Adding Items to Content Areas
Adding Items to Content Areas
NOTE: if a content area does not contain any items it will not display for students (which, for an instructor, is how the course looks when the Edit Mode is turned off.)
Turn Edit Mode on.
Click on the area you would like to add content to.
To simply type text or upload a file, click the Create Item button and follow the steps on the next page that displays. The Submit button is still there. Don’t forget to click it once you’ve completed the steps.
The Build Menu: allows you to build content within the content area. Most items here are self explanatory but a few are new to this version of Blackboard.
1. Create a Learning Module: A Learning Module is a set of Content Items with an accompanying structured path for progressing through the items. The path can be set so that students must view content in sequentially or set to permit students to view the content in any order. Content within a Learning Module is added and managed just like content in a Folder. The Learning Module is a shell into which other content, such as files, tools, and assessments are added.
2. Create a Module Page: Module Pages are specialized content pages that present content in discrete boxes. The modules that appear on this page can be arranged in any order. The layout and modules available on the page are chosen by the instructor from a pool of modules managed by the administrator. Module Pages can be personalized by students if the Instructor permits it. Module Pages cannot have any other types of content included in them. The list below displays all modules available to Module Pages by default unless the system administrator has changed the availability of these modules.
• Alerts - Displays notifications of past due and early warning items for all the Courses relevant to the user.
• Calculator - Displays a calculator tool that can be opened in a new window
• Content Collection: Content - Displays a Content Collections module for a user's Content
• Dictionary - Type in a word or term to access the American Heritage Dictionary. Access to the Thesaurus for the same term is available as well.
• My Announcements - Lists all announcements that are relevant to the user.
• My Calendar - Lists all calendar events for the user.
• My Tasks - Lists all tasks for the user
• Needs Attention - Displays all items that require some type of interaction.
• Report Card - Lists all grades for the user.
• Text Pad - An open area module where the user can enter plain text or HTML for display on the page.
• Thesaurus - Type in a word or term to access Roget's II: The New Thesaurus. Access to the Dictionary for the same term is available as well.
• To Do - Displays the status (Past Due/Due) of relevant work and tasks.
• What's New - Displays a list of new items in all relevant courses and organizations.
The Evaluate Menu: allows you to add tests or surveys which have been created using the Test or Survey Manager. Also choosing any of these three options will automatically create a column in the Grade Center where you will go to retrieve the results once the students have completed either the test, survey or assignment.
1. Create Assignment: replaces the Digital Dropbox which is no longer in Blackboard. This option allows the students to upload a file into Blackboard and you will go to the Grade Center to retrieve the file.
The Collaborate Menu: Is all about linking to other tools within Blackboard. Using the Control Panel and Course Tools you would first go and set up the Discussion Board, chat, blogs, groups etc… Then you can use this menu to link to those tools that you set up.
NOTE: Notice here it says “Create Chat” and “Create Journals”. This is not where you set up the Chat or Journals. These will only create a link to them.
The More Menu: Creating a Turnitin Assignment is found here along with Google Scholar, Wiki and Echo Content.
