Support - Training and Tutorials

Blackboard Training

Blackboard Academic Suite, Release 7.2 is a course management system that enables faculty to post syllabi, assignments and reading materials on the web (including pictures, movies and sound clips) without needing to know HTML.

Faculty also may extend classroom discussion through its on-line discussion board or chat functions; email students in their class; allow students to submit papers on-line and view their grades from the on-line gradebook.

All students and faculty have Blackboard accounts and can access these materials by using their username and email password to log into the Blackboard site. These materials are accessible from anywhere at any time, as long as the user has internet access.

All courses taught at the university automatically have a corresponding Blackboard course and all students and the instructor are automatically enrolled. Faculty must choose whether or not to make a Blackboard course available/visible to their class.

Follow the steps below to get started with Blackboard:

Login into Blackboard at http://courses.denison.edu
Use your e-mail username and password to log into Blackboard
You should see your courses listed in the "My Courses" module on the right, if you do not see some of the courses you are teaching, contact Anne Crowley at crowley@denison.edu.
Make your course available to students

Click the "Settings" link in Course Options area of the Control Panel.
Click "Course Availability" in the next menu.
Choose "Yes" to make your course visible to students.
Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click Submit; to save your changes.

Blackboard Tutorials

For Faculty

Brief Blackboard 7.2 Overview [pdf]

If you want to customize your Blackboard course or would like to add a file or folder, this overview will provide you with step-by-step instructions.

Ideas for Using Blackboard [pdf]

Use the following ideas in your own BlackBoard course as a tool for helping your students' learning. Remember: Don't use a strategy just because it will make your course more exciting. If you would like to use a strategy but do not know how to implement it into your learning outcomes, contact your instructional technologist or Anne Crowley at crowley@denison.edu or 6219 for ideas and help.

Blackboard 7 [pdf]

Not sure about everything that is new or different in the new version of the Blackboard software? Check out this link for information on the Early Warning System for students, new Discussion Board features, expanded options for deploying tests, and more.

Online Assignments [pdf]
Are you frustrated with how cumbersome it is to manage your student assignments using the Digital Dropbox? To learn how easy it is to group all your student assignments together and then integrate those assignments with your online Gradebook in your Blackboard course, check out "Using the Assignment Manager in Blackboard."

Online Assessments: Tests & Surveys [pdf]
Learn how to avoid some of the potential pitfalls that occur when administering online tests on Blackboard. Our Giving Assessments in Blackboard guide outlines specific "do's" and "dont's" to help instructors and students avoid many of the common problems.

Creating An Online Course [pdf]
Taking your course online may seem like a daunting task, but it can be simple. Just follow these 10 easy steps, and you'll be on your way to creating a successful online component for your course. Ideas for Using Blackboard Use the following ideas in your own Blackboard courses as a tool for helping your students learn more effectively.

8 Ways to Engage Conferences [pdf]
Guidelines from Dr. William Klemm from Texas A&M University which should create a strong collaborative learning environment in your course discussion board. These methods increase both the quality and quantity of student participation.

For Students

Short overview of Blackboard for students unfamiliar with this course management system.