Heath's Blackboard Blog University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Fall Courses Available on Blackboard beginning 4/26

2010-04-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Fall 2010 courses will be available to instructors on Blackboard ( http://my.unl.edu ) beginning April 26. Instructors unable to find their courses in Blackboard on that date should contact their department to ensure they are listed as the instructor of record. Once Registration and Records has an individual listed as the instructor of record, the course will be available to the instructor in Blackboard. For additional questions, contact the Computer Help Center, 402-472-3970.

Blackboard on NPR

2010-03-30T11:30:00.001-07:00

Check out the NPR story about Blackboard:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124695289

Restricting Blackboard Items with Dates

2010-02-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

When you choose to restrict any item (announcements, tests, items, etc.) by date, please be sure to fill both Display After and Display Until fields. Blackboard produces an error if only one of these fields is filled.

Check out this list of Blackboard 9 Changes and Known Issues List.

Blackboard 9 Online Training Cohort--Sign Up Now

2010-01-29T08:03:00.000-08:00

Do you want to learn how to best use Blackboard 9, and the online environment works for you? You can do that with our new online cohort program. You must be ready to commit 2-3 hours a week for 12 weeks! You will learn all the new tools in Blackboard 9, and the pedagogy behind online teaching. After completing the entire program, you will receive your Blackboard 9 Certification!

This program focuses on online teaching, but anyone who is interested in technology and education will benefit. You will enjoy the added benefit of being a student in an online course.

In order to become BB 9 certified, you must complete all sections, and meet all the requirements of the online cohort program.

Our 3rd Online Cohort starts February 8th, and will end on April 29th (you will have homework over Spring Break, but we promise to be nice!). To enroll, email Stephanie Davis at, sdavis44@hotmail.com by February 5th. First come, first serve. Space is limited to 12 participants, so sign up now!

Blackboard Downtime

2010-01-07T11:49:00.001-08:00

My.UNL/Blackboard will be unavailable this Saturday (January 9th) from 7am until 10am. Your My.UNL team needs to make recommended configuration changes that will improve performance. Thanks for your patience.

Blackboard 9 Update

2010-01-05T13:46:00.001-08:00

After experiencing some technical problems with add-on software, your MY.UNL team has the Blackboard system working well. You can continue to develop your courses and work on your curriculum for the spring semester.

We will continue to look for possible issues to ensure the stability of the system. Please report any issues you may encounter to the UNL Help Center (472-3970 or 1-866-472-3970; or via email helpdesk@unl.edu)

Blackboard 9 Update

2010-01-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

We are experiencing some technical problems after the Blackboard 9 update that we are still working through. Some of the functionality (the My UNL Courses module, Maple TA, Blogs and Wikis, etc.) you are used to seeing in your My.UNL environment is temporarily unavailable. You can access your Spring 2010 courses by clicking on the Courses tab.

Thanks for your patience while we work through these issue.

Blackboard is Back Up!

2010-01-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

Your My.UNL team worked over winter break to update our My.UNL learning management system to Blackboard Learn, version 9. Once you log on to My.UNL.EDU, be sure to look at the "Blackboard 9 Resources" tab for training and resources.

My.UNL Downtime

2009-11-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

MyUNL/Blackboard will be unavailable from 6:00 a.m. on December 27th, until Noon on January 3rd, 2010.

Your My.UNL team will use this time to upgrade our My.UNL system from Blackboard version 8.3 to Blackboard Learn, Version 9.

More information pertaining to students, faculty, and staff can be found at http://itg.unl.edu/MyUNLDowntime/

Once you log on to My.UNL.EDU, you can find more information about Blackboard 9 Training by clicking on the Blackboard 9 Training tab at the top of your My.UNL welcome page.

Diruption of Blackboard Service

2009-11-12T07:34:00.001-08:00

My.UNL was unavailable from 8:20pm - 9:50pm CST on the evening of 11 November. UNL's Blackboard service was unable to respond to legitimate connections because it was flooded by traffic from an off-campus address. We apologize for any inconvenience to you and we are actively investigating the source of the DoS attack.

Spring 2010 Blackboard Courses Available

2009-11-09T12:32:00.001-08:00

Your Spring 2010 courses are now available on http://my.unl.edu. If you are teaching a class that you do not see on Blackboard, please contact your department and have them make sure you are listed as the instructor of record for that course. Once Registration and Records has you listed as the instructor of record, the course will load into your Blackboard account.

None of your students have been enrolled in your Spring courses, we will be loading student data in a few weeks.

Blackboard Upgrade Coming Soon!

