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Blackboard Ultra: How To Batch Edit Student Visibility

Access Batch Edit

On the Course Content page, open the three dot menu on the right side above the content list. Select Batch Edit.

Screenshot Image of accessing Batch Edit.

Edit visibility

You can use Batch Edit to make items hidden or visible to students. Select Edit visibility. Choose to make items hidden or visible to students. Previous visibility settings for the items are overwritten. Date and time release conditions are removed for all selected items.

Screenshot image of accessing Edit Visibility feature.
Screenshot image of Edit Visibility Settings pop up window. Save Visibility button in bottom right corner.

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

Blackboard Ultra: How to Batch Edit Due Dates

Where to find Batch Edit

On the Course Content page, open the three dot menu on the right side above the content list. Select Batch Edit.

Screenshot photo of how access Batch edit settings.

On the Batch Edit page, all content appears just as it does on the Course Content page. You can sort the list by item title, due date, show on, hide after, or visibility. When organizing items by date, the order of items in a learning module may change and differ from the actual order on the course content page. Remember this when making date adjustments for Learning Modules with forced sequencing selected.

Screenshot photo of Batch Edit menu items highlighting the menu on top and buttons on bottom right

On the Batch Edit page, select the check box next to the items you want to update. You can choose individual content items, folders, and learning modules. To select all items at once, select the check box in the header at the top. You can select a maximum of 100 items at once.

Screenshot photo of Batch Edit Page showing how to select an entire folder

Selecting a folder or learning module also selects all items within them. To adjust what items are selected, select the arrow to the right of the folder or learning module’s name to expand their content.

Screenshot photo of Learning modules expanded within the Batch Editing screen.

Editing date options

You can use Batch Edit to adjust due dates on items. Only items with dates will be adjusted. Select Edit dates at the bottom of the page.

You have four options for editing dates:

  • Change dates by number of days
  • Change dates based on course start
  • Change to specific date and/or time
  • Change individual item date
Screenshot photo of Edit Dates pop up screen

Select Edit Dates to confirm that you want to edit the dates for the items, or Cancel to return to the page.

Change dates by number of days

Enter a number in the Shift dates forward or Shift dates backward fields. All dates for the items selected will be adjusted forward or backward based on the field and number you choose.

For example: A snowstorm at the start of the semester pushes the academic calendar by a few days. You can use Batch Edit to add 4 days to all due dates.

Change dates based on course start

This option adjusts all the assignment dates based upon when the course started. All dates are moved forward by the number of days between the original start date and the new start date you selected. If you upload a previously created course into a new one, you can adjust all the dates in the new course to match the same cadence that the previously created course had.

For example: You reuse content from the previous semester when your course’s start date was August 19, 2019. Your course’s new start date is January 6, 2020. All dates for the selected items are adjusted forward 140 days.

Change to specific date and/or time

You can choose to change the specific time of day for a submission. 

For example: You’ve set the due date time to 8:00 PM and you’ve decided that you want to give students more time. You can use Batch Edit to change all the due date times to 11:59 PM. 

Change individual item date

If you want to change only one item’s date in Batch Edit, select the calendar icon beside the item. You can now adjust the due date. You can also delete the item’s due date by selecting the trash icon beside the due date. 

Photo of changing an individual item in Batch edit.

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

Blackboard Ultra: How To Create An Assignment

How to create an Assignment

From the Course Content page, select the plus sign wherever you want to add an assignment. In the menu, select Create to open the Create Item panel and select Assignment. When you create an assignment, a gradebook item is created automatically.

Screenshot image of Create an Assignment


New Assignment page will open

Screenshot image of Assignment Instructions  and settings page

Enter a descriptive title so students can easily find the assignment among your course content. On the Course Content page, the title appears as the link students select to view the materials. If you don’t add a title, “New Assignment” and the date appear in the content list. If you don’t add content, the assignment won’t appear on the Course Content page.

Add Assignment instructions, content, and adjust settings

Under Instructions, enter the instructions and content for the assignment. 

You can drag and drop files from your local device or use the Insert content button to access a menu for course content types.

Due date and other settings can be adjusted on the right side of the page.


How To Create An Assignment Video

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SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is an internet-based survey development platform that provides users with the tools to create, distribute, and analyze surveys, polls, and forms with ease. This platform is commonly utilized for collecting feedback, conducting research, and gathering opinions on a wide range of subjects.

Please note that SurveyMonkey is not officially supported by ACC. However, if you need guidance on how to use it, you can find detailed instructions at the following link: https://help.surveymonkey.com/en/

If you’re looking for an ACC-supported alternative, we recommend using Google Forms, which you can access through your ACC Google account.

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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.

Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation: Messages

 

Messages are not new, but Ultra Base Navigation provides a more efficient way to manage messages across all your courses if you use them. Users access their global Messages pages from the list where their names appear first—the base navigation. Messages are organized by course.

Image of messages in Blackboard Ultra Navigation

Everyone can use messages for reminders, quick questions, and social interactions.  Although similar to email, you must be logged into a course to read and send course messages. However, if you prefer the email tool rather than messages, you may continue to access the Send Email tool from within courses.

To learn more visit Messages in Ultra Base Navigation.

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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.

How to create a new community on Packback

Ready to create a community Packback? There are two easy methods for creating a new course discussion community on Packback; either creating a community manually or using LTI to automatically generate a community for a course.

To learn more, go to the Instructor Guide.

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Best Practices for Using Packback

This guide outlines instructor “best practices” for using Packback to save time and achieve great student outcomes.

To learn more, go to the Instructor Guide for Packback.

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Instructor Features Guide

This guide provides mini “How To” tutorials for working with each of the key Instructor features on the platform.

To learn more, go to the Features Guide.

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About Packback

 

Packback Questions is an online discussion platform geared towards awakening and fueling relentless curiosity in every student! Packback is an AI-supported online discussion platform designed to improve student curiosity, communication skills, and critical thinking. We have created an academic space where students are free to explore the content you learn in class in a way that spans outside the boundaries of textbooks, lecture halls, and online sources.

Instead of just focusing on memorizing facts, Packback places students in the driver’s seat, prompting them to ask questions, engage with their classmates, and take their fearless curiosity to new heights.

To learn more, continue with About Packback.

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Blackboard Ultra Navigation: Activity Stream

Blackboard Learn Ultra Base Navigation includes a new Activity Stream which displays all the action in all your courses. Regardless of your role in the course, the Activity Stream allows you to see what’s due and what needs your attention in your courses. Items are sorted into ImportantUpcomingToday, and Recent categories.

Blackboard Activity Stream photo

You can jump directly into course activities from the list! Ultra Base Navigation automatically populates the stream with information from all courses in which you are enrolled. You can also customize which notifications you wish to receive in the Activity Stream and by email.

To learn more visit Activity Stream in Blackboard Ultra.

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

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