Blackboard Tools for Course Set Up and Personalization
Blackboard has various features, tools, and option to help personalize and optimize courses.
- Course Settings
- Set the access for a course (whether open or closed for students), enable the Messages tool, and more.
- Course Roles
- Assigned to users to control access to courses. Some role assignments are automatically assigned by Blackboard through Campus Connection (instructor, co-instructor, teaching assistant, student). Other roles (course builder, grader, etc) can be requested to be added to courses using the Blackboard Course Request page.
- Course Banners
- Provide visual identity for courses. Topics include how to set up a banner and the size recommendations for images.
- Calendars
- Manage deadlines and schedules. Topics include how to add events, add course schedule, share calendar to personal external calendars like Google and Apple calendars, and more.
- Student Preview
- Allows instructors to view the course as a student to ensure the course functions and looks as intended. Topics include how to start Student Preview, exit Student Preview, and managing the Student Preview data.
- Progress Tracking and Student Progress Reports
- Gives students and instructors a visual indicator of progress in course. Topics include turning on Progress Tracking, viewing individual student's progress in the course, and viewing class progress on individual content items in the course.
Additional Course Preparation Information
Instructors have other options that may be useful in preparing courses for students. Below are some of the most common requests instructors have when preparing courses.
Course Merge
Instructors with multiple sections of the same (or similar) courses may request to have the courses merged into a single Blackboard course. If you are unsure if this option is for you, please review reasons for and against merging Blackboard courses on TTaDA's webpage. If you know that you want your courses merged, please submit a request to merge through the Blackboard Course Request page which will require you to sign with your NDUS credentials (the same username and password used to log into Blackboard or Campus Connection).
Course Availability
By default, all UND semester-based courses are created 110 days before the semester start date and are set to be unavailable. All semester-based courses are made available one week before the semester start date to allow students access to the course syllabus, textbook information, and other important course announcements.
- If instructors need more time to work on their course, instructors may hide content items from students' visibility until they are ready.
- Instructors may also choose to make their courses available earlier than the one week prior to the semester date using the Course Settings option in courses.
Copy/Move/Import Content into a Course
Instructors that have previously taught the same course may choose to copy content from one semester to the next and make edits to the content in the new course. Please review the Copy Content into Blackboard Ultra Course knowledge base article on steps to do this from either an Original course to Ultra or between Ultra courses.
- Continual copying from semester to semester can lead to duplicates items, unused files, and more. Always review your course to ensure that these duplicate, unused, or unwanted files or items are deleted to help keep your course size down.
- Make sure to adjust due dates, availability dates, and other general content item settings after bringing in content to the new course. This can be done through Ultra's Batch Edit feature.
FAQs
How do I add a user to a course?
Instructors, co-instructors, and teaching assistants (both graduate and undergraduate) are automatically populated to Blackboard once they have been added to Campus Connection. Instructors will need to inform their department Scheduling Assistant of the addition. The Scheduling Assistant will email the Office of the Register to add them to Campus Connection. The Scheduling Assistant will then add the TA/GTA to the specific course in CLSS and then the information will automatically be populated into Blackboard within 24 hours. Please make sure to include the following information for the department Scheduling Assistant: Name, EMPL ID#, Course(s) taught and class numbers (ie MATH 103 #8018), and if the new add be a Primary Instructor or a Teaching Assistant.
Students are populated to Blackboard within 24 hours of registering for a class. When a student drops the course, they are made inactive in Blackboard within 24 hours. If students don't see their course within 48 hours, verify they are enrolled in the course through Campus Connection. If they do show as enrolled, please submit a ticket or contact TTaDA for further assistance. TTaDA can also assist with students that have dropped the course but are still showing as active in the Blackboard course.
All other types of user roles can be requested using the Blackboard Course Request page.
Why can't I see/find my course(s)?
There are several reasons why you may not see courses you are the instructor for and some of the most common issues are listed below as well as how to resolve them.
- Check that you are listed as the instructor for the course in Campus Connection. The link requires UND credentials to log in.
- If not you are not listed as the instructor, contact your department Scheduling Assistant to have them add you to the course in Campus Connection.
- If you are listed as the instructor in Campus Connection, remove any filters (to include removing text in the search bar, show all terms, or show all courses in filters) that may be applied in the Courses page of the Base Navigation menu of Blackboard.
- If you still don't see the course, check for hidden courses by selecting Hidden from me from the Filters drop down on the Courses page of the Base Navigation menu of Blackboard. If a course shows up as being hidden, open the Course Options menu (three dot button in the upper right corner of the course card) and select Show Course to make it visible to you again.
Why do my students say they can't access my course?
If students are enrolled in the course but are not able to open it, check the availability of the course. The availability can be changed in Course Settings from either the Course menu in the Base Navigation menu OR directly inside a course.