Quick Guide for using blackboard LEARN 9.1
This quick reference guide will get you started using
Blackboard Learn 9.1. The guide includes:
• Getting Around.............................................................. page 1
• Getting Started.............................................................. page 2
• Using the Collaboration Tools...................................... page 4
• Using the Blackboard Wizard...................................... page 5
• Using the Grade Center................................................ page 6
• The Retention Center.................................................... page 8
Video training for “Blackboard Learn” is available for free to
all CWRU faculty, staff and students using lynda.com. To
access, go to case.edu/its/lynda and click the “Go to
Lynda.com” button. Log in by entering your CWRU Network
ID and password. Search for “Blackboard 9.x Essential
Training for Instructors.” Click the link that appears in the
search results to open the list of video training topics.
For a full guide and more materials please refer to the
Blackboard page in the training section on help.case.edu.
In addition, view help at help.blackboard.com, choose the link
9.1 SP 10 and SP 11 on the left. For additional assistance
contact the ITS Service Desk at 216.368.HELP(4357). To
request training, email help@case.edu.
Getting
GETTING around
AROUND
Blackboard Learn 9.1 has made it easier for you to work
quickly and find things fast. The icons described below are
common throughout the Blackboard Learn system.
Another feature is the ability to preview the student view
of your class using the Edit Mode switch on the top right.
The Edit Mode switch ON means that you are in the edit
mode and can see all editing options. The Edit Mode switch
OFF means you are in the student view. NOTE: The Control
Panel will stay visible to instructors, but students never see
this option in their view.
The collapsible menu feature allows you to collapse
the left menu column and expand the working page,
this is most helpful when using the grade center.
Hover over the menu area, then click the arrow icon
again to bring the menu back.
Breadcrumb links along the top allow you to move around
your course without using the back button or starting over
from the course menu.
Activating or Deactivating Tools
If tools are not available on the menu or not used, it is very
easy to hide and unhide them. Start at the Control Panel
by clicking Customization, then click Tool Availability. The
screen will appear with all the tools available alphabetically
on the left side with checkboxes to turn on and off the
various tools and functions.
The Control Panel is now one-click access and located
below your course menu on the left of your Blackboard site.
The menu options expand as you drill down.
The menu arrow to the right of an item indicates
there are menu options available for the item or topic.
The vertical double arrow icon to the left of an item
name allows you to click-and-drag items to reorder
them as you like.
The square icon will appear on the course menu on
the right side next to a content area; it indicates that
there are no items available in the content area.
Global Navigation
You can now navigate between all of your course sites
using the Global Navigaton button in Blackboard. Click
on your name in the upper right to access the Global
Navigation menu. Hover over the icons on the left to view
sections quickly.
The slash square icon will appear on the course
menu on the right side next to an item; it indicates
that the item is not available to students.
1
Quick Guide for using blackboard LEARN 9.1
Blackboard home
Displays an overview of the items that are
due and recently graded.
Posts
Displays the latest Discussion Board posts
for the course selected. Replies can be made
to posts from this section.
Updates
Displays all updates for all of your courses.
grades
Displays the status of gradable items.
retention center
8. A confirmation page will appear. Review information
and click the ”Create Site” button. NOTE: Course site
creation may take several seconds or even minutes.
Please be patient; clicking “Reload” or “Cancel” after
submitting the request may cause errors.
Make the Site Available
1 Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
2. Click on the desired course from the My Courses list or
the Global Navigation list.
3. From the Control Panel, select “Customization”
4. Select “Properties”.
5. Under “Set Availability,” select “Yes” to make the course
available. If you do not want to make the site available,
select “No.”
(See page 8 for more information)
Displays course and personal calendars.
6. Click “Submit.”
Creating Content Folders within a Site
1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu.
2. Click on the desired course from the My Courses or
Global Navigation list.
3. Select a content area from the course menu.
4. Select the “Build Content” tab and then “Content Folder.”
5. Type in a name for the folder in the “Name” box. If you
would like to add a more detailed description of the
folder, type this within the text box provided.
6. Set user permissions within the “Standard Options” section.
7. Click “Submit.”
Adding Content to a Folder
Creating a New Site
1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu.
2. Click the Blackboard Wizard tab located at the top of the
Blackboard page.
3. Click “Add a New Blackboard Site” on the left menu.
4. Choose the Desired Semester and click “Next.”
5. Choose the Course and click “Next.”
6. Enter in the Site Title and click “Next.”
7. Create the Course Site ID. This CANNOT be changed
(even by the administrator). If you plan to reuse the
course, avoid any unique identifiers (such as a specific
semester label). Click the “Next” button.
