Setup of Spring 2014 Online Courses

Setup of Spring 2014 Blackboard Online and Hybrid Courses has begun. Online faculty that have been posted as instructors in Colleague have been enrolled into their Blackboard courses using data retrieved directly from Colleague/Owl Link.  This is a reminder that online and hybrid faculty will not be enrolled as instructors in Blackboard until they are posted as instructors in Colleague.

Procedure for Blackboard Online and Hybrid Course Setup:

1. The faculty assignment is entered into Colleague/Owl Link (by the department chair, dean or other designee).
2. Through an automated process, faculty are enrolled in their online and hybrid courses in Blackboard based on the faculty assignment entered into Colleague/Owl Link.
3. Once faculty are enrolled in their Blackboard courses, they will receive an email. The email will contain an electronic form requesting faculty to respond with any “Special Instructions” for their online and hybrid courses. “Special Instructions” include Instructor Orientation information, On-campus testing, and Special Computer Requirements that are posted on the eLearning website for student access prior to the start of the semester. All online and hybrid faculty should reply to that email even if they have no “Special Instructions” (in which case they would enter “None”).

Additional information on Online and Hybrid Course Setup

ITC's Winter 2013 Newsletter

The Instructional Technology Council’s Winter 2013 Newsletter is now Available Online!

Topics include:

• Confessions of an Online Student
• Including a Welcome Video in Your Online Course
• Writing to Think
• Constructivist Theory and Web 2.0 Technologies
• Information on Upcoming ITC Professional Development Webinars 

and more!  Click here to read the newsletter in its entirety.

New Blackboard Feature of the Week: Math Formulas Improved, Quick Links Tool, and Mobile Support for Mashups

Math Formulas Improved in the Content Editor

Instructors now have full math editing capabilities on all platforms with the new JavaScript-based WIRIS editor.

The new math editor supports the editing and display of LaTeX formulas. In display mode, the formulas display normally. In editing mode, the LaTeX for the formulas displays. LaTeX formulas can be edited directly using LaTeX or by clicking in the formula and opening the WIRIS editor for true WYSIWYG editing. When you save the formula, it is not converted and retains its LaTeX origin. This is useful for users who have libraries of LaTeX formulas. You can simply copy and paste a formula into the editor for reuse or as the basis for new formula.

Click here for more information.

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Quick Links Tool
The Quick Links tool allows you to quickly locate any heading or section within a page in the Blackboard Learn application and jump directly to it.

Located in the top left, the Quick Links icon (see below) opens a pop-up window which displays the landmark and navigation links on the page. Any available keyboard shortcuts for the page are also displayed.

Click here for more information on the Quick Links tool.

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Mobile Support for Mashups
Mashups (YouTube, Slideshare, Flickr, NBC Learn, etc) can now play on mobile devices.

This is the final installment of New Blackboard Features of the Week for the Fall 2013 semester. For information and videos on the new Blackboard 9.1 SP13 interface and features, please visit our What's New for Faculty - Blackboard 9.1 SP13 webpage.

New Blackboard Feature of the Week: Test Enhancements

Test Enhancements

It is now easier to create a new question in the middle of a test.

Before students begin a test, the instructor can add new questions anywhere they choose on the test canvas by clicking the plus sign before or after another question and choosing a question type.

New test availability settings allow instructors to make a number of exceptions to test options after the test is added to a content area for either a single user or a group (e.g. to accommodate disabled students).

Instructors can select one or more groups of students and make a number of exceptions to the already established availability settings. Exceptions may include:

• number of attempts
• timer
• auto submit on or off
• availability of test using start and end dates
• force completion on or off

Event-based method for releasing feedback

After students complete a test, test results and feedback are available to them. By setting up rules, you can set the release of progressive feedback to keep test results secure and prevent cheating. For example, you can choose between the following options:

• After Submission to present Score
• All Answers
• Correct
• Submitted
• Feedback
• Show Incorrect Answers

Students can also see their submitted answers marked as correct or incorrect and any feedback you provided.

