STUDENT GUIDE TO BLACKBOARD 2017-18 CONTENTS What is Blackboard?... 2 Getting Started... 2 Overview... 3 Tabs... 3 Global Navigation menu... 4 Accessing a Module... 4 Inside your Module... 5 Content areas... 5 Downloading documents... 5 Tools... 5 Viewing Panopto lecture recordings... 6 Assignments... 6 TurnItIn... 6 How to submit a TurnItIn assignment... 6 Blackboard Assignment... 8 Finding Marks and Feedback... 8 Discussion Boards... 8 Blackboard Blogs and Journals... 9 Finding Blogs and Journals... 10 Creating entries... 10 Logging out of Blackboard... 10 Further Information... 10 Student Guide to Blackboard Page 1 of 11
WHAT IS BLACKBOARD? Blackboard is an online site for each module that offers a range of materials for supporting teaching and learning. GETTING STARTED You can log into Blackboard from any computer that is connected to the Internet using a browser, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc. Open a browser and enter https://blackboard.aber.ac.uk in the address bar. Select your language preference Login using your AU username and password. When you have logged into Blackboard go to Useful Links and click on Check your browser to check that your browser and operating system are supported. Student Guide to Blackboard Page 2 of 11
If your browser is unsupported, some Blackboard features may not work as expected. Be careful to use a supported browser when doing important tasks such as submitting assignments or taking an assessed quiz. Alternatively, if you are using a public service workstation, you can access Blackboard by clicking the desktop icon. You can also access Blackboard from the Current Students webpage by clicking on Your Sites and Blackboard. OVERVIEW TABS After you have logged in, Blackboard shows your modules for the current academic year. Go to General Modules and your department module for departmental specific information: Notifications of new items in a module appear next to a module Announcements New announcements for modules appear on a modules front page. Tools contains personal tools, such as a task list and calendar. My Modules - click on the My Modules tab to see all of the modules you are enrolled on for the current academic year, or previous years to your modules from previous years: Student Guide to Blackboard Page 3 of 11
AberSkills Is a study skills resource portal for students: GLOBAL NAVIGATION MENU The Global Navigation Menu allows you to move through the different areas of Blackboard, and is accessed from the top right-hand side of the screen. Click on the down arrow next to the logout button to open: This menu provides quick access to your modules, including recently visited, as well as home and help links and personal settings. Click on the icons on the left-hand side of the menu for notifications of assignment due dates, communications, announcements, and new items added to your modules. ACCESSING A MODULE To access one of your modules in Blackboard, click on Current Modules for modules in this academic year, or a tab for a previous academic year for previous year s modules: Student Guide to Blackboard Page 4 of 11
INSIDE YOUR MODULE Course Menu - A course menu always appears on the left-hand side of the screen. You can hide the course menu by clicking on the arrow that appears when you hover your mouse over the right-hand side of the panel. To show the course menu again, just click the arrow a second time: CONTENT AREAS Content areas for modules appear as buttons or links on the Course Menu on the left. A typical module has the following items on the Course Menu: Module Information module handbook, link to the official module description Content study material uploaded by your tutors. Typical items include lecture notes, lecture recordings, PowerPoint presentations, reading lists, video clips, links, quizzes and discussion forums. Assignments assignment briefs and links for you to submit assignments electronically. Tools a range of course tools. See below for details. To move around in Blackboard, click on the links. Avoid clicking the Back button on your browser. DOWNLOADING DOCUMENTS All items are read-only unless you save them on your own computer. To save a document to your own computer, go to the area of the Blackboard module where the document is located and click on the link. Either save the file to your computer, or open the file and save it from there. TOOLS Depending on how the Module Coordinator has customised a module, you may see some or all of these tools. Here is a summary of some important tools: Announcements - Your tutor may post important messages about the module. Discussion Board see below. My Grades see below. Send Email Blackboard will send email to anyone on the same module. The email goes to the user's AU email account. There is no way to read email directly within Blackboard. Note: There are a few courses that are so large that email all users' has been turned off. Student Guide to Blackboard Page 5 of 11
