1. Can I copy content from my old course site to my current course site?
2. How do I add content to my course site?
3. When adding text, what is the difference between Plain Text, Smart Text, and HTML?
4. How do I turn on my Visual Text Box Editor?
5. Students cannot open files I posted on Blackboard? How can they access them?
6. If you are working with Microsoft Office 2007, please be aware of the following issues.
7. Can I change the button menu in the left sidebar of the course site window?
8. Can I move documents from one area of my course site to another?
9. What is the size limit for course sites?
10. How do I check the quota on my course site?
11. What is the size limit for individual files?
12. Can students notify their instructor when they have reviewed content items?
13. Can I control who sees what material and when they can see it?

Can I copy content from my old course site to my current course site?

Yes, if you have an instructor role in both the old course site and the new course site you can copy the content:

• From the Control Panel of the course whose content you wish to copy (e.g., old course site), click on "Course Copy" under the Course Options section.
• Click on "Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course."
• Click on "Browse" (without typing anything inside the text box)
• A text box appears. Click "Search" and a list of the courses you teach will appear.
• Click the "Select" button next to the name of the course you wish to add.
• Place a check mark next to the content materials you would like to copy over and click "Submit."

Note: When selecting content areas to copy, do not check "Enrollments" as this will copy old user enrollments and data into your new course site.

How do I add content to my course site?

Before posting any content to Blackboard, please note that files posted to Blackboard cannot contain spaces or special characters (e.g. #, &, @, etc.) in the filename. For example, a file named "Paper # 1.doc" will generate an error message in Blackboard.

Think carefully about which content areas you will use and how many of them. We do not recommend using all twelve available buttons (i.e. content areas) since this may overwhelm your students and make it difficult for them to locate material quickly. When a content area is available but empty, students wonder why it has been made available.

To begin, log in to Blackboard. Click on the name of your course in the "My Courses" or "My Courses: Detailed View" box. Click on the Control Panel. You will see a section called "Content Areas." Click on the desired content area (e.g. Course Information, Course Documents, etc.). On the Add menu bar, click on one of these buttons:

• Folder: Note that if you wish to organize your files into folders, that you must create the folders first, then open the folder and click on the Add buttons inside the folder
• Item: Use this to add text or other files (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint) to your page.
• External Link: Use this to add a web link to your page.
• Course Link: Use this to link to another area or document within your current Blackboard course.
• Test: Use this to add a test/quiz.

If you only plan on adding a syllabus and do not want to add folders, click on the Add Item button (this will bring up the Add Item form). Fill in the form by selecting a name from the dropdown menu or create your own in the space provided. Next, enter text into the Text box.

• On a Windows PC if you are using Windows 2000 or above and Internet Explorer as your browser, the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor appears with a menu that looks like that of a Microsoft Word document. You can type your text into it and format it. You can also copy a Word document and paste it right into the text box and it will stay formatted.
• On a Mac or an older Windows PC the WYSIWYG editor will not appear. Any text you type in the text box will be simple unformatted text. Since you cannot tab, it is a good idea to double space to separate paragraphs. You can also copy and paste text from another document, but the formatting will be lost. Choose "Plain Text" for your formatting, unless you wish to add HTML (see "When adding text, what is the difference between Plain Text, Smart Text, and HTML?").

If you would like to post a file such as a Word document or PowerPoint slide, click the Browse button to locate your file. If you do not want the original saved name of the document to appear, you can type the words "Click Here" next to "Name of Link to File." Choose "Create a Link to this File" in the Special Action dropdown menu. Then, click "Submit."

Tips:

• Files posted/uploaded to Blackboard cannot contain special characters (e.g. #, &, @, etc.) or spaces in the filename. For example, a file named "Paper # 1.doc" will generate an error message in Blackboard.
• Make sure uploaded files contain the three-letter extension at the end of the filename (e.g. .doc, .pdf, .xls, .ppt, .gif, .jpg).
• Blackboard supports an array of file types. However, in order for a user to view your uploaded document, he/she must have the required software program or plug-in installed on their computer. For more information, see "Students cannot open files I posted on Blackboard? How can they access them?"

When adding text, what is the difference between Plain Text, Smart Text, and HTML?

Plain Text accepts your text just as you enter it. It does not display any formatting like bold or italics. However, it preserves carriage returns (pressing Enter) and can create links to web pages.

Smart Text is like Plain text, but allows you to use HTML tags to format your text.

HTML renders all HTML tags. Primarily used if you are cutting and pasting HTML from another source.

How do I turn on my Visual Text Box Editor?

• Log in to Blackboard.
• Click on "Personal Information" on the left side of "My Blackboard Desktop."
• Click on the "Set Visual Text Box Editor Options" link.
• Under "Manage Visual Text Box Editor," select "Available."
• Click on "Submit."

Students cannot open files I posted on Blackboard. How can they access them?

• Files posted/uploaded to Blackboard cannot contain spaces or special characters (e.g. #, &, @, etc.) in the filename. For example, a file named "Paper # 1.doc" will generate an error message in Blackboard. Please make sure that your files do not contain any special characters or spaces.
• When you post files on Blackboard, make sure uploaded files contain the appropriate three-letter extension at the end of the filename (e.g. .doc, .pdf, .xls, .ppt, .gif, .jpg). Does the file that cannot be accessed by your students have its appropriate three-letter extension?
• Blackboard supports an array of file types. However, in order for a user to view your uploaded document, he/she must have the required software program or plug-in installed on their computer.

Blackboard allows instructors to post content in an array of file types. In order for students to view a file you have posted, however, they must have the appropriate application or browser plug-in. For example, for students to view a Microsoft Word document on Blackboard, they must have either the Microsoft Word application on their computer or have the Microsoft Word Viewer (free downloadable program).

In posting documents, instructors should give consideration to the ability of students to access the file format. For example, rather than saving a file in Microsoft Word format, you can use the "Save As" command in Word to save it as an .rtf document, a format which can be read by all word processing programs.

Likewise, you may wish to save a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation as a .pdf document (if you have access to Adobe Acrobat), since the freely downloadable Acrobat Reader application for viewing .pdf files is available for many platforms, whereas the PowerPoint viewer (for students who do not have the PowerPoint application) is not.

Also, consider the file size and whether an alternate file format would be more space efficient. For example, a PowerPoint file saved in .pdf format will be significantly smaller than the original PowerPoint, allowing students to download the file more quickly and using less space in your Blackboard course site.

Students can download free applications/plug-ins to access files you post in these formats:

• Adobe Reader for viewing .pdf files (Windows & Mac)
• Apple Quicktime (Windows | Mac)
• Microsoft Media Player (Windows | Mac)
• Microsoft Excel Viewer (Windows)
• Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer (Windows)
• Microsoft Word Viewer (Windows | Mac)
• RealPlayer (Windows & Mac - click on "RealPlayer - Free")

Tip: When you post files on Blackboard, make sure they contain the appropriate three-letter extension at the end of the file name (e.g., .doc, .pdf, .xls, .ppt, .jpg, etc.)

If you are working with Microsoft Office 2007, please be aware of the following issues.

When uploading Microsoft Office 2007 Documents on Bb please make sure that they are compatible with previous versions of MS Office.

When saving MS Office documents, please save them as MS Office 97-2003 files (97-2003 compatible files will have the *.doc, *.xls, *.ppt, etc extensions, whereas MS Office 2007 files have the *.docx, *.xlsx, *pptx, etc extensions). We recommend that you take the steps below in order for your documents to be compatible with computers that do not have MS Office 2007 installed on them. Please make 97-2003 format the default by doing the following:

• Click on the Save button in your document.
• "Save As" window will open.
• Click on Tools (lower left corner) and select "Save Options".
• Next to "Save files in this format:" from the drop-down menu select the option that has the "97-2003" compatibility option (i.e. *.doc, *.xls, *.ppt).
• Click "OK".

Can I change the button menu in the left sidebar of the course site window?

