Online Course Development & Set-Up in Blackboard

Overview

Creating Course Materials

Once your syllabus is ready, apply best practices in online teaching to build engaging course content, including readings, lectures, videos, assignments, and assessments. We’ll share how to create accessible and engaging online materials.

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Set-Up in Blackboard

Set-up includes the technical phase of implementing your course structure and uploading into Blackboard: organizing modules, setting up assignments, configuring the gradebook, and customizing the interface for student use.

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Creating Course Materials

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Divide content into manageable “chunks,” organizing them into distinct units, modules, or lessons. It helps to consider how a student will spend their time in an online course, including when working on assignments.

Resource: Time on Task
A clear guide and approach to calculating time on task in online education, with examples of course formats by academic duration and weekly hours.

Resource: Workload Estimator
A practical planning tool to map out and calculate “completion times” for reading, writing, discussion, and class meeting commitments. 

Inclusion, Digital Accessibility and Universal Design

As a UM instructor, you are encouraged to be proactive when it comes to making course materials accessible. It is best to design your course with accessibility in mind rather than fixing your course to comply with accessibility requirements afterwards.

General Accessibility Guidelines for Online Teaching

  • Use adequate font size and good color contrast.
  • Use true text instead of image whenever possible.
  • Text documents should be screen-readable. (Word and PDF documents can be readable, but scanned content is not).
  • Provide appropriate alternative text (alt text) with each hyperlink.
  • Ensure all PDFs are OCR-optimized (e.g., text in PDF documents can be selected, copied and pasted.)
  • Ensure video recordings include captions, and audio includes transcripts. Submit Caption Request Form for your online course video and audio materials.

SDS Testing Accommodations

If you have students with disabilities, ensure you have a plan for providing alternate testing options. (per DETL) It is the instructor's responsibility to set extended time, if required, for every student with disabilities with the Distance Education Testing Lab. Students with more advanced alternate testing needs should work with Student Disability Services.

General Accessibility Resources:

UM Accessibility Resources:

Template: Download Accessible Word Document

General Video Guidelines for Online Teaching
e.g., introduction videos or lecture videos such as a screencast or narrated slide deck

  • Divide videos into parts, no more than 15 minutes maximum length, to accommodate variations in student’s web-access. It is common practice to have a number of videos in one week or module.
  • Use a good microphone or headset for voice recording – do not use built-in microphone.  

Resource: Zoom Recording Basics on YouTube

Resource: Recording Video on Panopto  

Resource: How to Use Panopto in Blackboard

Videos, images, and music should be licensed, public domain, or fair use. Be sure to credit content creators and include a copyright statement in your syllabus.

Resource: UM Library Guides on Copyright and Fair Use

Federal regulations, our accrediting agencies (SACS, NC-SARA), and university policies require that safeguards are used to ensure that the student who receives the academic course credit is actually the person doing the work. There are several ways to verify student identity while still actively protecting a students’ privacy rights. 

One or more of the following methods should be used to verify student identity:

  • An individual secure login and password provided by the University of Mississippi (Blackboard)
  • Proctored assessments (i.e., Distance Education Testing Lab)
  • Emerging technologies and practice that are approved by the University of Mississippi
  • Pedagogical and related practices effective in verifying student identity (i.e. communication via official email, asynchronous or synchronous video presentations or conference through log-on, randomized test questions, etc.) 

Talk to your instructional designer if you need help identifying ways to integrate student verification into your course.

Set-Up in Blackboard

Blackboard is the campus-wide course management system at the University of Mississippi. It allows you to post course materials, deliver tests and surveys, hold online discussions, and manage course-related functions. 

Resource: Blackboard Quick Start Guide

For instructors new to Blackboard, this page offers a clear overview of what to expect, including the interface, course setup, content creation, and student interaction using the Ultra Course View.

Blackboard Course Template

To start building your own course, use our Blackboard course template. You can view a video tour of the template, request a “sandbox,” or test environment with the template, or download the template to use directly in your course shell. 

In our sandbox template, you’ll have the instructor role, allowing you to practice using the features and to become familiar with Blackboard as you build your course interface without impacting your live course. Once your course is ready, you can copy it into the actual course shell where students will be enrolled.

View Blackboard Template

Request sandbox copy of template

Import template to course shell

New instructors will receive a temporary log-in to Blackboard after completion in the Online Course Endorsement Training.

Instructors can receive support through various resources to build their courses effectively:

  • Utilize our Sandbox Template to experiment with course content and tools in a test environment.
  • Access the Blackboard Help Center for comprehensive guides and tutorials.
    The Blackboard Help Center website is a go-to resource offering clear guidance on completing essential tasks in Blackboard. Find support on common topics such as copying a course, taking attendance, and creating assignments.
    Resource: Blackboard Help Center
  • Schedule 1:1 consultations with your Instructional Designer. ID’s are ready to collaborate and assist you in creating engaging and well-structured courses.

The typical workflow for structuring your course includes: 

  • Write module learning objectives.
    Write learning objectives for each module, and post them in the module description.
  • After you build your modules, build your content modules.
    The most common organization of modules is weekly, but other options include organizing them by assessment, learning objectives, or topics.
  • Upload modules content.
    Be consistent in organizing modules so students know what to expect. Some instructors give students an estimated timeframe for completing each unit so they can plan accordingly. Be sure to make content available to students. If you wish to restrict content visibility, use the open and close dates.
  • Set up your gradebook.
    Check that all of your graded assignments and exams are in the gradebook. Set up the overall grade and select your preferred calculation type (e.g. points or weighted). 
  • Review course content.
    Double check that the schedule, assignments, and dates listed on your syllabus, course schedule, modules, content modules, and gradebook are the same.
  • Preview the Student View.
    Open your course in student view to ensure it appears as intended and that students can access everything they need for the first day of the semester.

One of the most critical tools for an online instructor is creating a clearly visible Getting Started section in Blackboard. Here's what to include:

  • Post a course announcement, and upload your syllabus.
    Welcome students to the course and share the syllabus where they can readily refer to it. 

  • Upload a course schedule that clearly marks due dates for all assignments and scheduled dates for all quizzes, tests, and exams.
    A course schedule should be in your syllabus, but also including a screen-readable format allows students quick reference to access key information. Remember to schedule Proctored Testing as needed.

  • Upload a video greeting or instructor introduction.
    Connect with students early on. Create a brief introduction video to share about your professional background and interests in order to engage with students.

    Video greetings don’t have to be long–1-2 minutes is enough time to tell the students who you are and what the course is about.

    Caption your video so it is accessible to all students. You can do this yourself with most video editing software or if you’ve uploaded your video to YouTube. You can also send the video to your instructional designer to have it professionally captioned. Request captioning at least 7 days in advance of the first day of class.

  • Plan an engaging Course Overview & Introduction.
    Establish a friendly, welcoming environment for sharing and collaboration. Write or record a Course Introduction, where you describe the course overview, highlight important items on the syllabus, and share tips for success. Some instructors combine their self introduction and course overview videos.

    Discuss “netiquette” expectations, and provide clear instructions on how to navigate the course and detailed setup and usage instructions.