Workshops

Blackboard Basics

In this fundamental workshop you will learn how to access Blackboard, and how to customize your course menu and style. You will learn how to navigate through the course, and become familiar with common tasks such as creating announcements, and adding textbook information and course content. You will be introduced to all of the Blackboard tools, and be able to view the course from a student perspective.

Throughout the workshop, pedagogical issues related to teaching and learning online will be introduced.

Blackboard Course Organization

The set-up of your course menu is the foundation to the organization of your entire course, so you will begin with examining different strategies for organizing the Course Menu, which is the students’ access point to tools and content. You will be able to create folders as an organizing strategy, and identify the different types of content possible to add to your course.

You will be able to access and make available a Blackboard orientation to BB for your students, and well as how and why to officially introduce them to the course space via a Getting Started area.

Blackboard Course Assessment

This workshop provides a hands-on introduction to the assessment function of Blackboard Learn™, with a focus on creating assignments. You will be able to distinguish among the seven different types of Blackboards assessments, and create simple assignments. You will view assignments from the students' perspective.

Lastly, you will become familiar with the most effective and recommended settings for tests and quizzes.

Blackboard Course Evaluation

In this Grade Center workshop you will participate in a hands-on introduction to the Grade Center tool. You will learn how to navigate the Grade Center and customize its appearance to suit your needs. You will learn to create columns to manage and calculate grades.

From a student perspective you will explore the My Grades tool and becoming familiar with how grades will appear to your students.

Blackboard Discussion Board

You will learn to use this communications tool throughout the life cycle of discussion boards—from creating forums and threads to moderating, managing, and grading.You will be exposed to effective questioning techniques used to engage students .

You will have opportunity to explore discussion from the student perspective.

Blackboard Statistics: Monitoring Student Progress and Controlling Content

This workshop provides a hands-on introduction for the tools that help you to keep students on track. We will look at how to use the Adaptive Release, Review Status, Performance Dashboard, and Statistics tools. These tools play an important role in the retention and success of students in your course. They also allow you to control the release of content, as you do as a matter-of-fact in a face-to-face course, monitor student progress, and view course statistics..

You will have opportunity to explore some of these tools from the student perspective.

Panopto Coursecast

You will learn how to use this screen capture tool to conduct a number of different useful teaching and learning activities. From a student perspective you will have the opportunity to view the different kind of recordings possible to create using Coursecast.

In the instructor role you will become familiar with downloading the software, followed by hands-on experience in configuring, recording, and publishing the recording s to Blackboard.

Wimba Classroom

Learn about Wimba Classroom, the synchronous tool in BlackBoard that allows for real time text chat, audio and video collaboration.  Wimba Classroom can useful for teaching in the standard face-to-face (f2f) classroom, or in a blended or totally online format. You will learn how to add Wimba Classroom to your course menu and set up an actual room for your use.You will practice using the participant tools and will be introduced to the instructor panel.