2
Using Video everywhere
1. View video instructions located on the BlackBoard
training page at
http://www.case.edu/its/training/blackboardmain.html
Creating an Assignment
Calendar
Getting Started
5. Select the “Build Content” tab. The content types that
are available are listed under the first column.
6. Select the content type that you would like to add. For
example, a PowerPoint presentation would be an Item
or a File, wheras an external URL would be a Web Link.
7. Enter in a name and description for the content.
8. Provide any additional information or files as
appropriate for the content type you have selected.
9. Set user permissions within the “Standard Options” section.
10.Click “Submit.” The file will appear within the
appropriate content folder.
1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu.
2. Click on the desired course from the My Courses or
Global Navigation list.
3. Select a content area from the course menu.
4. Optionally, select the content folder into which you
would like to add your content.
blackboard.case.edu
1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
2. Click on the desired course from the My Courses or
Global Navigation list.
3. Select a content area from the course menu.
4. Optionally, select the content folder into which you
would like to add the assignment.
5. Select the “Assessments” tab and then “Assignment.”
6. Enter a name for the assignment.
7. Optionally, enter the assignment information directly
into the instructions section.
8. Optionally, click the “Browse My Computer” or “Browse
Content Collection” button to locate any attachments
you wish to include.
9. Enter the number of points possible
for the assignment in the “Points
Possible” text box.
10.Choose the availability options in the
“Availability” section.
a. The “Make the Assignment
Available” box will enable
students to see the assignment immediately.
b. You can also limit the assignment availability by
selecting the desired dates next to “Limit Availability.”
11.Choose whether or not to enforce a due date on the
assignment by selecting the checkbox next to “Due Date”
and setting the due date.
12.Choose the recipients for the assignment.
a. All Students Individually – when each individual
student is receiving a grade.
b. Groups of Students – for group assignments
(i.e. the group is receiving a grade).
13.Click “Submit.”
CREATING A SAFEASSIGNMENT
SafeAssign is a plagiarism prevention tool that helps
educators detect unoriginal content in student papers.
It aids in educating students about plagiarism and the
importance of proper attribution of any borrowed content.
1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
2. Follow steps 2-4 in Creating An Assignment.
3. Select the “Assessments” tab and then
“SafeAssignment” (if this is not an option, see
Activating and Deactivating Tools in the Getting Around
section).
4. Enter a name for the assignment.
5. Enter the number of points possible for the assignment
in the “Points Possible” text box.
6. Enter instructions for the assignment.
7. Choose the availability options in the “Availability”
section.
8. Choose if the student can view the assignment.
9. Optionally, choose to create an announcement.
10.Click “Submit.”
Viewing SafeAssignment Reports and
Submitting to DirectSubmit
1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
2. Click on the desired course from the My Courses or
Global Navigation list.
3. From the Control Panel, select “Course Tools.”
4. Click SafeAssign from the menu (if this is not an option,
see Activating and Deactivating Tools in the Getting
Around section).
5. Two choices appear, SafeAssignments and
DirectSubmit.
a.Click SafeAssignments to view submissions for the SafeAssignments in the course. Use the menu
arrow to view the student submissions and view the
SafeAssignment Report.
b. DirectSubmit allows the instructor to submit external documents to the SafeAssign database and receive a report. Click DirectSubmit to get started.
Creating a Quiz or Test
1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
2. Click on the desired course.
3. Enter the Control Panel, select “Course Tools” then
“Tests, Surveys, and Pools.”
4. Select “Tests” from the list.
5. You will be presented with the option to build a test
from scratch or to import questions from an Excel file.
3
Quick Guide for using blackboard LEARN 9.1
Building a Test
Follow steps 1 – 5 under Creating a Quiz or Test
Select “Build Test.”
Enter a name and description for the test.
Enter test instructions in the text box and click
“Submit.”
5. You will have the option of creating a question or
reusing questions. “Create Question” was selected.
1.
2.
3.
4.
6. Select the type of question that you would like to create
from the drop-down list.
7. Type a title for the question in the “Question Title” box.
8. Enter the actual question in the “Question Text” area.
9. Set options for the test questions in the “Options” box.
10.Complete the Answers and Feedback sections as
appropriate to the type of question chosen.
11.Optionally, set the “Categories and Keywords” section.
