1.     Logging In

1. Before you can begin using Blackboard, you must ask the Administrator to create a new username and password for you.
2. Additionally, ask the Administrator to add any courses which you wish to maintain using Blackboard.
3. Run Internet Explorer 6 or 7. Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari may not offer all Blackboard features.
4. In the address bar, type the following URL: online.union.edu

5. When the page is finished loading, click the User Login button.

6. Using the information given to you by the Administrator, type in your username and password in their respective boxes. Click the Submit button. The Welcome screen should appear.

2.     Changing Your Password

1. It is recommended that you change your password often. To do so, click the Personal Information link on the left-hand side of the screen.
2. The Personal Information page should appear. Click the Change Password link.

3. Type in your new password in the Password box. Type it again in the Verify Password box. Your password will be changed upon clicking the Submit button.

3.     Navigating a Blackboard Course

3.1     Area Tabs

1. Locate the three tabs at the top of the Blackboard screen. These tabs - My Institution, Courses, and Scholar - will take you to the three main areas of Blackboard.
2. The first tab - My Institution - will bring you to the same screen that you see when you first login. This page contains a list of courses which you are teaching and in which you are enrolled, as well as a list of announcements and various tools located on the left-hand side of the screen.

3. The second tab - Courses - contains a more detailed listing of all the courses which you are teaching and in which you are enrolled.

4. The third tab - Scholar - is a new feature of Blackboard 8 which integrates a social bookmarking site with the full Blackboard Academic Suite. Note: The first time this tab is clicked, you will be brought to a registration page to create a Scholar account which will be linked to your Blackboard account.

5. Return to the main page by clicking the My Institution tab. Click the name of the course with which you wish to work, located in the top-right corner of the screen. This will take you to the Announcements page for the course that you have chosen.

3.2     Tools Links

1. From your Blackboard home page, click on the name of any course you are instructing to be taken to that course's main page.
2. Locate the Tools menu in the lower-left corner of the page. The three links in the Tools menu allow you to view and use (but not edit) information and tools regarding the course you are editing.

3. Click the Communication link in the Tools menu to be taken to the Communications page. The options here allow you to send messages to students or other faculty, participate in online chats and discussion forums, and view information about other Blackboard users.

4. Click the Course Tools link in the Tools menu to see a list of simple tools to make managing your Blackboard course easier. The official Blackboard user's manual is located on this page as well.

5. Click the Course Map link in the Tools menu to view the site map of your Blackboard course. From here, you can quickly access individual pages or documents in your current course. To view the inner levels of the course, click the [+] symbol next to the applicable folders, or click the Expand All button at the top of the window. You can access any page in the Course Map by clicking on its name.

3.3     Detail View

1. On the left side of the Blackboard home page - underneath the Tools menu - click the Detail View link.

2. The colored buttons in the left menu will be replaced by a course map, similar to what you see by clicking the Course Map link in the Tools menu. Use the [+] buttons to view the contents of your course folders.

3. Click the Quick View link at the bottom of the left menu to hide the course map and show the colored buttons that were visible upon first accessing the page.

4.     Adding or Modifying Your Course Contents

Begin by clicking the Control Panel link in the lower-left corner of the Announcements page.

4.1     Adding Annoucements

1. Under the Course Tools heading, click the Announcements link.
2. Click the Add Announcement button to create a new announcement that will appear on the start page for your course.

3. Under the Announcement Information heading, type the title of the announcement in the Subject box and the announcement contents in the Message box. Use the available formatting buttons to change the appearance of the announcement or add additional elements.

4. Under the Options heading, use the drop-down boxes to choose the display period of the announcement. If you wish to make the announcement permanent, simply click the Yes button.

5. If you wish to link to additional course material, enter the desired location in the Link Location box under the Course Link heading. Click the Browse button if you need assistance in finding the material to which you wish to link. If you do not wish to link to any additional material, leave this area blank.

6. Check the Email box to send a notification of the announcement to all course users.

7. Verify that all the information you have entered is correct, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page to post the new announcement. You will be taken back to the Announcements Control Panel page.

8. If you wish to add additional announcements, you may do so by clicking the Add Announcement button. Otherwise, click the Control Panel link to return to the main Control Panel page.

4.2     Adding Course Documents

4.2.1     Adding a Syllabus

1. Click the Course Information link under the Content Areas heading of the Control Panel page to post the syllabus of your course online.

