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Enrolments and Course Roles in Blackboard

You can add members to your course, for example if you have additional staff tutoring on a module.

In almost every case students will be enrolled onto and removed from your Blackboard course via an automatic integration. If you believe that a student should be or should not be enrolled upon your course please contact the CIS Service Desk in the first instance before enrolling or un-enrolling them yourself.

Adding a member to your course

In your Blackboard course:

  1. Select ‘View everyone on your course‘ in the left-hand menu beneath ‘Class Register‘.
  2. Click on the ‘+icon in the top right-hand side of the page. Select ‘Enrol People‘.
  3. Search for a user to enrol, either using their name or their username within Blackboard (if known).
  4. Select the role that you would like to give the user from the drop-down list.
  5. Select ‘Save’.

Blackboard course roles explained

Your role in a Blackboard course define what you are able to do within it. Most of these roles come as standard with Blackboard, however the Module Administrator role is custom to Durham.

RoleYou get…Suitable ForNotes
InstructorComplete control over a courseModule conveners, academics on a team-taught module
Module AdministratorComplete control over a courseLearning and Teaching AdministratorsWhile materially the same as an Instructor, the Module Administrator role makes it simpler for students to discern who their teachers are within a Course while giving administrators the power they need to do support learning, teaching and assessment activities.
Teaching AssistantMost of the capabilities of an instructorTeaching assistants, instructional designersNot used heavily. The Course Builder and Marker roles have additional scopes that are better suited to demonstrators and markers.
Course BuilderThe ability to build content (with limits)Teaching assistants, demonstrators, instructional designersThis role cannot view or mark pieces of submitted work.
MarkerThe ability to mark workExternal examinersThis role gives somebody the ability to access scripts but not alter course content.
StudentTo access and interact with the courseStudentsUsually also suitable for students auditing a module.
SpectatorFlexible, read-only option for course access including the gradebookAuditors, observers or external examinersSuitable for those who need to review course content without making changes or access administrative features. Note: This role allows access to the gradebook, it should therefore only be given to people who need this access and should not be given to student auditors.
A table that summarises the various roles in Blackboard and describes what they are best suited for.

The Primary Instructor role does not have any additional powers, but it does make it easier for students to spot the Module Convener on a team taught module.

There is no Guest role in Blackboard courses.

Removing staff and students from your Blackboard Course

You cannot remove someone with the Instructor role from a course. You must first change their role to Student and then they can be removed.

You are strongly advised not to remove registered students from your course without careful consideration. Removing a student will permanently disassociate their account with any interactions within the course such as assignment submissions.

Quick Enrol

Administrators can now use Quick Enroll in Ultra Course Settings to temporarily join a course as an instructor. This feature enables admins to troubleshoot and make content updates, and then unenroll from the main course screen.

To Quick Enrol, click the Quick Enrolment Enrol link under Details & Actions. Once changes have been made, click the Quick Enrolment Unenrol link.

Quick Enrolment option under Details & Actions showing Enrol link
Quick Enrolment option under Details & Actions showing Unenrol link

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