How to Use the Course Copy Tool in Blackboard v. 7: Brief Screencast

This screencast will demonstrate how to use the Course Copy Tool in Blackboard. The Course Copy tool lets an instructor copy course material to one course on the server to a new or existing course on the server. The one thing this tool does not do is save a copy of the course materials to a file. This does not back up the material, it simply copies the material. Just like the export/import and archive course tools in Blackboard, you will receive an email once the process has finished. To view the screencast, please click on the link below:

Course Copy Screencast

-Angel Brady

How To View Features Like Timer for Blackboard Test in Gradebook: Brief Screencast

This screencast will demonstrate how to view features you applied to tests like timers, feedback, and how to download all the answers to an exam for all the students in one spreadsheet.

To view this tutorial, please click on the link below:
Gradebook: How to View Test Feature

-Angel Brady

How to Manage Your Blackboard Course Menu in Blackboard (v. 7): Brief Screencast

Image via Wikipedia

This screencast will demonstrate how to edit your course menu in Blackboard. You can add content areas (or delete the content area). You can also add course tools to your menu or course or external links. You can also change the order an item appears in your course menu. To see how to manage your course menu, click on the link below.

Manage Course Menu in Blackboard (screencast)

-Angel Brady

How to Edit Your My Courses List in Blackboard: Brief Screencast

This screencast will demonstrate how to edit your My Courses list in Blackboard. it will go over how to hide old courses from your list and how to turn on course ID’s for your list. Turning on course ID’s is super helpful for faculty members that teach the same course over a few semesters that have the same name, but you’re not sure which semester or year that class was taught. Watch this brief screencast to help you edit your My Courses list on the Welcome Page in Blackboard!

How to Edit the My Courses List on the Welcome Page in Blackboard

-Angel Brady

My WebEQ Equation Editor Does not show up in Blackboard 7: Brief Solution

When the WebEQ Equation edtor does not work or appear properly there are a few things you can do.

1. Make sure your Java is at 1.5 (not Java 1.6).

2. You can turn off the visual textbox editor in your Welcome page. Here’s how you can do this:
1. Log into Bb
2. On the Welcome page, click on the Personal Information Link (at the top left of your screen)
3. Click on Set Visual Text Box Editor Options.
4. Choose Unavailable
5. Click on Submit

These solutions may only work for Safari and Internet Explorer and not Firefox. We found that downgrading your Java version to 1.5 works. This site is a great resource on how to safely downgrade your Java and check for which version you have running on your machine:

http://info.uwe.ac.uk/online/blackboard/technical/knownissues71.asp

-Angel Brady

Can I Export A Test in Blackboard and Send to Another Instructor on Blackboard?: Brief Tutorial

Sure! You can export a test, send the zip file to that instructor, and they can in turn import it into their Bb course. Here’s how you can export the exam:

1. Go to the Control Panel.
2. Click on Test Manager under Assessments
3. Click on the Export button across from the test.
4. Click on Save in the pop up window (it will save as as zip file, do not open the zip file, it could corrupt it)
5. Email it to the faculty member.

All you would need to do is attach the file to an email and then click on send!

-Angel Brady

How to Use the Digital Dropbox in Blackboard: Brief Screencast

This tutorial demonstrates how to upload files to the Digital Dropbox in Blackboard. When sending a file, users usually use the Add File button. This will not send it to your instructor. You will always want to choose the Send File button. To view the how to add files using the Digital DropBox, click on the link below:
Digital Dropbox in Blackboard

-Angel Brady

I Have Two Assignment Sections in My Blackboard Menu, Help!: Brief Tutorial

So you imported information from an old course, twice, and accidentally imported your Assignments section twice. You now have two and you only want one. How do you delete that extra menu item? Here’s a quick step by step to show you how:

1. Click on the Control Panel
2. Under Course Options, click Manage Course Menu
3. This list will be the same list you see in your menu on the left side of you course page. For the Assignments section at the bottom, click Remove.
4. Bb will ask you if you are sure you want to remove the assignments section, click OK.
5. It is now removed from your Content Area in the Control Panel and from the menu in Bb.

You can also use the same section to add Content Areas and Tool, Course, and External Links to your Blackboard course menu. If you want a section in your Content Area named Videos, you can click on the Add Content Area button, name the area, and it will appear in your Control Panel.

-Angel Brady

How to Read Results from a Survey Deployed in Blackboard: Brief Tutorial

Here is how you can read the results of the survey you deployed in Blackboard (you will download them as a spreadsheet):

1. Click on the Control Panel
2. Under Assessments, click on Gradebook
3. Click on the title of your survey
4. Click on Download Results
5. Choose the format you would like the results in (comma or tab, the questions, user, attempts, etc)

You can then read the results in a spreadsheet that you downloaded from Blackboard to your computer.

-Angel Brady

My Blackboard File Gets Saying It’s Binary, But It’s a Document, Help!: Brief Solution

I recently received an email from an instructor saying Blackboard keeps saying her Microsoft Word document is a binary file. How did this happen? I later saw the file and noticed one thing, it was missing the file extension to tell Blackboard what it is. In this case, it was missing the .doc extension. Here’s how you can add that file extension and make sure the file opens correctly:

1. Right click on the file and if you are in Windows, you can click on rename and add the extension .doc (by typing .doc- or any extension that it should be)-If you are a Mac user, control click on the file and in the name text box, add. doc at the end by typing it in.

2. Upload the file to Blackboard.

-Angel Brady