Using Lesson Plans Overview A Lesson Plan is a container for content similar to a Learning Module or folder that can hold and organize content items. Instructors can create Lesson Plans within their courses to hold lesson profiles, instructional objectives, and the content items students will need to complete a lesson. Adding Lesson Plans to a course can benefit students in several ways. Instructors have the option of adding information for students to view alongside of the content to help them understand the objectives and intended result of their learning. Students can be provided with information on how their knowledge will be measured, the needed materials, the duration of the instruction, and what they should have learned after the instruction. The more information students have at the start of the lesson, the more prepared they will be for the content ahead. Lessons Plans can be made available to students or can be used solely as a planning tool for instructors. The Lesson Plan tool is turned on by default, but the system administrator can disable the tool. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 1 Using Lesson Plans
Student View of a Lesson Plan Typically, Lesson Plans are added to Content Areas; however, Lesson Plans can be added to Learning Modules and folders also. You need to ensure that your content is organized in whatever manner will benefit students. Employ the recommendation of as few clicks as possible to access information and content. In our example, the Lesson Plan has been added to the Week 2 Content Area. The Lesson Plan appears first in the content list and has its own unique icon. If a Description was added to the Lesson Plan when it was created, it appears following the title as in our example. Students click the Lesson Plan title to access the content. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 2 Using Lesson Plans
Inside a Lesson Plan 2010 Blackboard Inc. 3 Using Lesson Plans
Take Note A. Turn Edit Mode to OFF to see how the Lesson Plan and its content items will appear to students. B. The Lesson Plan s general information and content items are organized following the title. C. The instructor determines what information will appear to students to help them understand the lesson requirements. These elements appear in the gray area. An instructor can add as many elements as needed to help students prepare for the lesson. For this Lesson Plan, the instructor added a Description, Objectives, and Outcomes. Other elements can include Materials, Duration, Instructions, Section Headings, or custom sections created by you. D. The content items for the Lesson Plan appear next. In our example, the instructor has added an Item with a lecture file, a graded Assignment, a Mashup in the form of a SlideShare presentation, and a Test. The content items for the lesson are shown with icons and text. The instructor can select Icons Only, Text Only, or Icons and Text for the content view. An example of Icons Only is shown in the following image. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 4 Using Lesson Plans
Creating Lesson Plans In our example, we will create a Lesson Plan in a Content Area. Ensure Edit Mode is in the ON position. 1 In the Content Area, point to the Build Content function on the Action Bar to access the drop-down list. 2 Select Lesson Plan from the Create column. You will create the Lesson Plan in two steps based on the two tabs presented on the Create Lesson Plan page as shown is the following image. First, general Lesson Plan information is added on the Content Information tab, such as a Description, Objectives, Materials, and Duration. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 5 Using Lesson Plans
Second, the lesson content is added on the Curriculum Resources tab. The Lesson Plan is a shell or container to which other content, such as files or assignments, is added. Instructors can add all content types to a Lesson Plan just as they do to a Content Area, Learning Module, or folder. Step One: Adding the Lesson Plan General Information In the first step, instructors add information to the elements they select on the Content Information tab. The elements can be moved into any order following the Description. 1 On the Create Lesson Plan page, the Content Information tab appears first by default. Type a Name for the Lesson Plan. This Name appears in the Content Area and students click it to access the Lesson Plan content items. 2 Type an optional Description in the Text Editor. Format the text using the functions in the Text Editor, if you want. The Description appears following the Name in the Content Area. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 6 Using Lesson Plans
3 Following the Text Editor, add information to the default elements provided, if you want. A default element title can be edited by clicking the existing title to access the Edit Element Name text box. Delete an unneeded element by clicking the X. In our example, the course objectives are typed in the Text Editor for the default Objectives element. 4 Select the check box next to Share with students if you want the information to appear with the Lesson Plan in the Content Area. You may share none, some, or all of the elements with students. If you do not add information to a default element, it will not appear in the Lesson Plan in the Content Area and does not require deletion. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 7 Using Lesson Plans
