Cross-listed Courses?
Courses that are cross-listed in the schedule of classes are not being cross-listed in Blackboard, but instructors can enroll the students from the smaller of the sections into the new section using the enroll users method described below. For more information or if you have a particularly large class that you would like assistance with, please contact Jodie Reminder.
Why isn’t my class in DataVU?
If you’ve tried to opt-in to Blackboard from DataVU only to find that your course isn’t listed, the problem is most likely that you haven’t be added as the instructor for the course in Datatel. Some classes are listed in the system as being taught by the “Staff” instead of by a specific individual. Until the registrar’s data has changed to reflect that you are the instructor, it will not be listed in DataVU.
Enrolling Users
Students and instructors are automatically enrolled in Blackboard based on records in Datatel. In CourseVU, additional users could be added on the Online Service Center page and you would need to wait an hour or two for the user to appear. Blackboard 9 allows instructors to add other users to their class directly from the control panel. Check out this video for detailed instructions: Adding a User (1:17)
Home Page Error?
Some instructors are reporting an error on the Home Page after they have imported a CourseVU course into the new Blackboard. To fix this error, you will need to delete the Home Page and recreate it. The process only takes a couple of minutes and will introduce you to a couple of customization options that you may find useful in the future. Check out this video for detailed instructions: Home Page Error (2:27)
Importing CourseVU Content in Blackboard 9
Instructors who would like to reuse content from CourseVU in their Blackboard 9 course should find the process to be very similar to the old process of exporting/importing. Check out this video for detailed instructions: Reusing Content (2:01)
Blackboard Now in Production
The new Blackboard system is now in place, so instructors can start building courses immediately.The first change you will notice is that your courses are not automatically loaded into Blackboard. One of the biggest problems we had with CourseVU was the amount of space that empty courses took up on the server. To help maximize our resources, we have created an opt-in process to allow instructors the ability to choose what courses need to be created. This process takes place OUTSIDE of Blackboard, but only takes a few minutes of your time.The attached Quick Start Guidewill take you through the steps of Opting In to use Blackboard and will introduce you to some of the key features used in designing your course site.Attachment: quickstart.pdf
Switching to Blackboard 9 in Fall 2009
Starting in August 2009, VU will be using the newest version of the Blackboard Academic Suite, Blackboard 9. The new system will bring the latest tools to VU and will improve the overall user experience. Improvements and additions include:
- New Web 2.0 look and feel, including some drag and drop capabilities
- Blog and Journal tools for increased communication options
- Gradebook upgraded to improved Grade Center that has more flexibility for instructors
- Instructor control on which courses to be created for Blackboard and ease of adding teaching assistants to courses
Faculty may begin building courses in the new system immediately using the development server. Previous courses and courses created on the development server can easily be imported by faculty onto the new server starting on July 15, 2009.
Training sessions will start being offered at the beginning of July and will continue throughout the Fall semester. Self-guided training documents, one-on-one sessions, and an online training course will also be available to meet the individual needs of faculty.
Keeping checking this blog for news and training information!
Request a Course on the Development Server
Ready to create your course for Fall 2009? Want to try out the new features in Blackboard 9?
Fill out the online request form and a course (or several courses) will be created on our development server (Bb9Dev) for you. Courses created on Bb9Dev will have all the features that the production server will have and can later be imported for Fall 2009.