Click here for more information on Test Enhancements.

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All Questions Are Now Retained in Exported and Imported Tests

All questions are now retained in exported and imported tests, including questions that originate outside the exported test, such as Question Sets, Random Blocks, and Question Links. When the user exports a test and imports it back into a different course, all questions are now present irrespective of their origin.

Click here for more information on retaining questions when importing/exporting tests.

New Blackboard Feature of the Week: Text Notifications and Video Everywhere

Text Notifications 

Text and text-to-voice notifications are now an option in addition to email and dashboard notifications (for updating students on assignment due dates, unread discussions and blogs, and when grades, new content, and tests are available). Notification options can be updated under the “Notifications Dashboard”.  To receive notifications via text, a mobile phone number must be entered under “Personal Information” in the My eLearning tab under Tools.

Instructions for Faculty and Students can be found here.

Click here for more information on Notifications.

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Video Everywhere

With Video Everywhere, faculty and students can record and post videos in Bb Learn via integration with YouTube. You must have a YouTube account to create a video using Video Everywhere. You can maneuver your webcam via an icon on the Content Editor (see below). You will only see this icon after you have activated (turned on) the feature.

Note:  You must turn the feature on in each of your courses in order to use it. Once it is activated, faculty and students will be able to record videos from the content editor. To turn the feature on, make sure you are inside your course (or one of your courses), then choose Control Panel, Customization, and Tool Availability.

Additionally, you must use a webcam or headset to record audio.

With Video Everywhere, faculty and students can:

• Record a video using a webcam and embed it in course materials, interactions, and feedback.
• Record video and upload it directly to YouTube.
• Reuse previously recorded videos by choosing from your own “library” of videos.

Click here for more information on Video Everywhere

Known Issue:
Once you have logged into YouTube, the upload widget will not automatically sign you out. To sign out of YouTube, users must both click sign out from the user interface and go to YouTube.com and click "sign out". This is especially recommended for anyone using a public or shared computer.

Privacy:

By default, all videos are recorded under the "Unlisted" privacy setting. An unlisted video does not appear in YouTube.com searches. Only users who know the link can access the video. This does not, however, guarantee complete privacy. If someone gains access to the link, they can view it.

To avoid this, you have the option of changing your privacy setting to "Private". From the video library, access the clip edit settings in YouTube, and change the setting to private. Once you make a video private, only viewers you specifically include can view it (they must have a Google account). In the Video Everywhere library, private videos will display a lock icon indicating they cannot be viewed by anyone other than the author and specified viewers.

New Blackboard Feature of the Week: Inline Assignment Grading and Retention Center

Inline Grading for Assignments

Previously, instructors had to download student-submitted files in order to view, grade or edit assignments. Now, instructors can view, comment on, and grade student-submitted assignment files without leaving the Grade Assignment page.

Additionally, annotation tools are now available via the inline viewer, enabling instructors to provide feedback (e.g. comments, highlights, and annotations) directly on the document. Supported document types that can be graded this way are Word (.doc, .docx), PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx), Excel (.xls, .xlsx), and PDF (.pdf). Once you have saved your feedback, you can download the original (unmarked) assignment file or a marked up version in PDF format. If a student submits an assignment via the Assignment Manager that is not in one of the aforementioned formats, you will have to download their submission and view it using the native application as you did before.

Note:  If you work on grading a student’s assignment for more than 30 minutes without saving, you may receive the following error message and be returned to the Grade Center:

“The requested page could not be displayed. Please try again. If this continues, please contact your system administrator for assistance.”

Your input will be saved and you can resume grading the assignment.

For more information on Inline Grading, click here.

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Retention Center

The Retention Center, which replaces the Early Warning System, helps instructors identify which students are at risk of failing a course. Based on both pre-configured and customized rules, students’ engagement and participation are visually displayed, alerting instructors to which students are at risk. From the Retention Center, instructors can communicate with struggling students and help them take immediate action for improvement. The Retention Center is on by default and visible in the "My Blackboard" menu. It is also accessible in the Evaluation section of your course Control Panel. The information in the Retention Center is for instructors only and is not visible to students.

