As a general rule, all active classes in a semester have a corresponding Blackboard course (shell) even if the class is scheduled to meet on campus. In addition, all faculty have access to Blackboard using the MySam login. This facilitates your ability to transition a face-to-face class into remote delivery.
In the event that a campus closure initiates the restructuring of face-to-face instruction, prepare to continue the following types of core classroom activities in an online format:
- Communicating with students,
- Delivering lectures,
- Providing handouts,
- Distributing, collecting, and grading student work,
- Administering tests and grades,
- Encouraging student participation and managing group work,
Communicating with Students
- There are several online tools in Blackboard that can be used to maintain communication with your students. Select one or two of these tools that students can come to expect will be your primary means of relaying important and relevant information.
- We recommend using Blackboard Announcements, which will post a message in your course, and which can also be sent as an email.
- Tell your students where to locate course information in Blackboard and provide detailed instructions for assignments, online meetings, and tools that will be used to substitute in-class time.
- We recommend adding this information to your syllabus or in a course folder entitled, “Start Here.”
- Post your syllabus in Blackboard and update it with course changes as needed.
- Did you know? It is an institutional policy for all instructors to upload the syllabi in Blackboard, including syllabi for face-to-face courses.
- For a list of communication tools and functions, visit the Blackboard Interact with Students page.
- Follow best practices to build community and hold online discussions.
Delivering Lectures
You can deliver lectures and presentations in Blackboard either synchronously or asynchronously.
- Synchronous Options:
- Meet virtually over Blackboard Collaborate Ultra to hold online real-time, interactive classes and office hours. This allows you to share your screen, poll students, live-chat, and open breakout rooms for smaller discussions. These sessions can also be recorded for those that cannot attend a synchronous class. Try it out in the Blackboard Collaborate practice room.
- Use Zoom, the campus-licensed web conferencing service.
- Host phone-based audio conferences for small classes. You can use call-in telephone numbers provided by either Blackboard Collaborate or Zoom.
- Asynchronous Options:
- Record a narrated presentation (narrated PowerPoint) with Kaltura Capture and embed it in your course.
- Recording full lectures can be cumbersome for instructors and students, so consider how to redesign them.
- Video lectures can be recorded and streamed in Blackboard using a webcam and a microphone. Most laptops have integrated webcams and mics.
- Ahead of a crisis, consider recording your lectures in one of the SHSU Online recording studios. The SHSU Online Video Production and Technologies team specializes in educational video production, digitization of media, and guest lecture recordings for online courses.
- We recommend that you consider recording your lectures for use outside of crisis scenarios. Digitizing your in-class instruction can provide opportunities for easier ADA compliance (transcripts, captions), can provide you a backup of your work, and can be used as a substitute for your students when you are out.
- Labs:
- For lab sections, find virtual labs online or arrange for alternative activities in place of the lab.
- Free Labs and Simulations:
- Free Labs and Simulations:
- Other things you can upload/link to in your Blackboard course:
- PowerPoint Presentations
- Podcasts and downloadable audio files
- Case Studies
- Images
- Charts & Graphs
Providing handouts
- “Hand-out” course materials in your Blackboard course(s).
- In Blackboard, you can upload files, including DOC, DOCX, HTM, HTML, PDF, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, RTF, TXT, ZIP, and most image types.
- You can also provide links to anywhere on the internet, including case studies, videos, websites, etc.
Distributing, collecting, and grading student work
- Use the Blackboard Assignment tool to collect, grade, and return assignments electronically.
- Track student grades in the Blackboard Grade Center.
- Consider how you could incorporate alternative course materials and adapt assignments to suit online learning in case of an extended emergency.
Administering tests and grades
- Offer online quizzes, surveys, or tests where appropriate using Blackboard.
- Encourage academic integrity with Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor.