Announcements are an ideal way to post time-sensitive information critical to course success. New announcements appear immediately when a student opens a course and they can mark whether the announcement is read or unread. Students are less likely to ignore the information you share in a course announcement because it demands attention before viewing the course content. When you add an announcement, you can also send it as an email to students in your course. Students receive the announcement even if they don't log into your course.

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Create an Announcement

1. In the top-level navigation in your course, select Announcements.

2. At the top right corner of the Course Announcement page, select the Create Announcement plus sign ( + ) icon. If this is the first announcement in the course, a new announcement will open automatically.

3. On the New Announcement page, in the Title field, enter a descriptive title for your announcement. (Please note: The title has a 256-character limit)

4. In the Message text box, enter the information you want to send to students. Optionally, use the toolbar in the message editor to format text, embed multimedia, and attach files.

5. You can use the Send an email copy to recipients for critical announcements (e.g. class cancellations). Students will receive emails at the address associated with their Blackboard account, even if they don’t log into the course.

6. Use the Schedule Announcement if you want the announcement to be posted or visible for a specific time and date.

7. Once you have finished putting together your announcement, click Save. Your announcement is now saved as a draft on your Course Announcements page.

8. To post your announcement immediately, select Post Now. If you scheduled your announcement to show on a future date, Blackboard will automatically post the announcement at the scheduled time and date. (Please note: The Post Now button will be greyed out until the course is made visible to students. The course must be available to students in order to post announcements.)

• If an announcement is posted while checking the "Send an email copy to recipients" check box, an email copy of the announcement will be sent immediately.
• If an announcement is posted while checking the “Schedule announcement” check box, there is no immediate email copy, but an email copy comes through within 15 – 20 minutes.
• If an announcement is posted, without checking extra boxes there is no immediate email copy, but an email copy comes through within 15 – 20 minutes.

More information: Blackboard Help: Announcements

Discussions provide unique benefits and encourage students to think critically about their coursework and interact with each other's ideas. Since students can take time to ponder before they post, you may see more thoughtful and engaging conversations among peers. With Discussions, students can make public posts and read and reply to others' posts. You can observe students demonstrate their understanding of the material and weigh in on any thoughts or misconceptions. Discussions can also be used to extend office hours or as a FAQ for questions about the course and its content. There are two places you can create Discussions:

• Directly on the Course Content page
• Discussions top-level navigation menu item

Regardless of where you create the discussion, it will always appear within the Discussions area for easy access. 

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Start from the Course Content Page

1. Go to your course's Content tab and click the plus icon (+) to access content options.

2. From the content list, select Create.

3. The Create Item layer opens. Click on Discussions.

 

Start from the Discussions Page

1. Go to your course's Discussions tab to access the Discussions area.

2. Click on the New Discussion button at the top-right of the page. Alternatively, you can click on the Add Folder button to organize discussions and their posts.

Please note: Discussion Board forums do not exist in Ultra Course View but a similar setup can be achieved by using folders. It will require more management as students create posts.

 

 

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Create a Discussion

1. Add a name to the Discussion. If you don't add a name, it will default to "New Discussion" with the date that it was created. You can change the name at any time.

2. Once a name for the discussion has been provided, you can begin adding a prompt or instructions. Click on the content editor box in the middle of the page to add the necessary content. You can include text, links, videos, images, and much more. Learn more about the content editor here!

3. Once you have added the necessary content for the discussion, click the Save button.

4. Click on the gear icon on the right side of the page to adjust the settings of the discussion. In the discussion settings you can do the following:

Details & Information

• Display on Course Content page: This checkbox is selected by default. With it checked, the discussion will appear on the course Content page with other content items. With it unchecked, the discussion will only be accessible through the discussion top-level navigation item. Reminder: the discussion will always appear within the Discussions area for easy access, regardless of this box being checked.
• Post first: This option requires students to make their own posts and publish them before they can see other posts within the discussion. Once a post has been made and published, students can then view other posts made.
• Prevent editing: This option prevents students from editing or deleting their published posts.
• Grade discussion: By default, discussions are ungraded but you have the option to make them graded and appear within the Gradebook. When this option is selected, you have the option to assign a due date and a maximum number of points possible that apply to anything within the specific discussion (I.E. this can include the initial post and any responses to other student's posts). A Gradebook column will automatically be created once this option is selected.

