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I\u2019ve only recently begun working at UVM, which means, like many folks out there, I\u2019m learning Blackboard (Bb), made perhaps more challenging for me by having vigorously used Moodle for the past eight years!<\/p>\nI\u2019ve only recently begun working at UVM, which means, like many folks out there, I\u2019m learning Blackboard (Bb), made perhaps more challenging for me by having vigorously used Moodle for the past eight years!<\/p>\n
So, for those of you who are brand new to a Learning Management System or are switching to Bb from a different product, I can relate to your growing pains. It can feel daunting to learn new terminology<\/a>, weed through all the available tools, and design an organized course site.<\/p>\n In this post, my goal is to provide enough of a general overview that the software feels a little less overwhelming. And remember – the CTL offers a great deal of Bb support for faculty!<\/p>\n General Bb navigation<\/strong><\/p>\n It is useful to understand some fundamental concepts of how faculty and students find their way through Bb. This is not an exhaustive list, but it should help you start to feel grounded. For more details, utilize the step-by-step CTL Teaching With Blackboard tutorials<\/a>.<\/p>\n What can Bb do for you<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n The bottom line is that you have quite a bit of control to align with your organizational and pedagogical needs. Ultimately, Bb should put essential information at the fingertips of your students, facilitate communication between you and your students, and enhance your teaching.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re using Blackboard mostly as a resource repository, try creating separate content areas for readings, videos, and assignments. Or, if you\u2019re relying on Bb heavily, build a content area for each week or topic of the class, and then create folders and subfolders within each week or topic to organize materials and assignments.<\/p>\n Commit to using 1 to 3 features<\/strong><\/p>\n It can (and probably should) take years to maximize the use of a Learning Management System. Bb is a robust product with hundreds of options and tools. I recommend making a commitment, each semester, to using 1 to 3 new features until your Bb course site works effectively for you and your students. Each semester, you can copy forward what you did the past semester and build from there.<\/p>\n Bb support<\/strong><\/p>\n The UVM Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) has Open Hours for teaching and teaching technology support<\/a>. Additionally, we\u2019ve created Bb Documentation pages<\/a> and a general Instructor Help page<\/a>. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with your questions! We are here to help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019ve only recently begun working at UVM, which means, like many folks out there, I\u2019m learning Blackboard (Bb), made perhaps more challenging for me by having vigorously used Moodle for the past eight years! So, for those of you who … Continue reading \n
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![\"Blackboard](\"http:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/ctl\/files\/2018\/08\/BbBreadcrumbs.png\")
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![\"Edit](\"http:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/ctl\/files\/2018\/08\/BbGrayChevron-300x120.png\"){kind=icon}
ible when you hover) is the gateway to the editing menu for any previously created Bb item, file, link, tool, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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