2. Table of Contents
What is Blackboard? ...............................................................................................................3
Accessing Blackboard .............................................................................................................3
Turn on the Edit Mode switch .................................................................................................3
The Course Screen ..................................................................................................................4
Managing the Menu ................................................................................................................4
Posting an Announcement .......................................................................................................5
Adding a Document/Syllabus ..................................................................................................6
Creating Folders ......................................................................................................................7
Adding an External Link .........................................................................................................9
Sending Email .......................................................................................................................11
Discussion Boards .................................................................................................................12
Adding a Forum ................................................................................................................12
Adding a Thread ................................................................................................................15
Replying to a Thread .........................................................................................................16
Accessing the Grade Center...................................................................................................18
Add a Grade Column .............................................................................................................18
Entering Student Grades ........................................................................................................19
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 2
3. What is Blackboard?
Blackboard is a web based application that enables instructors to easily place course materials
online as well as a communication tool that allows instructors and students to collaborate in new
and exciting ways. Since its debut in 2000, Blackboard has become an indispensable tool for
many faculty and students. All courses automatically have a course instance on Blackboard-
meaning that all instructors need to do to start using it will be to log in!
Blackboard Learn 9.1 has been completely redesigned. This interface should look sleeker, feel
less “clicky,” and be faster and easier to navigate than previous versions. You’ll find that the
functionality is still here; it’s just been retooled, relocated and rearranged. Just remember three
fundamental principles of navigation as you get going:
• Turn on the Edit Mode switch; this will enable many navigation and editing tools
• Look for the “chevron” (double drop-down arrow next to many items) to find options for
this item (and also menus/options that used to be on separate pages)
• Drag and drop the double-headed arrows to rearrange the order of items.
Accessing Blackboard
1. From www.northampton.edu, click on faculty-staff logins on the left-hand side then
under Helpful Links, click on faculty and staff logins and then click on Blackboard.
2. Enter your Username and Password and click the Login button. Your username and
password are the same as your network credentials.
3. Click the link for your course in the My Courses box.
Your course will display similar to the example on the next page. Note that Blackboard
defaults to the Announcements page.
Turn on the Edit Mode switch
The Edit Mode Switch is located in the upper-right corner of every page and must be “On” in
order to access the editing tools. The switch image shows you what state the page is in:
Edit = Off means the page is displaying what the students will see Edit = On means that the
editing tools are visible for the instructor.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 3
4. The Course Screen
Managing the Menu
A standard menu is delivered with your Blackboard course but can be modified to meet your
needs.
1. To add a menu item, click the Plus sign.
2. Select the type of page that you want to add. (For adding content - documents,
Powerpoints, etc. - to your course, click Create Content Area).
3. In the Name field, enter the name of the page.
4. If you want your students to view the page, click the Available to Users checkbox.
5. Click the Submit button.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 4
5. 6. To change the name of a menu item, click the chevron to the right of the menu item and
select Rename Link.
7. Type over the current text.
8. Click the green check mark to save.
9. To delete a menu item, click the chevron to the right of the menu item and select Delete.
10. Click the OK button to confirm the deletion.
11. To change the ordering of the menu items, hover over the arrows to the left of the menu
item that you want to move, and click and drag it to the appropriate location.
Posting an Announcement
Posting an announcement using Blackboard will allow instructors to place a message as the first
thing a student sees upon entering into their Blackboard course.
1. Under the Control Panel, click on the down chevron to the left of Course Tools.
2. Click Announcements.
3. Click the Create Announcement button.
4. In the Subject field, enter a subject for your announcement.
5. In the Message box, enter your announcement message.
6. In the Web Announcement Options section, you can choose whether or not you
want to make this a permanent announcement. If you click the Permanent radio button,
the announcement will always appear on the main page of your course. If you click the
Date Restricted radio button, you will be prompted to If you click the Date
Restricted radio button, you will be prompted to select Display After and Display
Until dates.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 5
6. 7. Students can decide whether they want to receive Announcements via email. If you want
to email all students – including those that have chosen not to receive email
announcements, click the Override User Notification Settings checkbox.
