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Month: January 2015

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Published on 1 Comment on New Year’s Resolutions

by Karen Nichols
Happy New Year Everyone! Did you make any resolutions for 2015? I don't usually try to set goals on January 1st other than the rather nebulous "try to be a better person" one. However, Dr. Michaelis recently wrote a blog for the Huffington Post in which he recommended a few apps to help us keep our New Year's Resolutions. His recommendations are Rise (nutrition coaching), My Quit Coach (quit smoking) and Buddhify.

Perhaps one of your resolutions was to do more than use an app or two. If you've resolved to become more comfortable with technology and to try to use more of it in your courses, I have a few sites that I recommend in order to help you keep that resolution!

Try Sue Frantz' Technology for Academics! She is an expert on "finding new technologies so you don't have to".  Thousands of people have blogs with lists of new technologies, but Sue Frantz roadtests each one she writes about and then provides the most clear instructions on how and why to use them.

The John A. Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning and the Office of Information Technologies at the University of Notre Dame (the hosts of our Professional and Organizational Development listserv) has a very good blog, NspireD2. The entries are concise, relevant and numerous.

Finally (or should I have said Firstly?) CAT is always a great resource, so please consider adding a visit to us on the 5th floor of the library to your list of resolutions--we'll be happy to help you!

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Published on 1 Comment on Bb Tip #125: Date Management

Due dates, availability dates, and adaptive release dates are usually entered when you create assignments, assessments, discussion boards, blogs, wikis, journals, etc. You can use due dates to help keep students on track. Students see the due dates when they go to My Grades to view their grades and when they look at entries in their course Calendars. With the Blackboard Calendar feature, students can see the due dates for items in their courses. Assignments, assessments, discussion boards, blogs, wikis, journals, etc. with due dates automatically populate into the Calendar.

The Date Management tool allows you to easily change due dates, availability dates, and adaptive release dates at one time (all on one page). If you have to modify dates for two or more items you should consider using the Date Management tool to adjust the dates. The Date Management tool will save you some time as you will not have to edit each individual item to adjust the dates.

The Date Management tool can be very useful when you use the Course Copy feature. For example, if you created a master copy of a course and copied the content from the master course into a blank course, you can use the Date Management tool to easily adjust dates after the course copy.

Note: You cannot use the Date Management tool to adjust dates of Collaborate sessions, Bb partner integrations or publisher content items (e.g. Turnitin, McGraw Hill, etc.)

Follow these steps to do it.

To adjust content and/or tool due dates, availability dates, and adaptive release dates you should:

  1. Goto the [Control Panel] for the course and click on the [Course Tools] link to expand it. Click on [Date Management].
  2. Choose whether you want the system to automatically adjust dates to new dates or if you want to "List All Dates for Review". The "List All Dates for Review" option allows you to review all dates and manually adjust dates yourself.
  3. Click Refresh to ensure the page is up-to-date.
  4. Review all dates and adjust accordingly. You can filter your review by item type (e.g., assignments, blogs, journals, discussion boards) and date types (e.g., due dates, availability dates, adaptive release dates).
  5. You can adjust dates individually, two or more at one time, or automatically. Use the pencil icon to modify dates for individual items.
  6. Click [Run Date Management Again] to automatically adjust dates.

Note: If you do not see Date Management in your Course Tools, you should verify the Date Management tool is available in your course. To verify, go to the [Control Panel] click on [Customization] to expand it and click on [Tool Availability]. Make sure there is a check mark in the available box for the Date Management tool. Click [Submit] to save the changes.

Want more information?

Step-by-step instructions are available [webpage] [video].
Copy Course Contents into another Course [webpage].
Master Copies of Courses [webpage].
Blackboard Calendar [video].
Explore Blackboard’s On Demand Learning Center.
Try these Blackboard How-To documents.
Visit the Blackboard FAQs for additional blackboard information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.

Published on Leave a comment on Bb Tip #124: You Can Personalize Blackboard

Blackboard has template variables you can use to personalize your courses. The "@X@user.full_name@X@" template variable allows you to personalize messages for your students inside Blackboard. Use this template variable to create a more personalized learning environment. For example, you can personalize a welcome message and/or honor pledge by including the student’s name.

Follow these steps to do it.

1) Enter "@X@user.full_name@X@" (without the quote marks) in the content editor wherever you want to substitute the student’s name.

1st example – In a welcome message enter:

Hi @X@user.full_name@X@, welcome to the...