For more information on the Retention Center, click here.

For video on Getting Started with the Retention Center, click here.

For further details and videos on the new Blackboard 9.1 SP13 interface and features, please visit What's New for Faculty - Blackboard 9.1 SP13. Here you will find a list of new features and links related to this new service pack. Please visit this site and get acquainted with the new features available this fall semester.

New Blackboard Feature of the Week: Calendar and Verifying Student Activity During a Test

Calendar

The new Calendar replaces the old calendar tool. Faculty and students can now view institution level, course and personal events in a single calendar view. (note: The PGCC Academic Calendar has been added to the calendar for you.)

• When accessed from My Blackboard or the Tools menu on the My eLearning tab, the calendar displays a consolidated view of all course, organization, and personal calendar events for a user. Calendar events are color coded to indicate which place they belong.
• When accessed from a course, instructors and students see the course calendar from the Course Tools page (Quicklinks button). Instructors can use the calendar course tool as a way of managing and communicating the schedule of events and assignments in the course.
• Calendar supports due dates, if set, for gradable items. Clicking on calendar items allows an instructor to view or edit the item, or grade attempts on the associated item.
• Students can use filtering options to selectively view only course level items. They can then click on an item to view item details.
• Users can create recurring events by selecting the Repeat checkbox.

Please Note:  You must update your due dates and assignment dates so they will be displayed on the calendar correctly.

For more information on the Calendar, Click here.

Click here for a tutorial on how to use the calendar.

Tip:  If you cannot open your calendar, please notify eLearning.

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Verifying Student Activity During a Test

In previous versions of Blackboard, it was difficult to determine what happens when students encounter problems while taking a test.  As an instructor, it was difficult to tell whether a student actually started the test or how far the student got before encountering a glitch. SP13 provides a detailed Access Log which will provide a more detailed report on student attempts.  Instructors can view the Access Log from the Grade Center to see a detailed list of the student’s interactions with Bb while taking a test. The log will show the time the test was started, and the time of each interaction  (such as saving an answer).

For more information on the Access Log, click here.


For further details and videos on the new Blackboard 9.1 SP13 interface and features, please visit What's New for Faculty - Blackboard 9.1 SP13. Here you will find a list of new features and links related to this new service pack. Please visit this site and get acquainted with the new features available this fall semester.

New Blackboard Feature of the Week: Discussion Board Interface

Redesigned Discussion Board Interface

Updated Discussion Board features include:

• All posts on one page – All of the posts in a thread are now visible simultaneously on the same page.
• Avatars – user profile avatars are more prominent
• Conditional highlighting of instructors posts.
• Inline replies – When replying to a post, the content editor used to write a response appears on the same page, in the context of the discussion.
• Post First setting – Instructors can use a new forum setting which requires students to post to a forum before they can view other students’ posts.

Tip:  It may be useful to know that the option to switch between the “list” view and “tree” view is still available.  This option is now more difficult to locate on the page, so many users may not know that it still exists. If you look in the upper right corner above the forum name, you will see the “List View” and “Tree View” options.

click image to view

Bb UPDATE: Known issues resulting from Upgrade to SP13

Since the Blackboard upgrade to SP13, the following issues have been encountered.  Please click the issue for details and solution/workaround.

Issue: Cannot Copy and Paste in Blackboard
Impacts: All Blackboard users
Description:  Users cannot copy and paste even when using Ctrl-C (Copy) and Ctrl-V (Paste).
Example: If you copy an announcement you will not be able to paste the announcement text anywhere in Blackboard using Ctrl-V.
For the solution/workaround, click here

Issue:  Videos, images and other media do not display within the Blackboard page
Impacts: All Blackboard users
Description: Video and other unsecure content do not display within Blackboard or opens as a blank page.
Example: Students and faculty open a Blackboard page that should display a video, an image or other unsecure media and the item does not display on the page.
For the solution/workaround, click here

