CTE Triton: Getting your Students Onboard with Blackboard 2020

Slide walk through of how to use blackboard in your classroom and how to simplify access for your students.

1. Getting Your Students Onboard with Blackboard

2. Benefits of Using Blackboard in your Face to Face Courses Multiple Learning Styles : Blackboard can allow you to provide multiple content formats (text, images, sound, audio, animations, graphs, etc.), which allows for students to find material based on their preferred learning style. Convenience and Flexibility : Course materials are available on Blackboard on-demand from any location, allowing students to learn when and where they like. It also allows you to post materials outside class sessions. Student Expectations : Many Triton students come to campus having utilized online resources and learning management tools in their previous education. If not, most students have engaged with social media for years, which presents information in mixed media formats. Offering a less tech-engaged or multimedia centered learning environment may feel stale to today’s students.

3. Measuring/Assessing Students’ Blackboard Skills and Knowledge What have you experienced as the main roadblocks to student usage of Blackboard? How do you make sure that your students can and do use Blackboard?

4. Logging On: How to Begin Every member of the Triton community logs into Blackboard in the same way: Username: last eight digits of the Triton ID Password: last four digits of Social Security Number Some students will not know how to log on, and will not have access to their student ID. As the instructor you can access each student’s username. 1) Control panel 2) Click on “users” under users and groups. 3) The username (last 8 digits) is listed for each user in the left-hand column. 4) Share that number with each student The next slide contains a screenshot of where this information can be found in your course.

5. Tech Support/Student Accommodations The ETRC is Triton’s primary computer lab, open to students, faculty, staff and community residents. ETRC is located on the first floor of the Learning Resource Center (library) room A-100. [phone] Ext. 3361 The ETRC is the student support center for most Blackboard courses. Services include orientations, online tutorials, tutoring, e-mail, telephone, walk-in and online HELP form.

6. How to Use Blackboard in your Face to Face Course: Curating Content Audio/Video/Websites: Small movie clips can be added into a Blackboard course or larger videos can be uploaded from streaming services such as YouTube or vimeo . Articles from websites as well as homepages themselves can be embedded into Blackboard to make it more visually impactful and appealing. Adding podcasts on relevant topics can energize your instructional content, bridging the gap between videos and lectures. These materials function as primary learning materials or you can create lessons or resource collections on particular topics. Curating resources from a wide variety of sources and in a variety of formats: Increases the multi-modality of your course. Facilitates low-cost or now cost alternatives to costly textbooks (data states that students increasingly less able and less willing to purchase costly textbooks, even at the risk of their success in your course) Allows your learning materials to be more in line with current events.

7. How to Use Blackboard in your Face to Face Course: The Virtual Classroom Instructional content resurfaces online: You can provide materials online to allow students to review (syllabus, lectures, links, etc.) information on their own schedule. Access to PowerPoint presentations, old exam questions, homework answers, etc., can provide students with study tools that will improve their grades. I do not offer these materials off Blackboard– they must access Blackboard to access these resources

8. How to Use Blackboard in your Course: Assignments Assignments: Blackboard allows you to create an assignment that is placed anywhere within the content area. Having a central repository for assignments can streamline and simplify the grading process. Safe Assign also allows you to check submissions for plagiarism. Posting an assignment online allows you attach and upload specific instructions, assignment rubrics, and model/mock examples of the assignment. You can also upload media as an assignment prompt in an easy and accessible way.

9. How to Use Blackboard in your Course: Assessments You can use tests and surveys to measure student knowledge, gauge progress, and gather information from students. More instructions can be found here: https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Tests_Pools_Surveys

10. How to Use Blackboard in your Course: Discussion Board Discussion Tool: Bb provides a threaded discussion, which allows students and instructors to share concepts, ideas, questions and answers. This can: engage students in ways that they might not be comfortable with in a face-to-face classroom. extend class time discussion by providing tools outside of class ready them for a class session beforehand.

11. How to Use Blackboard: Course Wikis Course Wikis allow course members to contribute and modify one or more pages of course-related materials and provide a means of sharing and collaboration. Wiki how to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l6778cP0jM&t=173s All course members can use the wikis tool to record information and serve as a repository for course information and knowledge. A course wiki can be a good source of information compiled by course members. Wikis can help build a community of collaboration and learning, as social interaction increases during the exchange of information.

12. Posting Grades to Gradebook In the Blackboard Grade Center, you can post your students’ grades for assignments, tests, discussion posts, journals, blogs, and wikis, and for ungraded items, such as surveys or self tests. You can also create grade columns for any activities or requirements you want to grade, such as special projects, participation, or attendance. Posting grades to Blackboard allows students to independently track their progress. To learn more about setting up Gradebook, attend the 11/15 session (this Thursday!) with Pam Harmon.

