How do I get started creating my Blackboard course?

Getting started with Blackboard, as with anything else, requires a little planning. What are your goals for using Blackboard? What parts of the program do you want to work with? What information do you want to post? What collaborative tools do you want to use? With which course(s) are you going to use Blackboard? Here are a few links that may help you get your thoughts organized and plan the direction for your Blackboard course.

• Planning & Designing Your Blackboard Course Site (Created by Carnegie Mellon University)
• Instructional Design Tips (Created by Blackboard Inc.)
• Recommendations for Best Use of Blackboard (Created by Blackboard Inc.)
• Facilitating Collaboration and Interactions (Created by Carnegie Mellon University)
• 8 Ways to Get Students More Engaged in Online Conferences (Created by Blackboard Inc.)
• Blackboard 6.3 Instructors Manual (Created by Blackboard Inc.)

In addition to these links, please feel free to contact me with questions or for assistance in integrating Blackboard (clauburgm@philau.edu or x6332)

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How do I navigate within Blackboard?

Blackboard is a fairly straight forward program. Upon login, you are presented with a collection of modules. Each module contains information related to your account (e.g., calendar items, tasks to be done, announcements from courses, course list). Once you enter a course site (by clicking on a course in the My Courses module), you navigate through Blackboard by clicking on one of the buttons in the menu along the left side of the screen.

For a video tour of the Blackboard environment, click here. Select any of the videos under the heading Introduction. (Created by Atomic Learning)

Note: This video introduction is only accessible on campus and is not customized to the PhilaU environment. Some items will slightly vary.

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How do I setup my course (e.g., buttons, tools, course options)?

Blackboard 6.x allows for some new ways to design your course. In addition to the ability to add/remove and customize button appearance, you also have the option to rename buttons, changes buttons to simple text links, adjust color schemes, add/remove a course banner and select which tools and content areas you want your students to access.

For a general overview of all these features, click here.

Q: If I change the navigation items, will it be permanent?

A: As with many of the other features of Blackboard, the instructor can modify or edit the navigation menu at any time during the course duration.

Q: What are the benefits of changing the names on the navigation or course menu?

A: Many instructors feel limited by the standard names and areas types. Instructors can customize the titles to names that make more sense for them. For example, instead of "Assignments," an instructor may want to call the section "Book reviews" for a literature class, or "Experiments" for a chemistry class.

Q: What are the benefits of adding tools or external links to the menu?

A: In some courses, students spend much of their time online looking at specific websites. Instructors can make a direct link to the site on the navigation menu. For example, a public health class could have a direct link to the National Institute of Health website right on the front page of the course.

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How can I customize my Course Menu?

A video tutorial on changing buttons to text links and adding a banner. This video is posted on the Behind the Blackboard site. You may need to create a UserID and Password to access this resource.

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