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How to set up Blackboard VLE (WebCT)
This is a guide for staff to set up their courses in Blackboard (also called VLE, CE6 and WebCT).
Contents:
- The Blackboard homepage
- Different views in Blackboard
- How to add content
- How to add a link
- How to add an event to the calendar
- How to post an announcement
- Further information
The Blackboard homepage
The homepage shows the list of courses you manage, as well as a calendar, to do list and grades etc.
The course list shows your courses, as well as other people who have admin rights to that course. Click on one of the course titles to open it.
Different views in Blackboard
If you are listed as Section Instructor, which you should be if you are teaching the module, Blackboard will open in Build View. There are also tabs for Teach View and Student View.
The Build View is for building and designing your course, e.g. adding course content such as syllabus, lecture notes, assignments, etc.
The Teach View is for the actual teaching of your course, e.g. receiving assignments from students, entering grades, and tracking student progress.
The Student View is a testing ground for the instructor. The view is the same as the student’s.
To create your, course, you need to be in Build View. You can click the links in the left-hand column to edit various parts of the course, e.g. add content, create assessments, add events to the calendar.
Add content
Click 'Course Content' in the left sidebar, which will show a list of folders and files if you already have content in your course.
You can create a folder by clicking 'Create Folder' and entering the name of the new folder, then clicking 'Save'. If you want students to be able to see your folder, ensure that 'Show Item' is checked.
Once you have created a folder, you can click on its name to go into that folder.
It is best to save your files as pdf documents before you upload them to Blackboard.
Add files to the folder by clicking 'Add File', then 'Browse for Files'. This brings up a new window, in which you need to click 'My Computer' on the left. Find the file you want to add and click 'Open'. Blackboard will then add the file to the current Blackboard folder.
You can rename the file by clicking on its title, and delete the file by clicking the small icon to the right of the title and selecting 'Remove Link'.
Choose 'my computer' to browse for your files
Add a link
Links are added in much the same way as files. Click 'Course Content' in the left sidebar, go to the folder you want to add a link to, click the 'Add Content Link' button along the top, then click 'Web Link' from the drop down menu. Select an existing link from the list, or click 'Create Web Link' to create a new one. Enter the title, the web address (URL), add any other information, and press 'Save'.
You can also add a general link by clicking 'Web Links' in the left sidebar, clicking the 'Create Web Link' button along the top, and entering information in the same way as above.
Add an event to the calendar
Click 'Calendar' in the left sidebar, then the 'Add Entry' button, fill in the event information, and click 'Save'.
If you want students to be able to see the event, ensure that you have checked 'Course' and 'Public' above the Save button. If the event is repeated, e.g. a weekly tutorial, click 'More Options' to specify how often the event occurs.
Post an announcement
Click 'Announcements' in the left sidebar, then the 'Create Announcement' button.
(If you can't see the announcement button it might not have been added to the course area. To add annoucements go to 'Manage Course', choose 'Tools', then make sure that there is a tick next to 'Annoucements'.)
Enter the title and message. If you wish the announcement to go to students, you MUST check the 'Students' box. Similarly for teaching assistants you must check the 'Teaching Assistants' box. Otherwise the message will only go to the other course teachers.
Select the dates you wish the announcement to be displayed, then click 'Send'.
Further information
If you need any further help, please check the Blackboard/VLE support area for staff or ask Amanda Fletcher.