How faculty can use Blackboard as a course supplement and management tool

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How faculty can use Blackboard as a course
supplement and management tool

• Shawn F. Clouse, Ed.D.
• IT Director Assistant Professor SOBA

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Objectives for Today

• Introduction to Blackboard and its tools
  available in Blackboard 6.0
• Explore how to use Blackboard as a course
  supplement
• Demonstrate some of Blackboards Tools
• Questions Answers

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Quote

• Materials themselves do not teach but provide
  a medium that with appropriate use can support
  learning, (Oliver, Herrington, and Omari, 1996).
  Accordingly, the instructor must incorporate the
  organization, presentation, and integration of
  materials into the online environment.

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How are you currently using Blackboard?
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What is Blackboard?

• Course Development and Management System
• Not a web authoring tool like Word, FrontPage or
  Dreamweaver.
• Communication and collaboration capabilities.
• Online assessment engine with integrated
  gradebook.
• Content sequencing and delivery.
• Online resource gateway.
• Tools to help teachers manage online course
  materials and track student progress.
• Standards based (Instructional Management System
  IMS, Section 508, etc.)

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Why Blackboard as a CMS

• UM has two Blackboard servers
• DEOS-L - The Distance Education Online Symposium
  Survey Monkey data
• 53.1 Blackboard
• 41.8 WebCT
• 7.1 Lotus Learning Space
• 4.1 eCollege
• Other Platforms Angle OpenSource

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What is new in Blackboard 6.0

• Course Management
• Customizable Course Menu
• Collapse the menu from course screen
• Content Copy
• Observer Role
• Course Content can appear anywhere. You can
  blend content and activities.
• Internal linking between content areas and
  between courses.
• Assessment
• Test Canvas
• Build edit assessments and deploy in any
  content area
• Math and science notation
• Allows for make-up tests for selected students

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Whats new continued

• Assignment Manager
• All content management options are supported
• Download students assignments for grading
• Feedback opportunities on assignments
• View and grade assignment in the gradebook
• Improved Gradebook Management
• Use raw scores, letter grades, or customized
  options
• Export and import grades with Excel
• Assign weighted values to grades by category or
  item

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Whats new continued

• Collaboration Tools
• Lightweight Chat Text based chat tool
• Send private messages between two participants
• Virtual Classroom
• Use math scientific notation editor
• Manage questions from participants
• Access course map to view edit content during
  chat
• Archive sessions for review
• Blackboard Course Cartridges
• Content created by publishers
• Copy protected and open course cartridges
• These work in both Blackboard 5.5 and 6.0

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Ways to use Blackboard to Supplement Your Course

• Post content like syllabus, assignments,
  announcements, readings, resource links, etc.
• Use the Discussion and Chat Areas
• Online Assessments
• Gradebook
• Paperless submission of work (BADM 270) and tests
  with Digital Dropbox or Assignment Manager
• Support Cohort model with weekend meetings
• Collaborative area for comprehensive exam prep

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Why use Blackboard to Supplement Your Course

• Provide students with convenient access to
  materials via the Internet.
• Provide a secure area on the Internet that is
  only accessible to your students.
• Provide a way to communicate grade information to
  students (Gradebook).
• Provide another communication forum to continue
  discussion outside of class (Discussion Area
  Chat).
• Use chat for online office hours.
• Provide a collaborative environment for students
  to use outside of class (Group Areas).
• Provide a place to gather portfolios of student
  work (Group Areas Content Management System).
• Improve student performance and satisfaction.
• Incorporates Good Practice in Education.
• Others?

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Seven Principles of Good Practice in Education

• Chickering and Ehrmann (1996)
• Encourage contact between students and faculty,
• Develop reciprocity and cooperation among
  students,
• Use active learning techniques,
• Give prompt feedback,
• Emphasize time-on-task,
• Communicate high expectations,
• Respect diverse talents and ways of learning.

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Types of Content to Post

• Post course documents, staff information,
  assignments, announcements, assessments
• Incorporate text, spreadsheets, slideshows,
  graphics, audio, video clips, and interactive
  simulations.
• Content can be organized in folders.

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Learning Units

• Learning units are a special kind of folder with
  a structured path through the content.
• Used to organize other items, such as documents,
  folders, assessments, etc.
• Can require your students to follow a certain
  path.

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Authoring Tools

• Word processor - Microsoft Word
• Presentation package PowerPoint Microsoft
  Producer
• Spreadsheet - Excel
• Web page authoring - FrontPage
• Graphics package - Adobe PhotoShop
• Video editing - Adobe Premiere
• Multimedia development - Macromedia Flash and
  Authorware

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Other Online Tools

• Development of recorded content
• RoboDemo - http//www.tltgroup.org/thanksgiving/Im
  agesRealityGratitude.htm
• Microsoft Producer
• Macromedia Director Flash
• Voice Chat Tools Instant Messaging
• Elluminate - http//home.learningtimes.net/tltgrou
  p
• Interwise www.interwise.com
• Centra http//www.centra.com

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What is our paradigm for teaching and learning?
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Web-streamedlecture with synchronizedslides
High-tech
Lecture with PowerPoint
PBL based onpaper cases
Lecture with Chalk or White Board
Low-tech
Traditional instruction
New Instructional Paradigms
Source Mann, D. Educause 2002 (Atlanta, 10-2-02)
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How to use tools in Blackboard
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Discussion Area

• Organized by Forums, Threads, and Messages.
• Instructor must create Forums.
• Can control who creates threads.
• Can delegate student responsibility for
  facilitating the discussion.
• Can sort messages by author, subject, date or
  thread.
• Can create a Student Forum just for the students
  to use.
• Can grade participation and archive the
  discussion.

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Virtual Classroom (Chat Room)Text-based Chat

• Instructor and student view different.
• Chat panel, Questions, User Information.
• Participants see all of the discussion transcript
  regardless of when they begin the chat.
• Can use for virtual office hours.
• Question Answer area can be private or public
  conversations.
• Can control who talks by giving the floor.
• Can show slides or web sites.
• Can archive discussion.

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Online Discussion Questions

• Start with an icebreaker discussion
• Small Group Assignments
• Use for Journals and Self-Reflection
• Require students to Role Play
• Ask Probing Questions
• E-Debates

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Assessment

• Quizzes Exams.
• Learning Unit Feedback.
• Instructor grades essay questions and enters in
  the gradebook.
• Surveys for formative and summative assessments.
  Completion is anonymous.
• To keep grades you MUST keep them available. Can
  remove the link to the assessment in 6.0.

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Gradebook

• Linked to online assessments.
• View by user, item, or spreadsheet.
• Can manually enter an item and assign grades in
  list by user or item.
• Can upload and download to Excel.
• Weighted function requires all totals to be the
  same.
• Click on ! in gradebook to grade essay questions.

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Digital Drop Box

• Used to submit work to the instructor.
• Used for group collaboration.
• Can send email and files.
• Can have discussions and chats.
• Can grade and resend a file to a student.

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Assignment Manager

• Used to manage all of the aspects of an
  assignment.
• Instructions
• Attach files
• Students submit files
• Student Comments
• Instructor grades, sends comments, and can send
  back graded file.

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Group Areas

• Manage Groups
• Discussion Board
• Group Virtual File Exchange
• Group Email

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Course Statistics