Blackboard "Need-to-know"
Tips - Vol. 5; 2004 - 2005
* Posting Grades
You can post grades in Blackboard securely using the Blackboard
Gradebook. Follow this link for a video tutorial for how
to get started. (You will be prompted for your Blackboard
username and password.) http://blackboard.bradley.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/
bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2088_1.
* Download Grade book (Backups)
Use the Download Grades feature to make a backup copy of
your grades whenever you make new entries. Blackboard converts
the Gradebook to an Excel file, but there are some tricks
to the process. NOTE: You will need to use the Explorer
browser. Go to the Gradebook and click "Download Grades".
Choose "comma" as your delimiter type, then click "Submit".
You will need to right-click (control-click on Mac) the
Download button and choose "Save As" to save
the downloaded file. Open Excel, then browse for the "export-gb" file.
* Upload Grades from Excel to Blackboard
Blackboard also allows you to modify your grade book in Excel
then upload the file back into Blackboard. You must start
with the Blackboard grade book first. Use the Download
Grades feature, then modify your grades in Excel. Go back
to Blackboard and use the Upload Grades feature. Blackboard
will prompt your for which column or row to upload.
* Deliver a Lecture Without
Being in the Classroom
Have you ever needed to be gone during a class meeting time
and struggled with the notion of how to keep your students
on track with the course schedule? There is a quick way
to record your lecture and post it to Blackboard for students
to view outside of class. Use your PowerPoint slides and
record your voice into the presentation using "Record
Narration". Then contact ITAC to compress it with
Impatica. A complete demonstration of the process will
be given by Dr. Don Schertz at the Teaching With Technology
Workshop on Wednesday, April 20, 3:15 - 5 PM in the Library
Packard Room. Call 677-2332 to register.
* Instructor's Guide to Blackboard
Check out the new quick guide to using Blackboard, located
on the Blackboard home page -- http://blackboard.bradley.edu/faculty/BbGuide/index.shtml.
A printable version is available from the site.
* Course Cartridge
A Course Cartridge is pre-packaged instructional course content
that can be added to your Blackboard course site. This
may include lecture slides, self-tests, glossary of terms,
current events, links to external resources, and learning
activities. To see if your textbook publisher offers content
for your course, go to -- http://cartridgecatalog.blackboard.com/catalog/ and search for available cartridges by publisher or discipline.
You may download an instructor's copy at no charge.
* Dropbox vs. Assignment Manager
When should you use the Dropbox and when should you use the
Assignment manager? The Dropbox is a space within a course
site that is reserved for sending work to and from the
instructor (the student must go to the Dropbox and click
the "Send" button to send a file). Or, the Dropbox
could be storage space used by the student (if the student
goes to the Dropbox and chooses "Add", the selected
file will be added to the student's personal Dropbox).
The files sent by students to the instructor's Dropbox
can then be opened or saved by the instructor one at a
time. Comments can be added and the files sent back to
the students.
The Assignment Manager allows the students to submit their
assignments in the same area the instructor posts assignment
instructions. Once the assignment is created by the instructor,
a column is automatically added to the gradebook. Students
go to the assignment and choose ">> View/Complete
Assignment" to send their assignments. Instructors can
download all at once or individually, then grade and send
comment back to the students. For more information on the
Dropbox and the Assignment Manager, please go to --https://blackboard.bradley.edu/webapps/
portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=%2Fbin%2Fcommon%2Fcourse.pl%3Fcourse_id%3D
_2088_1. You will be prompted for your Blackboard username
and password.
* Plagiarism Protection Software
Are you in need of good plagiarism detection software? Please
email Barb at brk@bradley.edu and indicate your interest.
* Is your "My Bradley" Blackboard
page is too busy?
You can modify what information is displayed and how it is
displayed. Just click the "Contents" or "Layout" tabs
in the upper right. You may also click the "-" sign
to minimize the content in the individual content boxes,
or click the pencil icon to edit what is displayed or the "X" to
delete the box entirely.
Please send your comments or questions to Barb Kerns at
brk@bradley.edu.
|
