Course Tools Overview

Course Tools

The Course Tools Area provides instructors with tools to communicate synchronously and asynchronously with students and manage information. The tools in this area allow instructors to share information about themselves through the Staff Information area and share information about important course milestones and assignments through the Course Calendar and task area. Faculty can interact with students in the Discussion Board, Send Email area and the Collaboration area. Instructors can also share documents through the Digital Dropbox as well as in the Discussion Board and hold virtual office hours in the Virtual Classroom or Chat tool in the Collaboration area.

Announcements

The Announcement Tool provides instructors with a direct means of communicating important information to students. Announcements can be added, modified, removed and permanently displayed. Instructors can post a wide variety of information in the Announcement area including assignment due dates and reminders, changes in the syllabus, course material correction/clarification, announcement of upcoming events such as a TV program on the History or Discovery Channel and exam schedules. Note that the Announcement area is a text only area and will not support graphics and/or other types of media.

Blackboard Announcements Tutorial Files

Course Announcements

Add / Modify Announcement

Course Calendar

The Course Calendar tool can be used to record important milestones and upcoming events in the course. Instructors can add due dates for course assignments and exams and note dates for guest speakers or section meetings.

Blackboard Course Calendar Tutorial Files

Calendar		Add / Modify Event
Calendar Quick Jump

Staff Information

Students can get to know the instructor, guest speakers, teaching assistants or other course leaders though the Staff Information tool in Blackboard. Instructors can post information about themselves including a photograph, email address, office hours and a personal link. As with all areas of Blackboard information can be added, modified or removed.

Blackboard Staff Information Tutorial Files

Staff Information

Add / Modify Profile

Tasks

The Task tool allows instructors to post tasks for the entire class. Users are also able to post tasks to their own personal page to keep track of assignments and exams.

Blackboard Tasks Tutorial Files

Tasks

Add / Modify Task

Send Email

Instructors can use the Send Email tool to send information to students enrolled in their class in a variety of ways including to All Users, All Groups, All Teaching Assistants, All Instructors, All Observers, Single / Select User, Single / Select Groups and Single / Select Observer.

Blackboard Send Email Tutorial Files

Send Email

Discussion Board

The Discussion Board allows multiple levels of communication between the students themselves and the instructor. Conversations are logged and organized making it easy for the instructor to see who is participating in the discussions. Discussion board questions are initiated by the instructor in both the Manage Groups and the whole class Discussion Board area by creating a forum. Forums can only be created by the instructor. Once created, students can answer the discussion board question by creating a thread. Upon completion of the discussion, instructors can archive the forum.

Blackboard Discussion Board Tutorial Files

Discussion Board		Forum Archives
Add / Modify Forum		Add Archive
Forums		Modify Archive
Post and Reply

Collaboration

The Collaboration Tools allow instructors to synchronously meet with students in the Virtual Classroom and Lightweight Chat areas. In the Virtual Classroom, students and the instructor have access to course documents, a white board where you can draw or add text, and the Internet. Students have the ability to ask and reply to questions. The Lightweight Chat is similar to most text-based chat programs and allows communication between the instructor, teaching assistant or guest speaker and the students. Instructors can record and archive chat sessions. Both the Virtual Classroom and Lightweight chat meetings can be archived.

The Collaboration Tools use the Java programming language. Before the Collaboration tools open, your system will be checked to ensure that you have Java loaded and enabled on your system. The instructions for downloading Java are located within Blackboard in the Virtual Classroom and Lightweight Chat areas. If you need assistance, please contact the 24/7 Shippensburg University Support Center. If you need Java loaded on your campus computer, please contact the Computer Center at x3499.

Macintosh Users should make sure that they are running Netscape 7. At this time, Safari is not supported. Macintosh users running OS 8 or 9 must use the Accessible version of the Collaboration tool.

Blackboard Collaboration Tutorial Files

Collaboration Tools		Content Map
Collaboration Sessions		Ask Question
Create / Modify Collaboration Session		Question Inbox
Virtual Classroom		Chat
Menu Bar		Private Message
Virtual Classroom		User Info and Record Menu
Classroom Tool Box		Session Archives
Whiteboard		Archive Properties
Group Browser

Digital Drop Box

The Digitial Drop Box acts as a repository for student work. Individual students and instructors can send and receive files through the Digital Drop Box. Instructors should place materials for the entire class in the Course Content Areas. Instructors should be aware and should warn students that adding files to the Digital Drop Box does not send them to the instructor but simply adds them to a space on the Blackboard server. Students must use the Send File option to send files to their instructor.

Blackboard Digital Drop Box Tutorial Files

Digital Drop Box		Send File from the Digital Drop Box
Add File to the Digital Drop Box

Glossary Manager

Glossary Manager		Download Glossary
Add Glossary Term		Upload Glossary

Messages

Messages