12.Enter any notes in the “Instructor Notes” section.
13.Click “Submit.”
Uploading Questions from an Excel File
To upload questions directly into Blackboard from an Excel
file, the file must be formatted correctly as a tab-delimited
text file. A formatting guide is located at help.case.edu in
Training -> Blackboard -> Blackboard Training Materials.
1. Follow steps 1 – 5 under Creating a Quiz or Test.
2. Click “Import Test.”
3. Click either “Browse My Computer” to upload an Excel
file from your computer or “Browse Course” to upload a
file already uploaded to Blackboard.
4. Click “Submit.”
Deploying a Test
Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
Click on the desired course.
Select a content area from the course menu.
Optionally, select the content folder into which you
would like to add the test.
5. Select the “Assessments” button and then “Test.”
6. Select the test that you would like to deploy from the
Add an Existing Test list .
7. Click “Submit.”
8. Complete the “Test Availability”.“Due Date” and “Selfassessment Options” sections.
10.Select the type of feedback to display upon completion.
11.Select whether to present the entire test at once or one
question at a time.
12.Click “Submit.”
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2.
3.
4.
4
Using the Collaboration
tools
Setting up a Discussion Board: Creating forums
1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
2. Click on the desired course.
3. From the Control Panel, select “Course Tools” then
“Discussion Board.”
4. Click on the name of the Discussion Board. By default, it
will appear as the Site ID of your Blackboard site.
5. Click the “Create Forum” button at the top of the screen.
6. Enter the name and description for your forum.
7. Set the “Forum Availability.”
8. Set the “Forum Settings.”
a. Standard View - anyone may to post in the forum.
b. Participants must create a thread in order to view other threads in this forum - if students are required to post before seeing what others have said, select this option.
9. Click “Submit.”
The Discussion Board: Threads
1. Follow steps 1-4 THE DISCUSSION BOARD: CREATING
FORUMS.
2. Click the “Create Thread” button at the top of the
screen.
3. Enter a subject and message for your thread.
4. Optionally, choose a file to attach to your thread.
5. Click “Submit.”
The Discussion Board: Replies
1. Follow steps 1-4 on THE DISCUSSION BOARD: CREATING
FORUMS.
2. Navigate to the post you wish to reply to, then click on
the “Reply” button.
3. Optionally, choose a file to attach to your reply.
4. Click “Submit.”
6. Add a name and description for the group.
7. Set the “Group Available” option.
8. Set the “Tool Availability.” Please note: If you would
like to have a group discussion board, verify that the
“Discussion Board” box is selected.
9. Complete any other necessary sections as appropriate
for the selected enrollment type.
10.Click “Submit.”
Using a Group Discussion Board
1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
2. Click on the desired course. A Group must already be
created to proceed (see the “Creating Groups” section).
3. Verify that the Discussion Board box is selected in the “Tool
Availability” section. If this box is NOT selected, see Activating
and Deactivating Tools in the Getting Around section.
4. From the Control Panel, select “Course Tools” then
“Discussion Board.”
5. Click on the discussion board that is named after the
group that you created. From here, you can modify or
manage the group discussion board and read posts.
blackboard.case.edu
Enter a name and instructions for the Wiki.
Set the date and time restrictions for the Wiki.
Set the participation options.
Optionally, you can choose to create a Grade Center
entry for the wiki.
9. Click “Submit.”
using the Blackboard Wizard
Adding Individual Users to a Site
1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at
case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard
2. Select “Add Users to Site” from the side menu.
3. Choose the class to which you are adding users. Click
“Next.”
4. Click “Individuals” and then click “Next.”
Creating a Blog
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
Click on the desired course.
From the Control Panel, select “Course Tools”
then “Blogs.”
Click the “Create Blog” button.
Enter a name and instructions for the blog.
Set the blog availability.
Set the date and time restrictions for the blog.
Set the participation options.
Select the desired blog settings.
5. Type in the CWRU network ID of the individuals that
you would like to add in the “Network ID” box and select
their role from the drop-down list.
6. Click “Add Users.”
7. This may take a few minute. A page will appear that
displays that users have been added successfully.
Removing a User from a Class
Creating Groups
1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
2. Click on the desired course.
3. From the Control Panel, select “Users and Groups” then
“Groups.”
4. Click “Create Single Group” at the top of the screen.
5. Choose either Self-Enroll or Manual Enroll .
a. Self-Enroll – Users pick which group to be a member of. Be aware that self-enrolled users will not be able to remove themselves from the group they choose; only instructors will be able to remove them.
b. Manual Enroll – You will manually select which users are placed in each group.
