AberLearn Blackboard User Guide

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1 AberLearn Blackboard User Guide Contents General Guide... 2 Modules & Content... 3 Assignment Submission... 4 Further Thoughts... 5 Blackboard is the virtual learning environment used by Aberystwyth University to deliver the online component of their courses. It can be accessed either directly at blackboard.aber.ac.uk, or through the Current Students homepage ( Access to Blackboard requires an activated University account and is only available to currently enrolled students. This guide will explain how to use the functions required by new students. Blackboard offers multiple accessibility settings to aid visually impaired users. Contrast and text size can be changed either from the front page, or the settings menu found in the upper right corner when logged in. Information Services Support may be contacted via live chat during office hours from the front page, or the My Modules page when logged in. You should contact them immediately if you encounter any issues, especially if the issue prevents you from turning in a due assignment. Remember to inform your course tutor as well in such cases. Information Services Frequently Asked Questions page can be found Here. Page 1 of 6

2 General Guide To log in enter your assigned username (NOT full address) and the password you selected when activating your account. The username should typically contain three letters and up to two numbers. The home page once you are logged in contains a large amount of useful information, including announcements. A To Do list showing current assignment due dates may be found by scrolling down. Note that not all modules will issue assignments through Blackboard, so be careful not to rely on it too much. The Primo Library Catalogue can also be accessed through this page. Page 2 of 6

3 To access information on your current modules click on the My Modules icon in the upper right corner. This page will show any modules you are currently registered on. Note that Semester 2 modules will also be displayed in Semester 1. Modules & Content To access further information on any particular module, including content and assignments, simply click on the relevant link. Within each module you will find extensive information. The most useful links will typically be: Content; which typically contains any PowerPoint Presentations used in your classes and your worksheets etc. Some classes may also provide links to recordings here. Assignments; which contains any assignment instructions and resources issued through blackboard, as well as the turn in location for said assignments (unless instructed otherwise) Aspire Reading List; which contains a list of recommended or required books for your course, should the module tutor decide to include one. Course Information may also contain useful documentation, such as a course handbook if the tutor feels it suitable to include one. Page 3 of 6

4 Content provided will vary by module and tutor. You can save files from Blackboard as needed. Depending on the file type they will either open in the browser, or download on left click by default. You may save any file by right clicking the link and selecting Save Link As. By default on University systems files are saved to the Downloads folder. Assignment Submission There are two methods of online submission available through Blackboard, depending on the assignment. The first is a simple file upload submission which requires you to select the file in the provided explorer, either from your local machine, M drive or cloud storage. Once you have added the file submit the form to complete the upload. A space is provided for notes, should you feel the need to leave a comment on your submission. The second type of submission is through TurnItIn, a text matching software that is used to used to automatically compare your submission to other recorded documents. To upload a file through TurnItIn you must complete the provided form, including a title for your submission. You will receive an containing a receipt if your upload is successful. Page 4 of 6

5 To see grades and any provided feedback on submitted assignments you may access the My Grades section through the Tools menu option within the specified module. Further Thoughts One of the hardest things in writing about Blackboard is trying to find the line between the Blackboard product itself and the university s design choices in implementing it. Although the limitations of the software package can be apparent sometimes, a lot of the more obvious issues seem to stem more from cosmetic decisions rather than actual technical or design limitations. Page 5 of 6

6 This is especially evident on the home page. While Aberystwyth chooses to fill the front page with news, contact information and updates most other universities seem to prefer a cleaner interface. Home Page of The University of Sheffield Blackboard for comparison. 25/11/2015 which can make the platform look unprofessional. This is a theme which continues throughout the Aberystwyth University implementation. The layout is routinely cluttered with large amounts of unnecessary information, often requiring you to scroll down to find the important or useful items such as the To Do list. Additionally large amounts of the site are unfinished, unused or outdated, The menu layout and navigation is often distributed seemingly at random around the page, requiring you to choose from options on the middle left, center and upper right of the screen. Many choices often require you to navigate to a new page, which can often be largely unnecessary. This could be improved significantly by condensing menus to a more standardized format and location. Additionally the layout could be styled in a more explorer-type format, allowing you to more easily move between multiple sections for instance, content and assignments within a module as required. The site offers limited mobile compatibility features without the use of an additional app. Although it is usable navigation proves awkward, and the scaling of the site can be hard to work with. The use of Blackboard by University staff is inconsistent. Many seem to have had limited instruction on its use, or lack the confidence or interest to make significant use of it. Within the Computer Science department staff usage seems to be largely self-taught, with each member of staff having their own preferences and methods. This can cause issues with consistency, for instance making it difficult to locate Panopto recordings of sessions, or cause due assignments to not display on the site. Although the structure of each module may require a different layout, with information broken down either by session in seminar type modules, or by category in more structured practical modules such as mathematics, a more unified layout could improve the user experience considerably. This is especially important for students who aren t native English speakers. Page 6 of 6