2. From the Select: drop-down menu on the right side of the screen, choose Syllabus and click the Go button.

3. The Add Syllabus page will appear. Under the Name heading, type the name of the new syllabus in the Syllabus Name text box.

4. If the syllabus that you wish to add is already a document on your hard drive, click the Use existing file radio button under the Syllabus heading, and use the Browse button to locate the document. Otherwise, leave the Create New Syllabus radio button selected. Either way, verify the selections you have made, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

5. If you are creating a new syllabus from scratch, the Syllabus Builder page will appear. Under the Syllabus Information heading, use each of the text editors to type a section of the syllabus. Type the name of each section in the smaller text box above each of the headers

6. Under the Syllabus Design heading, choose a design template for the syllabus by clicking the appropriate radio button next to the name of the style that you wish to use. Depending on your choice, a set of color choices will appear under the list of styles. You can define those color choices by clicking on the color box and using the color picker to choose the shade that you want for that particular page element.

7. Lesson Shells are small modules that you can add to your syllabus, each representing a particular unit or lecture during the term. If you would like Blackboard to automatically create a specific number of lesson shells, type that number in the Number of lessons to create text box under the Build Lessons heading. Otherwise, leave the Do not create lesson shells. radio button selected.

8. Under the Options heading, click the Yes radio button next to Make the Syllabus available if you want students to be able to access your new syllabus immediately. Click the Yes radio button next to Track the number of views if you would like to keep a tally of the number of people that view the page. Use the menus next to Choose date restrictions to set the period of time when your syllabus should be available to students, if you need such restrictions.

9. Verify the selections you have made, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

10. On the next page of the Syllabus Builder, you will see a preview of the syllabus you just created, as well as a list of available lesson shells. You can edit a pre-existing lesson shell by clicking the appropriate Modify button on the right side of the page, or you can create a new lesson shell by clicking the Lesson button at the top of the list.

11. Regardless of whether you are creating a new lesson or modifying an existing one, the Modify Lesson page will appear. Type a name for the lesson in the Lesson Title text box at the top of the page, and choose a color for the title using the color picker just below it. Set the date and time of the lesson using the Lesson Date & Time drop-down menus, and type the content of the lesson in the text editor. Verify everything that you have entered, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

12. Repeat Step 11 for all remaining lessons, and click the OK button when you have finished. You will be returned to the Course Information page.

4.2.2     Adding Other Documents

1. You can add other documents to your course page at any time by clicking the Course Documents link under the Content Areas heading of the Control Panel page.

2. To add an additional document, click the Item, Folder, External Link, Course Link, or Test icons on the Course Documents Control Panel page.

3. From the Add Item page that appears, type the name of the document you wish to add in the Name text box under the Content Information heading.

4. If the document that you are adding is available as a file on your hard drive, click the Browse button under the Content heading to locate it. Type the name of the saved document in the Name of Link to File text box.

5. Set all appropriate options under the Options heading, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page. Click the OK button on the page that appears to return to the Course Documents page.

4.3     Adding Staff Information

1. Click the Staff Information link under the Course Tools heading on the Control Panel page to post information about a staff member.

2. Click the Profile icon to add a new staff member entry.

3. Under the Profile Information heading, enter all the relevant information about the new staff member in the appropriate text boxes.

4. If you wish to attach a picture to the staff member entry, click the Browse button under the Options heading to choose a picture on your hard drive. If the staff member has a personal page to which you wish to link, enter the URL in the Personal Link text box.

5. Verify that all the information you have entered is correct, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page to post the staff entry. You will be taken back to the Staff Information Control Panel page.

5.     Adding a Test, Survey, Assignment, or Course Link

5.1     Creating a Test

1. Click the Test Manager link under the Assessment heading on the Control Panel page to add a new test.

2. Click the Add Test icon to create the test.

3. Under the Test Info heading, type the name of the test in the Name text box. Type a description of the exam in the Description text box, and type any additional instructions in the Instructions text box. Use the assortment of formatting options to change the appearance of the text.

4. Verify that all the information you have entered is correct, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

5. At the Test Canvas page, choose the type of question you wish to add by selecting it from the 'Add' drop-down menu, and click the Go button.

6. Under the Question heading, type the question in the text box labeled Question Text. Use the assortment of formatting buttons to change the appearance of the question. Type the number of points that the question is worth in the box labeled Point Value.