5.
6.
7.
8.
10. Optionally, you can choose to create a Grade Center
entry for the blog.
11.Click “Submit.”
Creating a Wiki
1.
2.
3.
4.
Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
Click on the desired course.
From the Control Panel, select “Course Tools”
then “Wikis.”
Click the “Create Wiki” button.
1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at
case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard
2. Select “Remove Users from a Site” from the side menu.
3. Using the drop down menu, choose the class you want
to remove users from and click “Next.”
4. Click on “Individuals” and then click “Next.”
5. The users are categorized by roles. Check the boxes of the
users that you want to remove. Click “Remove Users.”
WARNING! This will permanently delete all
Blackboard data specific to the selected users in
this course site, particularly gradebook entries and
submitted assignments for students. This data cannot
be recovered.
6. This may take a few minutes. A page will appear that
displays that users have been removed successfully.
5
Quick Guide for using blackboard LEARN 9.1
Restoring an Archived Site
1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at
case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard
2. Select “Restore an Archived Site” from the side menu.
3. Click the “Restore” button to the right of the class site
you want to restore.
4. Type in a new course site ID in the box, then click the
“Restore” button.
Changing a Blackboard Site Title
1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at
case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard
2. Select “Update a Site Title” from the side menu.
3. From the list, choose the course site you would like to
update and click “Next.”
4. Choose the course and then type an extension in the
“Extra Title Text” box. The extension will be shown after
the course title.
5. Optionally, enter an extra description in the large text box
6. Click “Update title.”
using the Grade Center
Accessing the Grade Center
1. Log in to Blackboard at blackboard.case.edu
2. Click on the desired course.
3. From the Control Panel, select “Grade Center.”
a. To view only assignments that need grading, select
the “Needs Grading” option.
b. To obtain full access to the Grade Center, select
“Full Grade Center.”
Adding Grade Columns
1.
2.
3.
4.
Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.”
Click the “Create Column” button.
Enter a name and description for the column.
Set the primary and secondary grade displays.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Optionally, categorize the column.
Enter the “Points Possible” for the column.
Optionally, select a due date and grading period.
Set the display option for the column and its contents.
1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.”
2. Hover over the “Work Offline”
button and select “Download.”
3. Select the information to
include in your download of the
Grade Center.
4. Set the delimiter type to “Tab” so
that the file will open in Microsoft Excel.
1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at
case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard
2. Select “Check Site Quotas” from the side menu.
Removing AN Existing Blackboard Site
Removing an Archived Site
1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at
case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard
2. Click on the “Restore an Archived Site” link.
3. Click the “remove” button to the right of the class site
you want to restore.
4. Click the “Delete” button to confirm deletion.
6
Follow steps 1 and 2 above.
Enter a column name, display name and description.
Set the primary and secondary display options.
Select to include all grade columns in the calculated
column or only specific columns and categories.
6. Select if you want to calculate the column as a running total.
7. Select the display options for the calculated column.
8. Click “Submit.”
Exporting the Grade Center
Checking Course Quota
WARNING! This will permanently delete all Blackboard
data specific to the selected course.
1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at
case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard
2. Select “Remove a Blackboard Site” from the side menu.
3. Click the “remove” button next to the site that you
would like to remove.
4. A page will display that the site has been removed successfully.
Total, Average, Minimum and Maximum
Calculated Columns
1.
2.
4.
5.
Verifying Site Enrollment
1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at
case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard
2. Select “Verify Enrollment” from the side menu.
3. Choose your class from the drop down menu and
click “Next.”
Weighted Columns
1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center”
2. Click the “Create Calculated Column” button and select
“Weighted Column.”
3. Enter in a name and description for the column.
4. Set the primary and secondary display options.
5. Select either individual columns or entire categories to
include in the weighted column calculations. Use the
arrow button to move items over.
6. Enter percentages that each item should contribute to
the total for the weighted column. Make sure that the
“Total Weight” shows 100% when finished.
7. Select if you want to calculate the column as a running total.
8. Select the display options for the weighted column.
9. Click “Submit.”
9. Click “Submit.”
Categories in the Grade Center
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.”
Click on the “Manage” button then select “Categories.”
To add a category, select the “Create Category” button.
Enter the category name and description.
Click “Submit.”