2009-10-16T11:57:00.001-07:00

During the winter holiday break, http://my.unl.edu will be upgraded to Blackboard Learn, version 9. This change will bring a more customized learning environment for UNL students, and added functionality for instructors. Information Services offers face-to-face, and online training opportunities. Check them out! Once you log-in to My.UNL, click on the "Blackboard 9 Training" tab at the top of the page.

Blackboard Downtime

2009-10-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

The My.UNL system will be unavailable Saturday October 17th for 2 hours, from 1:00 AM - 3:00 AM CDT, while we apply a license key to the system. We apologize for any inconvenience.

If you have technical questions about this process, please contact the Help Desk at 472-3970 (or if you're outside of Lincoln, toll free at 866-472-3970) or via email at helpdesk@unl.edu.

East Campus Blackboard 9 Preview

2009-09-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

During the winter holiday break, http://my.unl.edu will be upgraded to Blackboard Learn, version 9. This change will bring a more customized learning environment for UNL students, and added functionality for instructors. Come see a preview of the system and gather information about training. Information Services offers face-to-face, and online training opportunities, join us to learn more.

Sept. 18 at Noon in the East Campus Union (Room will be posted)-- feel free to bring your lunch!
Oct. 1 at 9:00 in the East Campus Union (Room will be posted)-- feel free to bring your breakfast!

Thanks to John Markwell for setting up these sessions!

Please let me know if you have any questions, and have a great day!

Heath Tuttle
Online Learning Project Lead
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Rm 118D, 501 Building
501 Stadium Drive
PO Box 880203
Lincoln, NE 68588-0203

402-472-4267
heath@unl.edu

Blackboard 9 Training Coming Soon!

2009-09-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

During the 2009 Holiday break, My.UNL.edu will upgrade to Blackboard Learn™ Version 9. This change will create a more personalized learning environment for UNL students and added functionality for faculty. Classroom training will begin September 21st. Check out http://itg.unl.edu/myunlupdate to get more information on training!

Blackboard Training

2009-05-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out our Blackboard Training at: http://www.itg.unl.edu/workshops/

Summer is a great time to learn new skills for your fall courses!

My.UNL/Blackboard Downtime

2009-04-22T11:39:00.001-07:00

My.UNL/Blackboard will be unavailable from Noon on Saturday, May 16th until noon on Sunday, May 17th. Your My.UNL team will be using this time to perform server maintenance.

2009 Summer Courses Now Available For Instructors

2009-03-31T11:42:00.002-07:00

Your 2009 Summer courses are now available on Blackboard. If you are teaching a summer class that does not show up on your Blackboard account, please contact your department and make sure they have listed you as the instructor of record with Records and Registration.

The Records and Registration data feed controls all instructor assignments in Blackboard; Blackboard does not control instructor assignments. Your department must communicate instructor assignment information to Records and Registration.

Please let us know if you have any questions, and have a great day.

Protect yourself from computer viruses, spyware, scams & spam

2009-03-31T11:42:00.001-07:00

Computer viruses, spyware, and spam not only disrupt your work day with computer and network problems, but can result in identity theft. Check out the "Safe Computing Guidelines" from UNL Information Services at http://is.unl.edu/protectyourself/.

ALERT- UNL Email Phishing Scam!

2009-03-31T11:41:00.000-07:00

An email notice that targets UNL users and asks them to update their UNL email accounts IS A SCAM. Go to UNL's Information Services web site for more information on this, and other phishing scams.

Can't Upload Files Into Blackboard?

2009-03-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

If you are using the Firefox 3 browser, you may experience an error while trying to upload files to Blackboard. You can use a different browser, or try this work-around.

Avoid Special Characters and Unnecessary HTML Code

2009-03-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

Avoid Special Characters and Unnecessary HTML Code
We have found that some special characters will cause problems in your Blackboard course if used in the title of items, discussion boards, forums, threads, posts, announcements, tests, etc. Do not use the following characters in the title/name of any item in your Blackboard course: , " ' % & # <> + * ^ @ =.

If you are copying and pasting text from a web page, or word processing document, into a text box editor in Blackboard, you may inadvertently copy unnecessary HTML code into your text box. This code may cause an error which will cause the information to display incorrectly. After you paste information into a text box, click the HTML <> button and delete all HTML code. Click on the <> button again and use the text box editor tools to format your message.

No Scrollbar in the Blackboard Grade Center?

