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Author: ccoburn

Blackboard Ultra Navigation: Tools

In the Ultra experience, most tools appear in these areas:

  • Tools page in the base navigation
  • Inside a course

In the list where your name appears, select Tools to access the global functions that are outside a course.

Users only see the tools they have access to.

To learn more visit Tools in Blackboard Ultra.

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This article was created and is maintained by the Office of Academic Technology.

If you have found an error in this article or if you need assistance incorporating this article in your course, please contact Educational Technology Support.

Blackboard Ultra Navigation: Calendar

The global calendar displays events and dates from multiple courses in one location. All due dates created for a Blackboard course that you are teaching or enrolled in appear automatically on the calendar.  You may view your schedule for a day or a month as a whole. 

Base Navigation Calendar view

You can add events, course schedules, and office hours from the global calendar. Add personal appointments to keep yourself organized, or associated events with particular courses.

Any events you create from the global calendar filter down to your course when you have a course-specific calendar enabled. When you create an assignment and add a due date, it is automatically added to the course calendar. 

To learn more go to Calendar in Blackboard Ultra.

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This article was created and is maintained by the Office of Academic Technology.

If you have a question about this article or would like assistance incorporating it in your course, please contact Educational Technology Support.

Blackboard Ultra Navigation: Profile

In the Ultra experience, all users have a profile page that appears in the base navigation.  Users can customize the profile by adding profile pictures, sharing basic information about themselves including name pronunciation, nicknames, and pronouns, and access the Global Notification Settings. 

Instructor profile pictures appear on course content pages, rosters, and in discussions, conversations, and messages next to their activity. Student profile pictures appear in rosters, the gradebook, and next to their activity also.

In the list where your name appears, select your name to access your profile. Your profile appears with some information, and you can’t delete your profile.

Base Navigation Profile settings

To learn more, visit Blackboard Ultra Profile.

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This article was created and is maintained by the Office of Academic Technology.

If you have found an error in this article or if you need assistance incorporating this article in your course, please contact Educational Technology Support.

 

Edit a Video in Panopto

1. Open the Video

In your video library, hover over the video you want to edit and click the Edit button

Edit button

2. Change the Title

You can change the title of your video by clicking on the title bar and updating the text. Click Enter when you’re finished. ( add the red squares here) 

Title highlighted

3. Timeline

The timeline is at the bottom of the editor.

Timeline

Note: When you play the video, you will see the red vertical bar move along the timeline 

Timeline Selection

4. Trim the Video

To trim a video, you will select the cut tool.

Trim button

When you select the cut tool, you will see a dark gray line appear at the beginning and end of the timeline.

Trim Selection

Play your video from the beginning and pause it right before you’d like it to start. Select the cut tool and click and drag the gray line to trim out the section of the video. Note: The gray line will snap into position with the red one, this will allow you to be more precise with your cuts.

Trim Selecction

Play your video from the beginning and pause it right before you’d like it to start. Select the cut tool and click and drag the gray line to trim out the section of the video. Note: The gray line will snap into position with the red one, this will allow you to be more precise with your cuts.

Trim Selection

You perform the same steps to cut out the end of the video, and you can click and drag in the middle of the timeline to trim those sections as well.

Cut sections will always appear in the timeline but will not playback in the Panopto viewer once you publish your changes. That is because Panopto’s editor is non-destructive, and we always want to make sure you are able to re-add those sections back into your video at any time if necessary.

Click Apply when you are done making your changes.

Apply Button

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This article was created and is maintained by the Office of Academic Technology.

If you have found an error in this article or if you need assistance incorporating this article in your course, please contact Educational Technology Support.

Quickly Course Tools – Set Course Availability

How to Set Course Availability using Qwickly Course Tools

Notify all students of important information including assignments, class cancellations, or schedule updates.

  1. From your Blackboard Ultra Navigation page, click Tools from the menu pane and select Qwickly Course Tools.

Blackboard Ultra Navigation Tools page

 

2. Select Course Availability from the Course Tools list.

Course Selection

3. Click the toggles to make courses available (A) or unavailable to students (B).

Course Availability

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This article was created and is maintained by the Office of Academic Technology.

If you need assistance incorporating this article in your course, please contact an Educational Technologist.

Qwickly Course Tools – Create An Assignment

How to Create an Assignment in Qwickly Course Tools

With Qwickly Course Tools, Instructors can deploy the same assignment across multiple courses with ease.

  1. From your Blackboard Ultra Navigation page, click Tools from the menu pane and select Qwickly Course Tools.
    Blackboard Ultra Navigation Tools page
  2. Select Create Assignment from the Course Tools list. Course Tools list - Create Assignment
  3. (A) Select the course(s) you’d like to create an assignment in the left-hand course list. (B) Add a title and corresponding information. (C) Click the checkbox for Select Content Area or Select per Course, and then select the drop-down arrow to view the menu options and choose where you would like the assignment to display. Once completed, click Submit.Create Assignment Setting page
  4. Now, to ensure your assignment(s) deployed correctly, go to one of your courses and look in the selected Content Area to confirm the assignment(s) deployed.  Also, check the grade book for an associated column to that assignment.