8. You can link your announcement to another area within your course, such as Course
Information or Course Documents. Click Browse and then select the area you wish to
link to the Announcement.
9. Click the Submit button.
Adding a Document/Syllabus
You can load various course documents such as your syllabus, lecture notes, and PowerPoint
presentations in Blackboard.
Before attempting this task, you should already have your document or file saved in a common
electronic file format, such as MS Word, MS PowerPoint, etc. Instructors should eliminate
spaces or non-alpha numeric characters from file names. To prevent problems opening the file,
only underscores should be used to space out file names. For example, "english_comp_101.doc"
is acceptable, but "English Comp-101.doc" is not.
Northampton Community College
My NCC
1. Select the content area on the menu where you want to add a file (ex. “Syllabus”).
2. Hover over Build Content.
3. Click the Item option in the Build Content window.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 6
7. 4. Type a name for the item in the Name field. Note that this is a required entry. Enter a
message if desired in the Text window. Notice that you have various editing features
similar to MS Word. You can also attach files, images, and audio/video content.
5. Scroll down to the Attach File field and click either the Browse My Computer
button or the Browse Course Files button to locate your document. Browse for your
document and double-click the file to upload it to your course. If you want to attach
another file, click one of the buttons again.
6. If you want your students to view this document, select the Yes radio button in the
Permit Users to View this Content field.
7. If you want to track student access to this item, select the Yes radio button in the Track
Number of Views field.
8. If you want to display this item for a set date/time, enter the information in the Display
After and Display Until fields in the Select Date and Time Restrictions area.
9. Click the Submit button.
Creating Folders
Each of the content areas of Blackboard can be organized using folders. Folders allow you to
categorize resources by topic or type to reduce information overload. Displaying more than 5-7
items in a list form pushes the limits of what students can process. Any time you find an area of
Blackboard with more than 7 items, it might be time to break up the list into groups with folders
so that students can more easily understand your organizational methods.
1. Select the content area on the menu in which you want to add folders.
2. Hover over Build Content.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 7
8. Northampton Community College
3. Click the Content Folder option in the Build Content window.
4. Type a name for the folder in the Name field. Note that this is a required entry. Enter a
message if desired in the Text window. Notice that you have various editing features
similar to MS Word. You can also attach files, images, and audio/video content.
5. If you want your students to view this folder, select the Yes radio button in the Permit
Users to View this Content field.
6. If you want to track student access to this folder, select the Yes radio button in the Track
Number of Views field.
7. If you want to display this folder for a set date/time, enter the information in the Display
After and Display Until fields in the Select Date and Time Restrictions area.
8. Click the Submit button.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 8
9. Adding an External Link
Blackboard allows you to provide links to external resources such as Websites that you would
like for your students to reference. External links can be added to the course menu (ex. link to
publisher supplemental materials) or to a course content area.
Adding an external link to the course menu:
1. To add an external link as a menu item, click the Plus sign.
2. Select Create External Link.
3. In the Name field, enter the name of the external link.
4. In the URL field, enter the URL of the web site. (You may want to copy the URL from
the site and paste it into this field.
5. If you want your students to view the page, click the Available to Users checkbox.
6. Click the Submit button.
7. Once you’ve added the external link menu option, you can click the chevron to the right
and make modifications, such as, Set Link to Open in a New Window.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 9
10. Adding an external link to a course content area:
1. Select the content area on the menu in which you want to add folders.
2. Hover over Build Content.
3. Click the URL option.
NCC Test
4. In the Name field, enter the name of the external link.
5. In the URL field, enter the URL of the web site. (You may want to copy the URL from
the site and paste it into this field. Note that this is a required entry. Enter a message if
desired in the Text window. Notice that you have various editing features similar to MS
Word. You can also attach files, images, and audio/video content.
6. If you would like to attach a file to accompany this external link, click either the Browse
My Computer button or the Browse Course Files button to locate your document.
