To: Faculty Blackboard Users
Subject: Blackboard – 2006 Fall - Reminders, Updates, and New Features
If you have any questions concerning any of the items in this email, please submit an on-line help desk ticket at http://www.at.vcu.edu/helpdesk/ or email help@vcu.edu or call 828-2227.
Items covered in this email:
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ Bb Upgrade (June 9, 2006) from version 6.2 to 6.3 includes New Features
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ Possible Problem if the Link to Bb is “Bookmarkedâ€? in your Browser (will see first page with ‘cookie’ error)
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ Bb Courses from 2001 to 2004 Summer semester moved to an archive system
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ New Help Tab (contains Browser Check and Plug-ins/Readers)
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ Blackboard Maintenance Schedule
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ Download Gradebook from Prior Semester course(s) for your Personal Copy
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ Making your 2006 Fall courses available
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ Combining course rosters for Multiple sections or Cross-listed courses
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ We will set 2006 Spring courses to Unavailable status the week of September 23, 2006
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ Scanning of Grades – Upload into Bb
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ Reminder to deploy Bb Quizzes one question at a time
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ Bb User’s Group – Mark you Calendars
â€¢ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ Training Opportunities and Help Links
Bb Upgrade (June 9, 2006) from version 6.2 to 6.3 includes New Features
The Blackboard application was upgraded on June 9, 2006. This upgrade added some new features. To find documentation on the new features:
1. Login to Blackboard and click on the Content System Tab
2. Click on Institution Content
3. Click on LMS Documentation
4. Click on User Training Materials
5. Click on New_features_6_3_users_guide.pdf
Possible Problem if the Link to Bb is “Bookmarked� in your Browser (will see first page with ‘cookie’ error)
Internet Browser favorites (bookmarks) or Desktop Shortcuts that are used to access Blackboard from your computer may be invalid, if they were created before June 9th, 2006. If your Bb favorite (bookmark) or Desktop Shortcut is invalid you will be taken to a page with the message "Browser Cookies Disabled". When you see this message, before trying to change any of your browser settings, delete and re-create your favorite (bookmark) or Desktop Shortcut to Blackboard using the URL http://blackboard.vcu.edu. Please be aware this could be a problem for your students if they have ‘bookmarked’ Blackboard. If you need help please contact the Technology Services Help Desk at http://www.ts.vcu.edu/helpdesk or help@vcu.edu or 828-2227.
Bb Courses from 2001 to 2004 Summer semester moved to an archive system
Bb courses prior to 2004 Fall have been moved to an archive system and moved off of the production system. A total of five years of Bb courses will either be on the archived system or on the production system. The current two years (2004Fall – 2006Summer) are on the production system and the three prior years are on the archive system. If you need an archived course restored, send a request to the Technology Services Help Desk at http://www.ts.vcu.edu/helpdesk or help@vcu.edu or 828-2227.
New Help Tab (contains Browser Check and Plug-ins/Readers)
A new Help Tab has been added to Bb. The Help Tab includes two modules I would like to highlight. The first is labeled “My Browser Settings� and can be used to test your browser for compatibility with Bb. The second is labeled “Plug-ins and Readers� and would be useful if you are using software to create files that your students may not have the software to read the files. Please let your students know about the Help Tab. The students will not have the faculty related modules on the Help Tab (i.e. My Faculty Help and My Faculty Downloads).
Blackboard Maintenance Schedule
This is a reminder that the Bb system will be taken down the second and fourth Friday of each month from 4pm to midnight to perform maintenance. Go to this link to see actual dates: http://www.vcu.edu/ls/BbSchedMaint/Index.htm. Please remind your students of these dates.
Download Gradebook from Prior Semester course(s) for your Personal Copy
To save your own personal copy of the Bb gradebook, perform the following steps:
1. From the Control Panel of the Course, click on Gradebook
2. Click on Download Grades
3. Select Delimiter Type (Comma or Tab, if you use Microsoft Excel either will be OK).
4. Click on Submit
5. Click on Download
6. Click on Save (save to your desktop computer)
This file can be opened in Excel.
As a side note, you can download your gradebook at any time during the semester, open it in Excel, make changes to an existing column or add a column. Then you can upload it back into Blackboard.
