Blackboard Information for Instructors

The web address to log into Blackboard is: https://bb-winthrop.blackboard.com

Course Request Form
The Course Request Form must be received by the Online Learning Coordinator for each course in which you will use Blackboard at least 10 days prior to the start the semester in which the course will be taught. The request form must be completed each time you wish to create a new online course or wish to reuse an existing one. Requests submitted after the deadline will be processed on a case-by-case basis and may result in a delay of course creation and population.

 

Faculty Blackboard Training at Winthrop
Faculty members new to Blackboard interested in developing an online course must complete a training session withe the Online Learning Coordinator before the course will be created. Faculty members need to plan at least a month in advance before starting the course.  If you are interested in creating a Blackboard course or need training in Blackboard, contact Kimarie Whetstone, Online Learning Coordinator, at (803) 323-2551. 

Instruction Manuals

Click on the link above to access pages containing instructions for faculty on the usage of major tools in Blackboard including everything from creating quizzes to uploading PowerPoint presentations, or click here.

For additional resources on the web, visit Behind the Blackboard. To become connected to online communities at Blackboard visit the Communities page at Blackboard and find Wiki's user groups, Listservs, Idea Exchanges and more.

Instructional Resources for Online Instructors 

If you are interested in designing an online course, please take advantage of the resources available to you on this site.  Having a good understanding of the expectations for online faculty, guidelines for course development and understanding best practices for assessing students in the online environment will ensure the success of your online course. 

Faculty Expectations for Online Course Delivery

Online Course Development Guidelines

Best Practices for Assessment in Online Courses

Copyright Information for Online Instructors
Not quite sure about copyright laws governing your online course information?  Wondering what Winthrop University's copyright policy states? Visit the Copyright Information for Instructors page for more information.

10 Big Impact Blackboard Teaching Tips
1. Take an online class before teaching it
2. Schedule online learning classes the same days and times as traditional classes
3. Have each student introduce themselves
4. Reward those who read
5. Start each online class with announcements
6. End each online class with a Q&A session
7. Give practice tests
8. Create a game or competition
9. Compliment students who go above and beyond your expectations
10. Use the phone as needed

Rubric for Online Instruction
The faculty at California State University, Chico has developed a comprehensive rubric to measure the quality achieved by an online course instructor. This rubric is free and accessible to the public. Click here for more information.
 

Features and Capabilities of Blackboard
Blackboard allows you to:

• Provide course material in a secure, password-protected environment

• Track student usage of course content

• Automatically grade and record results on quizzes, exams or anonymous surveys

• Analyze data from quizzes and surveys, or export the results to other programs such as Microsoft Excel, SAS, SPSS, etc. 

An instructor can choose to use as many or as few of the available tools in Blackboard. There is much room for customization and personalization of a course. At the same time, the infrastructure and general appearance remains constant across all courses on our server; this allows students to grow comfortable with the software environment. 

Blackboard Contact Information
Kimarie Whetstone, Online Learning Coordinator
Instructional Technology Center | 803.323.2551 | whetstonek@winthrop.edu
Last updated: 05/04/12