Additional Tools

• Use grading rubric: You can associate a rubric with the discussion for students to follow as they create their posts. This will help students know what you are looking for as you grade the discussion​​​​​.
• Goals & standards: Some programs may require specific goals and standards to be met. Click on Align with goals to see what is available at your institution. After you make the discussion visible to students, they will be able to view the goals you set.
• Group discussion: By default, discussions are set for all course members to view and participate. This option allows you to make the discussion specific to a group of students to interact with each other's posts.

5. Once your discussion settings have been made, click the Save button in the bottom right. Make sure you adjust the visibility settings!

More information: Blackboard Help: Discussions

Journals are personal spaces for students to communicate privately with you. They can be used to allow students to reflect on their learning, discuss and analyze course content, or post their opinions, ideas, and concerns about the course. You may grade the journal entries, or use them solely for private communication.

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Create a Journal

1. Go to your course's Content tab and click the plus icon (+) to access content options.

2. From the content list, select Create.

3. The Create Item layer opens. Click on Journals.

4. Add a name to the Journal. If you don't add a name, it will default to "New Journal" with the date that it was created. You can change the name at any time.

5. Once a name for the journal has been provided, you can begin adding a prompt to set expectations and guidelines for the specific journal. Click on the content editor box in the middle of the page to add the necessary content. You can include text, links, videos, images, and much more. Learn more about the content editor here!

6. Once you have added the necessary content for the journal, click the Save button.

7. Click on the gear icon on the right side of the page to adjust the settings of the journal. In the journal settings you can do the following:

Details & Information

• Grade journal: By default, journals are ungraded but you have the option to make them graded and appear within the Gradebook. When this option is selected, you have the option to assign a due date and a maximum number of points possible that apply to anything within the specific journal. A Gradebook column will automatically be created once this option is selected.
• Allow users to edit or delete entries: This option prevents students from editing or deleting their published posts.
• Allow users to edit or delete comments: This option prevents students from editing or deleting their published comments.

Additional Tools (Please note: This section appears once you check the box to Grade journal.)

• Use grading rubric: You can associate a rubric with the journal for students to follow as they create their posts. This will help students know what you are looking for as you grade the journal​​​​.

7. Once your journal settings have been made, click the Save button in the bottom right. Make sure you adjust the visibility settings!

More information: Blackboard Help: Journals

Conversations are a new feature in Blackboard Ultra. They're almost identical to discussions, but instead of living on their own in the Discussion area,  Conversations are always attached to some other item in your course. If you enable Conversations for individual content items, students can discuss the content with you and their classmates. They can ask for help, share sources, or answer questions others have. As the conversation develops, it appears only with the relevant content. 

You can enable conversations for these content items:

• Documents
• Assignments
• Group assignments
• Tests
• Group tests
• Offline submissions
• Links to teaching tools

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Create a Conversation on a Content Item

1. Select the item's Settings icon to open the panel with the item's details and information.

2. Select Allow class conversations.

NOTE: Conversations only appear in the menu if you select "Allow class conversations" in the item's settings.

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View Conversation on a Content Item

1. Items with a new conversation will have an icon appear next to the item's title on the Course Content page.

2. Click on the item to open the item's menu

3. Select the Conversation icon in the top right-hand corner to open the conversation panel

NOTE: A purple circle appears with the icon to indicate new activity.

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Navigating Conversations

Conversations are set up the same as discussions. Two levels of replies are allowed for each first-level response.

1. What do you want to say? Add a response or reply to a student. Optionally, use the functions in the editor to format your response.
2. Save a draft. You can start a response, save it as a draft, and finish it later.
3. What's new? New responses and replies appear with a new icon.
4. Edit and delete contributions. Open a response's menu and select Edit or Delete. As an instructor, you can edit or delete any course member's response. Students can delete their own responses, but they can't make edits.
5. View activity and search for participants. View the list of participants and their activity, and search for a specific participant.
6. Refresh your view. Check for new activity since you opened the conversation.

 

 

 

More information: Blackboard Help: Conversations