Blackboard Tips & Tricks Edit Mode There are a few different flavors of “Student View” in Blackboard. One version, “Edit Mode”, is a toggle to turn off editing abilities. When Edit Mode is turned on, clicking on an item will not go to the content; Blackboard will pull up the settings of the content. Therefore, the only way to preview the content is to turn Edit Mode off. This feature leads to a lot of frustration as it is easy to forget to toggle.
To view content
Course Syllabus
To edit content
Office Hours
Required Readings
Note that Edit Mode is not a totally accurate representation of what students can see. It will mimic access restrictions (such as hidden files), but it is not a reliable indicator of the student experience. Consult information regarding the Test Student and In-Private Browsing for more information.
Navigation Notification in Modern Browsers Most newer browsers have eliminated the dedicated navigation bar at the bottom of the window. Instead, the real estate has been reclaimed for content. However, when hovering over a link, the proposed address will appear in the lower left-hand corner of the browser. It will float above existing content, which might limit visible access to the content. This happens often in Blackboard. In the adjacent example, the link for “Tasks” is obscured because the cursor is over a link. The situation is easily remedied by moving the cursor down over the floating information. The issue is easy to ameliorate, however it is annoying because it will consistently prohibit users from seeing content that should be visible. This is a deficiency of the browser, not of Blackboard.
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Quick Tips Some of these tips help keep classes well organized, and well designed (from a usability standpoint):
In the Course Menu, use “dividers” to visually break up areas
In the Course Menu, indent titles by using one   for every space desired
Rearrange content by “drag and dropping” it (this can be done in any Folder or Learning Module, as well as the Course Menu)
When using the Content Collection, practice good file hygiene from the beginning!
Use [Shift] + [Enter] to start a new line of text without skipping any spaces
When creating tables, configure their width to be a percent, not a defined pixel size
Use the Calendar feature; it is easy to use and can be imported to students calendars Office of Online Learning
Test Student Blackboard offers a bona fide way to experience the course as a student - through an actual account with student rights. The onus is on the faculty to add the Test Student to their course(s), and adopt a workflow that permits them to go between the student perspective and the teacher perspective (check out In Private Browsing).
You can use this feature to create a test student account, then enroll this student in your current course to be able to view the course as a student.
You cannot change this.
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From the Course Tools menu, choose “Add Test Student”.
You can create (and change) the password
The login name will be the same as the instructors login name, with a “_s” appended at the end. This is immutable. Choose a password, ensure the student is enrolled, and then submit.
Keep this box checked.
In-Private Browsing In-Private browsing is a newer feature in most web browsers that allows for multiple sessions of one browser to run independently. For example, if a user is logged in as the instructor in Blackboard in Internet Explorer, they can open a “In-Private” browsing window, which will allow them to login to Blackboard with the Test Student account. Both windows can remain open concurrently with no interference. Each browser has different nomenclature for this mode, but most browsers support it. Either use the following information to launch an In-Private window, or search for it under the File or Settings menus in the browser. BROWSER
NAME
SHORTCUT
Google Chrome
Incognito
[Control] + [Shift] + [N]
Microsoft Internet Explorer Mozilla Firefox
In-Private Browsing Private Browsing
[Control] + [Shift] + [P] [Control] + [Shift] + [P]
Apple Safari
Private Browsing
None
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Content Editor There are two ways of displaying the Content Editor—Simple Mode and Advanced Mode. By default, the editor is in Simple Mode. However, by clicking the button, the toolbar will be expanded and reveal all the editing tools (Blackboard should remember this configuration and open in Advanced Mode in future sessions).
