Navigating Blackboard at Fitchburg State University: A Comprehensive Guide

Fitchburg State University utilizes Blackboard as its online course management system, providing students and faculty with a centralized platform for accessing course materials, submitting assignments, and engaging in online learning activities. This article offers a comprehensive guide to navigating Blackboard at Fitchburg State University, addressing common issues and highlighting key features.

Automatic Enrollment and Instructor Assignment

All students enrolled in official university courses listed in the Banner student records system will automatically be enrolled in a corresponding Blackboard course site. In most cases, Blackboard enrollments of students and instructor assignments occur automatically during a synchronization process with the student records system. However, there are some rare cases where a manual enrollment may be required. If you are an instructor and your course is not appearing in Blackboard, the most likely reason is that you have not been officially assigned as the instructor for the course in Banner (student information system).

Course Availability

Make sure Course Availability has been turned on. By default, much of the content displayed is in regards to "Ultra" courses, however many of our courses still use the "Original" course view.

Accessing and Navigating Your Courses

From the user homepage, you will click on the class you wish to access. Once inside of your class, the point and click navigation will continue. There is a menu bar on the left-hand side of the screen. The control panel is where you as the instructor can manage your course. Further in the trainings, we will discuss the options of building and tools within this function. It is important to remember this is a function only available to the instructor. The Control Panel is divided into Categories.

Maintaining Course Consistency and Accessibility

Blackboard can become inaccessible when instructors add inaccessible materials, so it’s important to make accessible Word, PowerPoint, PDF, and excel files for your course and choose textbooks that offer an electronic version whenever possible. You should also add an accessibility statement to your syllabus and course homepage. Maintaining consistency in the layout of your Blackboard site will give your course a sense of cohesion that makes it easier for everyone to quickly access its information and will facilitate streamlined access for students using screen readers. Strive to keep your course layout simple and consistent in terms of formatting, font type and size, and content type. You should also try to keep the screen uncluttered by reducing scrolling as much as possible; make more pages rather than long pages filled with small type and jammed with images. Only add accessible documents and media to your course site. Include captions or transcripts for audio and video content. Please see guides on how to create accessible Word, PDF, PowerPoint, and Excel documents.

Course Content and Tools

Blackboard offers a variety of tools and features to enhance the learning experience.

Assignments

Assignments allow you to create coursework and manage the grades and feedback for each student separately. In an assignment, you can include a description, point value, and file attachments. You can create assignments in several course areas, such as in a content area, learning module, lesson plan, or folder. Students access the assignment, type a submission, attach files, and submit it.

Tests, Surveys, and Pools

Course content can be copied between Blackboard sites. This is helpful when building new course sites each semester. Keep in mind that the course copy feature should ideally be used once for each destination course. A Courses window will pop-up. If you are copying tests, quizzes or surveys you will need to check off the box next to "Tests, Surveys, and Pools." Choosing the content area where the tests are deployed will not copy the tests.

Wikis and Blogs

You are now brought to a create link page where the new wiki is highlighted. You are now brought to the final page in the process (it is again named create link), where you can customize as you see fit. You are now brought to a create link page where the new blog is highlighted. You are now brought to the final page in the process (it is again named create link), where you can customize as you see fit.

Journals

A journal is self-reflective tool for students. Only the student and the instructor are able to add comments to journal entries. However, journals can be made public by the instructor so all enrolled users can read all entries made to the journal topic. You are now brought to the final page in the process (it is again named create link), where you can customize as you see fit.

Groups

With the group tool, you can create formal groups of students to collaborate on work. You can manually select group members or allow students to self-enroll.

Turnitin Integration

Turnitin is a comprehensive solution that helps students learn by facilitating personalized feedback. Faculty can check students' work for improper citation or potential plagiarism by comparing it against the world's largest academic database. If the Grades shown in the Turnitin Blackboard Direct integration assignment inbox view do not match the grades that are shown in the Blackboard Grade Center view, the "Force Refresh Submissions" tool can be used to refresh the grades in the Grade Center. “My helpful hint is to provide detailed grading rubrics and directions for any paper assignment and if possible one or two exemplars of an "A" paper … especially for students just starting … students who follow the rubric and read the exemplars nearly always do much better than those who do not…"

Grade Center

In the Grade Center, you can provide and manage your students' grades for assignments, tests, discussion posts, journals, blogs, and wikis, and for ungraded items, such as surveys or self tests. On the far left hand side is a gray box in front of each item. “It helped this semester that I only corrected/responded to the discussion board after the required responses, rather than having a response upload to grade center each time the student wrote something. "The grading rubric feature is great.

Taking Quizzes and Tests

Be sure that payment for your course has been made. Make sure that the computer you plan to use during the quiz is stable and free of spyware, and/or viruses. Click the Save button periodically to establish a connection with the Blackboard server. Be careful when using the scroll wheel if your mouse has one. First, click a blank area in the quiz, and then use the scroll wheel. Type answers to longer essay questions in a word processor then copy and paste your text into the appropriate question box in Blackboard. NOTE: Avoid using Microsoft Word to record answers to essay questions. If you must use Word, copy and paste your text into another word processor like WordPad or Notepad before you copy and paste into Blackboard. When finished with the quiz, click the Submit button one time only and give Blackboard a few minutes to complete the submission process. If you receive an error message, write it down exactly as it reads or take a screenshot using your computer's software or your phone.

Addressing Potential Issues

Inaccessible Materials

This is a known issue for Blackboard.

Read also: Resources at Fitchburg State

Missing Messages

If the message is there you will need to mark the message as safe and/or unblock the sender.

Additional Technology Resources at Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg State University offers a variety of technology resources to support teaching and learning:

Adaptive Technology Lab: A variety of assistive technology software programs is available.
Dynamic Forms: An online forms platform with configurable workflows and Banner integration.
OneCard: OneCard holders are able to store cash value on their card.
Jamf Pro: A comprehensive management system for Apple macOS computers and iOS devices.
MyFalcon: Students use MyFalcon to view student information, grades, holds, and their unofficial transcript.
Google Drive: All students, faculty and staff have access to a Google Drive, which is the preferred method for storing and backing up files.
I Drive: Faculty and staff members also have access to a shared network location known as the I Drive, where they can share files with others in their department.
University-licensed software: Available to faculty and staff to install on their personal computers.
Library Databases: Access articles, images, eBooks, et cetera through the library's databases. Most of the Library's databases provide a "Permalink" or "Permanent Link," which is a static link directly to that specific item.

Discontinued Services

As of 2024, the university has discontinued the use of Zoom for video conferencing.

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