Welcome Message Example
Welcome message example

2nd example – For an acknowledgement in an honor pledge enter:

I, @X@user.full_name@X@, acknowledge that...

Honor Pledge Example
Honor pledge example

2) You will see the substitution once you click [Submit] to save the item.

Want more information?

Explore Blackboard’s On Demand Learning Center.
Try these Blackboard How-To documents.
Visit the Blackboard FAQs for additional blackboard information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.

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Published on 1 Comment on Bb Tip #123: Use Powerpoint to Create Course Banner

PowerPoint is generally used as a presentation program. However, it can also be used to design an eye-catching custom banner for your Blackboard course.

Want more information?

Step-by-step instructions for creating banners using PowerPoint for Windows [PDF] and Mac [PDF] are available.
Bb Tip #122: Design your Course Entry Point
Explore Blackboard’s On Demand Learning Center.
Try these Blackboard How-To documents.
Visit the Blackboard FAQs for additional blackboard information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.

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Published on 2 Comments on Bb Tip #122: Design Your Course Entry Point

The first page students see when they enter your course leaves a lasting impression. Use this first look to orient students and convey important information.

course entry point

In Blackboard, the course entry point is the first area users see upon entering your course. The default course entry point is the Home Page and contains modules that alert students to activity in your course. You can change your course entry point. For example, instructors can set up their course so that students always go to the Announcements page when they enter the course. When choosing the course entry point, consider using a page that contains critical or timely information.

Additionally, adding a banner image to your course entry point will further personalize your course. When you add a banner image it will appear at the top of the course entry point.

Follow these steps to do it.

To design your course entry point:

  1. Goto the [Control Panel] for the course and click on [Customization] to expand it.
  2. Click on [Teaching Style].
  3. Scroll down to section 2 and select your new course entry point.
  4. Scroll down to section 6 and use the browse button to choose a banner image. The recommended size for banner images is approximately 480 by 80 pixels.
  5. Click [Submit].

Want more information?

Design Your Course Entry Point (video)
Adding a Course Banner
Course Style Options
Explore Blackboard’s On Demand Learning Center.
Try these Blackboard How-To documents.
Visit the Blackboard FAQs for additional blackboard information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.

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Published on 1 Comment on How to Effectively Use YouTube in eLearning

by Janice Florent

Christopher Pappas, MBA, M.Ed., discusses various ways you can use YouTube to create collaborative and powerful eLearning courses. He writes,

YouTube can be an invaluable learning tool that eLearning professionals can use to make their eLearning courses more interactive, fun, and informative. In fact, it has the power to transform a potentially dull or complicated subject matter into an overall exciting and engaging eLearning experience. The key to tapping into the power of YouTube is to know how to effectively integrate it into your eLearning strategy.

You can read more in his article, 8 Tips to Effectively Use YouTube in eLearning.

Additionally, you can find more information about using videos in your courses at the following links:

Published on Leave a comment on Bb Tip #121: Blank Page

The blank page tool allows instructors to include files, images, and text as a link in a course area. Blank pages present content in a different way than items do. No description appears below the title of the blank page. Blank pages appear as clickable links. Users see your content only after clicking the link. This reduces the amount of scrolling and streamlines the appearance of the course area. Blank pages can include mashups, links to course content, and file attachments.

blank page

Instructors can create a blank page directly on the course menu for critical information. For example, you might add a map image for an upcoming field trip, information and photo for a guest speaker, a checklist of reading materials and websites to visit before a chat session, or a study guide for the final exam.

Follow these steps to do it.

To create a Blank Page:

  1. Turn Edit Mode ON.
  2. Access a content area, learning module, lesson plan, or folder that you want to add the new blank page to.
  3. On the menu bar, roll your mouse over [Build Content] then click on [Blank Page].
  4. Replace the "New Page" title with a descriptive name for the page. This becomes the link in the course area.
  5. Type your content for the page in the Content box.
  6. Select your Options.
  7. Click [Submit].

Want more information?

About Blank Pages
Customizing the Course Menu
Best Practices: Items, Blank Pages, and Files
Explore Blackboard’s On Demand Learning Center.
Try these Blackboard How-To documents.
Visit the Blackboard FAQs for additional blackboard information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.

