Hilary @ blackboard.blog-city.comhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/(Hilary) Copyright 2009 blackboard.blog-city.comTue, 24 Nov 2009 15:55:00 GMTHilary @ blackboard.blog-city.comhttp://server1.blog-city.com/images/bc_v5_logo_small.gifhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/360http://backend.userland.com/rssAutomated student enrolment begins 15th Septemberhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/automated_student_enrolment_begins_14th_september.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/automated_student_enrolment_begins_14th_september.htmThu, 10 Sep 2009 12:38:00 GMTWe will re-enable the automated enrolment of students onto Blackboard courses from Tuesday 15th September. Once this has been switched on you will no longer be able to remove last year's students from your courses, so please try to recycle your courses to remove last year's students before Tuesday. The automatic creation of new courses and users is already in progress.

Automatic enrolment (and the creation of new courses and Blackboard accounts) is based on data held in central databases (that you may view via MyStudents, for example.) If you expect your course to automatically enrol students but this does not appear to have happened please check MyStudents to confirm that the data to populate Blackboard has been added. Enrolment data is uploaded overnight, so it may take 24 hours to be pulled into Blackboard. If you have any questions or need help please email bb-help@bristol.ac.uk.

]]>bbd_statusserviceannounceenrolmentI'm resitting some exams and need access to Blackboard courseshttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/im_resitting_some_exams_and_need_access_to_blackboard_cours.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/im_resitting_some_exams_and_need_access_to_blackboard_cours.htmFri, 21 Aug 2009 13:13:00 GMTIf you are resitting exams but can't see the courses you need on Blackboard you will be able to access them from our backup service:

wwwdev.ole.bris.ac.uk

Log in using your university username and password.

]]>bbd_statusserviceannounceHow do I make my zip file of student submissions ready to upload to Turnitin?http://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_do_i_make_my_zip_file_of_student_submissions_ready_to_up.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_do_i_make_my_zip_file_of_student_submissions_ready_to_up.htmFri, 21 Aug 2009 13:06:00 GMTOnce you have downloaded the assignments from the Gradecentre you may want to remove the small text files that are contained in the zipped archive and rename your file.

  1. Download and save the zip file to your desktop
  2. Right click on it to rename it (if necessary)
  3. Double click to open the zip file
  4. Delete the unwanted files
  5. Close the file
]]>submission_staffsubmissionBlackboard production service now availablehttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_production_service_now_available.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_production_service_now_available.htmTue, 18 Aug 2009 10:18:00 GMTWe are happy to say that Blackboard is now back. Apologies again for the disruption this has caused you.

 

]]>bbd_statusserviceannounceBlackboard - work continuinghttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard___work_continuing.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard___work_continuing.htmTue, 18 Aug 2009 10:00:00 GMTbbd_statusserviceannounceBlackboard course accesshttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_course_access.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_course_access.htmTue, 18 Aug 2009 09:18:00 GMTserviceannouncebbd_statusWhat's new in Blackboard 8 staff traininghttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/whats_new_in_blackboard_8_staff_training.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/whats_new_in_blackboard_8_staff_training.htmWed, 12 Aug 2009 13:34:00 GMTWe are running a series of demonstrations and training sessions on what's new in Blackboard to help you get the most of the new gradecentre and self and peer assessment tools.

A series of short *lunchbyte* presentations will be run throughout August and September. These hour long sessions will demonstrate the key features of the new tools, provide you with the chance to ask questions and direct you to more help and advice. Lunchbytes will be held in the Bergerac Room (F.16, 8 - 10 Berkeley Square). To book your place please email bb-help@bristol.ac.uk or book directly by the sign up list in the Lunchbyte section of the Blackboard Help course.

  • Thursday 27/08/2009 11.30 - 12.30
  • Monday 07/09/2009 12.30 - 1.30 pm
  • Thursday 17/09/2009 12.30 - 1.30 pm
  • Tuesday 22/09/2009 1.00 - 2.00 pm
  • Tuesday 29/09/2009 1.00 - 2.00 pm

We are also running a *What's new in Blackboard* workshop, this will cover the new features in more depth and give you the chance to try out the tools for yourself with support from us.

  • Wednesday 16/09/2009 1.30 - 4.00 pm
  • Wednesday 04/11/2009 9.30 - 12.00 noon
To book your place on one of the workshops please contact staff development:http://www.bris.ac.uk/staffdevelopment/ ]]>whats_new_in_blackboard8Blackboard service now availablehttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_service_now_available.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_service_now_available.htmTue, 04 Aug 2009 11:11:00 GMTThe testing of Blackboard has been completed and the service is now fully functional. Due to the significant nature of the work undertaken we will be tuning Blackboard over the coming weeks to hone its performance. If you encounter any issues or problems with Blackboard please email bb-help@bristol.ac.uk.