7. Under the Options heading, select the desired formatting for the question and whether partial credit is allowed.

8. Depending on the type of question that you have chosen to add, the options under the Answers heading will differ.

   If you have chosen a question type with multiple possible answers from which to choose, select the total number of choices from the Number of Answers drop-down menu. If you wish to decrease the number of possible choices, you must click Remove next to each answer that you wish to eliminate. Do not forget to choose the correct response by clicking the radio button next to the corresponding Answer text box.

   Fill in the corresponding information about each possible choice, if necessary, by filling in the Answer text box for each choice. If the question is of the "Fill in the Blank" type, be sure to type in all possible acceptable responses. If the question is of the "Essay" type, type in an example of a possible student response.

9. Under the Feedback heading, enter the feedback that you wish to be displayed in the event of a correct or incorrect response in the appropriate text boxes. Use the assortment of formatting buttons to change the appearance of the text.

10. (Optional) Under the Categories and Keywords heading, modify the settings under which the test will be filed, if desired. These may aid in any future search for questions from Pools or previous tests.

11. Verify that all the information you have entered is correct, and click the Submit button. You will be taken back to the Test Canvas page.

12. To add additional questions, click the Add Question Here link located at the position in the test where you wish to place the new question. Once you are finished adding questions, click the OK button to return to the Test Manager Control Panel page.

5.2     How to Make a Test Available

1. From the Control Panel page, click the link to the area under the Content Areas heading where you wish to make the test available.
2. Click the Add Test icon.

3. Under the Test heading, click the name of the test that you wish to add in the Select an Existing Text menu. Verify that you have chosen the correct test, and click the Submit button.

4. You will be taken to a confirmation page. Click the OK button.
5. You will be taken to the Modify Test page. If you wish to change the content of the test, click the Modify the Test link. If you wish to change other test options, click the Modify the Test Options link. If you do not wish to make any changes, click the OK button. You will return to the previous Content Area page.

5.3     Adding a Survey

1. From the Control Panel page, click the link to the area under the Content Areas heading where you wish to make the test available.
2. Select "Survey" from the Select drop-down menu on the right of the Add heading, and click the Go button once you have made your selection.

3. You will be taken to the Add Survey page. If you have previously created a survey and wish to add it to this content area, choose it from the list, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page. If you are creating a new survey, click the Create button under the Add Survey heading.

4. Under the heading Survey Info, type the name of the survey in the Name text box. Type a description of the survey in the Description text box. Type any additional instructions to the person being surveyed in the Instructions text box.

5. Verify that the information that you have entered is correct, and click the Submit button. You will be taken to the Survey Canvas page.

6. Select a question type from the Add Question drop-down menu. Click the Go button once you have made your selection.

5.4     Adding a Course Link

1. From the Control Panel page, click the link to the area under the Content Areas heading where you wish to post the link.
2. Click the Course Link icon.

3. Under the heading Course Link Information, type a new name in the text box. Choose the color of the link by clicking the Pick button. Type a description of the link in the Text text box. Use the assortment of formatting buttons to change the appearance of the link description.

4. Under the Course Link heading, click the Browse button.

5. In the window that appears, find the section of the Blackboard website to which you wish to link. If the page is not immediately visible, try using the "+" icons to view inner levels of the page structure. Once you locate the desired page, click the adjacent radio button. Verify your decision, and click the Submit button.

6. Under the Options heading, adjust all the options accordingly by clicking either the Yes or No radio buttons. If the link should only be displayed for a limited time, set its period of activity using the Choose Date and Time Restrictions options. If you want the link to be displayed permanently, uncheck the Display After and Display Until checkboxes.

   Verify that the information you have entered is correct, and click the Submit button.

7. You will be taken to the Content Receipt page. Click OK to return to the previous content area.

5.5     Adding an Assignment

1. From the Control Panel page, click the link to the area under the Content Areas heading where you wish to post the assignment.
2. Select "Assignment" from the Select drop-down list on the right and click Go.

3. Under the Content Information heading, type the title of the assignment in the Name text box. Choose the color of the title by clicking the Pick button. Type the point value of the assignment in the Points Possible text box. To assign a due date to the assignment, fill in the Due Date date and check the box beside it. Type instructions for completing the assignment in the Instructions text box. Use the assortment of formatting buttons to change the appearance of the instructions text.

