CONTENTS:
What is Blackboard?
Blackboard is an online course management system used to deliver web-based distance learning courses and as a technology supplement for face-to-face taught courses. Instructors can easily post course syllabi and other documents to their course website. Blackboard offers a number of online tools including discussion board, chat, announcements, quizzes, gradebook, calendars, file exchange & group collaboration. All that is needed to access Blackboard course sites is a web browser and internet connection.
How to access your Blackboard course site
All courses listed in the Banner student information system will have a corresponding Blackboard course site automatically created. Instructor assignments and student enrollments are also automated. Follow these steps to access your Blackboard course:
- Go to http://blackboard.fsc.edu.
- Click the Login Button.
- Use your fsc.edu email username & original password to login to Blackboard.
(ie. username for "jdoe@fsc.edu" is "jdoe").
If you need to request a faculty email account you can do so by completing the Online Employee Email Request Form.
- Click the Login Button.
After you login you will see the classes you are assigned to teach under the "My Courses" module. If you do not see a course listed please refer to the FAQ section for assistance.
By default, all courses are set to "unavailable" status for your students. This will allow you to design your course site in private. To make your course site available to your students follow the Course Availability instructions.
Adding Course Documents
A variety of course documents can be added to your Blackboard course including Microsoft Word,
Powerpoint and Excel files. These documents can be added to any of the preset "Content Areas" (Syllabus, Course
Documents, Assignments and External Links). For details on how to add a Microsoft Word syllabus refer to our guide "How to Upload a Microsoft Word Syllabus to Your Course Website."
Discussion Board
The Discussion Board tool provides asynchronous communication for an entire class or group.
Conversations are grouped into forums that contain threads (or topics) and all related replies.
If you would like your students to use the Discussion Board
tool you must first create a forum. This can be done by accessing
the Discussion Board from either the Communication or Control
Panel areas. Once you are in the Discussion Board click the Add
Forum button  . Fill out the form and click Submit.
Note that only instructors can add forums.
Course Menu (Buttons/Links)
The "buttons" or "links" in the left column Course Menu can be removed, modified or added. To do so click
the Control Panel 
button (lower left area of screen) then select Manage Course Menu
(under Course Options). The course website button names can
be modified by clicking the Modify button
next to each menu item. To remove a button/link from the student view, uncheck the box next to "Available
for Student/Participant users."
See figure
1 for a screen shot.
Manage Tools
It is a good idea to turn off any Blackboard tools you do
not plan to use in your course. For example, if you don't
plan to use the "Digital Drop Box" it should be disabled so
that students don't submit assignments using this tool not
knowing you don't check the box.
The tools can be enabled or disabled by accessing the Control
Panel > Manage Tools > Enable Blackboard Tools.
Uncheck the box under the "Enabled" column for any tool you
don't want your students to access in your course site. As
a general rule, you should always leave the Personal Information,
Calendar, Address Book and Manual tools enabled.
figure 1 - Manage
Course Menu
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