2009-01-07T06:09:00.001-08:00

If you are using Firefox on a PC, you may notice that there are no scroll bars when you view the new Blackboard Grade Center. This problem is related to the scroll bar settings in Windows XP and Windows Vista. Below are instructions on how to change the scroll bar settings:

Windows XP:
-Go Control Panel
-Click on Display Properties
-Click on the Appearance tab
-Select the Advanced button
-Select the Scroll Bar from the Item drop down list
-Change the setting to 19
-Submit

Windows Vista:
-Go to the Control Panel
-Click on Personalize
-Select the Window Color and Appearance option.
-Click the Open Classic Appearance link
-Click on the Advanced button
-Select the Scroll Bar from the Item drop down list
-Change the setting to 19
-Submit

Blackboard Version 8 Upgrade

2009-01-06T06:42:00.000-08:00

Your My.UNL team upgraded the Blackboard software over the Holiday Closedown. Faculty may notice these changes:

The Gradebook is different. The new Grade Center allows faculty to enter scores more efficiently, freeze names for easier scrolling, and drop lowest/highest scores. Please go to http://training.unl.edu and look in the What's New area for more information and training opportunities.

The Digital Drop Box is gone. The Blackboard Assignment Manager tool is an improvement on the Drop Box. Faculty post assignments, and students upload their completed assignment directly back into Blackboard. Faculty can download student work, provide feedback, and enter their grade in the Grade Center.

To learn more about the Assignment Manager, go to http://itg.unl.edu/myunl/index.shtml, click on the Faculty/TA tab, and look for the Using Assignments tutorial under Blackboard Assessments.

If you have any questions,please contact the Help Desk at 472-3970 (outside of Lincoln, toll free at 866-472-3970), or via email at helpdesk@unl.edu

End of the Year Info

2008-12-19T09:18:00.000-08:00

Data collection and course backups

Instructors, please remember that as soon as students have graduated, their information (including gradebook entries and quiz/survey responses) will be unavailable to you. You will need to download the results of surveys or quiz results that you are using for research before the 27th of December to make sure that you have all of the data for all of your students this semester. It is also a good idea to make a backup of your course for your records before graduated students drop out.

BLACKBOARD DOWNTIME

Your My.UNL team will be upgrading the Blackboard software to version 8 over the Holiday Closedown in December. My.UNL.EDU will be offline from December 27, 2008 through January 3, 2009.

The latest Blackboard release builds on the student engagement tools in earlier releases, and improves the performance of the software. Most noticeably, the Gradebook has been transformed into the Grade Center. Instructors will be able to enter scores more efficiently, select specific display types, freeze names for easier scrolling, and drop lowest/highest scores. The new Grade Center will also allow faculty to print progress reports and access powerful analysis tools. Please go to http://training.unl.edu and look in the What's New area for more information and training opportunities.

Another change in version 8, is the absence of the Digital Drop Box. The Blackboard Assignment Manager tool is an improvement on the Drop Box. Faculty post student assignments, and students upload their completed assignment directly back into Blackboard. There you can download their work, provide feedback, grade the assignment, and post grades to the Grade Center with a few mouse clicks. To learn more about the Assignment Manager, go to http://itg.unl.edu/myunl/index.shtml, click on the Faculty/TA tab, and look for the Using Assignments tutorial under Blackboard Assessments.

If you have any questions,please contact the Help Desk at 472-3970 (outside of Lincoln, toll free at 866-472-3970), or via email at helpdesk@unl.edu

ATTENTION ALL SafeAssign USERS!

2008-10-20T05:51:00.000-07:00

Your My.UNL team updated our SafeAssign software over Fall Break. The new version of SafeAssign will now accept .docx files. With the progress comes two issues that are important:

#1. All faculty who are using SafeAssign, in their classes must use the SafeAssign tool to resynchronize their class. To do this, you will need to go to each course, then click on the Control Panel, then Click on SafeAssign, and then click on the link that says "Synchronize this Course". The synchronization process may take a while.

#2. All SafeAssign users (faculty and students) must set their browsers to accept cookies from the SafeAssign website. If you do not, you will receive an error when trying to use SafeAssign. Instructions for doing this can be found here: SafeAssign Cookies.

If you have any questions, please contact the Computer Help Center at 472-3970 (or, if you're outside of Lincoln, toll free at 866-472-3970) or via email at helpdesk@unl.edu.

SLATE Presentation

2008-10-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Speed up your Blackboard Communication

2008-09-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

Did you know that when you post an announcement to your Blackboard class, you can automatically email the announcement to the entire class roster? Just go to Control Panel> Announcements, then when you add your announcement, click the button to automatically Email the announcement to all course users. Blackboard does all the work for you. This is a great way to email students, and create a record of your communication in your course. If your students do not check their email very often, they will still see the information when they log in to your class.

Safe Assign Unavailable

2008-09-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

Please note that Blackboard SafeAssignTM will be unavailable while undergoing maintenance on Saturday, September 27. This maintenance window is part of an update which will include the following improvements:

* Support for Microsoft Office 2007 (.docx) and OpenOffice (.odt) word processing documents
* Support for use of SafeAssign in Blackboard Community SystemTM Organizations
* Stability enhancements
* Bug fixes

The system is expected to be intermittently unavailable from the morning through evening (EDT) on September 27.