4. If the assignment requires an additional file that needs to be supplied, click the Browse button under the Assignment Files heading to locate the file on your hard drive that you wish to attach. Type the name of the file in the Name of Link to File text box. If the assignment requires no additional files, leave these options blank.

   Under the Options heading, adjust all the options accordingly by clicking either the Yes or No radio buttons. If the assignment should only be displayed for a limited time, set its period of activity using the Date Restriction options. If you want the link to be displayed permanently, uncheck the Display After and Display Until checkboxes.

   Verify that the information you have entered is correct, and click the Submit button.

5. You will be taken to the Add Assignment confirmation page. Click the OK button to return to the previous content area page.

6.     Adding a URL (External Link)

1. From the Control Panel page, click the link to the area under the Content Areas heading where you wish to post the URL.
2. Click the External Link icon.

3. Under the heading External Link Information, type the name of the link in the Name text box. Type the URL of the page to which you wish to link in the URL text box. Type a description of the link in the Description text box. Use the assortment of formatting buttons to change the appearance of the description.

4. If you wish to attach a file to this link, click the Browse button under the Content heading to locate the file you wish to attach. Type the name of the file in the Name of Link to File text box. Choose how you want Blackboard to handle the file in this link by making a selection from the Special Action drop-down menu.

   If you do not want to attach a file, you may leave these options blank.

5. Under the Options heading, adjust all the options accordingly by clicking either the Yes or No radio buttons. If the link should only be displayed for a limited time, set its period of activity using the Choose Date and Time Restrictions options. If you want the link to be displayed permanently, uncheck the Display After and Display Until checkboxes.

   Verify that the information you have entered is correct, and click the Submit button.

6. You will be taken to the Content Receipt page. Click OK to return to the previous content area.

7.     Copying/Moving Content

1. From the Control Panel page, click the Course Documents link under the Content Areas heading.

2. Click the Copy button next to the item from the documents list that you wish to copy.

3. Under the Destination heading, choose the name of the course to which you are copying the item using the Destination Course drop-down menu. Then, click the Browse button. In the window that appears, find the section of the Blackboard website in which you wish to place the new copy of the document. If the page is not immediately visible, try using the "+" icons to view inner levels of the page structure. Once you locate the desired page, click the adjacent radio button. Verify your decision, and click the Submit button.
4. After the document tree window closes, click the Yes radio button below the Destination Folder box if you wish to delete the original document after copying.

5. Verify your decisions, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page. You will be taken to a confirmation page.
6. Click the OK button to return to the Course Documents page.

8.     Adding Equations

The WebEQ^TM equation editor allows you to add, edit, and move equations in MathML format using a simple graphical interface.

8.1     Modifying Equations

WebEQ allows you to make changes to an equation that you have previously entered.

1. From any content creation/modification page, click the WebEQ equation inside the text box. Select the WebEQ button.

2. Using WebEQ, edit the equation that you wish to modify. Using the symbol toolbar, make the desired modifications.

3. Click the Submit button to accept your changes. Click the second Submit button to continue to the content editing page.

9.     Using Collaboration Tools

9.1     Creating a Collaboration Session

1. From the Control Panel page, click the Collaboration link under the Course Tools heading.

2. Click the Create Collaboration Session icon to start a new session.

3. Under the Session Name heading, type the name of the session in the Session Name text box. You may also opt to leave the default session name as it is. Under the Schedule Availability heading, choose a start and end time for the session. If you wish for the session to continue indefinitely, uncheck the End After check box. Click the Yes radio button to make the session available.

   Under the Collaboration Tool heading, choose a tool to use for the session using the drop-down menu.

   Verify that the information that you have entered is correct, and click the Submit button.

4. You will be taken to a confirmation page. Click the OK button.
5. You will be taken back to the Collaboration Sessions Control Panel. Click the OK button to return to the Control Panel page.

9.2     Using Virtual Classroom

1. From the Control Panel page, click the Collaboration link under the Course Tools heading.
2. Click the Join button next to the Virtual Classroom session that you wish to use. The session will open in a new window.

Note: If you are having problems using Virtual Classroom, you may need to download the Java plug-in. Follow the link on the launch page to obtain it.

3. The Virtual Classroom is divided into three sections. The classroom tools that are available to the instructor are shown in the upper-left corner of the window. The list of participants in the Virtual Classroom are shown in the lower-left corner. The right half of the window is a chat room.

