actions on a group of posts, select the checkboxes, and choose from the Message Actions menu at the top of the page. You can mark as read, flag, or collect posts to view them on one page and then filter or print the list.
When you point to a post, the reply, quote, and email author functions appear. For instructors, the edit and delete functions are also available. Students can edit or delete their own posts only if the instructor has enabled those settings.
Select Reply to contribute to the discussion. The content editor allows you to format text, embed media, and attach files.
A reply to the initial post appears at the bottom of the list. If you reply to a subsequent post, your post appears indented beneath the message you are replying to.
Point to the age of the post to view its creation date and its number of views. And finally, if the instructor enabled the rating feature for the forum, you can see the average rating for a post. When you point to the rating area, it changes to show Your Rating, where you can give the post a rating.
Journals
Journal video transcript
You can use a journal as a self-reflective tool to post your opinions, ideas, and concerns about your course, or discuss and analyze course related materials. Let’s take a look.
Your instructor can make a journal be private or public. A private journal is for communication between you and your instructor, while a public journal allows course members to view all entries.
Additionally, your instructor can set a journal as graded or ungraded.
You can find journals on the course menu or on the Tools page. On the journals listing page, select the name of the journal topic you want to access.
On the journal's topic page, select Create Journal Entry.
Type a title and then type your entry. You can use the functions in the editor to format your text. You can attach files to your entry in the Journal Entry Files section. Select Browse My Computer to upload a file from your computer.
When you are finished, select Post Entry to publish the journal entry or select Save Entry as Draft to save your work without publishing so you can continue editing later.
Tests
For more information, visit the Blackboard Original Tests page.
Tests Video transcript
You can find tests in any content area, learning module, lesson plan, or folder. Your instructor lets you know when a test is available and where to find it in your course. Let’s take a look at a test. Read the test instructions carefully to find out if the test is timed, whether or not it submits automatically when the time is up, if you are allowed to save and resume later, and if you can retake it.
Select Begin to start the test.
Don't refresh the page, close the window, or use the browser's back button while taking the test. If you have problems during a test, contact your instructor immediately.
Not all tests are timed. If the test is timed, the timer starts once you select Begin. The timer status bar keeps you updated on the time left.
The system keeps track of the questions you have completed so you don’t miss any, and automatically saves your answers. You can also select Save Answer next to each question or Save All Answers as you work.
If your instructor permits, you can select Save All Answers, exit the test without submitting, and return to finish it later. For timed tests, it is important to know that if you save your answers and exit the test without submitting, the timer continues to run.
To complete the test and send it to your instructor for grading, select Save and Submit.
Tests with manually graded questions such as essays are not available until your instructor grades those questions. Your instructor decides how much information appears here and when your grade is available. After your instructor posts your grade, you can return to the test to view your grade and any feedback your instructor included.
Groups
Groups Video transcript
Your instructor can use groups to allow you and your classmates to interact with each other. Within your group you can collaborate on assignments, projects and share files. Let’s take a look.
When you are a member of one or more groups, the My Groups panel, under the course menu, provides direct links to your groups. Your instructor may also put links to your group in a content area or on the course menu.
The group link opens the group home page, which consists of modules. If your instructor permits, you can customize this page by adding modules.
The group home page displays the tools your instructor made available for your group to use. For example, use the file exchange tool to upload documents you want to share with you group. Be sure to ask about tools you want to use, but don't see here.
And finally, from the group assignments module, you can access instructions and upload assignments for your group.
Blog Entries
Blog Entries Video transcript
Blogs are an effective way for you to express your ideas and share knowledge and materials created and collected in the course. Let’s take a look.
You can access three types of blogs: course, group, and individual.
In a course blog, all enrolled users can create entries and add comments to entries.
If your instructor enables the blog tool for a group, all group members can create blog entries and make comments. Any course member can read and comment on a group blog, but can't create an entry if the user isn't a member of the group.
As the owner of an individual blog, you can create entries and your instructor and classmates can add comments.
To create an entry, select the name of the blog you want to access and then select Create Blog Entry.
On the Create Blog Entry page, type a brief name for your entry, and add your content in the editor.
Using the functions in the content editor, you can include any combination of text, images, links, multimedia, and mashups, and determine where they appear within your text.
You can also add one or more attachments to your blog entry in the Blog Entry Files section. When you post the entry, these files appear at the bottom of your entry.
You have the option of saving an unfinished blog entry as a draft. Drafts are not published; you can return later and complete your entry before sharing it with others.
When you are ready to publish your entry, select Post Entry.
To edit an entry you published, select Edit from the menu next to the title. And finally, to edit your drafts, select View Drafts, and then select the title of the draft you want to edit.
Course Messages
Course Messages Video transcript
Course Messages are private and secure text based communication that occur within your course among course members. Let's take a look.
Although similar to email, you must be logged into a course to read and send Course Messages.
Message activity remains inside the system and you don't have to worry about email addresses that may be incorrect or outdated.
To view the messages for the course you are in, select the messaes link on the course menu or on the tools page. Instructors determine which links appear on the course menu and which tools are available.
If allowed by your institution, you can create personal folders to help organize your course messages.
To begin composing a message, select Create message.
On the Compose message page, select To. A list of all course members appears. In the first box, select the recipients and then select the right pointing arrow to move them to the recipients box.
Next, type a subject for your message, and use the options in the editor to format the text of your message.
If your institution allows, you can attach files from your computer.
When you're ready to send your message, select Submit.
When you receive new messages, you will receive a notification on the What's New module on the course homepage.
And finally, when viewing a message, you have the option to reply, forward, or delete the message.
Checking Grades
Checking Grades Video transcript (partial):
When you're inside a course, you can view the grades for that course only.
On the course menu, select the My Grades link, or select the Tools link, and then select My Grades.
You can view your total grade to date for the course, along with graded items, items you've submitted for grade, and upcoming items you need to submit.
And finally, for a graded item, select the comments link to read your instructors feedback.
Troubleshooting in Blackboard
If you are experiencing difficulties in Blackboard, you may find these simple troubleshooting techniques helpful:
- Make Sure You Are On the Internet. Especially if you are using Wifi, you may find that you have lost your connection.
- Switch Browsers. A "browser" is the program you use to get on the Internet. Because these programs are owned by companies other than Blackboard, sometimes updates on one system will cause problems. Good browsers to try for Blackboard include Chrome and Firefox. If you are a Mac user, Safari usually works well too. When you try a different browser remember to login to Blackboard directly by typing blackboard.wichita.edu into the address bar. Do not login through MyWSU. Also, remember that Internet Explorer and Edge are not good choices when using Blackboard.
- Clear Your Cache. When computers are on the Internet, they use different techniques to improve the user experience and speed load times for webpages. Sometimes these techniques can cause problems and you need to force your system to load in webpages from scratch. To do that, you need to clear your browser's webpage memory or "cache." Each browser has its own cache, and you need to follow the instructions for the browser you are using. Here are links to these instructions for Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.
- Check Your Physical Connections. It may seem unbelieveable, but many of the problems we see in help tickets are related to someone's computer (microphone, camera, monitor, etc.) getting unplugged. Make sure everything is plugged in tightly, including cables at the back of your machine.
- Get Help. If none of the troubleshooting steps above worked, it's time to get help by contacting the OneStop.