To upload grades:
1. From the Control Panel of the Course, Click on Gradebook
2. Click on Upload Grades
3. Follow the instructions on the screen
Making your 2006 Fall course(s) available
Remember to make your Fall 2006 course(s) "Available" in the Blackboard system when you are ready for your students to see the course. All courses are set to "Unavailable" when you first create them. Courses that are "Unavailable" are not visible to the students in the course. To set your course to be available to students, please do the following:
1. From the Control Panel of the Course, choose Settings.
2. From Settings, choose Course Availability.
3. Set the course to be Available and Submit.
Combining course rosters for Multiple sections or Cross-listed courses
If you are teaching multiple sections of a course or a course is cross-listed and you would like to have the enrollments for all of the sections combined into a single Blackboard course, please submit an on-line help desk ticket at http://www.at.vcu.edu/helpdesk/ or email help@vcu.edu. In the email, please tell us the name of the course that you have created in Blackboard and the specific course sections that you would like to have directed into that course. For example:
"Please combine sections 001, 002, 003 and 004 of PSYC-101 into the Blackboard course PSYC-101-001-2006Spring."
Or
“Please Combine WMNS-101-001-2006Spring into the Blackboard course PSYC-101-001-2006Spring�
It usually takes a business day for the roster to update after you have made your request for combined sections or cross-listing, and after you have created the course in Blackboard.
We will set 2006Summer courses to Unavailable status the week of September 23
We will set all Summer 2006 courses to an "Unavailable" status the week of September 23, 2006. This is done so that the Summer 2006 courses will no longer be available to students. The courses will continue to be accessible to instructors. Please note this process sets the course to unavailable and you as the instructor on the course can make it available again if needed. If you wish to ensure that your Summer 2006 course remains available to students, you may send an email to pasmith2@vcu.edu prior to September 23 with the courseid (e.g. PSYC-101-001-2006Summer). This will ensure that the availability of your course is not modified.
Scanning of Grades – Upload into Bb
If you use the test scanning services at the Monroe Park or MCV Help Desk you can request the results be sent to you in a file that you can upload into the Bb Gradebook. When you turn in the scan sheets request the grades be sent to you in a Blackboard file. After you receive the file, follow these steps to upload into the Bb Gradebook:
1. Go to Bb Course
2. Click on Control Panel
3. Click on Gradebook
4. Click on Upload Grades
5. Click on Browse and find the file that was sent to you
6. Follow instructions to complete the process. Note: Check the gradebook to see if all the grades loaded. If the student did not code their form correctly then their item may not match up with Bb and will not load. These you will have to enter manually.
Reminder to deploy Bb Quizzes one question at a time
If you use the test manager in Bb, when you deploy the test, there is an option under Modify Test Options for Presentation Mode. To help alleviate the problem with Bb test locking, the option One at a Time should be checked -
Presentation Mode: check One at a Time. Present one question at a time.
The student will be required to click Submit after answering each question. This means the student spends less time on a single web page, which runs the risk of timing out if they are on the page for a long period of time.
Bb User’s Group – Mark your Calendars
Please join us at the future Bb User’s Group meetings. These meetings are a time for faculty to network with each other about how they use Bb and learn about tools within Bb.
September 28, 2006 Tompkins-McCaw Library 2010 12pm-1pm
October 26, 2006 Cabell Library B-35 12pm-1pm
November 30, 2006 Cabell Library B-35 12pm-1pm
December 21, 2006 Tompkins-McCaw Library 2010 12pm-1pm
Training Opportunities and Help Links
Center for Teaching Excellence
Learn about sound pedagogical methods and other resources
http://www.vcu.edu/cte/
Blackboard Training – enter Keyword = Blackboard
http://www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/training/it/search.asp
Blackboard FAQ
http://faq.vcu.edu/ts/
Technology Help Desk page
http://www.at.vcu.edu/helpdesk/index.html
Behind the Blackboard
(NOTE: this is not a VCU site. It requires you to set up a free account with Blackboard.com in order to access the resources. Click on create, if you do not have an account.)
http://behind.blackboard.com/b3/index.aspx?from=www