UMBC Blackboard Update
Summer 2002
This update is provided
by the Office of Information Technology for students, faculty and
staff using Blackboard at UMBC. If you have questions or suggestions,
contact John Fritz at fritz@umbc.edu
or 410.455.6596. For more information about using Blackboard, visit
http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
SUMMARY
1. OIT
to Test Auto Enrollment for Fall 2002 Blackboard Courses
2. Fall
Blackboard Training to Focus on Communities & Teaching Assistants
3. Five
Departments Win TLT Mini Grants (excerpted from the Summer
2002 OIT Newsletter)
4. Come See Next Version of Blackboard
on 9/17
5. FYI: Check Out Blackboard's Course
Templates
6. FYI: 2003 Blackboard Users Conference
Call for Proposals Due 8/30
DETAILS
1.
OIT to Test Auto Enrollment for Fall 2002 Blackboard Courses
To help students and
faculty start using their Blackboard courses more quickly and easily,
the Office of Information Technology has been testing auto enrollment
for all Fall 2002 courses. This means that if students have officially
registered for a UMBC class in myUMBC,
they will be automatically enrolled in a corresponding Blackboard
course site--if one exists--the next business day. While
every Blackboard user must have
a valid UMBC account to log
into Blackboard or myUMBC, auto enrollment will hopefully reduce
the hectic start of semester login issues we've faced in the past.
Again, this is a test for Fall 2002, so if you encounter problems,
please send email to blackboard@umbc.edu.
Many thanks to Jason Griego in OIT for developing the Blackboard
auto enrollment "synch" tool.
Note to faculty:
The new auto enrollment function does NOT auto delete students from
past semesters. Please remember that students cannot unenroll themselves
from your old Blackboard courses. So, unless they've requested to
stay in the course to access the site, or you're processing an incomplete
after the semester, please do the following:
- Delete
your old course roster at the end of the semester.
- Make your course "unavailable"
to students; it will still be available and visible to you, but
it won't be to students. Go to Control Panel --> Course Settings-->Course
Availability.
- Request that your
course be copied
to a future semester, and have the old version deleted.
Note to students:
If you find you're still in an old Blackboard course, you can fill
out the course
deletion request form on the UMBC Blackboard login page.
If you're having problems
getting into a Blackboard course or organization site, see the various
helpsheets on the UMBC Blackboard Login page.
Below are some general tips to keep in mind:
|
All |
Students |
Faculty |
Staff |
|
|
- Are
you officially accepted (and eligible) to take classes at
UMBC? If not, contact the admissions
office.
- If
you registered for a class in myUMBC,
you will be automatically enrolled in a corresponding Blackboard
course--if one exists.
- If
you haven't been enrolled, most Blackboard instructors allow
students to self-enroll.
If yours doesn't, request that he or she enroll you.
- If
you want to unenroll from an old course, ask your instructor
to do so or use the unenroll
form at the UMBC Blackboard Login page.
|
- Assuming
you have your UMBC account, do you have a Blackboard course?
- If
so and you still can't login to it or put content into it,
contact the Help Desk at 410.455.3838 or helpdesk@umbc.edu.
- If
you need a course created, copied or deleted, use the course
management form
on the UMBC Blackboard login page.
- Note:
Students can't unenroll themselves from old courses, so
please help by cleaning out your old content
(and students)
from past courses.
|
- Do
you have your UMBC account? If not, then you need to create
a UMBC account.
- If
you're unable to create an account, contact the OIT Help
Desk at 410.455.3838 or helpdesk@umbc.edu.
- If
you're not using Blackboard for a course, you're likely
being asked to use it as part of a community or organization.
- More
information.
|
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2.
Fall Blackboard Training to Focus on Communities and Teaching Assistants
This semester, OIT will
focus all scheduled Blackboard training workshops
on community or organizational use of Blackboard. Current dates
include September 17, October 15, November 12 and December 17 and
you are encouraged to register online.
While Blackboard communities
are essentially the same as Blackboard courses, the focus and pace
of training is different. Faculty and TA's are welcome to attend
to get an overview of Blackboard, but during the semester we find
most faculty have enough on their plate. However, if your department
would specifically like Blackboard course training, please contact
Bob Armstrong at 410.455.3885 or rarmstro@umbc.edu.
Also, faculty and student tutorials on how to use Blackboard are
available on the new 2003 UMBC
Internet CD or main UMBC Blackboard Login page.
Note: OIT is encouraging departments or faculty to consider
having their TAs explore Blackboard during the semester to better
assist faculty. Regularly scheduled training workshops for using
Blackboard in classes will resume during the winter and summer breaks
and be available from the UMBC Blackboard Login page.
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4.
Come See Next Version of Blackboard on 9/17
As part of the Teaching,
Learning and Technology Brown Bag workshops, John Fritz will present
a UMBC web usability study of Blackboard on Tuesday, September 17
at 12:30 p.m. in ACIV 219. In addition to sharing the
process and
results of the spring 2002 study,
Fritz will provide a sneak peek at version 6 of Blackboard, which
the campus will be migrating to for the spring 2003 semester. For
more information and to register online, visit www.umbc.edu/brownbag.
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5.
FYI: Check Out Blackboard's Course Templates
If you've been teaching
with Blackboard for a while and want to get some new ideas on how
to use the tool, check out Blackboard's own course templates designed
by their instructional designers. Two versions have been added to
UMBC's Blackboard server for your review:
- A unit-based template
(course id = template1)
- A lesson-based template
(course id = template2)
You'll have to "enroll"
in the course (template) to view it, but like any UMBC Blackboard
course, just enter the course id in the "Course Search"
box on the "Courses" tab to find and then enroll in them.
Note: some faculty and departments are already exploring
ways to share common information in a template that can be used
to create or copy future courses. For example, English professors
Robin Farabaugh and Gail Orgelfinger are developing
an English 250 "Introduction to Shakespeare" Blackboard
template that could be used by adjunct professors. If your department
has a common list of websites you'd like to see in all department
Blackboard courses, then create a template that includes them and
we'll create or copy your future courses from the template. You
could also include common policies, guidelines or the UMBC statement
on Academic Integrity. For more information, contact Bob Armstrong
at 410.455.3885 or rarmstro@umbc.edu.
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6.
FYI: 2003 Blackboard Users Conference Call for Proposals Due 8/30
Blackboard's National
Users Conference will be held in Baltimore on February 25-27. While
there's not much time to respond, the conference's call for proposals
deadline is Friday, August 30 and free registration will
be granted to accepted presenters. Basically, initial proposals
need to be defined by 8/30, to be followed by completed presentations
submitted on November 27 if Blackboard accepts the concept (presenters
notified by October 18). For more information, visit the conference's
call for proposals website.
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