Blackboard Academic Suite User Manual | Chapter 1 – Welcome to the Blackboard Learning System
Blackboard Academic Suite User Manual
Chapter 1
–
Welcome to the
Blackboard Learning System
Introduction
The
Blackboard Learning System
is a comprehensive and flexible e-Learning software platform that delivers a complete course management system. While the
Blackboard
Learning System,
and the
Blackboard Learning System
- Basic Edition are all course management systems, the
Blackboard Learning System
includes advanced integration tools and APIs to seamlessly assimilate the
Blackboard Learning System
with existing institution systems. Furthermore, the
Blackboard Learning System
includes additional customization features and the ability to build out the platform with Blackboard
System Extensions. Finally, the
Blackboard Portal System
includes a customizable institution-wide portal with online communities.
Blackboard Building Blocks allows institutions to integrate external applications, tools, content, and services into the
Blackboard Learning System
.
The following are some things to keep in mind when using the
Blackboard Learning
System
:
Due to the fact that the
Blackboard Portal System
and the
Blackboard Learning
System
are highly flexible and customizable platforms, which can integrate third party applications, there may be certain tools that are not documented.
System Administrators have the ability to disable certain tools within the application. If you encounter tools that you are unable to access contact your
System Administrator.
The openness of the platform allows Instructors and Administrators to be very creative; therefore, the names for items users see in the application may differ from those in the documentation.
The
Blackboard Learning System
environment
The
Blackboard Learning System
environment includes a header frame with images and buttons customized by the institution and tabs that navigate to different areas within the
Blackboard Learning System
. Clicking on a tab will open that area in the content frame. Web pages containing specific content, features, functions, and tools are accessed from the common areas.
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Blackboard Academic Suite User Manual
Header frame
The header frame contains a customizable institution image and navigation buttons that allow the user to access the institution home page, access the Blackboard help, and logoff of the
Blackboard Learning System
.
The table below details the buttons that appear in the header frame and their functions.
Button Description
Click
Home
to return to an institution home page. This URL is set by the system administrator.
Click
Help
to access an institution defined help site. This URL is set by the System Administrator.
Click
Logout
to end a session.
Common Areas
Blackboard Learning System
and
Blackboard Learning System
– Basic Edition include two common areas for users:
My Institution:
The My Institution common area contains tools and information specific to each user ’ s preferences. Tools and information are contained in modules, which users can add and remove from their My
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Blackboard Academic Suite User Manual
Institution common area. While users can choose which modules appear, the
Administrator may restrict access to or require specific modules.
Courses
: Courses are listed by role: courses that a user teaches as an
Instructor and courses that a user takes as a Student. Users click on a course from the Courses common area to access the course Web site.
Users also have access to the following common areas with the
Blackboard Portal
System
:
Community:
The Community common area lists organizations specific to each user, the Organization Catalog for the institution, and institution-wide
Discussion Boards. User organizations are listed by role: organizations that a user administrates as a manager and organizations that a user participates in as a member. Users simply click on an organization from the Community common area to access the organization Web site.
Services:
The Services common area contains links to other institutional offerings outside of the
Blackboard Learning System
. The links are set by the
System Administrator and cannot be modified by an individual user.
In addition, the
Blackboard Portal System
enables the institution to create custom tabs and present a different environment, or Portal, to users based on the User ’ s role at the institution.
Tabs
The tabs are navigation tools that access the common areas of the
Blackboard
Learning System
. Tabs also appear in search boxes as a means of changing the search parameters.
Click on a tab to access that common area.
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Blackboard Academic Suite User Manual
Content frame
The content frame always contains one of the following pages:
Common area
: The area that appears in the content frame when a tab is clicked. Common areas hold broad information and allow the user to access
Web pages containing specific content and features.
Web page
: A Web page appears in the content frame when accessed through one of the navigational tools described below. Web pages contain specific content or features and originate from common areas.
Navigating within the
Blackboard Learning System
The
Blackboard Learning System
contains several ways to move from one area or page to the next. Only the material in the content frame changes when moving to a new area or page. The tabs and header frame are always available for quick access to those navigation features.
The table below describes each navigation tool available in the
Blackboard Learning
System
.
Tab
Navigation Tool Description
Click a tab to navigate to a common area. Top-level navigation is always available no matter what page or area appears in the content frame.
Button
Link
Image
Click a button to navigate to a page within the
Blackboard Learning
System
. Some buttons also lead to areas outside of the
Blackboard
Learning System
. In addition, buttons execute functions.
Click a hypertext link to access another Web page within the
Blackboard Learning System
. The page will appear in the content frame.
Links can also open Web sites outside of the
Blackboard Learning System
.
Click an image to navigate to another page. The customized images that appear in the platform can be linked by the Administrator to another URL.
Click one of the hypertext links that appear in the navigation path to access that page. The navigation path appears at the top of pages to allow users to quickly return to the previous page that led to the current page.
Path
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Blackboard Academic Suite User Manual
Course Web Sites
Overview
Each course offered by an institution is hosted on a Web site. A course Web site consists of a navigation path, a Course menu, and a content frame. The navigation path allows users to return to any page accessed between the main course page and the current page. The Course menu links users to the available content areas and tools. The content frame displays Web pages accessed through the buttons or navigation path.
Organization Web Sites
Organization Web sites function in the same way as course Web sites. The organization Manager uses the flexible learning tools of a course Web site to provide an online environment for the organization. Organizations are only available with the
Blackboard Portal System
.
Linking to a course Web site
To create a link to a course Web site, simply copy the URL from the address bar in the
Web. Links to course Web sites can be posted inside the
Blackboard Learning System
or externally. In either case, the user will be prompted for authorization before accessing the course Web site.
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Blackboard Academic Suite
Functions
User Manual
The table below includes information on the components of a course Web site. The names of the areas are customizable by the Instructor or the System Administrator.
Area
Announcements
Staff Information
Content Areas
Assignments
Communication
External Links
Tools
Description
Announcements post timely information critical to course success. Announcements occupy the Main
Frame upon entry to a course Web site and can also appear on the My Institution and Courses area depending on system configuration.
Click
Announcements
from the course Web site tool bar to view course Announcements.
Staff Information provides background and contact information on course Instructors and Teaching
Assistants.
Content areas can contain a wide-range of content items including:
Course Information – Course Information displays descriptive materials about the course. Materials usually posted here include the syllabus and course objectives.
Course Documents – Course Documents may include learning materials and lesson aids, such as lecture notes.
Assignments lists the due date and description for class work. The Instructor posts assignments and can modify the instructions and due date. Students may view files the Instructor has attached to an Assignment. They may also attach files to an Assignment to submit to the
Instructor.
Course users communicate through the Communication
Center. The Communication Center allow users to:
send and receive email
read and post messages to Discussion Boards
enter the Virtual Classroom
view Student roster
view Group pages
External Links connects course users to outside learning materials. Instructors may select outside materials and post a hyperlink and brief description for each external source.
Tools that can be used in the course Web site. These include: Digital Drop Box, Edit Home Page, Personal
Information, Calendar, View Grades, Student Manual,
Tasks, The Electric Blackboard®, and Address Book.
Accesses the Blackboard Resource Center.
Allows course Web site navigation through a collapsible tree directory. Instructors can go directly to various course areas.
Resources
Course Map
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