Training Dates
Register for training.
Blackboard Reminders
- Blackboard works best in Google Chrome or Mozilla Foxfire. DO NOT use Internet Explorer.
- Blackboard uses SSO so you need to use your BCM username and password.
- To change or reset your password, you need to visit https://pwss.bcm.edu or call the BCM Help Desk at (713) 798-8737
Beginning of Semester
- Beginning of the Semester Checklist - NEW
- Customize course availability
- Getting Started Guide
- Getting Started with Adding Content
- How do I Organize My List of Courses by Term?
- How do I Remove an Old Blackboard Course from my List?
- How to Add a User to your Blackboard Course Manually
- How do I Make a Course Available or Unavailable to Students?
- How do I Make a Course Available or Unavailable to Students (Admin Panel Access)?
- Quick Tips in Case of Inclement Weather
- Update your Profile
New to Blackboard
Even if you're new to online instruction, you can create a basic course in a short amount of time. You can start with a week or two of materials and add more later.
We've compiled some tips and basic steps for the novice Blackboard Learn instructors who want to learn how to create content in an online course. We want to help you with the high-level principles and processes involved when you build a course from the ground up.
Course Content
Ready to add content to your course? You create your individual pieces of content in content containers: content areas, learning modules, lesson plans, and folders. In a content container, you create content from menus for content items, tests, assignments, and links to tools.
- Adding Content
- Best Practices for Course Content in Learn
- Create Course Materials
- Content Collection Quick Guide
- Copyright basics for the academic classroom
- How do I embed a Box Video or Document in my course
- How to embed a vBrick video in Blackboard
- Embed Poll Everywhere Activities in Blackboard
- Types of Course Content
- Work with text - Content Editors in Blackboard
Activity Stream
You can see what's new in all your courses and jump directly into course activities from the list! You don't need to dig through the system or miss submissions from students. You see a prioritized list of what's relevant to you.
VoiceThread
VoiceThread is a learning tool for enhancing student engagement and online presence. With VoiceThread, instructors and/or students can create, share, and comment on images, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, videos, audio files, documents, and PDFs, using microphone, webcam, text, phone, and audio-file upload.
Blackboard Ally
Blackboard Ally works seamlessly with Blackboard Learn to gauge the accessibility of your content. Ally provides guidance and tips for lasting improvements to your content accessibility. In addition to providing you with insight to your content accessibility, Ally automatically creates alternative versions of your files. This allows students to choose the type of file they want that best suits their needs. While you're in the process of improving files, students can still access alternative copies.
Blackboard Collaborate
Blackboard Collaborate is a powerful all-in-one platform that offers you an immersive human experience through your computer, tablet, or mobile device anywhere, anytime. A fully interactive web conferencing environment and asynchronous voice authoring capabilities allow for greater engagement so that you're not missing a thing.
You can use a robust tool set that allows you to web conference and connect with one student or your entire class. You and your students can collaborate using audio, video, and recording capabilities.
- Attendance Reporting
- Breakout Groups
- How Students Present Content in a Session
- How To – First Slide in a PPT (1)
- How To – First Slide in a PPT (2)
- Getting Started for Attendees
- Managing Permissions
- Polling
- Quick Start Guide
- Session Recording
- Share Content
- Loading Files to Collaborate
- Web Conferencing Tips
- White Board
Communication and Collaboration
Use Blackboard to interact with your students. Tools like discussion board, journals, wiki, collaborate, and email foster interaction with students, content, and instructors.
Grade Center
The Grade Center in Blackboard is a place for instructors to track student performance. The Grade Center can calculate grades, organize student-submitted assignment documents, record the last time each student accessed the course and include point-and-click rubrics that can be used to facilitate scoring of assignments.
- Assigning Grades
- Deleting a Grade
- Grade center Basic Quick Start Guide
- Grade center Advanced Quick Start Guide
- Grade Center Handout
- Grade Reports and Statistics
- Grading
- How to decrease the row height in the Grade Center
- In line grading quick start guide
- Override Grades
- Rubrics Quick Start Guide
- View Grade Details
Tests and Assignments
You can use tests, assignments and surveys to measure student knowledge, gauge progress, and gather information from students.
Track Student Performance
In the traditional classroom setting, you can determine if students grasp the material through nonverbal cues, facial expressions, participation, and hand raises. In your online course, you can assess student performance with a collection of Blackboard Learn tools.
Users and Groups
All current users (Instructors, Course Builders, TAs, and students) enrolled in a course. Users can be manually enrolled, self-enrolled or batch enrolled into the course.
Students can be placed in groups to allow them to work together on projects and other class assignments. Creating groups in Blackboard gives each group a private workspace where the members can email, exchange files and participate in a group discussion board — activities not visible to students belonging to other groups. Groups can be created one at a time or in sets. Instructors pick which communication options are available to the groups.
- Batch Enrolling Students into a Course - What do you send the Admin?
- Creating Course Groups
- Give Students Access to an Unavailable Course - Customize course availability
- Groups Quick Start Guide
- How to batch enroll Group Membership
- How to self-enroll into a course
- How to Make a User Unavailable for a Course
- Manually add Users (Students, TA, Instructors, Course Builders) to a Course