Reveal Advanced Mode Full Screen Help Preview
The Advanced Mode Content Editor empowers the user with more tools. Most of the tools in this menu are similar to those found in Microsoft Word. Editing tools that are especially powerful in Blackboard include:
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Remove Formatting
Highlight Color
Font Color
Spell Check
Defined Space
Customized Line
Edit CSS
Unmerge Cell
Merge Cells
Delete Column
Insert Column Right
Insert Column Left
Delete Row
HTML
Edit HTML Code
Horizontal Line
Right of Cursor
Left of Cursor Insert Row Below
Insert Row Above
Cell Properties
Row Properties
Tables
Insert Table
Insert Anchor
Insert Emoticons
Insert Symbol
Block Quote
View Nonprintables
Insert Mashup
Lines and Spaces Tools
Indent
Enhancements
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Tools
Numbered List
Bulleted List Remove Link
Link Properties
Subscript
Superscript
Position Links
Outdent
Indent
Full
Right
Center
Left
Redo
Undo Equation Editor
Lists
Font Size
Font Face
Paragraph Styles
Strikethrough
Italic
Bold
Underline Paste
Find and Replace Insert Media
Tables: improved table design interaction
Font Settings
Justification
Multimedia
Insert Image
Insert Symbol: inserts a symbol
Copy
Video Everywhere: allows the user to embed a video (made from a webcam and housed in YouTube on the fly)
Styles
Edit
Insert File
Defined Space: Analogous to the HTML   this preserves whitespace
Cut
Customized Line: inserts a line (of user specification) horizontally in the text
Text Decoration
Video Everywhere
Remove Formatting: strips all existing formatting from the selected text
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Types of Content Blackboard equips instructors with an arsenal of content types. Although there may be compelling reasons to use the specialized content types, most users will use only a few different types (outlined below). To add content to a “Content Area�, and choose from the drop-down list. The content will reside in the area where it was created, but can be modified and moved at any time.
CONTENT TYPE
DESCRIPTION
Item
A general piece of content, such as a file, image, text, or link which a description and other items can be attached.
File
An HTML file that you can use in your course. These files can be viewed as a page within your course or as a separate piece of content in a separate browser window.
Audio | Image | File
Upload files from your computer and incorporate them in a course area.
Web Link
Link to an outside website or resource.
Learning Module
A set of content that includes a structured path for progressing through the items.
Lesson Plan
A special content type that combines information about the lesson itself with the curriculum resources used to teach it.
Syllabus
Enables you to attach an existing syllabus file or build a course syllabus by walking through a series of steps
Course Link
A shortcut to an item, tool, or area in a course.
Content Folder
A course area that contains content items. Folders allow content to be structured with a hierarchy or categories.
Blank Page
The blank page tool allows you to include files, images, and text as a link in a course area. Blank pages present content in a different way than items do. There is no description that appears below the title of the page. Users see your content only after clicking the link.
Module Page
A page containing dynamic personalized content modules that help users keep track of tasks, tests, assignments, and new content created in the course.
Mashups
Mashups allow you to include content in a course that is from an external website. Three types of Mashups are available: Flickr Photo: Link to a site for viewing and sharing photographic images YouTube: Link to a site for viewing and sharing online videos SlideShare: Link to a site for viewing and sharing PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, or Adobe PDF Portfolios
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Move the “My Organizations” Module on the “My Institution” Page Some modules on the landing page in Blackboard that are used more often than others, although they are not - be default - arranged in order of frequency. In particular, the module “My Organizations” is at the bottom of the page (and may require scrolling to get to). This module is important because it contains links to the organizations any user is affiliated with (in the Pilot, this would be the Pilot1 Migration Resources organization. Since this particular module will be accessed often (as will other organizations in Blackboard), it is efficient to relocate the module to a more accessible location.
To move any module, simply click and drag. In this example, the “My Organizations” module was moved below the “My Courses” module. This makes it easier to access the Organizations. There are other modules that can be added to the “My Institution” landing page, as well. Click on the “Add Module” button in the upper left corner of the page. A list of available modules (with description) will appear. Click on the module(s) to add, and then click on “OK” at the bottom of the page. Rearrange the modules as desired.
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