Work around for Firefox 3 and Blackboard Issue

2008-08-25T08:08:00.003-07:00

Thanks to Sydney Brown for finding and testing the work around. It works!

Work around for Firefox 3 and Blackboard Issue

2008-08-25T08:08:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Sydney Brown for finding and testing the work around. It works!

Teaching/Blackboard Resources

2008-08-19T06:47:00.001-07:00

Here is some good information on Blogs and Wikis in Blackboard. Click the links to download PDF start-up files.

Here is some Podcasting Information:

More information on podcasting, pedagogy, you-tube, and instructional design.
http://blog.podagogy.com/

We can learn from Starbucks!
http://podonomics.com/why-starbucks-coffee-conversations-podcast-failed/

The Education Podcast Network (EPN)
http://pedagogy.cwrl.utexas.edu/?q=node/84

Are you having problems adding comments to your Gradebook?

2008-04-01T10:02:00.001-07:00

Clicking Modify Comments from the Modify Grade page results in an error "Attempt must be submitted before adding comments." Comments must be entered from the Item Grade List.

Click on the name/title of the assignment/column. Then click Modify Grade List. From there you can add comments for individual students.

Summer and Fall '08 Courses

2008-02-25T07:46:00.000-08:00

Your Summer and Fall 2008 courses will be available on Blackboard in mid to late March. All course shells are controlled by data that we receive from Records and Registration. Blackboard does not receive this data until registration for these semesters is officially open.

We will be putting out a notice when these courses are available.

Blogs and Wikis

2008-02-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

Check out the new Blog and Wiki tools in Blackboard. Do you want to have your students keep a private, electronic journal that is easy to grade? Or, provide a collaborative work place for your student groups to work on a project? Then check out the Blog and Wiki tools. You can access face-to-face and online training on both tools at http://training.unl.edu.

Try the MyStuff Tab!

2008-01-25T07:16:00.000-08:00

The My.UNL now has important information and modules required by our system. You now have a MyStuff tab that can be used to add modules that you find useful. The MyStuff tab is your place to personalize your Blackboard space.

Blackboard Downtime

2007-12-10T11:52:00.001-08:00

Blackboard will be unavailable starting at 4 p.m. December 28, 2007 and will remain unavailable until Midnight, January 4, 2008. Your My.UNL team will use this time for server maintenance.

Spring 2008 Courses Available

2007-11-27T12:44:00.001-08:00

Spring 2008 courses have been loaded and are now available. If you are teaching a class and do not see it on your My.UNL page, check with your department and make sure they have listed you as the instructor of record with Records and Registration. All access to Blackboard courses is controlled by Records and Registration data.

Description of Blackboard Training Courses

2007-10-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

Instructional Design for Online Courses *
Learn instructional design tips and techniques for teaching online courses. Find out how to use technology to accomplish your course goals.

Introduction to MyUNL Blogs and Wikis*
Learn how to use Learning Objects Journal tool the Team Site tool to encourage student participation. Students can post journals which can be viewed by the instructor or by other students (that is your choice) and the Team Site acts as a Wiki for groups in your course.

MyUNL Blackboard Assessment Tools *
Attendees will learn how to create static and randomized quizzes with various question types. We will also explore the useful survey functionality and see how assessments appear in the gradebook.

**We suggest taking this training class in conjunction with the MyUNL Blackboard Gradebook* training.

MyUNL Blackboard Gradebook *
The Gradebook in Blackboard serves many functions. Learn how to add grades for students to view as well as categorize and set grade scales for letter displays. We'll also see how the gradebook is used to manage uploaded assignments, surveys and graded quizzes. Advanced functions such as exporting and importing grades from Excel spreadsheets will be covered.

**We suggest taking this training class in conjunction with the MyUNL Blackboard Assessment Tools* training.

MyUNL Blackboard Communication Tools *
This workshop will delve into the technical use of discussion board forums as well as explore ways of utilizing them in the class and encouraging student participation.

The Collaboration Tools (formally known as the Virtual Classroom) are tools to interact in real time, not only by text chatting, but also with a shared window for project collaboration or topic exploration. Learn how the tools work as well as ways of controlling large-group discussions.

Teaching with Tablet PC
This course is a discussion of tablet PC functionalities. Find out how these tools can be easily integrated with Blackboard, and into your teaching routine. Let the Tablet PC help improve your teaching and grading. Experienced faculty will share their experiences, and provide helpful hints and tips for using a Tablet PC in your class!