Browse for your document and double-click the file to upload it to your course. If you
want to attach another file, click one of the buttons again.
7. If you want your students to view this document, select the Yes radio button in the
Permit Users to View this Content field.
8. If you would like this link to open in a new window, select the Yes radio button in the
Open in a New Window field.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 10
11. 9. If you want to track student access to this item, select the Yes radio button in the Track
Number of Views field.
10. If you want to display this item for a set date/time, enter the information in the Display
After and Display Until fields in the Select Date and Time Restrictions area.
11. Click the Submit button.
Sending Email
Blackboard gives you the ability to send emails from within your course and automatically
creates an email group from your student roster. You can only send emails in Blackboard; you
cannot read or retrieve emails. You must go to your Outlook account to read any replies.
1. From the Control Panel, click the chevron to the left of Course Tools.
2. Select Send Email.
3. From the Send Email page, select to whom you want to send the email (All Users,
Selective Users, etc).
4. The displayed page is dependent upon your selection, but will be similar to the below
page.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 11
12. 5. In the To field, highlight the name(s) to be sent email. (You can also click the Select All
button).
6. Click the right-arrow to move them over to the Selected window.
7. In the Subject field, enter the subject of your email.
8. In the Message field, enter your email message.
9. Click the Return Receipt checkbox if you want a copy of the email sent to you.
10. Click the Attach a file link if you need to attach a file to the email.
11. Click the Submit button.
Discussion Boards
Adding a Forum
To create a Discussion Board, instructors must create a "forum" or topic that students can write
about.
1. Click on Discussion Board from the course menu.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 12
13. 2. Click Create Forum button.
3. In the Name field, enter a name for the forum (e. g., Introduce Yourself) and add a brief
description paragraph in the text box area.
4. In the Forum Availability field, click the Yes button to make this forum available to
your students.
5. If you want to display this forum for a set date/time, enter the information in the Display
After and Display Until fields in the Enter Date in the Forum Availability field.
6. In the Forum Settings area, select the settings you wish to use for the Discussion
Board as shown below:
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 13
14. Use the table below for more information about the forum settings.
Forum Settings Setting Description
Allow Anonymous Posts You may select this setting if you are conducting a survey
where you do not need to know who the author.
Allow author to Delete Own You may select whether or not the author can remove all of
posts their own posts which include any student replies to his or
− All posts her own posts – or – allow the author to only delete his or
− Only posts with no replies her own posts that do not contain any replies.
Allow author to Edit Own Select this if you want your students to be able to edit their
published posts. own posts.
Allow Post Tagging Select this if you would like to name the post for easier
searching and one-click access to unread postings.
Allow Users to Reply with Select this if you would like users to be able to quote
Quote something that was typed in a previous thread.
Allow File Attachments Select this if you want to allow students to be able to attach
files such as documents, spreadsheets, or presentations.
Allow Members to Create New This must be selected in order for students to respond to
Threads the discussion forum.
Subscribe Select this to allow students to subscribe to a thread.
− Do not allow subscriptions Students will receive email when new postings have been
− Allow members to made to the thread they subscribed to.
subscribe to threads
− Allow members to
subscribe to forum
• Include body of post in
the email
• Include link to post
Forum Settings Setting Description
Allow Members to Rate Posts Select this to allow students to use the 5-star rating
system for the purposes of peer review.
Force Moderation of Posts Select this option if all posts must be reviewed by
another individual before the item is posted and viewable
by the remainder of the class. Normally, the instructor
takes responsibility for approving/rejecting posts unless a
forum moderator has been named on the Manage Forum
Users page.
Grade Select Grade Forum and enter a point value to evaluate
− No grading in Forum participants on performance throughout the forum. You
− Grade Forum: Points can grade at the forum level or the thread level. Select
possible Grade Threads to evaluate participants on performance in
− Grade threads each thread. When the Grade Threads option is used, a
Points Possible option appears each time a thread is
started. Keep in mind that users cannot create new
threads if Grade Threads is selected for the forum.
