Getting Started with Blackboard
Task 1: Login and enter the course site
Assignment 1: Login to Blackboard and enter your course site.
1. Go to http://www.miami.edu/blackboard (or go to http://www.miami.edu, and
click the "Blackboard" link in the page footer). The login page should appear.
2. By default “I have a valid CaneID and password” is selected. Click the
“Continue” button.
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Getting Started with Blackboard
3. Enter your CaneID and password.
4. Things to note on the "Home" page of Blackboard
Use "Help"
to contact
the
Blackboard
Help Desk.
Use
"Support"
tab to
watch
training
videos
and more.
Links to current
course sites.
Links to current
organization sites.
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5. To work on your course site, click the link. Your course site should appear.
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Getting Started with Blackboard
Task 2: Add an Announcement
Announcements in Blackboard look like this.
Announcements are used just like the announcement you make at the beginning
and end of class:
 remind students of upcoming events
 make corrections in assignments or instructions
 announce changes in the syllabus
 provide any details about the class processes and procedures
Here are some typical announcements that a faculty member might make:
 Remember that the test is on Friday and will cover chapters 3-6.
 I need everyone's topic for the debate by Monday.
 Class on Thursday has been cancelled so that you will be able to attend the
convocation in the auditorium.
 The tests have been graded and the grades have been posted.
 There will be a review session on Wednesday at 10:00 am in this room.
 Everyone should bring their textbook to class next session since we will be
working some of the problems from it.
Some of the advantages of putting announcements on Blackboard rather than
announcing them during class include:
 takes less time from class
 provides a written record
 allows you to post announcements as they come up rather than waiting for
the next class
 Gives everyone access, whether in class that day or not
Creating announcements is extremely easy and fast. Here are the steps.
1. Click the "Control Panel" link on your course site.
2. Click the "Announcements" link on the Control Panel.
3. Click the "Add Announcement" button on the Announcements page.
4. Fill out the form.
5. Submit the form.
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Getting Started with Blackboard
The "Add Announcement" page looks like this.
TIP: Use the bread crumb links to quickly
jump back to the course site.
Announcement Title
Announcement
Text
Leave this section as-is.
If you are announcing that you
have posted something on the
Blackboard course site, you
can include a link to the item in
the announcement.
You have the option to
email the announcement
to all of your students/TAs.
Submit the
announcement
when it is ready.
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Getting Started with Blackboard
Assignment 2: Go to your course site and add an announcement.
TIP: Students expect a course web site to change in some way every week. Meet
their expectations by posting at least one announcement a week. Don't have any
real announcements? Tell them how good the class is going. Tell them how you
enjoyed the last discussion. Tell them about the next topic. Just post something at
least once a week.
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Task 3: Post the Syllabus
Most students expect to be able to find the course syllabus on Blackboard. By
having it on Blackboard they will always be able to find it at any time. If changes
are needed (say three hurricanes come through our area one semester) you can
update it and the newest copy is always in place.
Students access the syllabus by clicking on the "Documents" item in the menu bar,
and then clicking the link to the syllabus on the next page.
To upload your syllabus to your course web site in Blackboard, do the following.
1. Click on the "Control Panel" link on your course web site.
2. Click “Documents” link on the control panel.
3. Click on the "+ Item" (Add Item) button on the Documents page.
4. Fill out the form.
5. Attach your syllabus.
6. Submit the form.
TIP: If you can separate the items that have dates from the other parts of your
syllabus, do so. Then in future semesters you will only have to update the section
with dates, not your policies and procedures. If you do this, post both parts of the
syllabus as separate documents
TIP: If you have the ability to create an Adobe PDF document, that is the "best"
way to put your syllabus onto Blackboard. If you don't have the ability to create
PDF documents, go ahead and upload the Word document.
The "Add Syllabus" page looks like this.
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Getting Started with Blackboard
Title
Instructions for
the students
Browse and attach
your file
The link will default to the file
name. You can use something
else, if you would like.
Leave this section as-is.
Click Submit
to upload the
syllabus.
Assignment 3: Go to your course site and upload the syllabus.
TIP: You will get a confirmation notice, but the best way to verify that everything
worked is to go to another computer. login, and see whether you can open the
syllabus without going to the Control Panel. The students do not have a control
panel, only you have the Control Panel link.
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Getting Started with Blackboard
Task 4: Post a PowerPoint file
Many faculty members are using PowerPoint to enhance their lectures. Blackboard
makes it easy to give the students the PowerPoint file, either before class so that
they can print it out and bring a copy to class for notetaking, or after class so that
they can use it to review the material, as you prefer.
Uploading a PowerPoint file is almost identical to uploading the Syllabus. About the
only different is that the PowerPoint file will be posted in the Course Documents
section of the course.
To upload a PowerPoint to your course web site in Blackboard, do the following.
1. Click on the "Control Panel" link on your course web site.
2. Click on the "Course Documents" link on the control panel.
3. Click on the "+ Item" (Add Item) button on the Course Documents page.
4. Fill out the form.
5. Attach the PowerPoint file.
6. Submit the form.
Assignment 4: Go to your course site and upload the PowerPoint
file.
