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
2nd example – For an acknowledgement in an honor pledge enter:
I, @X@user.full_name@X@, acknowledge that...
Honor pledge example
2) You will see the substitution once you click [Submit] to save the item.
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.
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.
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:
Goto the [Control Panel] for the course and click on [Customization] to expand it.
Click on [Teaching Style].
Scroll down to section 2 and select your new course entry point.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Turn Edit Mode ON.
Access a content area, learning module, lesson plan, or folder that you want to add the new blank page to.
On the menu bar, roll your mouse over [Build Content] then click on [Blank Page].
Replace the "New Page" title with a descriptive name for the page. This becomes the link in the course area.
Type your content for the page in the Content box.
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.
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:
Turn Edit Mode ON.
Access a content area, learning module, or folder that you want to add the new lesson plan to.
On the menu bar, roll your mouse over [Build Content] then click on [Lesson Plan].
Lesson Plans are created in two steps based on the two tabs appearing on the Create Lesson Plan page:
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.
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.
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:
Turn Edit Mode ON.
Access a content area, learning module, lesson plan, or folder that you want to add the new learning module to.
On the menu bar, roll your mouse over [Build Content] then click on [Learning Module].
On the Create Learning Module page, enter a Name for the Learning Module.
Optionally, type a description in the Text box.
Select the options for Availability, View, and Table of Contents.
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.
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).
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:
Turn Edit Mode ON.
Access the content area, module, lesson plan, or folder you want to add the new folder to.
On the menu bar, roll your mouse over [Build Content] then click on [Content Folder].
Enter a Name for the folder.
Select your folder options.
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.
The Course Menu appears on the left side of your course window and contains links to materials and tools within the course. All Blackboard courses are created with a default course menu (e.g. text links on a blue background and default content areas.) You can structure your course menu to fit your needs. You can personalize your course menu with your own wording, order, colors and styles.
Follow these steps to do it.
To create a link on the course menu:
Turn Edit Mode ON.
Roll your mouse over the plus sign above the course menu. The Add Menu Item drop-down list appears.
Select the type of content to create.
Type a Name for the link. Complete any other required text boxes, such as URL for Web Link.
Select the Available to Users check box to enable users to see the link on the course menu. You can create content ahead of time, make it unavailable, and then make it available at the appropriate time.
Click [Submit].
A link to the new content appears at the bottom of the course menu. You can drag-and-drop the link into a new position by rolling your mouse over the link and then clicking on the cross arrow on the left of the link and drag-and-drop the link into a new position.
To remove, show/hide, or delete a course menu item:
Turn Edit Mode to ON.
Roll your mouse over the link and then click on the dropdown arrow on the right of the item.
Click on [Rename] to change the link title. Select [Hide Link] to make it unavailable to students. Click [Show Link] to make it available to students. Select [Delete] to permanently remove the item.
To change the color and style of the course menu:
Goto the [Control Panel] for the course and click on [Customization] to expand it.
Click on [Teaching Style].
Choose your menu style, layout, and content appearance settings.
by Karen Nichols
A few of our veteran online instructors recently had a panel on the positives of teaching online and hybrid courses. At the last minute, we decided to record the discussion. It worked out very well and we created and disseminated it as a podcast which was helpful to instructors who were unable to attend. Thanks to Bart Everson for helping us at the last minute but having forgotten this option in the beginning really gave me pause.
There are myriad programs and apps to produce amazing visuals and videos which we frequently present and write about. After the above incident, I thought I'd also provide information for the auditory side. eLearning Industry just published an article yesterday, "Audio in eLearning: Top 10 Tips For eLearning Professionals" which contains several best practices. I've chosen three here to give you a sampling of their recommendations:
Have your students show their knowledge by creating and submitting an audio presentation. I have had my French students record themselves reciting a French poem and then discussing certain aspects of it.
Provide audio instructions for assignments, especially the more complicated ones. I have actually included audio files in which I read the instructions for my students. They will hear me in French as they are reading along.
Include a "player" for each sound file so that your students can replay it as often as necessary and also adjust the volume and other aspects of the recording.
How are you using auditory files in your courses? Do you narrate your power points? Please share your best practices. Meanwhile, in celebration of the season, here is an AUDIO FILE for you to enjoy--The Night Before Christmas as read by Louis Armstrong. Happy Holidays Everyone!