4. Controls are available to the instructor to manage the access rights of a student. To activate a user, click either the "hand" or "student" icon next to the name of the student you wish to activate.

5. Click the End button at the top of the window to end the Virtual Classroom session, expelling all users from the chat room. Click the OK button in the window that appears to confirm your action.
6. Click OK to close the chat window and return to the Collaboration Control Panel page.

9.3     Using Lightweight Chat

1. From the Control Panel page, click the Collaboration link under the Course Tools heading.
2. Click the Join button next to the Lightweight Chat session that you wish to use. The session will open in a new window.

Note: If you are having problems using Lightweight Chat, you may need to download the Java plug-in. Follow the link on the launch page to obtain it.

3. The Lightweight Chat session is controlled in three ways.

   The Menu Bar (in the top-left corner of the window, next to the Blackboard logo) manages the session display. Use these controls to change how you view the chat window.

   The Participants Area (on the left of the window) allows you to control user participation by setting or clearing the hand icon next to each participant's name.

   The Record Menu (in the top-right corner of the window) allows you to record and archive chat sessions for later use.

4. Click the End button on the Menu Bar to end the Lightweight Chat session, expelling all users from the chat room. Click the OK button in the window that appears to confirm your action.
5. Click OK to close the chat window and return to the Collaboration Control Panel page.

10.     Making a Blackboard Course Available to Users

1. From the Control Panel page, click the Settings link under the Course Options heading.
2. Click the Course Availability link on the Settings page that appears.

3. By default, the course is not available to users. To make it available, click the Yes radio button under the Set Course Availability heading.

4. Verify your decision, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.
5. You will be taken to a confirmation page. Click the OK button to return to the Settings page.

11.     Changing a Course Title or Requesting Removal of a Course

1. Under the My Courses heading, click on the name of the course that you wish to rename.
2. Click the Control Panel link in the lower-left corner of the page.
3. Under the Course Options heading, click the Settings link.

4. Click the Course Name and Description link on the Settings page that appears.

5. Under the Course Name and Description heading, replace the contents of the Course Name text box with the desired name. If removing a course, set the title to "please remove" without the quotation marks, so that the Administrator may delete the course. (If deleting a course, consider Archiving it first!!)

6. Verify your decision, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page. Click the OK button on the confirmation page that appears to return to the Settings page.

12.     Copying a Course

1. From the Control Panel page, click the Course Copy link under the Course Options heading.

2. Click the Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course link.

3. Under the Course Selection heading, type the ID of the course to which you wish to copy the current course contents in the Destination Course ID text box. Click the Browse button if you need assistance in finding the ID.

   Under the Select Course Materials heading, click the checkbox next to each item that you wish to copy to the second course.

4. Under the Enrollments heading, click the Enrollment check box if you wish to copy all the students in the current course into the new course.

5. Verify that the information you have entered is correct, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

13.     Archiving a Course

To avoid permanently losing a course to the routine purging that occurs at the end of every Fall term, you may save the contents of your courses as an archive on your office computer for future reference.

Any instructor who later wishes to have their course restored may do so by providing the archive file to ITS. The course can be copied and re-installed back into the Blackboard system.

1. Under the My Courses heading, click on the name of the course that you wish to archive.
2. Click the Control Panel link in the lower-left corner of the page.
3. Under the Course Options heading, click the Archive Course link.

4. Click the Archive button on the Archive Course page, then submit on the following page that appears. Your web browser may not respond for a minute or so, depending on the size of the course, but do not hit the Submit button a second time. You will get a message that the archive action is being queued. Hit the OK button.

5. Return to the Control Panel, and click on the Archive Course link again. If the page looks the same as before, wait a few minutes and then try again.
6. Right-click on the new link underneath the Archive button, which should contain the course number, and choose Save Target As... from the drop-down menu that appears to reveal the Save As window.

7. Choose a file name for the archive and a location to which to save it, and click the Save button. Your course has now been archived.
8. After saving the course to your hard-drive, delete the archived file from the server by clicking the Remove button and selecting OK on the popup window.

14.     Hiding and Restoring Courses from View

Courses may be hidden from view to prevent clutter on the main Blackboard Screen. However, this will NOT hide the courses from all enrolled students, just the user who hides the course.

1. Under the My Courses heading of the My Institution page, click on the pencil icon.

2. Check or uncheck the boxes to enable or disable display options for each course.

3. When done, click Submit at the bottom of the page to apply the settings.