Blackboard 6 for Instructors: Getting started with Blackboard at UO

1. 1 Blackboard 6 for Instructors:Getting started with Blackboard at UO JQ JohnsonAcademic Education CoordinatorUniversity of Oregonjqj@darkwing.uoregon.edu Nichole Johnson ndenison@gladstone.uoregon.edu

2. 2 This presentation Blackboard at the University of Oregon an introduction for instructors with minimal previous blackboard experience: The institutional context A student�s view of a typical course How does an instructor use Blackboard? Discussion: what�s in it for me?

3. 3 This series

4. 4 What is Blackboard? A commercial, web-based �Course Management System� An integrated, easy to use environment offering wide variety of features for teaching access control: only enrolled students participate in course easy web publishing of syllabus, lecture notes, etc. asynchronous communication: announcements, threaded discussion, surveys synchronous communication: chat room, virtual whiteboard online quizzes, homework submission, and gradebook collaborative workgroups A UO Library service

5. 5 Timeline of UO Blackboard project Need assessment (1996-1999): evaluated a variety of course management systems Evaluation (spring 1999): trial courses using WebCT and Blackboard Implementation (summer 1999-spring 2000): licensed Blackboard for pilot project Production (summer 2000): Blackboard becomes standard library service Upgrade (fall 2003): to Blackboard 6 Learning System (aka Enterprise Edition) Upgrade (Apr 2004): to Blackboard 6.1 LS

6. 6 Results to date: consistent growth in usage Statistics as of Mar 2004: 15,471 student users (2/3 of university population) 698 active winter-term Banner (CRN) coursesites 801 faculty, GTFs, and staff teaching using Blackboard winter 2003 Approximately 1,000,000 web server hits/day Approximately 12,000 logins/day

7. 7 The UO Blackboard home page http://blackboard.uoregon.edu

8. 8 Field trip

9. 9 A Blackboard CourseSite

10. 10 Course Documents

11. 11 Lecture Notes

12. 12 Integrated discussion forum

13. 13 Online quizzes

14. 14 Typical UO Blackboard users Courses in almost every discipline Some use for true distance ed, but most is for �hybrid� courses, supplementing face to face Different instructors use different features Different instructors have different pedagogical goals

15. 15 Example: Intro to Business (200302.20694 and .20695) Large lecture course (~600 students/term) with minimal staff support Pedagogical goal: Blackboard primarily used to improve/streamline course administration Course announcements �Just in time� lecture notes FAQ (reduce demand for office hours) Posting grades securely Active learning through on-line self-assessments (quizzes with immediate feedback), demos, external links, real-world examples

16. 16 Example: Psychology of Gender (200302.24206) Discussion/lecture course (~70 students) Blackboard used for: Course management (e.g. grade distribution) Copies of all announcements, handouts, and lecture notes online for student convenience (�just in case� publishing) Collaborative learning through online discussion: Extends in-class discussion beyond normal class time Creates sense of community despite lecture format Different students perform well on-line (e.g. non-native English speakers) Students generally more thoughtful when posting than speaking Access to readings (all course readings are on line)

17. 17 Getting started All instructors and students have accounts. Log in as you would to modem pool, e.g.: Username: jqj@darkwing Password: my darkwing password Coursesites are created automatically for all UO CRN courses each term. (except individualized study) 4xx/5xx -- instructor chooses separate or merged Instructors can request a �merged� site combining CRNs UO �instructor of record� is Blackboard �instructor� Default to �unavailable� to students � you must activate before use (after adding some course content)

18. 18 Getting started (continued) Instructors edit coursesite via �Control Panel� Add material by filling out forms in web browser or uploading files Reuse material by copying a previous version of the course Change settings for appearance, functionality Most instructors start slow � first term teaching with Blackboard use only a few features

19. 19 Exercise

20. 20 Developing course materials Faculty develop their own materials Faculty Instructional Training Center provides guidance and resources, but not labor Library and Teaching Effectiveness Program provide additional training Some departments assign GTFs or clerical staff to Blackboard support and development Library can provide assistance in locating materials (reference material for students and learning objects for instructors)

21. 21 Helping students use Blackboard Students get accounts and coursesite membership automatically based on CRN enrollment Most students need minimal or no help using system Refer student questions: Login: refer to Computing Center if can�t log in to gladstone Knight Library ITC (only common problem is first-time login) http://blackboard.uoregon.edu/local/help.html Typical text for a syllabus: The web site for this course uses "Blackboard." On the web site, you will find general announcements for the class, all documents for the course (including this syllabus), lecture notes, on-line discussions, links to relevant web sites, and more. You can get to the course web site by going to http://blackboard.uoregon.edu. You can get help starting by going to the Knight Library Information Technology Center (ITC). Plan to check the course site at least twice a week. In addition, you should post contributions to the online discussion list at least 4 times during the term (and no more than twice a week).

