Blackboard is an easy-to-use online course delivery and management system available through your web browser. Using Blackboard's graphical point-and-click interface, instructors can incorporate learning materials from word processing, audio & video, spread sheets, and presentation files without ever learning HTML.
Features for instructors include:
For information about Blackboard training sessions, visit the ATUS training web site.
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Faculty at Western can login to Blackboard using their universal user name and password. If you are a new employee, you will need to have your universal account set up first before your Blackboard account will be activated. To login to Blackboard:
1) Open your web browser, then type the following address in the Location box with your web browser:
http://courses.wwu.edu
2) Select Login. Enter your username and password:
Username: is your universal username, the same username you use for your Novell login and Outlook accounts.
Password: your password is the same as for your Novell login. If you are having problems with your password, you can contact ATUS Helpdesk at (360) 650-3333, or atushelpdesk@wwu.edu
3) Select Login. You will be directed to your Blackboard courses page, which lists all of the current Blackboard courses that you are instructor for. To access one of these courses, simply click on the link to that course.
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With two hours of hands-on experience using Blackboard you'll be publishing online syllabi, course materials, staff information, and class announcements. In addition, you'll know how to create online discussion forums, facilitate those discussions, and monitor student participation. Minimal web browsing experience is the only prerequisite
Introduction to Blackboard Workshops are offered throughout the quarter. Attendance at an Introduction to Blackboard Workshop is strongly recommended before you receive a course site on the Blackboard Server.
Information about the time and availability of training classes can be found at the ATUS training web site.
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For each class you teach, each term you teach it, you must request that a Blackboard course be created.
There are two types of Blackboard courses. The most common type are courses that are tied to a particular CRN number and have enrollment automatically tied to the course. These courses have identification numbers starting with B, then the CRN, followed by the year and quarter (e.g. B12345.200440). The second type of class is one that is not tied to a particular CRN. These courses are identified by a "t" at the start of the identification number followed by a description of the course's purpose or title and the term the course EXPIRES. Example: A non CRN course on Renaissance Art called TRenaissanceArt.200710 would be used through Winter 2007 term.
Blackboard courses that are tied to a CRN number automate enrollment and must be requested before the start of each new quarter, even if you already have an existing Blackboard site for that course. The reason for creating a new class each quarter is that enrollment is tied to the class by the course CRN. Because CRNs and enrollment change every quarter, a new class is required. If you teach the same class from quarter to quarter, you can still re-use the content from the previous site by requesting that content be copied rather than creating an empty course.
To have a Blackboard course set up for you, simply fill out the online Blackboard Request form. You can also see a walkthrough of the request tool. [Top of Page]
As students register for the CRN, they are added to the Blackboard course associated with that CRN, and as they drop they are made "unavailable" to that blackboard course, but not removed. Several times a term including before the first day of classes and immediately after Add/Drop period we automatically REMOVE all the students who had dropped the course. This removes the students that the system had made unavailable. Since automated enrollment continues throughout the term, do not attempt to remove a registered student from your roster - they will simply be put back in later that day. However rest assured that if the student has dropped, they will not be able to access the course since they will be "unavailable" to it.
When classes are initially created, they are set to be "unavailable" to all the students to give time for the instructor to build the content of the course before the students have access. You, as an instructor, are responsible for making the course available to your students. (see below)
A few days after the end of each quarter, all the course sites from that quarter will again be automatically made "unavailable." If instructors would like students to have continued acccess to that site, they may manually make it available again.
How to make course available: Control Panel, Settings (under Course Options), then Course Availability.
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Blackboard courses are automatically archived at the end of the term after grading period is complete. The courses will then remain on the server for 8 quarters after completion. During this time they will be available to the instructor but unavailable to students. After eight quarters, these courses will be automatically deleted. They will remain in archive indefinitely - contact web services if you need a copy of an older course.
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You may choose to Archive your course (available in the Control Panel) to keep a CD of all your content, discussion boards, etc. Contact WebHelp if you need to restore an archived course.
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Copyright ©
2009 Western Washington University : page updated
09.21.2009