Issue:  Discussion Board threads have another instructor as the author
Impacts: Blackboard Course Instructors only
Description: Discussion threads posted by the instructor are showing the author as someone other than the course instructor.
Example: In a course taught by Professor X, the discussion threads display Professor Z as the author.
For the solution/workaround, click here

Issue: When replying to multiple threads within a discussion forum, the textbox is prepopulated with the previous reply
Impacts: All Blackboard users using Firefox
Description: When attempting to reply or to quote a discussion board thread using Firefox the Visual Text Box Editor will incorrectly display the text submitted in the previous thread reply.
Example: In the discussion board, after submitting a reply to Student A, you click reply to Student B.  The textbox for the Student B reply contains the text you submitted for Student A.

For the solution/workaround, click here

We will provide an update as we get more information.

Update: Bb Upgrade Issues

eLearning Services has been working with Blackboard to rectify the problems we have encountered since the upgrade to Service Pack 13 (SP13).

Resolved: Problem opening and deleting Discussion Board threads
Opening discussion threads can take up to 3 minutes, and deleting discussion threads take a VERY long time and may result in error messages.

Status:  This issue has been resolved. 

Issue:  Interface color scheme is not consistent
You will notice that the color scheme on various Blackboard pages are not consistent (some banners are blue and others are gray, some text is black, other text is white).

Update:  We have updated most of the interface colors, but have a few places where there is light colored text on a light colored background, which makes it impossible for the end user to read. We have found unreadable text in the inner menu pages of the Roster Manager, and Insert/Edit image and Insert/Edit Media on the Content Editor tool bar. If you identify pages that have unreadable text, please email us so that we can be sure these pages are corrected.

Status:  We are working with Blackboard to resolve this issue.

New Issue:  Browser Inconsistencies
We are finding that some features in Blackboard operate inconsistently in different web browsers.  For example, cut and paste (Ctrl-C/Ctrl-V) functions work differently in Firefox version 17 than in Firefox version 22 and 23. 

Solution/Workaround:  For the time being, Google Chrome has tested to be the most stable web browser for the current version of Blackboard. We suggest you use the Chrome browser until we have more stable information on the various versions of Firefox. You can download the Chrome web browser here.        

Note:  Internet Explorer is still NOT recommended and will not be supported.

New Issue:  Calendar Does not Load
We have noticed that the calendar does not load for some users. This problem is directly related to the number of courses to be loaded on the calendar. For those people who only have a few courses, the calendar will load with no problem. For those people who have “lots” of courses, the calendar will either take a long time to load or does not load at all.

Status:  We are working with Blackboard to resolve this issue.

Thank you for your patience as we work through these issues.

Blackboard Upgrade and Maintenance

The college’s Blackboard system will be upgraded to Blackboard 9.1 Service Pack 13 (SP13) beginning Thursday, August 15th at 10:00 PM. 

Blackboard will be completely unavailable from Thursday, August 15th at 10:00 PM until Saturday, August 17th at 11:00 PM.  

WHAT'S NEW IN Bb 9.1 SP13?

Bb 9.1 SP13 contains several new and exciting updates that should hopefully make your lives a little easier. Please see below for a list of the new features available with SP13 and look for our “New Feature of the Week” emails that will highlight each feature.

Feature enhancements include:

• Verify Student Activity or Lack of Activity During a Test
• All Questions Are Now Retained in Exported and Imported Tests
• Redesigned Discussion Interface
• Calendar
• Retention Center
• Inline Assignment Grading
• Test Enhancements
• Math Formula Editing
• Quick Links Tool
• Mobile Support for Mashups
• Video Everywhere
• Notifications

For more information and videos on the new Blackboard 9.1 SP13 interface and features, please see What's New for Faculty - Blackboard 9.1 SP13 .

Potential Blackboard Copy Issue

Are you planning to copy your 2012 summer course to create your 2013 summer course?  If so, this email contains important information regarding the setup of your 2013 summer course.  If you are not planning to copy your 2012 summer course, then this information may not apply to you.

