Mastering Blackboard Learn at UMass Amherst: A Comprehensive Guide

This article provides a comprehensive guide to navigating Blackboard Learn at UMass Amherst, focusing on resources and strategies for online students in the College of Education and beyond. It covers essential aspects such as setting up accounts, registering for classes, accessing learning materials, and utilizing available support systems.

Introduction to Online Learning at UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst offers a variety of online programs through the College of Education and University Without Walls (UWW). This guide is designed to help students in fully online programs and classes navigate the digital landscape and maximize their learning experience. Additional information about the college and the university can be found on the College Quick Reference page.

Essential UMass Amherst Resources

Emergency Support

For urgent issues related to a student’s well-being, including potential loss of life or bodily injury, contact local emergency services (911, hospital, or appropriate hotline). The Center for Counseling and Psychological Health at UMass Amherst also maintains a 24/7 crisis line.

General Reference Pages

College Quick Reference Guide
Directory of Offices in the College of Education
Resources for Current Graduate Students
Academic Calendar (Provost Office)
People at UMass Amherst (IT’s Peoplefinder)
Graduate School Handbook
Who To Contact

Specific Program Contacts

Digital Media Design & Making online certificate program: digitalmedia [at] umass [dot] edu. Find more information on the Digital Media Design and Making Program Page.
Early Grade Reading in Developing Countries online certificate program: egrcert [at] umass [dot] edu. Additional details are available on the Early Grade Reading online program page.
Higher Education online M.Ed. and certificate programs: info-leadership [at] umass [dot] edu. Learn more on the Higher Education program page.
International Education online M.Ed. program: internationaled [at] umass [dot] edu. Visit the International Education online program page for details.
Program Evaluation: rebecca [dot] woodland [at] educ [dot] umass [dot] edu. More information is available on the Program Evaluation Graduate Certificate page.
Social Justice Education online certificate program: SocialJusticeCert [at] umass [dot] edu. Details can be found on the Social Justice online program page.
General academic questions within the college Graduate Programs: gpd [at] educ [dot] umass [dot] edu.
Other academic issues: education [at] umass [dot] edu (Academic Affairs Office)
General questions about online programs offered through University Without Walls (UWW): info [at] uww [dot] umass [dot] edu or 413-545-0133. Also, consult UWW's Contact Us page.
Registering and enrolling in classes: regoff [at] uww [dot] umass [dot] edu or 413-545-3653. Consult UWW Registration Office.
Payments and fees: bursar [at] admin [dot] umass [dot] edu or 413-545-2368. Contact the Office of the Bursar.
IT Accounts and technologies: it [at] umass [dot] edu or 413-545-9400. Get Tech Help (IT).

Getting Started with Online Learning

Meeting with Your Advisor

As a first step, make sure to set up a meeting with your advisor. They can offer advice on courses to take and help direct you through the steps necessary to get started and set your goals for your program. Each online program has its own academic requirements, be sure to check the program page and program handbook of your specific program for details.

Set up a time to meet with your advisor to discuss your goals and how the two of you will work together. Be sure you both have shared expectations related to communications, responsibilities, and other practical matters. Your primary advisor will be listed on your student home page in SPIRE.

Read also: Learn about Blackboard Learn at UD

Consider what courses you plan to take, check requirements, review how often certain classes are offered, and check with your program for special requirements such as practicums.

Setting Up Accounts and Getting Oriented

If this is your first time in an online program or class, here are useful steps to take to ensure that you are well prepared to get the most out of your experience.

Set up your UMass IT accounts. The IT Guide for Students provides an overview of the services provided to students by the UMass Amherst Information Technology office.
Become familiar with SPIRE. This is the home base for managing your student information.
Distance Learning ID Card: For students who are not on campus, the distance learning ID card will assist in proving your active student status. This card is not a photo ID, so will typically need to be used in conjunction with some form of official picture identification.

Navigating Blackboard Learn

Blackboard Learn is the primary learning management system used at UMass Amherst. Here's how to navigate key aspects:

Finding Classes

The best option is to work with your advisor to find the best courses that fit your goals. Your program page and handbook contain lists of recommended and required classes.

Browse what courses are available on the College of Education Courses page and the UWW Explore Classes page.

Registering for Classes

Register for classes using SPIRE. More information about the process can be found on IT's Enroll in Classes Using SPIRE page, the College of Education's How to Enroll In Online classes webpage, and UWW’s Class Enrollment page.

Accessing Learning Materials

Digital Reserves are available online at any time and can include links to eBooks, journal articles, and book chapters, as well as links to full length or excerpted audio visual material. Not sure what to choose or need more information? Need assistance finding materials to put on reserve for your course?

You can search for physical reserves by selecting Course Reserves on the main search box on the Libraries home page, then entering your instructor’s name, the course number as it appears in Spire (i.e., Econ 101), or the title/ISBN of the book. Once you’ve found the call number, bring it to the Learning Commons desk on the lower level of the Du Bois Library. Reserve materials can be borrowed for 4 hours at a time.

Utilizing Library Resources

The UMass Amherst Libraries offer research assistance, as well as access to digital books, online journals, online media, and open education resources. Open access materials can be shared outside of class and students can continue to access these resources well after their enrollment ends. We recommend that online instructors choose open access materials whenever possible.

Understanding Financial Aspects

Current costs can be found on: Online Program Tuition & Fees link. The Office of the Bursar handles all academic financial transactions.

Exploring Non-Degree Options

Being a non-degree student lets you test the waters of a program, or take a few courses in a topic that interests you. How to Enroll as a Non-Degree Student (see How To Enroll page) Financial Aid for Non-Degree Students.

Course credits earned as a non-degree graduate student do not accumulate toward a graduate degree at this university. However, if you are later admitted to a graduate degree program, a maximum of six (6) graduate credits earned as a non-degree student may be applied to that program.

Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Scholarship

Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and repurposing by others.

Open Scholarship is about transparently and publicly sharing research processes and outputs through openly accessible tools and platforms for the purpose of building collective knowledge within and across disciplines and communities. It is an umbrella term for open access, open data, open educational resources, open research, open science, etc.

Organizations Supporting Open Education:

COT Education is a registered 501(c)(3) in the state of California, and started its life as CollegeOpenTextbooks.org.
The Open Education Consortium (OEC) is a non-profit, global, members-based network of open education institutions and organizations.
SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) works to enable the open sharing of research outputs and educational materials in order to democratize access to knowledge, accelerate discovery, and increase the return on our investment in research and education.

An open future means knowledge is shared by all - freely available to everyone, a world where people are able to fulfil their potential and live happy and healthy lives.

Technical Support

IT Help Center: it [at] umass [dot] edu or 413-545-9400. Get Tech Help (IT).
Canvas support: Contacting Canvas support.
Canvas Student Guide: Provides comprehensive guidance on using Canvas.

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