To change the name and/or remove a button from your course site:

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Under "Course Options," click on "Manage Course Menu."
• Click on the Modify button next to the content area you would like to rename.
• Type in a new name and click "Submit."
• To remove a button, select "Remove" next to the name of the button you wish to remove. Click "OK."

To change the color and style of the buttons:

• Click on the Control Panel.
• Under "Course Options," click on "Course Design."
• On the next screen, select "Course Menu Design."
• Select "Buttons" or "Text" for Menu Style shape, and choose style properties.
• Click "Submit."

Can I move documents from one area of my course site to another?

Yes. Instructors are able to copy or move content and place it in another area within the same course or in another course. However, you must have an instructor role in the destination course when content is copied or moved to another course.

• From the Control Panel, go to the content area where the document you wish to copy/move is located.
• Click "Copy" next to the content item and select the destination course from the dropdown "Destination Course" list (the course you are currently in--your "source" course"--will be highlighted).
• Next, click "Browse" to select the folder where the item should be copied/moved.
• Select "Yes" next to "Remove item after copy" if you wish to delete the item from the current course once it is copied, or "No" if you want this item to remain in its original location.
• Click "Submit."

What is the size limit for course sites?

The default quota size for a Blackboard course site is 250 megabytes. Once you have reached the quota, you will receive a warning message. To request an increase in quota please contact the UIS Help Desk or use the Blackboard Help Request Form. A Blackboard administrator will discuss with you your current space usage, future space needs, give tips to reduce file size, and raise the quota as needed.

How do I check the quota on my course site?

From the control panel, select "Quota Usage" under Course Tools.

What is the size limit for individual files?

Blackboard allows instructors to add files of up to 40 megabytes. This limit applies to each individual file. Note that course size limits may also restrict the number of individual files that instructors can upload.

Can students notify their instructor when they have reviewed content items?

Yes. The Review Status tool allows instructors to track student review of specific content items. The instructor must first enable the tool for an item, so each student can track their progress. A Mark Reviewed button appears on the item when the student opens the content area. After reviewing the item, the student selects this button to mark it Reviewed. The instructor may check the status of student reviews either on the User Progress page or in the Performance Dashboard.

To enable Review Status for an item:

• From the control panel, select the content area that includes the item you would like to track.
• Select the Manage button next to the content item.
• Select Review Status, choose "Enable" and click "Submit."

To view the status of student reviews:

• From the control panel, go to the content area that includes the item you have enabled to track.
• Select the Manage button next to the content item.
• Select Adaptive Release and Review Status: User Progress. A check box appears in the Reviewed column next to each student who has marked the item as Reviewed. The time and date of the review also appears.

Instructors can also check the status of reviewed items by checking the Performance Dashboard under "Assessment" in the control panel.

NOTE: If the user changes the status of an individual item from Reviewed to Mark Reviewed, all record of the previous status is erased. The Instructor will not be alerted to the change other than by seeing the new status in the User Progress page or in the Performance Dashboard.

Can I control who sees what material and when they can see it?

Yes. Adaptive Release provides controls to release content to students based on a set of rules provided by the instructor. The rules may be related to availability, date and time, individual users and user groups, scores or attempts on any gradebook item, or review status of another item in the course.

Basic Adaptive Release allows instructors to create one rule for a single piece of content. This single rule may have multiple criteria. For example, the rule may require the student to meet both date criteria and score criteria before the content is available.

To add a Basic Adaptive Release Rule:

• From the control panel, go to a content area and select the content item, assignment, or assessment you wish to restrict.
• Select the Manage button next to the item
• Click on "Adaptive Release"
• Select one or more of the basic rules available and click "Submit."

Select from the following basic rule types:

• Date Rule: The date restriction prevents users from viewing the item except during the designated date/time range.
• Membership Rule: This restriction is based on the membership status of a user to specific group within the course or an individual user designation. Either browse for a particular username of a student in the course OR select one or more course groups.
• Gradebook Item Rule: This restriction is based upon the completion of any item in the gradebook, with the user required to either have attempted the item or earned a score within a specified range.
• Review Status Rule: This restriction rule is based upon whether or not a student has reviewed another piece of content in the course.