We would like to inform you of a potential problem with documents that were attached to 2012 summer (2012SU) courses.  We have found that many of the documents that were attached to 2012SU courses were inadvertently deleted by Blackboard last December when they ran a process to delete ‘orphaned’ content.   Before copying your 2012SU course, please go into the course and look to see if your documents are available.  If they are not, you will see a red error message where the document should be attached that looks like the following:

In order to resolve this issue, Blackboard has restored all of the 2011 summer courses, which you can now access on your Blackboard course list.  Although these courses are 2 years old, this is the only available option to retrieve documents from a summer semester.  If you have taught the class in a more recent semester such as 2013SP or 2012FA, the documents should still be available in those courses.

If you had reconfigured your 2012SU course to use the 7 template buttons, it is recommended that you use that course to copy into your 2013SU course to keep the required button structure.  You will then need to download the documents from your 2011SU course and re-upload them into your 2013SU course.

If you receive this error in courses from semesters other than 2012 summer, please contact eLearning.

ONLINE FACULTY: NEW 2013SU Blackboard Course Setup Procedure

This summer eLearning Services will implement a new procedure for Blackboard Setup of Online and Hybrid Courses. Online faculty will be automatically enrolled into their Blackboard courses using data retrieved directly from Colleague/Owl Link. The ‘Blackboard Course Request Form’ for online and hybrid courses will be replaced with an electronic email form for course setup.  

Note:  On-campus courses will continue to use the “Blackboard Course Request Form.”  

The new procedure for Blackboard Online and Hybrid Course Setup will work as follows:

1. The faculty assignment is entered into Colleague/Owl Link (by the department chair, dean or other designee).
2. Through an automated process, faculty will be enrolled in their online and hybrid courses in Blackboard based on the faculty assignment entered into Colleague/Owl Link.   
3. Once faculty are enrolled in their Blackboard courses, they will receive an email.  The email will contain an electronic form requesting faculty to respond with any “Special Instructions” for their online and hybrid courses.  “Special Instructions” include Instructor Orientation information, On-campus testing, and Special Computer Requirements that are posted on the eLearning website for student access prior to the start of the semester. 

We will begin setting up summer Blackboard courses on Tuesday, April 30th. Below are some FAQ's that will answer some common questions.  If you have any additional questions regarding this process let us know. 

 

Blackboard Online and Hybrid Course Setup FAQs

Q1: How often will Blackboard be updated with faculty assignments?

A1:  Faculty assignments will be updated in Blackboard once per day (M-F) at 10:30 a.m.  At the start of each semester, faculty assignments will be updated twice per day (M-F) at 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. 

Q2: What should I do if my course is not showing up in Blackboard?

A2:  Check the Owl Link “My Class Schedule” area to confirm that you are listed as the instructor of record.  If you are not listed as the instructor, contact your department chair to update Colleague/Owl Link.   If you are listed as the instructor in Owl Link, your faculty assignment will be updated in Blackboard during the next scheduled update (see A1 above).   

Q3: What should I do if I confirm I am the instructor of record in Owl Link, but still do not see my course(s) in Blackboard?

A3: You will need to wait until the next scheduled Blackboard update (see A1 above).   If the Blackboard course is still not available after the scheduled update, contact eLearning.   

Q4: What should I do if my course is no longer on my Blackboard course list? 

A4: Check the Owl Link  “My Class Schedule” area to confirm that you are listed as the instructor of record.  Contact your department chair if you are no longer listed as the instructor; otherwise contact eLearning.

Q5: What happens if my section assignment changes after my Blackboard courses are set up?

A5: Once the assignment change has been entered into Owl Link, your new Blackboard course sites will be available after the next scheduled Blackboard update (see A1 above).  Note: You will no longer have access to course sites for course(s) you are no longer teaching. 

Q6: What happens if my section assignment changes after I have posted content?

A6: The content will remain in the course.  Contact eLearning immediately to discuss removing the content. 

