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Blackboard comes equipped with many tools that can help academics work proactively when delivering content should face to face options not be available. In addition to Blackboard, ReView allows media-rich content to be created and consumed by students.

This guide will focus on the use of the above as the University moves toward hybrid delivery to ensure the sustainability of learning in the event of disruption to teaching on campus. We recommend you use the tools you are most familiar with to enable a good learning experience.

Blackboard Access

At Teesside, all taught modules have relevant Blackboard modules. In the first instance, it is recommended you are enrolled on the appropriate modules that you are teaching, or may be required to teach at a Course Level.

  1. Check your module enrolments – please remember that even though you are not the module leader, there may be modules that are taught across the course that you may need access to. Your Admin team will be able to assist you with this.
  2. There are minimum requirements to access Blackboard. This guide will let you check your browser will run Blackboard.
  3. You do not need to have a University provided device to access Blackboard, it is accessible on both University and personal devices at https://eat.tees.ac.uk

Information and guidance on how to provide material to External Examiners for modules using the Blackboard VLE (via the Electronic Module Box) can be found here.

Quick Start Guide

The Staff Quick Start Guide to Blackboard is a great place to start for staff who would like an overview or refresher of Blackboard and its features.

Content

Hybrid learning is not about shifting content online but a clearly mapped out and self-explanatory student journey.  Blackboard has a number of features to help you manage content.

  1. Content can be copied from one module to another, and you can copy from different years.
  2. Structuring your materials will streamline online learning. Content can be organised into folders – for example, folders can be used to structure content by subject, by date or by tutor.
  3. Ensure content is as up to date and as accurate as possible. If in doubt, Blackboard allows you to switch to a Student View, ensuring that the content you are delivering is appropriate and accurate.
  4. Content can be date released using adaptive release tools if needed. This allows you to pre-populate content and have it released to students at a later date.
  5. Check your Reading List is up to date. This will allow students to access online content from the library.

Learning Resources

Instructions and clear information is part of supporting students to succeed in a hybrid model of learning. Whether you provide these regular instructions via audio, video or text-based means, the clarity will help students understand what they are doing, at which point in time, how to undertake an activity and why they are doing so.  We have further guidance to help you develop and curate your learning resources including tips for using video as a teaching resource and ways of using bite-size video to help breakdown information into accessible chunks.

It is also essential to develop learning resources that are accessible to all learners.  Creating accessible PowerPoints often involves some simple steps.  The Microsoft accessibility checker inbuilt into PowerPoint will help you further develop presentation resources that everyone can access.

Assessments

Blackboard is well equipped to cope with various modes of assessment. For online submission of work – an essay for example – you have two options: Blackboard Assignments or Turnitin Assignments. If you are not sure which to use, you should check with your Module Leader to find out whether your School requires you to use a certain type of assignment.

Assignments

  1. You can create a Blackboard Assignment so that students can submit work to you electronically, grading can also be done electronically. Should students make a mistake and submit the wrong piece of work, you can clear out their attempt and allow them another try. This guide will explain the steps. Assessments can be made time limited, if appropriate.
  2. An alternative to the standard Blackboard assignment is a Turnitin Assignment. Turnitin allows for annotated feedback plus an originality check to identify possible cases of plagiarism. Feedback can also be produced through Turnitin.
  3. Batch Feedback will let you download student submissions en-masse, speeding up your workflow. You can also use the tool to upload feedback in batch, again speeding up the process. Please Note: Batch Feedback is not compatible with Turnitin Assignments.
  4. Blackboard tests are a great way to provide formative self-assessment options for your students, including the ability to provide automated feedback.
  5. All Assessments in Blackboard are collated in the Grade Centre. It is essential you are familiar with this part of Blackboard – this guide will help you.

Further Blackboard Assessment Resources

Weighted Totals and the Grade Centre – When a module has more than one assignment, weighted totals can be created in the Grade Centre this guide explains how to set this up correctly.
Managing Group Assignments – Blackboard allows you to set up group work, including group submissions. This article will take a quick look at the process.

If students are required to submit large files through Blackboard this can be done via uploading the work onto OneDrive first.  This Student Guide: Uploading large files to OneDrive and submitting a link to Blackboard provides more information on how to do this.

Good Practice: Pedagogy Guide to Quizzes – Blackboard comes with a large range of quizzes that can populate your module. This guide will go through some of the benefits of using quizzes, and discuss some hints and tips to help you get the most out of this aspect of a module.

 

Communication

There are several different approaches to communicating with your students. This can be done both asynchronously (communication that is not time-dependant) and synchronously (communication that occurs in real time), depending on your needs. Through constant communication, you can keep your students motivated and engaged with their studies.  Read more about Synchronous and Asynchronous learning online

Asynchronous

  1. Use regular announcements. This can keep students engaged and motivated with the module.
  2. Use Course Links when creating Announcements to push content location directly to students.
  3. Emails can also be sent out by using the Send Email tool in the Course Tools section of the Control Panel in your module.
  4. Consider setting up discussion boards to provide a space for students to discuss questions and content, both amongst peers and tutors.

We have numerous good practice guides for asynchronous communication through Blackboard :

Good Practice: Blackboard Discussion Boards
Good Practice: Blackboard Blogs
Staff Guide: Using Blogs

Synchronous: Blackboard Collaborate

Blackboard Collaborate is a synchronous online classroom tool that allows staff to share audio & video and facilitate discussion with students. It is recommended staff only use Collaborate to host a synchronous session if they have already done so, are confident in the use of the tool and have used it previously with the target group of learners.

Blackboard have produced a Communication & Adoption Toolkit for staff who have existing experience with Collaborate Ultra which provides the following information:

  • Blackboard Collaborate Video Tour
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Getting Started
  • Communication Checklist

Our support guide on Blackboard Collaborate Ultra covers how to make the tool available in your module and guidance on running a session.

Lecture Capture/Screen Recording

ReView is Teesside University’s lecture capture solution and a tool you should consider utilising through the transition to hybrid learning. It gives students access to lecture recordings and other video content that they can access in their own time.

We encourage you to use ReView to transform content that would normally be delivered face-to-face to share subject knowledge. It can be used for ‘personal capture’, such as module introduction video, monologues, walk throughs, short ‘did you know’ videos or quick responses to student questions. This can help to imitate the on-campus experience that a student would normally have.

Benefits of ReView:

  1. Video content sits inside your module, and students can access the content using any device. The student simply needs to press play and the video will automatically stream based on the device the student is using. They don’t need specific software, and they don’t need to download the video before playing.
  2. If recording using a PowerPoint presentation, ReView will keep the slide integrity, allowing students to dip in and out of video material, allowing them to maximise their time.

Guidance on using ReView

There are guides on getting started with ReView and using ReView to record your lectures to help you begin to use ReView. If you are using your own device you will need to install the Panopto recorder first.  You can also create ReView/Panopto recordings using a mobile device such as an iPad.  If you are using an iPad you may also find the guidance on narrating over a PowerPoint presentation on the iPad useful.

Once a recording has been created it can optionally be edited and then embedded in a Blackboard module. You can also copy ReView videos to other modules in Blackboard to reuse the content.

Further Support 

For support with Blackboard and ReView contact: elearning@tees.ac.uk