Managing your Blackboard folders and items

There will be many place holders on the Blackboard template that you can edit, you may also want to edit your own existing content.

Editing existing content/folders

Go to the content area where the content currently exists, hover over the title until the grey downward arrow appears and click.

 Once inside you can do the following:
  1. Change the title
  2. Add/edit a description
  3. Make the item/folder available to students.
  4. When you have finished updating click submit.
 

How to add/edit a contact in Blackboard

 Edit an existing contact
 Go to the Contacts menu item, hover over the grey downward arrow on the title and click ‘Edit’.
  
 Make sure you edit all the entry boxes so that your information is correct
We strongly recommend you add a photo, this helps your students identify you. If you do not add a photo, please ensure your remove the default one. There is also option to add a personal link, this could be to a page about your work such as a staff bio. Once you are happy click ‘Submit’.
Create a new contact
To create a new contact within the contacts menu item click ‘Create Contact’ and follow the instructions above
Show / Hide buttons
Go to the editing options as shown above. If a menu area is currently available to students choose Hide Link to make it unavailable.
If the area is currently hidden, choose Show Link to make it available.
Content areas on Blackboard course menu
Please note that content areas with no content will not be seen by students.
You can also hide content areas from students, e.g. if you do not want students to access these until a later date, or if you have a ‘Tutor only’ area of the course or module.
 
1 Content area = Available, and with content attached

2 Content area = Hidden from students

Creating and uploading content

Editing and Managing Blackboard course Content

The Blackboard help site has the following pages on creating, uploading and organising content on your Blackboard courses:

Create Course or Module Areas for Content – Adding content areas to your course or module menu, creating folders, building Blackboard ‘Learning Modules’

Create Content in a Course or Module Area – A description of the content types which you can create or upload in Blackboard – includes web links, audio and video content

Edit and Manage Course or Module Areas and Content – Editing previously-created content, reordering content, setting date restrictions, moving and copying content

Using the Content Collection file repository​​ – How to store, share and publish content in personal, course and institution folders in the Content Collection area.

 

Creating a content item

When creating or uploading content in your Blackboard course, the Item is the basic building block.

An Item must have a Name. It can also have one or attached files, and/or an area of descriptive text (which can include embedded images, audio and video content). A typical Item will display to students like this:

To create an Item go into any content area (e.g. Module Information, Learning Materials). Click on the Build Content button and select Create > Item.

The screen which opens is one which you will see whenever you come to create content or edit text in Blackboard.

Item name and text
Type in a Name.
Then type into the Text box (this is optional, but providing descriptive text is recommended to aid usability).

Note that you can expand the editing menu from one to three rows to gain additional options.

 

Attach a file

Scroll down, and you can attach one or more files.

Normally you will click on Browse My Computer to upload a file from your PC, a USB key, or a network drive.

This is the simplest way to upload content, although you may find it beneficial to make use of the Blackboard Content Collection.

Locate and select your file – just as you would when attaching a file to an email. In addition to the ‘browse’ option, the new ‘drag-and-drop’ feature is now available. Just drag your file within the dotted-line space and it will be uploaded for you – you will still need to click on the submit button after that.
If the files you upload do not have descriptive, easily-read filenames, you can use Link Title to make what appears to students more meaningful.
Item availability
By default the Item you create will be available to students immediately. However you can set date restrictions – so that material only becomes visible to students at a specified date and time

You may also wish to Track Number of Views – so that in due course you can see who has viewed each Item, and when.

When done, press Submit.

 

Creating a content folder

You can create Folders within  a Blackboard course menu  to make your content easier to navigate.

A Folder must have a Name. It can also have area of descriptive text. We recommend that you add further information (e.g. topics or a summary) in the Description field. It gives students further context and also helps locate items when searching.

To create a Folder go into any content area (e.g. Module Information, Learning Materials). Click on the Build Content button and select New Page > Content Folder.

The screen which opens is one which you will see whenever you come to create content or edit text in Blackboard.
Folder name and text
Enter a name and some brief descriptive text as shown.
Folder availability
By default the Folder you create will be available to students immediately. However you can set date restrictions – so that material only becomes visible to students at a specified date and time.
You may also wish to Track Number of Views – so that in due course you can see who has accessed the folder, and when.
When done, press Submit.
Creating a web link to a website
You can create a link to any website or web resource from your Blackboard course or module.
This is much like a standard content Item, except that it links to a specific web page (or file stored on a website).
To create a web link click on Build Content then select Web Link:
Enter the name that you want to give to the web link, the URL of the website that you want to link to and a short description of the web link item, then click submit.
Your web link will now be created and you will receive a confirmation message confirming this fact.
Insert a hyperlink within a content Item

You can also insert a link within the text field of a content Item.

To create a content Item click on Build Content then select Item
From the content/visual editor click on the downward facing arrows icon to expand the tools menu and show more options:
Select the paperclip icon that appears once the menu has been expanded
Navigate to the file or location that you want to create a hyperlink to via the options shown.
Once you have navigated to your file or location click on submit.
A hyperlink to the file or location that you selected in the previous step will now appear as part of the content item as shown:
Consistency
Be consistent in how you set hyperlinks to open (i.e. in the same or a new window) to create a consistent user experience and expectation. When you create a weblink in Blackboard by default it will be set to ‘Open in New Window’ and although this practice is deprecated by many web usability experts, it is recommended that you do not change this setting
The Blackboard content or editor

When you first edit a content item, the editing toolbar will display as just a single row.