Q7: What should I do if the Blackboard course site already contains content?

A7: You should contact eLearning immediately.  This can only happen when a section assignment change occurred after the original faculty member began to upload content.   We will need to contact the original faculty member prior to removing the content.

Q8: How do I request instructor-led orientation?

A8: All online and hybrid faculty will receive an email with an electronic form requesting “Special Instructions” which includes Instructor Orientation.

Q9: How do I indicate any “Special Instructions” for my online or hybrid course, such as on-campus testing or special computer requirements?

A9: All online and hybrid faculty will receive an email with an electronic form requesting information regarding Instructor Orientation, On-campus testing and Special Computer Requirements.  

Why Your Students See ALL Discusson Boards

**UPDATE**

The known issue with the Blackboard Discussion Board forums explained below has been fixed.  Students should no longer see Discussion Board forums that are marked as ‘Unavailable’ or have a selected date range that is outside of the current date.

Please note that there is a known issue in Blackboard that allows students to see Discussion Board forums even if they are configured to “Not Available” or have date range restrictions. See below for when and what a student can see.

Discussion Boards marked “Unavailable” still show up on the main Discussion Board page. 

Students can read the name and description of the forum, but they cannot enter or post to the forum. 

1. The name of the forum is still displayed and the link looks active although a statement saying “This forum is currently unavailable” (see image below) is seen under the forum name. 

click image to view

2.  If the student clicks on the forum name (or if there are old posts existing in the forum the student can click on the number of posts), a red “Access  Denied” message is displayed that says they do not have access. 

click image to view

All Discussion Boards marked “Available” are accessible even if date range is selected 

Even if the date range would indicate that students should not be able to see the forum,

students can still read the name and description of the forum on the main Discussion Board page,

AND they can enter and post to the forum, too. 

1. Students can access any forum marked ‘Available’ and create a thread even though the statement under the forum name says that the forum is no longer available.

click image to view

Blackboard is aware of this issue and will fix it in a future service pack.  We will keep you informed when we are on a release where it has been fixed.

Trouble Pasting into the Content Text Editor? Keyboard Shortcuts May be the Answer

It has come to our attention that in some web browsers (such as Firefox), you must use CTRL-C to copy and CTRL-V to paste when working in the content text editor (instead of using a right-click to copy and paste). If right-clicking your mouse does not work, you may need to use the keyboard shortcuts instead.

To Copy: 

1) Highlight the text you would like to copy.

2) Hold down the control button while simultaneously pressing "C" 

To Paste: 

1) Hold down the control button while simultaneously pressing "V"

The Content Editor: “Paste from Word” is No Longer an Option

Please note there is a new default content editor throughout Blackboard.  With the new content editor comes many changes to the toolbar; one of which being that the “Paste from Word” option in the mashup dropdown is no longer available. You can now paste directly from Word into the content area.
Click for more information

"Unavailable" Discussion Board Forums? Not Really

Please be aware that a Blackboard “Known Issue” exists where unavailable Discussion Board Forums are visible and sometimes accessible to students. Discussion Boards that are set to “Available” but have a Date/Time restriction set for a future date are still visible and accessible to students.  Students can enter the forum and create threads in those situations.

To make a discussion board inaccessible to students, you must manually make it “Unavailable”. The forum will still be visible to students but they will not be able to access it.  We recommend waiting to add discussion board forums until you are ready to use them. This bug will be fixed in a future service pack.

Important Grade Center Issue for Online Faculty

Please note that a grade MUST be entered into each graded column in the Grade Center for final grades to be calculated correctly.  If you leave the dashes (--) in a graded column, that column will NOT be included in the student's total grade calculation. You must enter a zero if a student does not submit the assignment (test, et al) for that column to be calculated.

Example:  If a student only turns in two assignments for the entire semester but receives the highest number of points on those assignments, the total grade will be calculated as an "A" if there are no other letter grades entered into the missing assignment grade columns and they are left with dashes (--) for a grade where there should be a zero.