Introduction to Blackboard: A Tutorial
Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Who is this tutorial for?... 3 What will this tutorial teach me?... 3 How is this tutorial organized?... 3 What materials do I need?... 3 Lesson 1: Editing personal information.....4 Navigating to the Edit Personal Information page... 4 Updating name and email address... 5 Saving changes... 5 Summary... 6 Review... 6 Lesson 2: Sending an email through Blackboard... 7 Navigating to the Send Email page... 7 Selecting email recipients... 8 Typing contents of email... 8 Sending email... 9 Summary... 10 Review... 10 Lesson 3: Creating a thread on the discussion board... 11 Navigating to the Discussion Board page... 11 Creating a new thread and typing contents... 13 Posting your thread on the discussion board... 14 Summary... 15 Review... 15 Lesson 4: Submitting an assignment... 16 Navigating to the Assignments page... 16 Creating a file for your assignment... 17 Submitting the assignment... 18 Summary... 20 REVIEW... 20 Conclusion... 21 A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 2
Introduction Blackboard is a learning management system which allows course instructors and students to communicate and interact through email, discussion boards, and chat sessions. Blackboard allows students to view and access course information for all courses in one learning environment. WHO IS THIS TUTORIAL FOR? This tutorial is designed for Algonquin College students with little or no experiencing using Blackboard. Students should be familiar with basic computer use, such as navigating the Windows environment and performing basic web searches. WHAT WILL THIS TUTORIAL TEACH ME? This tutorial provides an introduction to the basic features of Blackboard. This tutorial does not cover every feature Blackboard has to offer; rather, it serves as an introduction to the basic features students will need to begin navigating through course material and interacting with the instructor and other students. The lessons in this tutorial teach you how to: Edit personal information Send an email through Blackboard Create a thread on the discussion board Submit an assignment HOW IS THIS TUTORIAL ORGANIZED? This tutorial is organized into four exercises, one exercise dedicated to each feature. Each exercise will take no more than 20 minutes to complete. We recommend that you complete the exercises in sequence. WHAT MATERIALS DO I NEED? To complete this tutorial, you need the following: Your Blackboard user name and password o Find your user name and password under Network Account Info in ACSIS A computer with internet access o Although not required, we recommend using either Firefox or Chrome web browsers Let s get started! A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 3
Lesson 1: Editing Personal Information This lesson introduces you to the Edit Personal Information page in Blackboard. Accessing the Edit Personal Information page allows you to edit personal information such as your name, email address, home address and birthdate. This information will be available for the course instructor and other students to view. In this lesson you will learn how to: Navigate to the Edit Personal Information page Update name and email address Save changes NAVIGATING TO THE EDIT PERSONAL INFORMATION PAGE When you first sign in to Blackboard, the Blackboard Homepage appears. 1. From the Tools menu, click Personal Information (Figure 1). Figure 1. Click Personal information The Personal Information page appears. 2. Click Edit Personal Information, the first link on the Personal Information page. The Edit Personal Information page appears. A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 4
UPDATING NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS Now update your name and email address. This ensures that your instructor and classmates have your up-to-date information and can contact you successfully. 1. Update your name and email address by typing in the appropriate fields (Figure 2). Figure 2. Update name and email address SAVING CHANGES Your changes won t be saved unless you press the Submit button prior to leaving the page. 1. Save your changes by clicking the Submit button located in the top right corner of the screen. Note: You may return to the Edit Personal Information page at any time to make changes or update other pieces of personal information (e.g. birthdate, home address, etc.). Keep in mind other Blackboard users can see this information. A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 5
SUMMARY In this lesson, you learned how to update your name and email address by navigating to the Edit Personal Information page from the Blackboard Homepage. Congratulations! Your instructor and classmates can now see your name and contact you by email. REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. How do you navigate to the Edit Personal Information page? 2. How do you save changes made to your personal information? 3. True or False: You are the only one who can view the personal information you enter. REVIEW ANSWERS 1. From the Blackboard Homepage, navigate to the Personal Information page and then the Edit Personal Information page. 2. You can save changes by clicking the Submit button. 3. False. The personal information you enter is visible to all users. A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 6
Lesson 2: Sending an Email Through Blackboard This lesson teaches you how to send an email through Blackboard. You can use Blackboard to email other students registered in your class and/or your course instructor. You can choose to email as many or as few contacts as you want. In this lesson you will send an email to your course instructor confirming that you are completing this tutorial; you will learn how to: Navigate to the Send Email page Select email recipients Type contents of email Send an email NAVIGATING TO THE SEND EMAIL PAGE Begin by signing into your Blackboard account, you will be directed to the Blackboard Homepage. If you are already signed in, navigate to the Blackboard Homepage by clicking My Institution on the top right corner of the screen. 1. From the Tools menu, click Send Email (Figure 3). Figure 3. Click Send Email link The Send Email page appears. A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 7