This allows you to

  • format text as Bold, Italic, Underlined
  • change the font face, size and colour
  • insert bullets or a numbered list
  • spell check your text
  • insert or remove a hyperlink
Click where shown to expand this to three rows.

The additional options on the bottom row include

  • inserting a link to a file within the body of the text (rather than in the list of attached files)
  • inserting an image into the body of the text
  • inserting an audio or video media file
  • via the Mashups button, embedding a YouTube video or Flickr image
  • insert a table

Those of you who understand HTML can click on the HTML icon to view and edit the source code.

You can get a quick preview of the item by clicking here

Adding alternative text to images
All images added to Blackboard must have an alternative text description. The text is read by screen readers used by students with visual or certain cognitive disabilities. It is also displayed if the image file is not loaded or when the user has chosen not to view images (for example because of slow connections).
Adding alternative text to an image in an item
Adding alternative text to a standalone image

Copying and moving content

Folders and Items in Blackboard courses can be copied or moved

  • to other locations within the same course or module
    e.g. an item can be moved from Course Documents to Learning Materials
  • to other courses or modules on which you are enrolled as an Instructor

 

Copying or moving content to a different Blackboard course

The following are instructions for copying or moving an individual item or folder from one Blackboard course to another.
Hover over the Item or Folder and click on the down-arrow which appears to the right of the name.

From the menu which appears, select

  • Copy – to make a copy of the Item
  • Move – to move the Item

Open the drop-down list labelled Destination Course.

This shows a list of all the  courses and modules for which you are an Instructor.

Select the course or module you want.
Then click on Browse next to Destination Folder, to choose where in that course you want the copied / moved content to go.
A pop-up window appears displaying all of the content areas within the selected course or module. Click on the area where you want to move or copy the content. Press Submit.

Copying or moving content within the same Blackboard course

Copying or Moving an Item
Locate the Item in the content area where it is currently stored e.g. Course Documents.

Hover over the Item and click on the down-arrow which appears to the right of the Item name.

From the menu which appears, select

  • Copy – to make a copy of the Item within the same course
  • Move – to move the Item elsewhere in the same course

On the next screen, leave the Destination Course as it is.

Click on Browse next to Destination Folder.
A pop-up window appears displaying all of the content areas within the course or module. Click on the area where you want to move or copy the Item then Submit.

Copying or moving a folder

Follow exactly the same procedure as above, but select a Folder rather than an Item. This will copy / move the Folder and all content within it.

 

Copying multiple items at once

You can use the the Course Copy feature to copy a selection of items from one course to another. This is an advanced function and should be used with care. Contact us if you need advice.

You must not copy everything. You must exclude the Assessments section, the Announcements and the Discussion forums.

If you need any advice on copying your course content then please contact: expert-academy@uwl.ac.uk

See Course Copy on the official Blackboard Help website for step by step instructions.

 

How to download bulk content from a module on Blackboard

Multiple documents from a module can be downloaded simultaneously through the content collection on Blackboard. The video below explains how this can be done.

Deleting Content

If you delete a content area from your course or module menu you delete all Folders and Items within that area – although any linked files will remain in the Blackboard Content Collection.

Deleting the menu item

Hover over the menu area you want to delete and click on the small editing arrow which appears; then click Delete.

If you are not totally sure that you want to delete the area, select Hide Link which will make it invisible to students.

A warning message appears; click Delete.

Another warning appears – listing content items or foldesr which will be deleted. If you are sure you want to proceed, click Delete.

Deleting content files 

Because every file you upload to a course is stored in the Blackboard Content Collection, the act of deleting a menu area does not actually delete uploaded files. To delete these, go to the course Content Collection via the Control Panel.

Here you will see all files uploaded to the course, and you can select any you wish to put in the course Recycle Bin.

 

Deleting content items and folders

You can delete a Folder or an Item in exactly the same way. If you delete a Folder, you automatically delete all Items within it – although any linked files will remain in the Blackboard Content Collection.

 

Deleting the folder or item

Hover over the title of the Folder or Item you wish to remove, and click on the small editing arrow which appears; then click Delete.

Deleting content files

Because every file you upload to a course is stored in the Blackboard Content Collection, the act of deleting a menu area does not actually delete uploaded files. To delete these, go to the Blackboard course –> Content Collection via the Control Panel.

Here you will see all files uploaded to the course, and you can select any you wish to put in the course Recycle Bin.

Checking your course and module content

Student Preview

​With student preview, you can experience your course exactly as your students do. While in student preview mode

  • you will see only the content which has been made available to students

and you can carry out the following student activities

  • submit blackboard assignments
  • take tests
  • create blog and discussion posts
  • create journal and wiki entries
  • view student tools, such as My Grades​

To enter student preview click on this icon at the top of the screen

While in student preview mode an orange banner will be displayed at the top of the screen

When you enter preview mode a temporary student account is created. When you exit preview you will be asked if you want to delete this temporary user. Normally you ​will accept this default. However you should choose Keep the preview user and all data​ if you submitted work as a student, and now want to grade it via the Grade Centre.​​