With the 1/13 upgrade to Blackboard’s version 8.0, there will three new tools available to faculty at the start of the spring semester.
The most significant of the three is the new “Grade Center” that has replaced the traditional grade book. For example, the grade center allows instructors to do the following:
• Drop the lowest grade;
• Present both score/percentage and letter grades at the same time;
• Create “smart views” that will allow multiple sections courses to easily divide sections; and
• Quickly enter grades by clicking directly on the correct cell rather then multiple clicks to get to the right screen.
DoIT is offering workshops on the new “Grade Center” and you can register by going to http://www.umbc.edu/training/blackboard. An introductory video describing the Grade Center can be found at http://screencast.com/t/d8OAe0Ng and a manual for the Grade Center can be found at http://www.umbc.edu/oit/newmedia/blackboard/80_help/80_gradecenter.pdf.
The second new tool is the “Early Warning System” that allows faculty to set up alerts to notify students when they are underachieving on assignments etc. Finally, the “Self and Peer Assessment” content tool allows instructors to set up assignments and criteria for any topic they want students to evaluate their own or another student’s work.
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Bob Armstrong at ext. 5-3885 or rarmstro@umbc.edu.