5 If you want to add new elements, point to Add Lesson Plan Section on the Action Bar to access the drop-down list. 6 Select the element you want to add. The new element is added to the bottom of the list on the Create Lesson Plan page. These titles can also be edited. Many elements include a Text Editor so you can format the information as you want. NOTE: In the Set Up column of the Add Lesson Plan Section drop-down list, you can select Section Headings to help organize the elements. After adding a Section Heading, click the title to edit the name. Ensure the check box for Share with students is selected. Use the drag-and-drop function or the Keyboard Accessible Reordering tool to move the Section Heading where you want. All elements added to the Lesson Plan are rearranged in the same manner and the process is shown in the Step Two section of this manual. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 8 Using Lesson Plans
7 After all the elements have been added and reordered, select the Default Content View: Icon Only, Text Only, or Icon and Text. 8 Select Yes for Permit Users to View this Content to make the entire Lesson Plan available to students. 9 Select the Date and Time Restrictions check boxes and type dates and times if you want the Lesson Plan to appear on a specific date and time and to stop appearing on a specific date and time. You can also use the pop-up Date Selection Calendar and Time Selection Menu to select your dates and times. Display restrictions do not affect content availability, only the appearance of the Lesson Plan. You may see more or fewer content items in a Lesson Plan based on the date restrictions you select for the individual content items in a Lesson Plan. 10 Click Save and Exit to save the Lesson Plan and its elements and return at a later time to add content items or Save and Continue to add the content items to the Curriculum Resources tab now. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 9 Using Lesson Plans
Step Two: Adding the Content Items After clicking Save and Continue, a message appears stating that the Lesson Plan shell and elements were successfully created. The Curriculum Resources tab is now active and content items can be added. All current content options, such as Copy, Tracking, and Adaptive Release are available for each individual content item added to the Lesson Plan. 1 Content is added to a Lesson Plan in the same manner as adding content to a Content Area, folder, or Learning Module. On the Action Bar, point to Build Content, Create Assessment, Add Interactive Tool, or Assign Textbook to access the drop-down lists and add content, such as files, links, URLs, Tool Links, Assignments, Mashups, and Tests. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 10 Using Lesson Plans
2 The content appears in the order it was added, but the order can be changed. Use the drag-and-drop function or the Keyboard Accessible Reordering tool to move your content into the order you want. 3 Click OK when you have added and reordered all your content. NOTE: Each content item has an Action Link. Use an item s contextual menu to perform actions, such as Delete or Edit. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 11 Using Lesson Plans
Alternatively, if you have chosen to view your content with icons only, you can also rearrange your content using the drag-and-drop function or the Keyboard Accessible Reordering tool. Your icons may appear in two columns based on the size of your browser window. After clicking OK, you are returned to the Content Area and the newly created Lesson Plan appears in the Content Area. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 12 Using Lesson Plans
To view the completed Lesson Plan with all its elements and content items, turn Edit Mode to OFF and click the Lesson Plan title in the Content Area. If you click the Lesson Plan title while in Edit Mode, the Edit Lesson Plan page appears. To view a completed Lesson Plan, you must do so as a student. Viewing from the student perspective also ensures that you are revealing only what you want to show to students concerning your teaching methods and strategies. Student view of a Lesson Plan in Icon Only content view 2010 Blackboard Inc. 13 Using Lesson Plans
Editing a Lesson Plan Lesson Plans and their contents are edited in the same manner as you edit content in other areas of a Blackboard Learn course. To edit the Lesson Plan shell: 1 Click a Lesson Plan s Action Link to access the contextual menu and select Edit. Alternatively, click the Lesson Plan title. The Edit Lesson Plan page appears with either option. 2 On the Edit Lesson Plan page, make edits, deletions, or additions on the Content Information tab or select the Curriculum Resources tab to do the same. 3 Click Save and Exit if you are making edits to the Content Information tab only. Click Save and Continue if you want to make edits on the Curriculum Resources tab also. Click OK on the Curriculum Resources tab when you have finished. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 14 Using Lesson Plans
Deleting a Lesson Plan Lesson Plans can be removed from the course using the Delete function in the Lesson Plan s contextual menu. A pop-up warning asks you to verify that the Lesson Plan should be deleted. Click OK. Important: When a Lesson Plan is deleted, the content items are also deleted; however, some may not be permanently deleted. Tests and Surveys will remain available in the Tests tool and can be added to the course again. Any files uploaded from your local computer and added to the Lesson Plan are automatically stored in Course Files and can be linked to again. Any files that were in Course Files already and were linked to in the Lesson Plan can be linked to again. For other content items, like an assignment which contains instructions you do not want to lose, use the Copy function to copy individual items and move them to an existing Content Area or folder before deleting the Lesson Plan. 2010 Blackboard Inc. 15 Using Lesson Plans