Teaching with Blackboard at NIU

Scheduled Blackboard Outage and Upgrade to Version 8.0

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:21:27 -0500

A major upgrade is scheduled to be performed to the Blackboard system over Memorial Day weekend. The outage is scheduled to begin at 8 AM on Saturday, May 23rd. The new version of Blackboard, version 8.0, is scheduled to be available at 9 PM on Sunday, May 24th. The Blackboard system (http://webcourses.niu.edu) will be UNAVAILABLE during this time.

Version 8.0 will bring many new exciting features, including a revamped grade center and new portfolio and self and peer assessment tools. To learn more about these new features please visit http://www.niu.edu/blackboard/resources/version80.shtml.

We regret any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the ITS Helpdesk at 815-753-8100 or helpdesk@niu.edu

NIU Blackboard Notices Now Available on Twitter

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:19:52 -0500

Twitter users can now receive NIU Blackboard notices of new Blackboard workshops, tutorials, resources, and new features via Twitter. Simply go to http://twitter.com/niublackboard and follow @niublackboard.

Blackboard Faculty Quick Guides

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:08:17 -0500

Several new quick guides provided details regarding Blackboard 8.0 are now available at http://www.niu.edu/blackboard/quickguides

New Master Course Tool in Blackboard

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:46:47 -0600

NIU faculty can now use the Blackboard Faculty Tools (BFT) to combine one or more course sections into a master course in Blackboard. By combining enrollments of related or cross-listed courses, you will save time by managing only one course in Blackboard.

The new master course functionality, which had been previously available only by request, will allow you to:

Combine enrollments of sections for which you're the official instructor of record into a single "master" course in Blackboard.
Manage the master course by adding or removing sections before the semester starts.

The tool can be accessed by logging in to Blackboard and following the 'Blackboard Faculty Tools' link under the Services tab.

To learn more about the new tool and/or to watch a 2 minute tutorial, please click here.

If you have any questions please contact the ITS Helpdesk at 815-753-8100 or helpdesk@niu.edu.

Course Removal March 15 - Fall 2007 Courses

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:24:58 -0600

The processes to remove old Blackboard courses from the system will begin March 15, 2009.

Following the removal process, only courses taught within the last 13 months will appear among Faculty Members' lists of courses. Course ID numbers are used to identify courses taught within the last 13 months. Shell courses will not be affected.

The process is scheduled to run according to the following schedule.
Removal Date: March 15, 2009
Semesters Removed: Fall 2007

You will need to archive any courses you wish to retain before the course removal process begins. Faculty members are responsible for archiving their own courses.

The archival procedure should be a two-step process:

Download all grade books that need to be retained. Downloaded grade book files can be saved and accessed in Excel. Instructions are online at http://www.blackboard.niu.edu/blackboard/gradebook/downloading.shtml
Archive course materials and save them on a zip, CD or hard drive. Visit the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center online documentation for instructions at http://www.blackboard.niu.edu/blackboard/coursecontent/archive.shtml

If you have any problems archiving a course or have other concerns, please contact the ITS Helpdesk at 815-753-8100 or helpdesk@niu.edu

New Blackboard Faculty Tools

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:39:39 -0500

A new integrated set of tools is now available in Blackboard for NIU faculty to request new Blackboard courses or shells. The new Blackboard Faculty Tools (BFT) replace the former Faculty Blackboard Course Utilities (FBCU) and provide a more robust and easy to use set of tools for faculty to do the following:

Request a New Course in which student enrollment is automatically uploaded and refreshed daily.
Request a New Shell for course development long before a course is to be offered
Remove a Shell to purge unwanted development courses.

Note: All requests to the BFT go through the processing server, which runs twice daily every weekday throughout the semester. This means that changes will not appear immediately. Requests will be processed by mid-morning of the next business day. If you do not see the result of your request by noon of the following work day, please contact the ITS Call Center at 815-753-8100 for assistance.

To learn more about the new Blackboard Faculty Tools (BFT), click here.

Reminder to Backup Your Blackboard Gradebook

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 08:08:51 -0500

Periodically during the semester, it is prudent to backup your Blackboard Gradebook by simply downloading a copy o your computer. It is highly recommended that faculty members download the Gradebook after entering each major course grade into the Gradebook. The downloaded Gradebook will be an XLS (tab delimited) file that can be opened in Excel or other spreadsheet programs. To download the Gradebook from a Blackboard course, complete the following steps listed at http://www.blackboard.niu.edu/blackboard/gradebook/downloading.shtml

Go to the Control Panel, click Gradebook, then click Download Grades and then select the delimiter type. (tab delimited is recommended)
Click Submit.
Click Download and then click Save. By default, the file will be named gb_export.xls.
After downloading the file, open it using a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel. When opening the downloaded Gradebook file it will launch automatically in Microsoft Excel.
Save the downloaded file in a desired folder, perhaps the folder holding other files for the course.

Wimba Classroom Online Collaboration Suite

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:56:32 -0500

After reviewing feedback from faculty regarding the Wimba Classroom pilot, the Provost's Office has decided to continue the Wimba Classroom license. Therefore, the Wimba Classroom tool will continue to be available in Blackboard for all NIU faculty to utilize in extending their communications with students throughout the 2008-2009 academic year.

To request that Wimba Classroom be enabled in your Blackboard course(s), each semester after requesting the creation of your Blackboard courses, simply complete the online request form at http://www.blackboard.niu.edu/blackboard/resources/wimbaclassroom.shtml#requestform

A wealth of helpful documentation, video tutorials, and online training resources regarding Wimba Classroom are available at http://www.blackboard.niu.edu/blackboard/resources/wimbaclassroom.shtml

Those planning on using Wimba Classroom this fall you may find the upcoming online workshop, "Success with Wimba Classroom" to be of great benefit. This one hour introductory session is designed to equip you with the five teaching tips for engaging, interactive sessions. You will learn the recommended techniques to prepare your participants before attending your live session. You will also learn how to communicate with and manage the interactions of your participants. Best practice tips will be covered regarding your content along with an overview of the importance of archives. Complete details are available at http://www.wimba.com/eventreg/participant/registration.php?eventid=1159

Teaching with Blackboard Podcast

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 11:31:15 -0600

The new podcast entitled, " Teaching with Blackboard at NIU" now offers tips, ideas, suggestions, and examples of best practices of teaching with the Blackboard learning management system. The goal of this podcast is to discuss the pedagogy of online teaching and learning and share ideas and tips for how faculty can leverage the Blackboard learning management system to improve the teaching and learning experiences the offer for their students. More details...

Workshop Schedule

Wed, 1 Nov 2006 14:59:59 -0600

Schedule of upcoming Blackboard workshops for NIU faculty / staff