1. Make your course “available”
Your courses
and student enrollment are automatically created and populated from Access.SMU.
Change the course
setting to “available” when you are ready for the course content to be visible.
(Courses are initially set to “unavailable” by default – which means that
your students will not be able to view or access the course until you make
the course “available.”)
To make your
course available click Customizations > Properties, then set the availability to
Yes.
Tip: You
can also change the course title in this area.
2. Tell your students how you
expect them to use your Blackboard site.
Faculty use Blackboard in different ways,
so it is a good idea to set your students’ expectations on how your course
will utilize Blackboard at the first class meeting.
3. Copy content that you want
to reuse from a previous term into your new course.
With the integration
of Blackboard and Access.SMU, course shells for all courses and sections
for the current term are automatically created and populated. If you plan
to reuse materials from a previous term’s course, Academic Computing strongly
advises you to move your current course materials into the new course shells.
Copying Course
Materials via the Course Copy Tool:
Go to the previous
term’s course that contains your course materials. Control Panel > Packages & Utilities > Course
Copy See detailed instructions in the Bb Help course under
Frequently Ask Questions.
4. Combine multiple sections’ enrollment into
one section
Blackboard has a new tool that allows
faculty to combine sections into one. Academic
Computing will combine your sections for you if you request this via a help
ticket. This tool continues to work as students add or drop.
5. Set up your grade center
Once you have your grade center complete,
show the My Grades tool by clicking the arrow icon next to the link and selecting
“Show Link.”
If you choose to set it up later be sure
the My Grades tool isn’t visible until you’re ready for it to be.
Note: Instructors
may also select other features to use in Blackboard (announcements, discussion
boards, etc.) by clicking the arrow icon next to the link and selecting either
“Show Link” or “Hide Link.” The feature will be invisible until you select
“Show Link.”
6. Do an initial back-up after
your course is set up
As is the case with all digital technology,
a back-up copy of your course can prevent hours of rework in case something
unexpected happens.
To back-up your course, go to the Control
Panel, choose Packages and Utilities > Export/Archive Course.
You’re also welcome
to contact the IT Help Desk for support. help@smu.edu or 214 768-4357