7. Click the Submit button.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 14
15. 8. Note: If you need to modify the forum, click the chevron to the right of the forum name
and select the appropriate action (Edit, Delete, etc.).
Adding a Thread
Instructors or students can participate in the discussion forum by adding new threads or replying
to existing threads. You must first click on the discussion forum link to add a thread.
1. Click on Discussion Board from the course menu.
2. Click on the link of the discussion forum that you want to respond to. The forum displays
as shown below.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 15
16. Note: The details of this screen are explained later in this document under the “Viewing Threads
in the Discussion Forum” topic.
3. Click the Create Thread button to add a post to the discussion forum.
4. Enter your message in the message area of the screen as shown below. Notice that there
is a spell checker in the visual text box editor as well as many of the same features that
you see in Microsoft Word. You also have the ability to use various math symbols as well
as attach files, images, AVI or Mpeg video content, Quicktime content, audio content,
and Flash/Shockwave content.
5. If you would like to attach a file to accompany this thread, click either the Browse My
Computer button or the Browse Course button to locate your document. Browse for
your document and double-click the file to upload it to your thread. If you want to attach
another file, click one of the buttons again.
6. After completing your entry, you can either save or submit your response. If you are not
ready to post your thread to the discussion forum, click the Save Draft button. This will
save your thread as a draft without submitting your thread to the forum. If you are ready
to post your thread to the forum, click the Submit button.
Note: When you click the Save Draft button, only the author of the thread and the Instructor
will see the thread.
Replying to a Thread
As you review the threads that have been added to the discussion forum, you also have the ability
to reply to those threads.
Click on the thread that you want to reply to. The thread will display as shown in the example
below.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 16
17. 1. Click the Reply button.
2. Enter your reply in the message area of the screen.
3. If you would like to attach a file to accompany this thread, click either the Browse My
Computer button or the Browse Course button to locate your document. Browse for
your document and double-click the file to upload it to your thread. If you want to attach
another file, click one of the buttons again.
4. After completing your entry, you can either save or submit your response. If you are not
ready to post your reply thread to the discussion forum, click the Save Draft button.
This will save your thread as a draft without submitting your thread to the forum. If you
are ready to post your reply thread to the forum, click the Submit button.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 17
18. Note: When you click the Save Draft button, only the author of the thread and the Instructor
will see the thread.
Accessing the Grade Center
1. Click on Control Panel from the course menu.
2. Click Grade Center, then Full Grade Center.
Add a Grade Column
Grade columns can be added manually or through the creation of an assessment, graded
assignment, graded discussion board, etc. In this exercise, you will be provided with the steps to
add a Grade Column manually.
1. Click the Create Column button at the top of the Grade Center.
2. Enter the name of the column in the Column Name field.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 18
19. 3. If you would like another name to display to the student in the Grade Center, enter that a
name in the Grade Center Display Name field.
4. Enter a description of the column in the Description field.
5. Select an option from the drop down menu in the Primary Display field. Choices are:
Score, Text, Percentage, Letter, Complete/Incomplete.
6. If you would like to have a secondary display (ex. Score = 91, Letter = A-), select an
option from the drop down menu in the Secondary Display field.
7. Select a category for this column from the drop down menu in the Category field.
8. Enter the number of points that this grade column is worth in the Points Possible field.
9. To establish a due date for the grade column assessment, select the radio button and click
the Calendar icon to select a date in the Due Date field.
10. Determine each of the following in Section 3 – Options by selecting the Yes or No radio
button:
• Include this Column in the Grade Center Calculations.
• Show this Column to Students.
• Show Statistics (average and median) for this column to Students in My Grades
11. Click the Submit button.
Entering Student Grades
1. Click in the cell next to the student in the appropriate grade column.
2. Type the grade in that cell as shown below.
3. Press Enter to save the grade.
Blackboard 9.1 Quickstart Academic Affairs Page 19