TIP: Remember to verify that it worked correctly. Never trust the confirmation
notice from a computer.
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Getting Started with Blackboard
Task 5: Add a folder
You can organize your course materials with folders that correspond to units or
modules of study throughout the course. Then the student would see the series of
folders.
To create a folder, do the following.
1. Click on the "Control Panel" link on your course site.
2. Click on the "Course Documents" link on the control panel.
3. Click on the "+Folder" (Add Folder) button at the top of the page.
4. On the "Add Folder" page, give the folder a name and optional description.
5. Submit the form.
The "Add Folder" page will appear. You need to specify a folder name. Then enter
an optional description of the contents of the folder in the "Text" box. Click the
Submit button to create the folder.
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Getting Started with Blackboard
Name the folder
Pick a color for the folder name (optional)
You can enter a
description or
instructions regarding
the folder, but it is not
required.
Check the box and
choose a date to control
the folder's availability
Assignment 5: Add a Folder
TIP: Once you have created the folder, click the folder link to go into that folder and
add items to that folder.
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Task 6: Send an e-mail message to the class
There may be times that you want to get in touch with the students quickly. If you
put an announcement on your course site, the students might not see it in time.
With Blackboard you can send an e-mail to all of your class members, or some/one
of your class members, very easily.
To send an e-mail message to all the people in your Blackboard course web site,
do the following.
1. Click on the "Control Panel" link on your course web site.
2. Click on the "Send Email" link on the control panel.
3. Click on the "All Users" link on the Send Email page.
4. Fill out the form.
5. Submit the form.
The email form looks like this.
Always include a message subject.
TIP: Begin every subject with the course
ID, such as [CIS120], so the students
will know where it came from.
Enter your
message here.
Check this box if
you want an
email receipt of
who received
the message.
You can attach a file if you want.
TIP: Rather than attaching a file, post it on
Blackboard and then send a message to the
students telling them it is there.
Use the "Submit"
button to send the
message.
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Note that e-mail is not a guaranteed form of delivery. There are many reasons that
an e-mail message might not be received. Some people mistyped their Preferred
Email Address on MyUM, some people have too much mail in their box (are over
quota) and no more messages can be received, some people have closed their
account so the system will not accept your message, and so on.
You will receive notification for each message that could not be sent. It is rare that
everyone receives the message.
In addition, some people might receive the message, but it might be placed in the
Junk Mail or Spam mail box and they might not notice it. Or it might arrive but they
might not open it if it doesn't have a subject that they can trust. (I don't open e-mail
that does not have any subject.)
E-mail is a useful form of communication because it is free and fast. It is not
guaranteed.
Assignment 6: Send an e-mail message to all the members of
your course.
TIP: You will receive a copy of any e-mail that you send. It should arrive within a
minute or two of sending it. If you don't find it, look in the Junk Mail for Spam
folder.
TIP: If you are going to use e-mail to send messages to your class, create an
activity early in the course to test that everyone is getting the e-mail. Announce in
class that you are going to send an e-mail message and that you will want them to
reply to it so you can tell who is able to receive the messages. Send out a
message and include in the text that you would like them to reply. Mark off the
names of the people who reply.
Ask the other people, in class, whether they have checked their e-mail and, if so,
whether they have checked their Junk Mail folders. If things are still not working for
some of the people, have them go to MyUM and (re)enter their Preferred E-mail
Address. Wait until the next working day and send them another message.
If they still don't get it, have them contact the Blackboard Help Desk and we will
work with them. The easiest way to contact us is by clicking on the Help icon at
the top of any page on Blackboard, and then clicking on the "Contact Us" or
"Contact Customer Service" links.
Whenever using technology, include a non-stressful test of the system before
using it for real activities.
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Getting Started with Blackboard
Task 7: See who is enrolled in your Blackboard course site
The official roster for your course is available from MyUM. On Blackboard you can
see who is enrolled in your course web site.
The two lists should match, with a few exceptions. You, and any other instructors
in the course, will be listed in the Blackboard list, but not on the MyUM list. If you
have added anyone to the course site, say a student finishing an incomplete or a
student that is sitting in the course but has not registered to audit the course, those
students will show up on the Blackboard list, but not on the MyUM list.
To see the Blackboard list of students in your course web site, do the following.
1. Click on the "Control Panel" link on your course web site.
2. Click on the "List / Modify Users" link on the control panel.
3. Click on the "Search" BUTTON on the List / Modify Users page.
4. The list of users in your course site will come up, or at least the first 25
users will be displayed. If there are more than 25 people enrolled, you can
go to the next page, or jump to any page in the listing.
5. When you click on the "Ok" button you will be returned to the control panel.
NOTE: To enroll a new user, click the Enroll User link and enter all or
part of the last name or username in the Search field. Click the
Search button and check the boxes next to the students you
want to add.
Here is what a student listing looks like.
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Getting Started with Blackboard
Click the "Search" button without
entering a name to see all the users.
TIP: If an Email address is
NO.EMAIL@NO.EMAIL, that user
needs to go to MyUM and (re)enter
a Preferred E-mail Address.
Assignment 7: See who is enrolled in your Blackboard course
site.
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