SELECTING EMAIL RECIPIENTS You may only send an email to members of one course at a time; however, you may send an email to multiple members of that course. 1. Select which course your email message concerns. For this activity, you will be sending an email to the course instructor of Technical Writing 1. Click Technical Writing 1 (Figure 4). Figure 4. Select the appropriate course 2. You now see a list of the users you can include in your email. Choose All Instructor Users from the list of users. TYPING CONTENTS OF EMAIL Enter the details of your email (Figure 5). 1. In the subject line, type the subject of the email. For example: Blackboard Introduction Tutorial. 2. In the message box, type the body of your email. For example: Hello, I have received the Introduction to Blackboard Tutorial and I am currently in the process of completing the exercises. A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 8
Figure 5. Enter email subject and body text SENDING EMAIL Your email will not be sent to the recipients until you press the Submit button. 1. When you are satisfied with the contents of your email, press Submit to send the email to the specified recipents. A copy of the sent email is also be sent to your email inbox. Repeat this process for each course to inform each of your instructors that you are completing the Introduction to Blackboard Tutorial. Note: You can discard you email message prior to sending it by pressing Cancel. A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 9
SUMMARY In this lesson, you learned how to send an email to your course instructor by navigating to the Send Email page from the Blackboard Homepage. Congratulations! You can now communicate with your instructor and classmates through email. REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Where can you find the Send Email link? 2. How do you select the recipients of your email? 3. True or False: You will receive a copy of your sent email. REVIEW ANSWERS 1. The Send Email link is located on the Tools menu on the Blackboard Homepage. 2. Select the recipients of your email by navigating through the Send Email pages. First you select the course, then you select which participants you would like to email. 3. True. You will receive a copy of your sent email in your email inbox. A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 10
Lesson 3: Creating a Thread on the Discussion Board This lesson teaches you how to create a thread (a group of messages) on the Blackboard discussion board. You can use the discussion board to communicate with your instructor and classmates by replying to a pre-existing thread or by creating your own thread. In this lesson you will introduce yourself to your instructor and classmates by starting a thread on the discussion board; you will learn how to: Navigate to the Discussion Board page Create a new thread and type contents Post your thread on the discussion board NAVIGATING TO THE DISCUSSION BOARD PAGE Begin by signing into your Blackboard account, you will be directed to the Blackboard Homepage. If you are already signed in, navigate to the Blackboard Homepage by clicking My Institution on the top right corner of the screen. Before navigating to the Discussion Board page, select a course from your list of courses. Each course has its own discussion board. 1. From the My Courses menu, select Technical Writing 1 (Figure 6). The Announcements page of the Technical Writing 1 appears. Figure 6. Select a course from the My Courses menu A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 11
2. From the Navigation menu, click the Discussion Board link (Figure 7). Figure 7. Click the Discussion Board link The main page of the Discussion Board appears. 3. Open the Welcome and Introductions discussion forum by clicking the forum title (Figure 8). Figure 8. Open the Welcome and Introductions forum A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 12
CREATING A NEW THREAD AND TYPING CONTENTS Now create a new thread on the discussion board and add contents to the thread. 1. Click the Create Thread button located below the title of the page Forum: Discussion Forum Welcome and Introductions (Figure 9). Figure 9. Click the Create Thread button The Create Thread page appears. 2. The Create Thread page allows you to type the subject and message of your post (Figure 10). Figure 10. Write the subject and contents of your thread A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 13
POSTING YOUR THREAD ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD Once you post your thread on the discussion board, your instructor and classmates can see and respond to your posts. 1. When you are satisfied with the contents of your thread, click Submit. Your instructor and classmates can view your thread and post comments in response. You can review comments and the number of times your thread has been viewed by clicking on the Subject line of your thread (Figure 11). Figure 11. Click Subject line to review message, view replies and number of views. Complete this process for each course to introduce yourself to your course instructor and classmates. Note: If you begin creating a thread or post and want to complete your message later, you can save your message as a draft by pressing the Save Draft button on the Create Thread page (beside the Submit button). A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 14
