Starting the semester smoothly
Posted on January 30, 2007
Filed Under Communication
The first few days can influence how students approach your course for the rest of the semester. In this podcast episode, we’ll discuss some simple things you can do to help things go smoothly if you’re using Blackboard, including posting a welcome announcement on Blackboard, making sure that students can receive email you send through Blackboard, and giving your students guidelines about your expectations for using Blackboard. The accompanying documents provide step-by-step instructions for using the features discussed in the podcast. The links to additional resources provide examples of how some instructors at Hunter start their semester.
Podcast
Download podcast episode (duration 4:24)
Related Documents
Related Workshops
Additional Resources
Sample welcome announcement
A screen shot of a welcome announcement created by Professor Manfred Kuechler. The announcement directs students to the course syllabus and a pre-class survey.Sample syllabus excerpt
Professor Manfred Kuechler starts his syllabus by letting students know what role Blackboard will play in his course and letting them know how to access Blackboard.Sample Blackboard information for students
Professor Anthony Picciano distributes this handout, which gives students information about Blackboard and basic instructions about how to use some features such as the discussion board.
Have an idea for a Blackboard tip? Email us at training@hunter.cuny.edu.
Removing unused tools and content areas
Posted on January 26, 2007
Filed Under Course site design
Unused content areas and tools can clutter your Blackboard course site and make it more difficult for students to find the information they’re looking for. In this podcast episode, we discuss how to unclutter your course site by removing unused areas. The accompanying documents provide step-by-step instructions for using the Blackboard features discussed in the podcast.
Podcast
Download podcast episode (duration 5:00)
Related Documents
Managing Your Blackboard Tools
Customizing the Navigation Menu in Blackboard
Related Workshops
Have an idea for a Blackboard tip? Email us at training@hunter.cuny.edu.
Customizing the navigation menu in your course site
Posted on January 25, 2007
Filed Under Course site design
New course shells in Blackboard all start out with the same navigation menu. You can customize this navigation menu to make give your Blackboard course site a unique look and feel and to make it easier for students to find their way around. Things you can do to customize your course site include:
• Adding new items to the navigation menu
• Changing the order of items in the navigation menu
• Deleting items from the navigation menu
• Changing the look and feel of the navigation menu
In this podcast episode, we’ll discuss these features and give you some ideas about how to design an easy-to-use course site. The accompanying documents provide step-by-step instructions for using the features discussed in the podcast. The links to additional resources provide examples of redesigned Blackboard course sites.
Podcast
Download podcast episode (duration 4:11)
Related Documents
Related Workshops
Additional Resources
Blackboard Course Makeover
Flash demonstration of a Blackboard course site redesign, from Regent University.
Have an idea for a Blackboard tip? Email us at training@hunter.cuny.edu.
Adding a syllabus to your Blackboard course site
Posted on January 24, 2007
Filed Under Content areas
Posting a syllabus is a good first step towards creating a Blackboard-enhanced course. In this podcast episode, we’ll discuss two ways to post your syllabus on Blackboard - uploading an existing file containing your syllabus and using Blackboard’s Syllabus Builder to create your syllabus. The accompanying documents provide step-by-step instructions for using the Blackboard features discussed in the podcast and the links to additional resources provide ideas for how to structure your syllabi.
Podcast
Download podcast episode (duration 4:58)
Related Documents
Related Workshops
Blackboard / Introduction - Feb. 2
Blackboard / Exploring New Features in Blackboard 6 - Feb. 2
Additional Resources
Constructing a Syllabus
Handbook on course construction from Brown University.Building a Syllabus
San Francisco State.Designing Learner-Centered Syllabi
University of Delaware.Syllabus/Course Design
Resources, links, and examples from the University of Southern California.Syllabus Finder
A searchable database of syllabi from the Center for History and New Media and the Google search engine. Contains over 1 million syllabi in a wide variety of disciplines.
Have an idea for a Blackboard tip? Email us at training@hunter.cuny.edu.
Reusing materials from previous Blackboard course sites
Posted on January 24, 2007
Filed Under Course management
As you prepare for the semester, you may find that you would like to repurpose materials from a previous Blackboard course. In this podcast episode, we’ll give you an overview of Blackboard tools you can use to copy materials from a previous course to a new course shell. The accompanying documents provide step-by-step instructions for using the Blackboard features discussed in the podcast.
Podcast
Download podcast episode (duration 4:28)
Related Documents
Related Workshops
Blackboard / Reusing Materials from Previous Courses - Jan. 26
Have an idea for a Blackboard tip? Email us at training@hunter.cuny.edu.
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