Setting Up Your Blackboard Course

Request a Blackboard Course

Instructors: Request a Blackboard course.

Establish Content Areas:

Control Panel > Content Areas

– Default settings for each Content Area include:
– Course Information
– Course Documents
– Assignments
– External Links


These labels correspond to your Course Menu.

Manage Course Menu:

Control Panel > Content Options > Manage Course Menu

To Add, Modify, and Remove Content Areas, click "Manage Course Menu" in the Control Panel.

Add, Modify, or Remove Content Areas:

Add a New Content Area:

• Select an area name from the drop-down menu, or enter a name of your own, such as "Readings", "Greek Myths", etc.
• Determine "Guest Access" and area "Availability".
• Once created, this new content area will appear in the "Content Areas" section of the Control Panel.


Modify a Content Area:

• Select "Modify" next to the content name.
• Change the name of the area.
• Determine "Guest Access" and area "Availability".


Remove Content Area:

• Select "Remove" next to the content area title.
• Select "Okay".

Add a Course Tool:

Select tool from the drop-down menu:
(ie., Dropbox, Email, Glossary, Manual, Roster, Tools Area, etc.)

• Enter a name for this area.
• Determine "Guest Access" and area "Availability".


Add a Course Link:
Link to a specific area of your Blackboard course, such as to the Discussion Boards area within Communication.

• Enter the name of the content area
• Click "Browse" to select the area to which you are creating a link
• Determine "Guest Access" and area "Availability".


Add an External Link:
Link to a specific Web site outside of Blackboard.

• Enter the content area name
• Enter the full URL in the "Target" window.
• Determine if link should launch in a new window
• Determine "Guest Access" and area "Availability".


Select the order of the Content Areas:
Select from the numbered drop-down menus next to the content area titles.

Manage Course Tools:

Control Panel > Course Options > Manage Tools

• Disable any features that you know you won't use.
  
• Enable tools at any time.


Enable Blackboard Tools:
(e.g. Announcements, Dropbox, Email, Communications Area, Gradebook)  

• Select/deselect the checkbox next to the tool to enable/disable it.
• Determine if you will allow guest access to that tool.


Enable Extension Tools:
As OTE adds external tools to Blackboard, they may appear in this area.

Enable Content Tools:
(e.g. Item, Test, Assignment, Survey, External Link)

• These appear in the "Edit View" of a Content Area.
• Select/deselect the checkbox next to the tool to enable/disable it.

Determine Course Settings:

Control Panel > Content Options > Settings



• Click "Settings"
• Click on the Setting you want to adjust:


Course Availability:
There is one option in this area, to either make the course available to the students or not. Once your course is set up to your satisfaction, go into this area, select "Yes" and click "Submit" in order to make it viewable by the students.

Guest Access:
Where you determine if you want guests to have access to the site or not.

Set Course Entry Point:
To determine the first page students will view upon entering the course site. Select the course area from the pull down menu and select "submit".

Course Design:
You can add a graphic banner for the course and determine design styles and colors for the course area buttons.



Select the navigation style you prefer (either buttons or text).

• If you choose"Text" you can then pick a background color and highlight color for navigation by clicking on the color palette.
• If you choose "Buttons" you can then determine if your buttons are solid, pattern or striped; if you prefer rounded corners, rounded ends or rectangular buttons; as well as the button style from the menu.

Depending on what button type you chose, you will have different options available in the "Button Style" menu. In addition, you can select "Gallery of Buttons" to see graphic representations of all the button styles at once. Whatever type, shape and style you chose, will alter the button shown on the screen.

You can create a course banner image to display on your course Announcements page. NOTE: Banner images should be prepared at 72 dpi resolution and as a .gif or .jpg file format.

Instructors: For assistance with using Blackboard, contact bb-help@andrew.cmu.edu