New Blackboard Upgrade: What’s Different, What’s New
If you’ve noticed some changes in Blackboard this semester, that’s because WSU upgraded to version 7.1 over the winter break. In addition to the upgrade, new features such as The Content System and e-Portfolios, were added as well.
What’s Different
Version 7.1 comes with some upgrades to current Blackboard tools—in particular, the discussion board, assessments, gradebook, foreign language offerings, and email.
The discussion board has been revamped considerably. More options are now available when creating a discussion, the biggest being a built-in grading capability. Instructors can now indicate the number of points the discussion is worth, and much like the assignment feature, the system automatically creates a column for the forum in the gradebook. This enables instructors to grade and assign points from within the discussion. This makes for a more seamless process and eliminates the need to toggle back and forth between the discussion board and gradebook when assessing student contributions. Additionally, forums can be set up with a subscription option, allowing students to subscribe to threads and receive email alerts when new messages have been posted. There is also a searching feature within the discussion, allowing users to search for posts by keyword, with the option to refine the search to individual forums and/or specific dates.
There are also some changes within the assessment and gradebook features. Similar to the discussion board, instructors now have more setting options when creating assessments. For example, one can now specify the number of attempts allowed for students when taking exams, as well as which attempt ultimately gets recorded in the gradebook (e.g., first, last, best, average of all). Instructors now have more flexibility in the type of feedback that is provided when students complete an exam, as well. Additionally, there is an override feature in the gradebook where instructors may override scores (for example, if you wanted to add four points to each exam). Individual assessments can also be exported now (vs. having to copy over all assessments to a new course).
For those teaching a foreign language, Blackboard now has more language options, such as traditional Chinese, Arabic and Japanese. Instructors can set their courses to display in these languages for students. Additionally, when sending email through Blackboard, there is now a spell check option.
What’s New
Though not an actual part of the 7.1 upgrade, the Content System and e-Portfolio feature were implemented around the same time as the upgrade. Both of these tools are exciting new features. We find that once instructors learn their capabilities, they become quite excited about the possibilities and implications for their courses!
The Content System essentially allows each user a personal storage area on the Blackboard system. Rather than uploading documents to each individual course, instructors can now place documents in the Content System (located under the Content Collection tab) and link to them from within individual courses. This creates the advantage of having to only upload documents once, even if the same document is used in multiple courses. Once a document is loaded into the Content System, instructors simply link to the document within each individual course. And now you have easy access to all of your past documents without having to search through old Blackboard courses to find them. Additionally, if changes need to be made to a document, one can simply change the original document in the Content System and the changes will be applied across all courses linked to the document. Even more exciting is the Web Folder option within the Content System. Users can create a folder on their computer which links to their Content Collection. This makes for easy dragging and dropping of files into the Content System, allowing multiple files and/or folders to be added at a time!
These are only some of the capabilities of the Content System. It can also be used as a collaboration tool. Users have the ability to share their documents with anyone (both from within the University and outside) as well as the ability to edit documents. For example, if you’re writing a paper with a colleague, you can upload the draft to your Content Collection and grant your colleague read and write capabilities. You’ll both have the ability to access and edit the document. You might want to take that one step further and utilize the Versioning Tool within the Content System. This tool saves all iterations of a document and makes them accessible to the user, which is wonderful for collaboration. It’s also available to students and can be utilized for collaboration on group projects within the classroom.
Finally, the much-anticipated e-Portfolio feature has been added. E-Portfolios allow students (and instructors if they choose) to assemble, present and share information in a website format. They’re excellent tools for demonstrating personal achievement and demonstrating learning. The e-Portfolio feature is also accessed through the Content Collection tab. Students can place content within their Content System and then use that content to build the portfolio, either manually or using the wizard provided. They can then share their portfolio with whomever they like: their instructor (for an assignment), peers (for feedback), or even a prospective employer (for a job application).
If you’re interested in learning more about any of the information discussed here, please contact the OTL (7-1980 or otl@wayne.edu) to schedule a consultation!