What's New in Blackboard 9.1 Service Pack 7?

Check out the new features and enhancements in the latest upgrade of Blackboard!

• Interactive Rubrics - These rubrics are included as an option in assessments. They allow instructors to provide students with clear expectations and evaluation criteria. Scores entered into a rubric that are associated with an assignment or gradable forum, wiki, blog, or journal are reflected in the Grade Center. The same rubric can be used for multiple assessments and exported and imported across courses.
  
  How to use Interactive Rubrics Tutorials
  How to Create a Grading Rubric
  How to Associate a Rubric with a Gradable Item
  How to Grade with Rubrics
  

• Needs Grading Status - This feature has been significantly enhanced to allow instructors easier access to items that need grading. In addition, Gradable Discussion Boards can now be set to appear in the Needs Grading area of the Control Panel after a specific number of posts by a student.
  
  How to use the Needs Grading Status for Interactive Tools Tutorial
  Needs Grading Status for Interactive Tools
  
  
• Auto-Submit Test Tool - This new capability provides instructors with an intuitive means of setting time limits on assessments and configuring the system to auto-submit the assessment at time expiration. Instructors may now choose to make the timed assessment auto-submit, or to allow the assessment to continue beyond the allotted time as in previous versions of Blackboard. Students are provided with visual cues to track their progress when taking and submitting timed assessments set to auto-submit. Attempt information for timed assessments includes details on how much time the student spent on the attempt versus how much time was allotted.
  
  How to Set Test Options including Auto-Submit Tutorial
  

• Check Course Links Tool - This tool allows instructors to check the links of any items added through Browse Course option, including: links added in the Text Editor, Content Areas, Learning Modules, Folders, Announcements, Contacts, Tools, Discussion Boards, Blogs and Journals.
  
  Consider checking your course links on a periodic basis. It's easy!
  Through the Control Panel > Packages and Utilities > Check Course Links
  Click OK to check the operation > Review the results.

Add Some Bling to Your Blackboard

If you think you are tired of looking at your boring Blackboard, think how your students feel! This document will give you some fresh ideas for making your course more visually interesting. You will find tips for using Blackboard tools for customizing your course, such as buttons, links, and banners as well as tips for using embedded content and interesting Web 2.0 tools.

Bling Your Blackboard Class

Blackboard Beginning of the Semester Checklist

Use the Beginning of the Semester Checklist to ensure that your class is ready for student access. The checklist will assist you in turning off unnecessary tools, making the course available, and initiating communication. In addition you will also find instructions for the Add Test Student feature which allows instructors to login to their courses as a students.

Embedding Video in Blackboard

The ever-growing collection of shared online video content provides an excellent opportunity for educators. The following links offer many sites for online videos, many of which can be easily embedded in your Blackboard course.

Shared Online Video Resources, Portals, and Pedagogical Activities
YouTube
Hulu
TED

Easy Instructions for embedding video in Blackboard:
Embedding Video in Bb

Blackboard 9.1 Tool Guide

Last year I ran across a Moodle Tool Guide for Teachers and thought that whenever I get the time I would create one for Blackboard. Well, the time has come. This guide will allow you to compare the functionality and pedagogical advantages of some standard Blackboard tools, as well as how tricky the tool is to set up.

While the original Moodle Tool Guide was created to be printed as a poster, this one is designed to be printed front to back on 8 1/2 x 11 paper to keep as a handy reference.

Feeback and suggestions are appreciated.

Bb9.1ToolGuide

Modified from Moodle Tool Guide for Teachers (http://www.cats-pyjamas.net/2010/05/moodle-tool-guide-for-teachers/) Joyce Seitzinger. May 2010

Minimizing Issues with Tests and Quizzes in Blackboard

There are many reasons - ranging from network to browser to Blackboard itself - that students may have issues taking assessments in Blackboard. Depending on circumstances, students can be disconnected from Blackboard while they are taking a quiz. This is not unique to Blackboard as other learning management systems have similar problems.

There are best practices instructors should follow to minimize the risk of something going wrong during and assessment.

1. Set the exam to be given one question at a time. This ensures that the user's session is continuously updated, and the likelihood of the user getting kicked out due to inactivity is reduced.
2. Do not select the "force complete" option. Without this option selected, users are able to re-enter the exam from the last point that they saved an answer if they should get kicked out.
3. Advise students to not "double click" when they hit the Submit button.
4. Firefox is the recommended browser.

Have students read the Instructions for Taking Online Exams found on the Blackboard website in the Student area.

Quickly Find Items That Need Grading

Instructors can now access assignment, test and SafeAssignment attempts that need grading from a new Needs Grading page accessed in the Grade Center section of the Control Panel. On the Needs Grading page, instructors can view how many attempts are ready for grading and sort and filter the items. Attempts are placed in a queue for easy navigation among items when grading or reviewing. Once an attempt is graded, it no longer appears on the Needs Grading page.

Hiding and Collapsing the Course Menu

Blackboard offers users the option to hide the Course Menu so that the area of the course you are viewing takes up the entire screen. While this is a helpful feature, it may cause confusion due to the fact that if you "accidentally" hide the Course Menu, by clicking on the arrow directly to the left of the main page, you will not be able to see your Course Menu. Users also have the ability to totally collapse the Course Menu by clicking on the arrows directly to the left of the course name at the top of the Course Menu.

To Hide the Course Menu

1. Click the < icon on the left side of the main screen.
2. When you are ready to view the Course Menu again click the > icon on the left side of the main screen.

Collapse and Expand the Course Menu

1. To collapse the Course Menu, click the two "upper arrows" directly to the left of the course name at the top of the Course Menu.
2. When you are ready to expand the Course Menu, click the same arrows, which are now pointing down.

This short screencast demonstrates how to hide and collapse the Course Menu and how to un-hide and expand the area.

Add New Test Student

Instructor can now create a Test Student User Account using the Add Test Student tool accessible from the Course Tools of the Control Panel. An instructor can create only ONE test student user account. This test student account is tied to an individual instructor and can be added to any course of the instructor.

Once a test student is added to a course, the instructor can log into the course as a test student THROUGH THE NON-FRESNO STATE OR COMMUNITY USERS LINK LOCATED UNDER THE REGULAR BLACKBOARD LOGIN. You will not be able to login as a Test Student through the regular login area.

NOTE: Please do not share this account with others because they will gain access to ALL the courses associated with this test student. This account should be used to only test your course as a student. Please do not use this account for guest users or official course records.