Published on Leave a comment on Bb Tip #120: Lesson Plans

A Lesson Plan is a planning tool that can be created for the instructor’s use (for example, as an organizing or planning tool), or for presenting content to students. Simply put, a lesson plan is a container for content similar to a learning module or folder that can hold and organize course items. You can create lesson plans within your course to hold lesson profiles, instructional objectives, and the content items students need to complete a lesson.


lesson plan
Example of a student view of a lesson plan: A - lesson profile and instructional objectives; B - content

Adding lesson plans to a course can benefit students in several ways. You have the option of adding information for students to view alongside of the content to help them understand the objectives and intended result of their learning. You can provide students with information on how their knowledge will be measured, the needed materials, the duration of the instruction, and what they should have learned after the instruction. The more information students have at the start of the lesson, the more prepared they are for the content ahead.

Follow these steps to do it.

To create a Lesson Plan:

  1. Turn Edit Mode ON.
  2. Access a content area, learning module, or folder that you want to add the new lesson plan to.
  3. On the menu bar, roll your mouse over [Build Content] then click on [Lesson Plan].
  4. Lesson Plans are created in two steps based on the two tabs appearing on the Create Lesson Plan page:
lesson plan

Content Information: This tab contains general information about the instructor and objectives. This information appears at the top of the lesson plan in a gray box when students access the lesson plan or when you view it with Edit Mode turned OFF.

Curriculum Resources: This tab contains the lesson plan’s content items. You can create all content types in a lesson plan just as you can in a content area, learning module, or folder.

Want more information?

About Lesson Plans
How to create a lesson plan (video)
Content Folders, Lesson Plans, and Learning Modules Compared
Explore Blackboard’s On Demand Learning Center.
Try these Blackboard How-To documents.
Visit the Blackboard FAQs for additional blackboard information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.

Published on Leave a comment on Bb Tip #119: Learning Modules

A Learning Module is a collection of content items focused on a specific subject that students can navigate at their own pace. For example, a Learning Module about the solar system can include lecture notes, links to websites with pictures and information for all the planets, as well as assignments.

A Learning Module organizes information using a table of contents that lists everything contained within the module. Instructors can create a structured path for progressing through the items. The path can be set so that students must view content sequentially, or set to permit users to view the content in any order.


learning modules
Components of a Learning Module: A – table of contents; B – content frame; C – navigation; D – current content page being viewed

Follow these steps to do it.

To create a Learning Module:

  1. Turn Edit Mode ON.
  2. Access a content area, learning module, lesson plan, or folder that you want to add the new learning module to.
  3. On the menu bar, roll your mouse over [Build Content] then click on [Learning Module].
  4. On the Create Learning Module page, enter a Name for the Learning Module.
  5. Optionally, type a description in the Text box.
  6. Select the options for Availability, View, and Table of Contents.
  7. Click [Submit].

Note: A newly created Learning Module will be empty. Any type of content, including text, audio, video, assignments, or even a Mashup may be included in a Learning Module. Click the link for the Learning Module in the content area to access it. Files are added or edited in a Learning Module in the same manner as they are in any content area.

Want more information?

About Learning Modules
About Content Folders
Best Practices: Content Folder vs Learning Module
Explore Blackboard’s On Demand Learning Center.
Try these Blackboard How-To documents.
Visit the Blackboard FAQs for additional blackboard information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.

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Published on 1 Comment on Bb Tip #118: Organizing Course Materials into Folders

Folders are useful for organizing and structuring content in a course content area. Folders are intended to hold collections of items. For example, you may add folders for each chapter, each module, or each week of the course to a content area. You can use folders to organize the content area by content-type (e.g. Assignments, Assessments, Group Projects).

folders

Once a folder is created, you can add content and "subfolders" to it. All of the content types available in content areas may be added to a folder.

Additionally, having too many subfolders can make your course difficult to navigate. As a general rule, if it takes more than three mouse clicks to access the course material, reconsider how you have that part of your course organized.

Follow these steps to do it.

To create a new folder:

  1. Turn Edit Mode ON.
  2. Access the content area, module, lesson plan, or folder you want to add the new folder to.
  3. On the menu bar, roll your mouse over [Build Content] then click on [Content Folder].
  4. Enter a Name for the folder.
  5. Select your folder options.
  6. Click [Submit].

Note: Your course is created with default content areas. You can customize the course menu if you would like to add a folder that is not listed by default to the course menu. Refer to Bb tip #117 for instructions on customizing the course menu.

Want more information?

How to create a content folder
Explore Blackboard’s On Demand Learning Center.
Try these Blackboard How-To documents.
Visit the Blackboard FAQs for additional blackboard information
or schedule a one-on-one session, email, or
call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.