Blackboard University

About BbU

This series of self-paced tutorial courses offered within Blackboard itself is designed to help instructors use Blackboard effectively as an educational tool. The courses cover both technical and pedogogical topics and include numerous hands-on and interactive activities designed to provide an opportunity for practice-based learning. These courses take longer to complete than our Getting Started with Blackboard Basics step-by-step tutorial, but they are designed to provide a more thorough understanding of Blackboard and online learning in general.

Course Registration

All BbU courses are available for self-enrollment. To take full advantage of the hands-on portions of the training, however, participants will need a development course and a specialized practice shell. Follow the steps below to start exploring the BbU courses today!

Step 1: Request your development course and practice course.

• Fill out and submit the Blackboard Service Request form, selecting "Request development course and practice course for BbU" from the Request Type menu.
• Note: You only need ONE (1) of each course regardless of how many BbU courses you decide to take. All hands-on activities from all classes may be completed using the same development and practice courses.
• Once the request has been processed, the two new courses will appear under "Courses you are teaching" when you log into Blackboard. This may take a couple days, but you can get started on the BbU courses while you wait!

Step 2: Self-Enroll in the BbU courses.

• Log into Blackboard using your link blue login ID and password.
• With the default myBb tab selected, click on the 'Courses' sub-tab at the top left of the window.
• Within the 'Course Catalog' module, select '.Learning Systems Support' at the top of the list.
• Click once on drop-down menu (double down arrows) for any of the training courses listed and select Enroll.
• When you return to the myBb home page, the BbU courses will appear under "Courses in which you are enrolled." Enjoy!

Course Topics

BbU courses are arranged topically and numbered according to level of complexity, although the courses can be taken in any order. The following courses are currently available for self-registration:

BbU 101: Getting Started with Blackboard Learn
A hands-on introduction to the teaching and learning features of Blackboard Learn.

• The Student Experience
• Teaching in Blackboard Learn
• The Instructor Experience
• Sharing Materials
• First Day Tasks

BbU 201: Building Courses
Introduces the principles and processes involved in building a course from the ground up.

• Planning Your Course
• Course Building Basics
• Using Course Files
• Presenting Your Content
• Evaluating Your Course

BbU 202: Assessing Learners
Introduces features and functions of the tools used to deliver assignments and assess students.

• Creating Assignments
• Managing Assignments
• Creating Assessments
• Deploying Assessments
• Grading Assessments
• Advanced Questions
• Question Pools and Sets

BbU 301: Building Online Communities
Explores some of the communication and collaboration tools Blackboard Learn has to offer.

• Online Communities Overview
• Making the Most of Discussions
• Journals and Blogs
• Working with Wikis
• Collaborating with Groups
• Evaluating Students

BbU 302: Designing Engaging Content
Teaches strategies for effectively designing and organizing content to increase student engagement within courses.

• Plans and Possibilities
• Prepare Your Content
• Create Your Lesson
• Customize Content Delivery

BbU 401: Monitoring Student Performance
Offers in-depth knowledge of the tools and features that help monitor and evaluate student performance.

• Before the Course Begins
  • Preparing for Success
  • Reviewing Settings
• Setting Up the Grade Center Grade
  • Center Basics
  • Grading Periods (optional)
  • Creating Columns
• As the Term Progresses
  • Early Warning System
  • Working with Grades
  • Troubleshooting Student Performance

BbU 402: Enhancing Communication
Teaches the effective use of select Blackboard Learn communication tools to increase student engagement within courses.

• Overview
• Creating Discussions
• Working with Discussions
• Encouraging Collaboration
• Using Chat