1. Blackboard Beginner Level Training
ELC Ed Tech Committee
March 22, 2018

2. In this session, we will…
Review the Blackboard Evaluation Plan
Go over the Beginner Level Criteria
Show you how to:
Add your Contact Information using the Contacts Tool
Upload Course Materials
Add your Syllabus using the Syllabus Tool
Add items to the Calendar
Create Announcements
We will end with an open lab session where you can update your Blackboard and we can assist you individually

3. Blackboard Evaluation Plan
Term 4 April 22
Term 5 AY

4. Beginner Level
Teachers MUST meet all criteria in this level!

5. Contact Information
Add your contact information to every course
You MUST use Blackboard's Contacts Tool
Include the following:
Instructor Name
Office Location and Number
Office/Mobile/Phone Number
Course Title and Code
Office Hours
Include the word “contact" when you create a link to the Contact Tool

6. How to add your Contact Information
Step 1: Open the Contacts Tool and enter your information
1) Course Tools > Contacts
2) Click Create Contact
3) Add your information
4) Make the Profile Available (Choose Yes) & Click Submit
Enter your info!

7. How to add your Contact Information
Step 2: Create a link to the Contacts Tool
1) Click the + symbol at the top left of your menu > Tool Link
2) Give the link a name
*you must include the word “contact”, ie “Contact Information” or “Contact your Teacher”
3) Under Type, choose Contacts
4) Make it Available to Users
5) Click Submit
Use the word “contact”!!

8. Course Materials Add at least 30 “course materials” to your course.
Course Materials = Most things under Blackboard’s Build Content tab
Items, Files, Web Links, Learning Modules, Lesson Plans, Content Folders, Module Pages, and Blank Pages.
Any documents within content material will also be counted, including:
Attached documents
Anything added inside a Learning Module
NOT counted = Syllabus, Audio, Image, Video and all Mashups

9. Course Materials - Example
Let’s see how many “Course Materials” this teacher has added in his Course Information page 7 1 8
16! 9 10 11 12 13 14 2 15 3 16 4 5 6

10. Syllabus Add a syllabus to every course
You MUST use Blackboard's Syllabus Tool

11. How to add a Syllabus
1) Choose the folder you want to display your syllabus in (ie, "Information")
2) Build Content > Syllabus
3) Give the syllabus a name (ie, Level 1 Syllabus)
4) Choose Use Existing File
5) Click Browse My Computer to find your file

12. (Continued) 6) Find your syllabus file and select Open 7) Click Submit
8) In the Item page, click Submit

13. Grade Center At the Beginner Level, instructors must:
Create categories that reflect the syllabus
Create 3 columns and add grades for at least 50% of students

14. Calendar
Add at least 2 events to your calendar for each course (ie, Midterm exam dates and Final exam dates)
If you create a test or assignment on Blackboard and set a due date, these will automatically be added to your calendar!

15. How to add a Calendar Event
Step 1: Open the Calendar Tool
1) Go to your Blackboard CCQ page
2) Under tools, select Calendar

16. How to add a Calendar Event
Step 2: Create a calendar event for your class
1) Click on the day you wish to create an event (ie, April 1)
2) Give the event a name
3) Under “Calendar”, select your class
4) Enter the time information and, if needed, a description
5) Click Save
6) Repeat for your other classes!
Make sure you select your class!
Click on the day you want to select
Don’t forget to SAVE

17. Announcements Post at least 8 announcements for each course
Don’t forget to do this before April 22 – Sunday, Week 8!

18. How to create an Announcement
1) Course Tools > Announcements
2) Click Create Announcement
3) Write your message and click Submit
Click Submit!

19. Discussion Board / Journals
Include at least 3 graded discussion board forums or journal assignments per course in each term
Interact with at least 10% of students in each graded discussion/journal forum
We provided training in this during the last PD Session – if you need assistance, please ask at the end of today’s session!

20. That’s it! We’ve looked at each Beginner Level Criteria!
We will provide training on the Intermediate Level Criteria soon!

21. Thank you for coming! The remainder of the session will be “open lab”
We will stay around and help you with any questions or issues you have
Have a great weekend! 