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This article was created and is maintained by the Office of Academic Technology.

If you need assistance incorporating this article in your course, please contact an Educational Technologist.

 

Mirror Your iPad To Your PC And Use It As A Whiteboard

Items needed:

  • PC
  • iPad
  • LetsView app. Please install this application on your PC before starting these instructions.
    It is available for free download here: https://letsview.com/windows.
  • EasyTeach app. Please install this application on your iPad by visiting the App Store. It is free for download. The picture below shows what the app will look like in the Apple App Store:Image of EasyTeach Whiteboard application logo as it appears in Apple application menu
  1. On your PC, open LetsView App by clicking the following icon:Image of the LetsView application icon to click on to open application
  2. Make sure “Phone Screen Mirroring” is selected. In the picture below, the option is highlighted with a red rectangle.Image of Phone Screen Mirroring tab to choose for LetsView application to work on iPad

 

  1. Now go to your iPad.
  2. Swipe down from the top right corner. The yellow arrow shows the direction you should be swiping.Image of iPad main screen showing to wipe right to left and simutaneusly up to down to bring up settings option including screen mirroring
  3. You should now see some options including “Screen Mirroring” (highlighted with a yellow rectangle in picture). Select “Screen Mirroring”.
    Image of iPad settings options including screen mirroring button
  1. You will now see the following screen which shows the option to select “LetsView”. Select that option.
    Image of LetsView application showing within Screen mirroring setting
  1. You will now see the following screen. Notice that there is a white check mark indicating that “Screen Mirroring” is currently working.
    Image of LetsView application showing within Screen mirroring setting-in on position
  1. Tap twice anywhere outside the “Screen Mirroring” box to get your iPad back to the home screen.
    Image of iPad screen with words telling you to tap twice anywhere to go back to main iPad screen to leave screen mirroring menu
  1. Locate the EasyTeach app on your iPad and press on it to open. In the picture below the EasyTeach app has a yellow arrow pointing to it:
    Image of EasyTeach application icon on iPad main menu
  1. The EasyTeach app is open. You will see a white screen with some options on the top.
    Image of EasyTeach whiteboard application open blank page
  1. Go to your PC. You should now see the same EasyTeach whiteboard screen from your iPad on your computer via the LetsView app. What you write on your iPad will be displayed on your iPad as well as your PC.
    Image of your PC showing the same EasyTeach whiteboard screen from your iPad on your computer

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This article was created and is maintained by the Office of Academic Technology.

If you have found an error in this article, or if you need assistance incorporating this article into your course, please contact the ​Educational Technologist.

Adding VoiceThread to Your Course

VoiceThread is a collaborative Web 2.0 tool allowing users; both the instructor and the students, to post photos, share documents/images, videos, record audio and add multiple interactive elements to a Blackboard course.  All these elements can be changed and modified to the instructor’s preference.

Enable Tool Availability

To add VoiceThread to your Blackboard course you first will need the tool inside your course. In the Course Management section, go to Customization, then select Tool Availability.

Screenshot displaying arrows pointing to "Customization" and "Tool Availabilty" options.

Scroll down to VoiceThread and make sure it is checked.VoiceThread tool option and check box to enable in course.

Next, add your VoiceThread to an existing content area or create one if an appropriate area is not already available.

Add Content Area
  1. Make sure Edit Mode is toggled to ON.
  2. Click the Add Menu Item icon.
  3. Select Content Area.

Blackboard course main page, with arrows pointing to Edit Mode toggle, Add Menu Item icon, and Content Area

Name the Content Area VoiceThread or whatever is relevant to your course content.  Make sure to check Available to Users, then click Submit.Add Content Area Naming Field and Available to Users check box.

Now the VoiceThread Content Area appears in the navigation pane.VoiceThread Content Area in Navigation Pane

The Content Area will refresh, with the VoiceThread link added below.

VoiceThread Content Area with new link created within.

Further instructions on Adding an Assignment in VoiceThread can be found here.

For more information visit the VoiceThread for Instructors page.

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This article was created and is maintained by the Office of Academic Technology.

If you need assistance incorporating this article in your course, please contact an Educational Technologist.

Deploying Tests/Surveys in a Blackboard Content Area

After you create a Blackboard test or survey, the next step is to deploy it.

For additional information, view the Create Tests and Surveys Add a test or survey to a content area article.

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This article was created and is maintained by the Office of Academic Technology.

If you have found an error in this article, or if you need assistance incorporating this article into your course, please contact the Faculty Instructional Support Specialist.