SUMMARY In this lesson, you learned how to post a new thread on a course discussion board. You navigated to the discussion board from the Blackboard Homepage, created a new thread and added contents, and posted the thread to the discussion board. You also reviewed the message, comments and number of views. Congratulations! You can now communicate with your instructor and classmates by creating a thread and posting on the discussion board. REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Where is the Discussion Board link located? 2. How do you view replies to your discussion post? 3. True or False: You can save your discussion thread as a draft prior to posting it on the forum. REVIEW ANSWERS 1. The Discussion Board link is located on the Navigation menu on the course Announcements page. 2. You can view replies to your discussion post by clicking on the subject line of the thread. 3. True. You can save your post as a draft by pressing Save as Draft on the Create Thread page. A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 15
Lesson 4: Submitting an Assignment This lesson teaches you how to submit an assignment by uploading it to Blackboard. Your instructor will let you know if they want you to submit assignments using an alternate method. The Assignments Tool must be used to submit assignments identified with the clipboard and checkmark icon this lesson you will submit a sample assignment; you will learn how to:. In Navigate to the Assignments page Create a file for your assignment Upload the assignment for grading NAVIGATING TO THE ASSIGNMENTS PAGE Begin by signing into your Blackboard account, you will be directed to the Blackboard Homepage. If you are already signed in, navigate to the Blackboard Homepage by clicking My Institution on the top right corner of the screen. Before navigating to the Assignments page, you will select a course from your list of courses. Each course has its own Assignments page. 1. From the My Courses menu, select Technical Writing 1. The Announcements page of Technical Writing 1 appears. 2. From the Navigation menu, click the Assignments link. The Assignments page appears. You can see a list of assignments that must be completed for the course. The first assignment listed is the sample assignment for this tutorial (Figure 12). Figure 12. View your assignments A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 16
CREATING A FILE FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENT Create a file for your assignment and save it to your computer. When it s time to submit your assignment, you will relocate this file and upload it to Blackboard. 1. On your computer, create a new Word document. 2. Press File, Save As. 3. Navigate to the folder where you will be storing your assignments. Make sure this folder is easily accessible to you. 4. Name the file using the following convention: Last name and first initial, course title, the assignment number and title. 5. Press Save to save your assignment file to your computer (Figure 13). Figure 13. Save your assignment file to your computer A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 17
SUBMITTING THE ASSIGNMENT Now upload your assignment to Blackboard. 1. Click the Assignment 1: Blackboard Tutorial Sample Assignment link (the title of the assignment). The Upload Assignment page appears. The Upload Assignment page provides details about the assignment and allows you to upload your assignment for submission. 2. Scroll down the page to the Assignment Materials section (Figure 14). Figure 14. View the Assignment Materials section 3. To attach your assignment file, click the Browse My Computer button. 4. Browse your files until you locate your saved assignment. 5. Press Open to upload your assignment (Figure 15). A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 18
Figure 15. Upload your assignment to Blackboard 6. Clicking the Submit button to submit your assignment for grading, located in the lower right corner of the screen. Note: You can upload and save your assignment as a draft by pressing the Save as Draft button, located next to the Submit button on the Upload Assignment page. A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 19
SUMMARY In this lesson, you learned how to submit an assignment by uploading it to Blackboard. You navigated to the Assignments page from the Blackboard Homepage, created and saved an assignment file to your computer, and submitted the assignment for grading. Congratulations! You have submitted your first assignment using Blackboard. REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. What does this icon mean? 2. What naming convention must you use when saving your assignments to your computer? 3. True or False: You cannot save your assignment as a draft prior to submitting it for grading. REVIEW ANSWERS 1. The clipboard and checkmark icon means that the assignment must be submitted using the Assignments Tool. 2. Name the file using the following convention: Last name and first initial, course title, the assignment number and title. 3. False. You can save your assignment as a draft by pressing Save as Draft on the Upload Assignment page. A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 20
Conclusion Congratulations! You have completed the Introduction to Blackboard tutorial. This tutorial was designed to provide you with a brief introduction to the basic features of Blackboard. Now that you have completed the tutorial, you should be able to perform the following tasks successfully: Edit your personal information Send an email through Blackboard Create a thread on the discussion board Submit an assignment for grading Thank you for completing the tutorial! For more help and information about how to use Blackboard, visit The official Blackboard Help Site at https://help.blackboard.com/en-us/learn/9.1_sp_14. A LGONQUIN C OLLEGE 21