22. 22 Demo � adding some coursesite content

23. 23 Common tasks: adding course content Visit a content area in control panel Add appropriate content, e.g. Item (may include title, explanatory text, and attachments) Folder Test (link to online quiz) Assignment (student submission form), on pulldown menu

24. 24 Common tasks: adding your syllabus Usually placed in Course Information Usually uploaded as an attached copy of the Word document you hand out, either as .doc or more often converted to .html

25. 25 Common tasks: choosing file formats for attachments HTML is universally readable, and can be created Using MS Word�s �save as web page� By hand or using custom tools, e.g. Dreamweaver .DOC, .XLS, and .PPT can be posted directly, but Require students to have appropriate reader software Preserve original with full fidelity (a plus and a minus) PDF also universally readable Create on PC using Acrobat or PDFCreator MacOS X has built-in PDF support Think carefully before posting specialized formats Consider download time

26. 26 Common tasks: adding course support staff We create blackboard accounts for all students, instructors, and most staff, so the GTF will already have a blackboard account. We enroll all instructors and students in the right coursesites, but don't have information on GTFs, so instructors must enroll them Use Control Panel ? Enroll User: add your GTF to site Use List/Modify Users: change role to �teacher�s assistant� Optional: Control Panel ? Staff Information In most cases a GTF should be a "teacher's assistant". Other possibilities: guest -- can only access Course Information, etc. student -- just the basics (note, though, that UO discourages unofficial auditors; only add a student to your coursesite if there is a legitimate educational reason) grader -- access to gradebook, but can't add course documents course builder -- can add course documents, but no gradebook access (particularly appropriate for an undergraduate assistant who should not be able to see other students' grades) N.B.: You can't create accounts for non-UO people.

27. 27 Common tasks: activating your site Your site starts out listed as �(unavailable)�; you can see it, but your students can not To activate a coursesite, set it to �available� (Control Panel ? Settings ? Course Availability) Until you do this, site is invisible to students!

28. 28 Common tasks: changing guest access Guests (including strangers logged in as �preview�) can view portions of your site No guest access ever to private student information (roster, discussion board, gradebook) Change access if you wish: Settings ? Guest Access sets overall access Manage Course Menu ? "Modify" allows you to set guest access for particular areas.

29. 29 Common tasks: copying a coursesite (from a previous term) Use Copy button in content areas to copy single items Use Course Copy to copy a whole coursesite Visit the OLD course control panel Click �Course Copy�, then �Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course� Browse for the destination course Select materials to copy (do not copy enrollment information)

30. 30 Blackboard features in widespread use at UO �Fill in the blanks� easy web page creation (e.g., announcements, annotations) Posting syllabus and course assignments Posting lecture materials (html, MS Powerpoint, PDF, etc.) Threaded discussion forum Gradebook (if only for securely distributing grades to students)

31. 31 Features in moderate use Online quizzes (usually low-stakes; e.g., self-assessment), usually built using Respondus Surveys Group communication features Assignment manager (for student-submitted assignments) E-mail interface

32. 32 Features not widely used (yet) Chat tools Student web pages Integrated calendar, todo lists Programmed instruction (�learning units�, SCORM content, etc.) Course cartridges (publisher-provided content)

33. 33 Changes in Blackboard 6 Overview Upgrade from Blackboard Basic v 5.5 to Blackboard Learning System v 6.0 completed September 2003 Old Blackboard available until Jan 2004 Changes behind the scenes to support more users New features for instructors New authentication system New mechanisms for creating coursesites Future: more changes coming

34. 34 Changes: Behind the scenes Scaling for use potentially by every course on campus Have been running �Basic Edition,� designed for departments and small (<3000 student) schools Multiple servers replace single server Database server (quad processor) File server Application servers (1 now; more as needed) Oracle database rather than mysql Tighter integration with Banner system (joint Library/Computing Center/Registrar project) Integration with RADIUS for authentication Better administrative tools

35. 35 Changes: Many new features for instructors customizable course menu easy copying of material between or within blackboard sites linking between parts of your coursesite assignment manager (mostly replaces digital dropbox) completely reworked gradebook, quiz package, and chat tools built-in wysiwyg HTML editor See http://blackboard.uoregon.edu/local/whatsnew_instructors.pdf

36. 36 Changes: New authentication system and course creation To log in, you need: A Computing Center (oregon/darkwing/gladstone) ID A Blackboard account (created automatically for all UO students and faculty) Log in as you would to modem pool, e.g.: Username: jqj@darkwing Password: my darkwing password To change personal information: password -- use http://password.uoregon.edu email, lastname, etc. -- use DuckWeb, not Blackboard No need for faculty to request coursesites, since they are now created automatically

37. 37 Changes: Future Plans Default coursesite template New mechanisms for special cases More use of blackboard for non-CRN activities On-request coursesites for research groups, discussion groups, faculty organizations, etc. �instructor� must be UO faculty or staff Possibly automatically created sites for departments More use of blackboard by non-students? Non-credit �courses,� e.g. continuing ed, AEI More integration with library services, e.g. eReserve

38. 38 For more information This presentation:http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~jqj/ presentations/bb6intro.ppt University of Oregon Blackboard site: http://blackboard.uoregon.edu Frequently Asked Questions (and answers):http://libweb.uoregon.edu/aec/bb/faq/ UO Blackboard 6 help file:http://blackboard.uoregon.edu/local/ UO Faculty Instructional Technology Training Center: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/fittc/ JQ Johnson: jqj@darkwing.uoregon.edu