Blackboard

STEP 1: Request a new course shell and identify the Blackboard pilot, sandbox course to be copied

Blackboard course shells are not created automatically  They must be requested each semester.  Request your course shell as soon as you are listed as the instructor of record for a course in Banner by utilizing the appropriate form available on the Blackboard support home page. 

For more information see Request a Course

STEP 2: Learn about Blackboard

Check the workshop schedule and then register to attend one or more Blackboard training sessions. Although many of the tools and functionality in Blackboard 9.1 should feel familiar to current Blackboard 8 users, the Bb 9.1 interface is very different.  Users should familiarize themselves with the new system by attending a training session and consulting the Steps for  Successfully Navigating Through the Bb 9.1 Upgrade web site.

Training

• Workshops - We offer comprehensive workshops that cover all of the basics of using Blackboard and its many features and tools. See the current schedule to sign up for a workshop.

• Tutorials -   Blackboard 9.1 includes two "Help" links within the course navigation.  The first one is to "Blackboard Help for Students" and the second one is to "Blackboard Help for Instructors."  Both provide a searchable database to tutorials produced by Blackboard on all aspects of Blackboard.  If you are struggling finding the correct search criteria to locate information you seek, ITS has created links to specific Blackboard tutorial topics on the ITS  Blackboard 9.1 Tutorials page.
  
  Tutorials for using various building blocks (external applications like Turnitin and StudyMate Class that are customized to interface with Blackboard) are available on the Blackboard support home page.

Support

• Instructional Design - Not sure what to put in your Blackboard course shell or how to best utilize some of the Blackboard features? Contact one of our Instructional Design team members to discuss your instructional objectives.. The Instructional Designers will work with you to adapt your current content for delivery in an online environment. Contact ftc_help@siue.edu or 618-650-5500 to schedule an appointment.

• House Calls - If you have attended the workshops and tried the tutorials but still have a few questions or are unclear about something, schedule a house call. One of our staff members will come to your office and help you with any Blackboard issue.

• Email - If you have a question or problem, please e-mail your specific issues or concerns to ftc_help@siue.edu and one of our staff will follow up with you.

• Phone - If you need to speak to a staff member, please call 618-650-5500, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

STEP 3: Upload new content to and edit existing files in the Content Collection (My Content tab)

Logging into Blackboard

You can use Blackboard from any computer that is connected to the Internet provided you have requested a course shell and received confirmation that it is ready for use, or you are enrolled in some capacity in a Blackboard course owned by someone else.

• Open an Internet browser, and type in the address for Blackboard: http://bb.siue.edu. Users must begin the login process from that entry point; they cannot bypass that page and go straight to the login page itself.
• Username = your SIUE e-ID (the first part of your SIUE e-mail address), for example jsmith.
• Password = the same one used to access your SIUE e-mail

Blackboard's Content Collection

Blackboard’s Content Collection offers a central repository for all of your instructional materials. Blackboard assigns a unique ID number to each file and folder that is uploaded so spaces, dashes and former illegal characters do not pose a problem in file or folder names.   Since Blackboard assigns a unique ID number to each file and does not use the file path (user/jdoe/MBA500/syllabus.doc) files can be moved without the fear of breaking the link. 

Note that the Content Collection in Blackboard 9.1 introduces a new "Course Content" area.  All course related materials should be uploaded to the "Course Content" folder for the specific course in which that content will be displayed.  Course related materials in Blackboard 9.1 should not be placed in the My Content: your e-ID folder, the location formerly used in Blackboard 8.

Learn about the Content Collection in Blackboard 9.1.

STEP 4: Review and Customize your course

If a new course has been copied from an existing Summer 2012 Sandbox course in Blackboard Pilot, review and update any course options, out-of-date materials, or time-sensitive settings imported into the new course shell.  If a new blank course shell has been created, you will need to develop the structure of your course, determining the appropriate layout and tools to be used.  The default Blackboard 9.1 course shell is different.  See the Orienting Yourself Within Bb 9.1 and the Course Customization web sites for more information on the new Bb 9.1 default navigation and options for customizing the look and feel of your course. You may also request an appointment with the ITS Design Team for a one-on-one consultation.  Let us help you with ideas for your course.

STEP 5: Make your course available

Courses are made unavailable by default at the time of their creation to allow you to add content prior to releasing the course to your students. The word "unavailable" is listed next to the course name.  You as the instructor will always have access to your course, but your students will only have access once you have made the course shell available to them.

Make the course available to the students in Blackboard 9.1 by:

• In the Control Panel, click on the Customization link.
• Click the Properties link.
• In Section #3: Set Availability, click  the Yes radio button.
• Click Submit to finalize the process.