Blackboard resources, reminders and announcements for spring semester

Spring 2021 Blackboard Course Shells Available
The spring semester course shells are available and have a template that includes a branded course Welcome Page and a set of navigation links. These courses will look slightly different instead of being an empty shell you may be accustomed to. If you copy your course from the previous semester, you can easily remove any duplicate tabs or unwanted content. Please take time to reorganize your content and clean your course site.

Learn more about the new Blackboard course shell template and its features: go.uic.edu/BlackboardTemplate

Copying and Editing a Course in Blackboard
If you are copying a course from a previous semester, be sure to review your course and delete duplicate content areas. You can safely remove any tools you are not planning to use in your class and add tools you will use.

• How to copy your course: answers.uillinois.edu/uic/75686
• How to edit, add or delete content in Blackboard: answers.uillinois.edu/uic/106103
• Request a course copy: accc.uic.edu/forms/blackboard-learn-course-request

New Blackboard Content Editor
Blackboard has improved the Content Editor to simplify adding content, checking content for accessibility, and sending students feedback using audio and video features! The Content Editor appears throughout Blackboard as the default editor when creating a content item, when deploying a quiz, and when students reply to a discussion post. Learn more about the new Blackboard Content Editor: accc.uic.edu/news-stories/blackboard-content-editor

Blackboard Photo Roster
Available under Tools in Blackboard, the Class Photo Roster has improved functionality that helps you build an inclusive online classroom. Now, students and instructors can use this tool to add their personal pronouns, preferred names and name pronunciation, which can enhance communications, help create an inclusive learning environment, and help build social presence in online courses. Watch this 5-minute YouTube video to learn more. 

Other Teaching Tools
Don’t forget about these other useful Blackboard integrations that can help you manage, grade, interact and communicate with students in your courses. 

• Blackboard Collaborate
  Blackboard Collaborate is a web conferencing system available in Blackboard that facilitates real-time online teaching and learning.
  accc.uic.edu/contingency/blackboard-collaborate

• Gradescope
  Gradescope is an online rubric-based grading tool that can speed up and streamline grading, improve grading consistency and transparency, and help instructors provide more meaningful feedback to students.
  accc.uic.edu/news-stories/gradescope

• Panopto
  Panopto provides faculty an easy method for embedding recordings directly into their courses. Recordings will continue to stream from Panopto without using any storage space on Blackboard.
  accc.uic.edu/contingency/use-panopto 
  
• VoiceThread
  VoiceThread is an interactive communication and collaboration tool that can be used to encourage student discussion and build community in asynchronous learning settings.
  accc.uic.edu/news-stories/voicethread

Instructional Design and Multimedia Consultations
If you need support setting up your Spring template, brainstorm ideas to create an interactive and engaging course, or just need a consultation, do not hesitate to schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with an LTS instructional designer. go.uic.edu/IDofficehours

For multimedia support, such as consultation, media conversion, video production, and graphic design, please make an appointment with the LTS Multimedia Production team. go.uic.edu/MultimediaOfficeHours.