13. Tracking/Analyzing Blackboard Use Every item added/uploaded to Blackboard can be set to track each learner and their use of these materials. You can run a report that shows who, when, and the number of times a user accesses each piece of material. Including these statistics could possibly be used as part of student participation points. Tracking views and learner access informs you which materials are deemed most useful/interesting/relevant to learners.

14. Retention Alert The Retention Center helps you determine which students in your course are not engaging and participating with Blackboard materials or performing well on assignments and assessments. Based on default rules and rules you create, you can easily see which students are at potential risk. There are four categories that can be monitored: Missed Deadlines Grades Course Activity Course Access From the Retention Center, you can communicate with struggling students and help them take action for improvement.

15. Guide/Instructions: Uploading Images Go to course materials or other course area where you would like to insert materials (course materials, announcement, discussion, assessment) Click on “Create Item” if placing image in course materials as a stand alone item Click on Insert/edit image thumbnail in the toolbar Resize/align as needed Include a caption if desired If you choose to attach image as a file at the bottom, you will just get a download link, the image will not be visible in the content area. Sites such as google, pixabay , creative commons , OER resources are great places to find images and allow you to select images based on licensing status.

16. Guide/Instructions: Linking to Website Materials Select and click the course content area where you want to add the web link Click Build Content and select add URL from the menu Websites may also be inserted in the “add item” option Add a name for your link in the Name field and paste the URL into the URL field from your browser's address bar Add explanatory text if needed or desired You have the option to attach a document to this URL, and choose among a number of Options (including date limits, tracking viewers etc )

17. Guide/Instructions: Uploading Audio/Video into your Course from your own files You can directly insert audio files into Blackboard from your computer. You can 1) “add item” and then insert as a regular file OR 2) ‘Add Audio” or “Add Video” Blackboard accepts the following file types: AIFF, MP3, MIDI, MP, WAV, and WMA Video: ASF, AVI, MOV, MOOV, MPG, MPEG, QT, SWA, SWF, and WMV Not the best way to add media: Files often too large in size, students might have trouble downloading or buffering will be jumpy, and most importantly, COPYRIGHT VIOLATION for many works, particularly commercial ones. Linking and Embedding is your best option!

18. Guide/Instructions: Linking/Inserting/Embedding YouTube Videos in Your Course Five different ways you can insert YouTube videos in your course. 1) Click on Build Content> “Add Web link” as we did to link to any website. 2) Click on Build Content> “Add Item” you can then either 1) insert a web link, 2) use the ‘Insert/embed media’ button, 3) or go to mashups and search for a video, 4) embed it like any other resource (we will discuss that later in this presentation)

19. Guide/Instructions: Embedding Materials from the Web Variety of ways sites allow you to embed materials—survey the page Look for a “share” or “embed” button Copy the embed code Some sites (like CNN) require you visit a site like www.embedly.com to complete the process Go to selected area of Blackboard course, create an item Type/write any information or directions you would like to appear before the material is inserted Go to the HTML code view button and click (a box will pop up) Insert the copied embed code in that html pop up box Click submit

20. Guide/Instructions: Embedding Library Resources in Blackboard Visit http://library.triton.edu/home Click “find articles tab” Explore different resources—Credo link is a useful repository Find material you would like to include Locate and Click on the Embed Code </> and a box will pop up Copy the embed code that pops up Make sure that the Triton library proxy is in front of the webpage so that learners can access materials off the campus network https://triton.idm.oclc.org/login?url = Go to selected area of blackboard course, create an item Type/write any information or directions you would like to appear before the library resource is inserted Go to the HTML code view button and click (a box will pop up) Insert the copied embed code from the library resource. Press enter to complete the process.

21. Guide/Instructions: Embedding Self-Recorded Videos in Your Course Screencast-o- matic is free and allows you to record yourself, record what is on your computer screen, or a combination of the two. https://screencast-o-matic.com/ Need a Gmail/YouTube account Open screen cast-o- matic and follow prompts (You will need to download the application every time you use it) In pop up screen, select screen cast, video recording, or combo, and select audio input ( mic or computer audio). Press “Record,” make recording then click “Done” Upload to YouTube: Make sure YouTube setting is set to public, select “Publish” Copy YouTube link of the video you just created. Follow procedure as you would for embedding any other YouTube video. You may also upload to other sites such as DropBox if you do not want to use YouTube.

22. Need Help? We are email away! [email protected]