Groups Your tutor may set up seminar or collaborative project groups. A group can have its own private file exchange, email, discussion board and virtual chat. Users only have access to the group area/s assigned to them by the tutor. If your tutor has assigned you to a group, you will see the group name listed in the course menu. Click on the name of the group to access the group tools. You can also see a list of group members. VIEWING PANOPTO LECTURE RECORDINGS Lecturers may put recording of their lectures into Blackboard (usually under Content). Lecture recordings are distinguished by a Panopto icon that appears next to the recording: Click on the link to the lecture you would like to view. The recording will open in a new window. If you are prompted for your username and password, use the dropdown menu to select Sign in with Blackboard. Depending on the set-up of your module, you may also be able to view all available lecture recordings for that module by going to Tools in the course menu and clicking on Panopto Content. The software to view recordings has been installed on all public service computers. If you would like to view recordings on your personal computer, you may need to install Silverlight software. You can download Silverlight from Microsoft s website: http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/ ASSIGNMENTS There are two types of assignments you may find in Blackboard. Turnitin is used for most text based assignments, while Blackboard Assignment may be used for other assignments. The procedure for uploading is the same, but the screens are slightly different. TURNITIN Turnitin allows students to: Submit work electronically Receive an email receipt of their submission View grades and feedback via Blackboard HOW TO SUBMIT A TURNITIN ASSIGNMENT Click on Assignments and locate the appropriate assignment submission point Student Guide to Blackboard Page 6 of 11
Click on View/Complete You will then see the information about your assignment. Click Submit Enter the title of your assignment (your name will be automatically filled in) Click the Choose File button and select the file you wish to upload When you are ready, click Upload: Note: Only one file of up to 20MB may be submitted for each TurnItIn submission. Once you have submitted your assignment, you will be asked to review the submission. You should double check you have uploaded the correct assignment, and then click Submit to confirm. Please note if you have submitted the wrong file, you should click Return to upload page, where you can then select an alternative file. Once you have clicked Submit, your submission is complete and you will see a digital receipt on the screen. You will also receive a copy of this receipt via your AU email account. To download a full copy of the digital receipt, go back to the area where you submitted your assignment, and click on the download button: Student Guide to Blackboard Page 7 of 11
If you do not receive an email receipt, and cannot download it, you have not successfully submitted and will need to repeat the process. BLACKBOARD ASSIGNMENT For some modules, you may be required to upload assignments through Blackboard Assignment, rather than Turnitin. Click here, and go to the Blackboard Assignment section, for step-by-step instructions on submitting a Blackboard Assignment. FINDING MARKS AND FEEDBACK There are two ways to access your grades and feedback in Blackboard: The original submission link My Grades See the FAQS's on accessing assignment feedback through Turnitin and Blackboard Assignment for more detailed instructions. DISCUSSION BOARDS The Discussion Board for each course can be found under Tools, then Discussion Boards. Note: Your tutor may also put a direct link to a forum into another section of your Blackboard module. Student Guide to Blackboard Page 8 of 11
There are three nested levels to a discussion board: At least one forum, which must be created by the tutor before anyone can post a message. Threads of related posts based on the same subject. Individual posts or messages, which are similar to email messages. If a forum has been created and a thread started, you will also see a quick list of the total number of posts to the discussion as well as the number of unread posts and the number of people taking part in the discussion. To enter a forum, click the title. You will then see a list of all the threads (the separate strands of the discussion), with details of the number of posts and unread posts in that thread. To see the individual messages, click on the title of the thread. You will see a set of options at the top, which will help you to organise your viewing of the board. You can either reply directly to the original message or if you are addressing something in another person s message you can reply to them directly. BLACKBOARD BLOGS AND JOURNALS Blogs are an effective way for students to share ideas and knowledge with the class. Students can post entries to their own blogs and the instructor and other students can add comments. Groups of students can also share blogs and all members of the group can create entries, building upon one another. A journal is a private blog. The entries can be seen by the individual student and by their tutor. These can be reflective learning logs or updates on how a specific project is developing. Student Guide to Blackboard Page 9 of 11
FINDING BLOGS AND JOURNALS Enter the Blackboard module for which you are submitting work. Click on the Tools link from the module menu and click on Journals or Blogs. Note: Your tutor may also create a direct link to your blog/ journal from another section of your Blackboard module. Click on the name of the relevant blog/ journal. CREATING ENTRIES Click on Create Journal Entry: Add a title and a message into the text box. The content can be prepared in the text box, or in advance and pasted into the text box. Once you have completed your blog entry, click Post Entry: LOGGING OUT OF BLACKBOARD When you have finished using Blackboard, click the Logout button. FURTHER INFORMATION Blackboard FAQs: http://www.inf.aber.ac.uk/advisory/faq/1 Turnitin FAQs: https://faqs.aber.ac.uk/#turnitin Blackboard Team: bb-team@aber.ac.uk Student Guide to Blackboard Page 10 of 11
Customer Service o Phone: 01970 622400 (X2400 from a University phone) o Email: is@aber.ac.uk Online chat on the My Modules page in Blackboard: Student Guide to Blackboard Page 11 of 11