Before the beginning of the academic year you will be given access to new modules and those being rolled over from previous years. Below are some of the things you should do to set up the course.
Course Banner
The Course Banner is the bar at the top of the course content which may contain an image which is duplicated on the course tile on the main screen. This image may assist students in locating a particular course. To add a course banner:
Click on the 3 dots (ellipses) at the top right of the screen, this will open the Display Settings.
Click the image icon and browse to select an image which represents the course. Enter alt text or mark as decorative by ticking the box. It is strongly recommended you add alt text to assist all students in accessing the course.
More information about course banners.
To display the course banner, turn the banner on using the Course Banner slider. Check that the Course Card Image is also turned on so the image will be displayed on the course page. Click Save to save the settings.
Check that the image is being displayed in on the course card.
Course Settings
The course settings can be access by clicking the cog at the top right of the course screen. Note the warning message at the top of the screen, some settings are set by the site administrator and therefore cannot be changed by staff.
First, set the Course Duration. The options here are Ongoing (the recommended default), Days from enrolment which can be used for short self-enrol courses where each student may enrol on a different date, or Dates, where you can set an end date for the course. To change the Course Duration, click on the Edit icon.
In the Course Tools section, set the visibility of the Class Roster (Class Register) for the students. This will enable them to see who is on their course and includes all staff and students.
Then select who students can message from the Message Options.
The Virtual Classroom is Collaborate. Only turn this on if you are using this, most departments are using Zoom or Teams instead.
Under Student Visibility select whether to hide students who no longer have access to the course, i.e. students who have withdrawn from the course. There is no Save button, simply close down the window when you are finished editing the settings.
Calendar
Each course has its own calendar which gives the student an overview of their course events, deadlines and other activities.
Events
The events can be viewed by day or month by selecting the relevant option from the top right of the calendar. Similarly the schedule of events and due dates for assignments can be accessed by selecting the relevant option from the top left of the screen. Due dates for assignments are added automatically when the assignment or test is create.
To add an event, click on Calendar on the toolbar, then click the + sign at the top right.
Select Add Event.
Add the Title, Start and End Date/Time, Location and Description. You can also make this an all day or repeat event by clicking the relevant boxes. Click Save when you are finished.
If this is an All Day event such as the induction day, then tick the All Day box.
If this is a Repeat Event, then tick the Repeat Event box and enter the frequency of the event, e.g. weekly on Tuesdays.
The event will be displayed in the calendar.
To edit an event, click on the event in the calendar and the event window will open. Change any details, e.g. location, date or time and click Save.
To delete an event, click on the delete icon at the top right of the event window and confirm the deletion.
Course Schedule
The course schedule includes the lectures, seminars or laboratory sessions which run regularly. These can be added to the calendar. To add a course schedule, click on the + sign at the top left of the calendar window and select Edit Course Schedule.
Click the + sign to add a session. Add a Nickname, e.g. ‘Lecture’, the Date, Start Time and End Time of the first session. If this is an all day session, e.g. full lab day, tick the All Day box.
Select the repetition, e.g. weekly, every week on Thursday for 10 weeks or add a specific end date. Finally add a location and click Save. The series of lectures will then be added to the calendar.
Office Hours
You may wish to add office hours, the times which you are available to see students for queries, support or feedback sessions. These can also be added to the calendar. To add office hours for yourself, click the + sign at the top right of the calendar and then select Office Hours.
By default your name should appear in the title, but you can edit this. Add the Date, Start Time and End Time of the first session. If this is an all day session, e.g. full lab day, tick the All Day box.
Select the repetition, e.g. weekly, every week on Thursday for 10 weeks or add a specific end date. Finally add a location, a description if you wish, and click Save. The office hours will then be added to the calendar.
Tools
A number of tools are available for each course. On the main menu at the side of the screen, you will find a link to Books and Tools. The window which opens lists the tools available including the Course Accessibility Report Encore Recordings, OneDrive, and Teams Meetings. There are more tools available which are not displayed here. To access these click the link at the bottom of the window. This opens Content Market which lists all the tools you can access including Talis reading lists.
Delegating Staff Roles
Students will automatically be added to the Class Register but you may find not all staff have been added, particularly if you have casual staff who are employed very close to the start of the course. These can be added through the Class Register.
To add a staff member, click Class Register under Details and Actions. Click the + sign at the top right of the screen.
In the Enrol People screen, start to type in a name, when the staff name comes up, click the + next to their name to add them to the register. Then select a role from the drop-down box below.
More on course roles.
Typically there will be a number of Instructors (academic staff teaching on the course), Module Administrators (members of the Teaching and Learning Team who will be managing assessment, mark release, etc.), but you may also have separate Teaching Assistants (casual staff) and dedicated markers who do not teach on the course.
To indicate the primary instructor, click on the 3 dots to the right of the staff name and click Primary Instructor box on the Member Information Course Settings section and click Save.
Course Availability
Finally, under the Details and Actions section, ensure that the course is open and available to students. If not, click on the link and ensure that this option has been selected.
Next Steps
Close to the start of term, you should visit the Blackboard Course Pre-Flight Check page which will ensure that all aspects of the course have been covered and you are ready to receive your students.