Calculated Columns
There are four different types of calculated columns within
the Grade Center. These columns are capable of performing
computations that some users find convenient when
calculating student grades. Using calculated columns is
optional in the Grade Center.
blackboard.case.edu
9. Once in Excel, you may see these messages:
11.Click “OK” or “Yes” to continue saving the file in a Tabdelimited format.
Importing the Grade Center
1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.”
2. Hover over the “Work Offline” button and select “Upload.”
3. Browse for the file and select the delimiter type. The
file should have been saved in a tab-deliminated
text format.
4. Choose Tab as the “Delimiter
Type.”
5. Click “Submit.”
Viewing Grade Attempts
1. Access the Grade Center and
select “Full Grade Center.”
2. Submitted assignments that require grading are marked
using a
in the Grade Center.
3. Click the menu arrow to the right of “Grade Center” to
view the drop down menu.
4. Click on “Attempt (Date)” from the drop down menu.
5. Click on the file name under “Review Current Attempt”
to view the assignment submission.
6. Review the user’s attempt, make any necessary notes
and feedback, and provide a grade for the attempt.
7. Enter notes about the submission or grade that only
the Instructor can view in the Instructor Notes section.
8. Click “Submit.”
Grading Assignment Attempts
using inline Grading
5.
6.
7.
8.
Click “Submit” to process your request.
Click the “Download” button .
Click “Open or Save” when the dialog box appears
If you choose Save, the dialog will open asking where
to save your file on your computer. Click “Save”.
Inline Grading is a feature in Blackboard that allows
instructors to leave comments and grade student
submissions from within their web browser. This new tool
simplifies the grading process. Supported document types
that can be converted are Word (DOC, DOCX), PowerPoint
(PPT, PPTX), Excel (XLS, XLSX), and PDF (PDF).
1. View video instructions located on the Blackboard
training page at
http://www.case.edu/its/training/blackboardmain.html
7
Quick Guide for using blackboard LEARN 9.1
SAFE ASSIGNMENTS IN THE GRADE CENTER
1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.”
2. Locate the SafeAssignment that needs grading and
click the menu arrow next to it.
3. Click “View Attempt (Date)” from the drop down menu.
4. The Assignment page will appear. From this page click
to view the SafeAssignment (SA) Report.
the
Extra Credit
1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.”
2. Click on the “Create Column” button located at the top
of the screen.
Enter in a name and description for the column.
4. Optionally, set the category.
5. Enter “0” as the value in the “Points Possible” box.
6. Click “Submit.”
7. Click on the menu arrow at the top of the Total or Weighted
Total column (or the column you are using that calculates
the final grade) and select “Edit Column Information.”
8. In the “Select Columns” section, either:
a. Select the “All Grade Columns” option.
b. Select the “Selected Columns and Categories” option and make sure the Extra Credit Column is included under “Selected Columns.“
9. Click “Submit.”
Entering Grades in the Grade Center
1. Access the Grade Center and select “Full Grade Center.”
2. When you first click on a grade box, the box will turn
blue and will allow you to type in a value.
3. Type in the value and hit the “Enter” or “Return” key on
your keyboard.
4. If you enter a grade and do not hit the “Enter” or
“Return” key, you will see this warning message:
5. Click “OK” to save the grade or “Cancel” to abort changes.
6. To navigate between grade boxes, simply use the arrow
keys on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can click
directly on the box you wish to edit.
8 8
Exporting Grades from the Grade Center to
the Student Information System (SIS)
1. Access the Blackboard Wizard at
case.edu/its/blackboard/BBWizard
2. Click on “Upload grades to SIS” on the left menu.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the
grade transfer from the Grade Center into the SIS.
the retention center
The Retention Center provides an easy way for instructors
to discover which students in your course are at risk. Based
on preconfigured rules and rules you can create, students’
engagement and participation are visually displayed,
quickly alerting you to potential risk. From the Retention
Center, you can communicate with struggling students and
help them take immediate action for improvement.
Accessing the retention Center
1. View video instructions “Retention Center Basics”
located on the Blackboard training page at
http://www.case.edu/its/training/blackboardmain.html
CReating a Custom Rule
Notifying Individual Students
Notifying Multiple Students
1. For more information on these topics, view the video
“Retention Center Advanced Features” located on the
Blackboard training page at
http://www.case.edu/its/training/blackboardmain.htm
To request additional copies of the Quick
Reference Guide, email help@case.edu
with the quantity needed, your name,
department and department location.