We are aware of  issues with accessing Blackboard using  Firefox 3.5.1 / 3.5.2 and Internet Explorer 8 but will apply the fix for the issues associated with these browsers this week. 

]]>bbd_statusBlackboard updatehttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_update_3.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_update_3.htmTue, 04 Aug 2009 09:13:00 GMTFinal testing of Blackboard is currently taking place, we hope to have a full service available by 12 noon today. Please use the service but do not change or add data until our checks are complete. We will be finished by 12 noon today.

 This downtime sees the completion of a major and long running project to make the Blackboard service more stable and reliable. It has been completed well ahead of schedule thanks in the main to the exemplary endeavours of our colleagues in Information Services.

]]>bbd_statusBlackboard status: Tuesday August 4rdhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_status.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_status.htmMon, 03 Aug 2009 09:14:00 GMTFinal testing of Blackboard is currently taking place, we hope to have a full service available by 12 noon today. Please use the service but do not change or add data until our checks are complete. We will be finished by 12 noon today.

 This downtime sees the completion of a major and long running project to make the Blackboard service more stable and reliable. It has been completed well ahead of schedule thanks in the main to the exemplary endeavours of our colleagues in Information Services.

]]>bbd_statusReminder: Blackboard downtime Monday August 3rd - Thursday August 6thhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/reminder_blackboard_downtime_monday_august_3rd__thursday_a.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/reminder_blackboard_downtime_monday_august_3rd__thursday_a.htmThu, 30 Jul 2009 08:32:00 GMTBlackboard will be unavailable from 9 am on Monday August 3rd to 9 am on Thursday August 6th. The aim of this work is to ensure that our Blackboard service is more able to cope with the significantly increased demands being placed upon it.  We hope this work will result in a more reliable service, less prone to unscheduled unavailability. In future we will also now be able to undertake some of the necessary maintenance work without having to withdraw your access to Blackboard completely.

This is the final scheduled downtime arranged for this summer. We apologise for any disruption this may cause you. If you would like more information please email bb-help@bristol.ac.uk.

This downtime was scheduled using the information you have forwarded to us about the times when it is essential to you that Blackboard is available.  If you are a member of staff and would like to forward information on your critical dates for Blackboard availability please email bb-help@bristol.ac.uk

]]>Blackboard access via portalhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_access_via_portal.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_access_via_portal.htmMon, 20 Jul 2009 09:39:00 GMTBlackboard has been available and fully functional since just before 1 pm on Friday, however over the weekend there was a problem accessing Blackboard via the portal. We apologise for the disruption this may have caused you. We are working with the portal team to ensure that in future portal problems are identified more quickly and alternative arrangements put in place for portal users who need access to Blackboard. 

 

]]>Blackboard service availablehttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_service_available.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/blackboard_service_available.htmFri, 17 Jul 2009 11:17:00 GMTWe are very happy to be able to let you know that Blackboard is now back and fully functional after the upgrade to version 8. Please accept our apologies for the delay in restoring the service.

If you would like any additional information please email bb-help@bristol.ac.uk

]]>How to archive and recycle your coursehttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_to_archive_and_recycle_your_course.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_to_archive_and_recycle_your_course.htmTue, 14 Jul 2009 08:50:00 GMTAs we are approaching the end of the academic year, please consider when you plan to archive and recycle your Blackboard courses.

It is the responsibility of course lecturers to archive (save a copy of) their course, or arrange for a departmental administrator to do this for them. Archiving  ensures that important information is available if needed for subsequent appeals or in the event of accidental deletion during the recycle process. Recycling ensures that old or out of date information is removed from courses before the start of the new academic year (this can include students).

The key steps are outlined below, please be aware that if you co-teach on a Blackboard course then you might wish to discuss the procedure with your colleagues before commencing.

Step 1: Archive the course

Background

This will allow you to save an exact copy of the course as a zip file on your local intranet / computer. If you ever need to see this course you’ll need to contact bb-help@bristol.ac.uk or your local Blackboard Administrator.

Instructions

  1. Enter the course Control Panel
  2. Click on Archive Course (bottom left corner)
  3. Follow onscreen instructions

Step 2: Recycle the course

Background

This will allow you to remove parts of the course in preparation for the start of a new course, i.e., remove all your announcements, remove users (students), clear discussion boards. Please note, that the recycle process can not be reversed, once you’ve deleted it, it has gone. Therefore, please archive the course beforehand.

