Learn how to use Blackboard features
Navigating Blackboard
Accessing grades
Discussion forum/board |PDF|
Reading and accessing discussion forum items
Assignment feature |PDF|
Email in Blackboard
Chat room
Digital drop box
Navigating Blackboard
UTC Online (Blackboard) has several tabs across the top of the page. These tabs include: Main, Courses, and Organizations. Clicking on any of these tabs will open that area in the browser frame.
From the Main tab, you can access the tools menu, courses, and content that you select from outside resources.
The Courses tab lists courses specific to you and the UTC course catalog. Click on the course name to go to the course web site.
Course web sites contain information that your instructor has posted in content areas. Click on the buttons to the left to see the content and documents available to you. The buttons for each course are set by individual instructors, so they may be different in different courses.
Within each area, you might see items and folders. Clicking on a folder name takes you into deeper and deeper layers within the course content. There is a navigation path listed at the top of the section to allow you to navigate through the material easier.
The Organization tab displays other groups you might participate in virtually.
Tools Menu
On any of the tabbed pages (Main, Courses or Organizations) you can access the Tools menu. The Tools menu is located on the left side of the page. You have the ability to access:
- UTC Home Page
- Blackboard Help for Students
- UTC Lupton Library
- Library Reserves
- View Grades - for more information see Accessing grades
- Send Email - for more information see Email in Blackboard
Accessing grades
Some of your instructors may choose to post your grades through the Blackboard system. There are two ways to check your grades.
Option #1
- Login to Blackboard
- Select a course in the "My Courses" section
- Click on Tools in the menu (Some instructors may locate the Grades feature in a different place. If you cannot find it in the Tool area, contact your instructor).
- Click on My Grades
Option #2
You can also access your grades using the Tools menu located on the left side of the Main Blackboard page. This menu is also available on the Courses and Organizations pages.
- To access your grades using this menu, click on View Grades
- Choose a course
- You should see your grade for the course you chose
Once you are in your gradebook, you may see a button on the right side of an item row that reads "View Comments." By clicking on this button, you can read any comments from your instructor about that item.
Discussion Forums/Boards
Your instructor may ask you to discuss topics on the discussion board page. (NOTE: Your instructor may have called this area something different or may have turn this function off for this class.)
To access the discussion board follow these steps:
- Login to UTC Online and select the course
- Click Discussion Board from the Communication area to access the Discussion Board page.
- If your instructor allows you to, you will be able to add threads to an ongoing discussion forum.
- To access a forum listed on the Discussion Board page click a forum topic link. The Discussion Forum Board will appear.
Discussion Board - For more information about discussion boards - PDF
Reading and accessing discussion forum items
The table below describes the options available and what they allow you to do at the threaded discussion level, once a forum is opened.
On the top menu bar
| To . . . | then do this. . . |
| add a thread | click on +Thread |
| view multiple threads | select the threads click Collect. |
| mark thread as read | select the thread and click Mark Read |
| mark thread as unread | select the thread and click Mark Unread |
On the bottom menu bar
| To . . . | then do this. . . |
| select all threads in the forum | choose Select All from the drop down menu and click Go. |
| unselect all threads selected | choose Unselect All from the drop down menu and click Go. |
| unselect the threads that have been selected and select the threads that have not been selected | choose Invert Selection from the drop down menu and click Go. |
There are two different ways to display the discussion boards.
Tree View - will give you the option to expand all posts in a forum
List View - will only display initial thread in forum
Assignment Feature
Your instructor may choose to have you submit your assignments using an assignment feature in the Blackboard system. (NOTE: Your instructor may have called this area something different or may have turned this function off for this class.)
- Find the page where your instructor has placed the Assignment Upload. Click on the assignment you need to submit.
- You should be on an Upload Assignment page. Add comments and specify the documents you are submitting.
- Click Browse next to File to Attach to browse to your local system to find your files. Select a file to attach. Multiple files may be attached using the Add Another File option.
- Assignments can ONLY be submitted once, so be sure all of your files are included before pressing the submit button.
- Click Submit when the assignments are all uploaded and you are ready to send the documents to your instructor.
- To check to see if your file(s) were submitted, go to your gradebook. There should be an exclamation point for that assignment grade. The exclamation point means that the assignment is waiting to be graded by the instructor.
NOTE: Instructors will not receive any files unless you click SUBMIT.
Your instructor may have attached a document that they want you to download and complete.
- In order to modify a document already saved within Blackboard, you will need to save the document locally first. This means that you will have to open the instructors' document in your word processing software (for example, Microsoft Word) and then save it on your computer. Renaming the file may help you locate it easier.
- Once you have saved it locally, you can work on it and continue saving the document as you make changes. When you are ready to submit it back to your instructor, you will have to browse your computer to find the document. Remember to always keep a locally saved copy of the document as a backup.
How to use the Assignment Feature |PDF|
Email in Blackboard
Blackboard allows you to send email messages to instructors, teaching assistants, groups and other users in your courses. (NOTE: Your instructor may have called this area something different or may have turned this function off for this class.)
There are two ways to send email in Blackboard.
Option #1
- Login to UTC Online
- Select a course in the "My Courses" section
- Click on Communication in the menu
- Click on Send Email
- Click on the option of all users, select users, etc. to send email
- If you've chosen to select users, do so by clicking on their name in the left column and clicking the arrow to move their name into the "Selected" field.
- Enter the subject of the message and type in the message.
- Click on "Attach a File" if you want to send attachments with your message.
- Click the Submit button.
Some instructors may locate the Send Email feature in a different place. If you cannot find it in the Communication area, contact your instructor.
Option #2
You can also access email using the Tools menu located on the left side of the Main Blackboard page. This menu is also available on the Courses and Organizations pages.
- To access email using this menu, click on Send Email
- Choose a course
- Select your email recipient option
- Click on the option of all users, select users, etc. to send email
- If you've chosen to select users, do so by clicking on their name in the left column and clicking the arrow to move their name into the "Selected" field.
- Enter the subject of the message and type in the message.
- Click on "Attach a File" if you want to send attachments with your message.
- Click the Submit button.
Chat Room
Your instructor may ask you to participate in the Collaboration, Chat Room or Virtual Classroom. (NOTE: Your instructor may have called this area something different or may have turned this function off for this class.)
To access these functions, follow the steps listed below.
- Click on the Communication area, then click Collaboration.
- Choose Virtual Classroom or Chat by clicking Join and a window will pop up.
- For the Chat and Virtual Classroom features to work, you MUST allow pop up windows.
The plug-in may be downloaded from the page that appears when a user joins a Collaboration Session, or may be found at http://library.blackboard.com/ref/a157ea6f-5acf-46fb-92c4-0bf85f24f1ac/index.htm
Digital drop box
The Digital Drop Box is an area that allows you to store files and to share those files with your instructor. (NOTE: Your instructor may have called this area something different or may have turned this function off for this class.)
To add a file to the Digital Drop Box:
- Click on the Tools button in your class. Select Digital Drop Box.
- Select Add File on the top navigational bar of the Digital Drop box main menu.
- Enter the title of the file.
- Click Browse to locate a file or enter the exact path.
- Enter any comments related to the file.
- Press the Submit button.
- Click on the Tools button. Select Digital Drop Box.
- Select Send File on the top navigational bar of the Digital Drop box main menu.
- Click the drop-down arrow and select the file to send or upload a new file by clicking on the Browse button and locating the file you want to send.
- Enter the title of the file.
- Enter any comments about the file and press the Submit button.
- This will send the file to the Instructor's Digital Drop Box.
NOTE: Instructors will not receive any files unless you click SUBMIT.