Instructions

  1. Enter the course Control Panel
  2. Click on Recycle Course
  3. Follow onscreen instructions

Please note – if you decide to remove (recycle) course content then it will remove the folder structure as well as the documents !

If you have Turnitin submission points in your course removing them may prevent you from being able to view submissions and originality reports. Please email bb-help@bristol.ac.uk for more advice.

Step 3: 1-2-1 course review

Why not contact bb-help@bristol.ac.uk to request a 1-2-1 course review. This will give you the opportunity to discuss with a member of the e-Learning Team how you might use Blackboard to further support your teaching.

 

]]>Scheduled Blackboard downtime: 9 am on Monday August 3rd to 9 am on Thursday August 6thhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/reminder__scheduled_blackboard_downtime_july_14th__16th.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/reminder__scheduled_blackboard_downtime_july_14th__16th.htmTue, 14 Jul 2009 08:19:00 GMTBlackboard will be unavailable from 9 am on Monday August 3rd to 9 am on Thursday August 6th. The aim of this work is to ensure that our Blackboard service is more able to cope with the significantly increased demands being placed upon it.  We hope this work will result in a more reliable service, less prone to unscheduled unavailability. In future we will also now be able to undertake some of the necessary maintenance work without having to withdraw your access to Blackboard completely.

This is the final scheduled downtime arranged for this summer. We apologise for any disruption this may cause you. If you would like more information please email bb-help@bristol.ac.uk.

This downtime was scheduled using the information you have forwarded to us about the times when it is essential to you that Blackboard is available.  If you are a member of staff and would like to forward information on your critical dates for Blackboard availability please email bb-help@bristol.ac.uk

]]>How do I add a thread to a discussion board?http://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_do_i_add_a_thread_to_a_discussion_board.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_do_i_add_a_thread_to_a_discussion_board.htmFri, 10 Jul 2009 11:13:00 GMT
  • Go to the discussion forum (either via Discussion Board in control panel, or via the content area which links to the forum).
  • Click on the forum title to enter.
  • To create a new thread click the Add New Thread button. 
  • Enter your message Subject and Title.
  • Click Submit.

    • Notice for students: If you can't see this feature it may be that your lecturer has decided not to use it, please check with your course instructor / administrator:-)

    ]]>    communicationsdiscussion_boardfaqstafffaqstudentfaqintrowork    How do I add a document to my Blackboard course?http://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_do_i_add_a_document_to_my_blackboard_course.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_do_i_add_a_document_to_my_blackboard_course.htmWed, 08 Jul 2009 13:20:00 GMTAdding a Word document or PowerPoint presentation to a Blackboard course
    1. Open the Control Panel
    2. Open the Content Area where you want to upload the document e.g. Course documents.
    3. Open the relevant folder (if the document is to be stored in a folder).
    4. Click on the Add Item button.
    5. Give the Item a name.
    6. Scroll down to the Content section.
    7. Click on Browse. Find & select the file, then click Open.
    8. Fill in the rest of the form as required.
    9. Click on Submit at the bottom.

    ]]>    introguide    I'm having trouble opening a Powerpoint file, what should I do?http://blackboard.blog-city.com/im_having_trouble_opening_a_powerpoint_file_what_should_i_do.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/im_having_trouble_opening_a_powerpoint_file_what_should_i_do.htmWed, 08 Jul 2009 13:18:00 GMTfaqstafffaqstudentdocumentsHow do I make my course available?http://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_do_i_make_my_course_available.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_do_i_make_my_course_available.htmWed, 08 Jul 2009 09:19:00 GMTTo make your course available:

    1. Open the Control Panel
    2. Click Settings
    3. Select Course availability
    4. Select Yes
    5. Submit
    ]]>    lawbasicsintroguidefaqstafffaq    How can I stay informed of what's happening on a forum?http://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_can_i_stay_informed_of_whats_happening_on_a_forum.htmhttp://blackboard.blog-city.com/how_can_i_stay_informed_of_whats_happening_on_a_forum.htmTue, 07 Jul 2009 15:24:00 GMTBlackboard discussion boards now allow you to subscribe to a thread and receive email notification of any updates or changes to it.

    1. Open the forum
    2. Enter the thread
    3. Click Subscribe


    Notice for students:  If you cannot see this feature it may be that your lecturer has decided not to use it,  please check with your course instructor / administrator :-)]]>    communicationsfaqfaqstafffaqstudentdiscussion_board