Content Miscellany

You can use Batch Edit to update common settings across all content. This is helpful as you can make items available all at once. It also allows you to change dates for assignments and other content for the next semester. Follow the instructions below or view the video to learn more.

1. To get started, from the course content page, open the More options menu on the right side above the content list and select Batch Edit.

 
2. Your content appears just as it does on the Course Content page.

 
3. Select the checkbox next to the module, folder or items you want to update. You can select a maximum of 100 items at once. Items with long names are truncated.

4. At the bottom-right of the window, the following options are listed Edit dates, Edit visibility or Delete items.

 
Edit Dates

You can use Batch Edit to adjust due dates on items. Only items with dates will be adjusted. Select Edit dates at the bottom of the page.
You have four options for editing dates:

• Change dates by number of days
• Change dates based on course start
• Change to specific date and/or time
• Change individual item date

Select Edit Dates to confirm that you want to edit the dates for the items or Cancel to return to the page.

Change dates by number of days

Enter a number in the Shift dates forward or Shift dates backward fields. All dates for the items selected will be adjusted forward or backward based on the field and number you choose.  For example: A snowstorm at the start of the semester pushes the academic calendar by a few days. You can use Batch Edit to add 4 days to all due dates.

Change dates based on course start

This option adjusts all the assignment dates based upon when the course started. All dates are moved forward by the number of days between the original start date and the new start date you selected. If you upload a previously created course into a new one, you can adjust all the dates in the new course to match the same cadence that the previously created course had. For example: You reuse content from the previous semester when your course's start date was August 19, 2019. Your course's new start date is January 6, 2020. All dates for the selected items are adjusted forward 140 days.

Change to specific date and/or time

You can choose to change the specific time of day for a submission. For example: You've set the due date time to 8:00 PM and you've decided that you want to give students more time. You can use Batch Edit to change all the due date times to 11:59 PM. 

Change individual item date

If you want to change only one item's date in Batch Edit, select the calendar icon beside the item. You can now adjust the due date. You can also delete the item's due date by selecting the trash icon beside the due date. 

Edit Visibility  

You can use Batch Edit to make items hidden or visible to students. Select Edit visibility. Choose to make items hidden or visible to students. Previous visibility settings for the items are overwritten. Date and time release conditions are removed for all selected items.

 
Select Save Visibility to confirm that you want to change the visibility settings for the selected items or Cancel to return to the page.

Delete Items

You can use Batch Edit to delete items from the Course Content page. Select the items for Deletion. 

 
Select the Delete button to confirm that you want to delete the items or Cancel to return to the page. Deleted items can't be restored unless you have an archive file or export of the course with the items you deleted.
 

There are three rules for releasing content to students: Visible to students, Hidden from students, and Release conditions.

NOTE: These rules also apply to making content viewable to participants in an organization.

Instructors need to release course content based on performance criteria to sequence students on learning paths correctly. Sometimes they also need to release content to different groups using different criteria. For example, graduate students may be required to perform additional activities or perform at a higher level than other students. To support this needed flexibility, instructors can now create multiple rules for release conditions. 

You can create rules for release conditions based on these criteria: date, time, and grade range performance criteria. You can also create rules for specific individual learners, groups, or for all members.

Releasing content to students can be accomplished from two separate locations, the link to the content from the Content area of the course or the settings for the item when creating or editing content.

In the Course Content Area

 
In the Settings Panel when Creating or Editing Content

 
When Release conditions is selected, the Release Conditions layer opens showing the conditions that can be selected for releasing content to students.

 
Grade Visible to Students in Gradebook when Item is Hidden by Release Conditions

An option to 'Hide' selected content from students is available. This setting also hides the grade from the student view of the gradebook.

Instructors can set release conditions without concern of hiding grades. Regardless of the setting in "When will content appear?", students can see the grade. All other functionality of release conditions is unchanged.

 
Student gradebook view with display of student’s grade regardless of the release condition setting.
 

It is sometimes difficult to remember the location of a course item. In the past, locating an item was a time-intensive task and not very intuitive. Searching for the item would involve opening every folder or learning module to find the item. Now you can search course content titles to find any item on the course content page. 

The course search icon, a magnifying glass, is easy to find at the top of the course content page. When a user types a few letters, the course search function displays a list of matching items by title. A user may expand the search results to view more information related to the course item(s).

The course search icon is located in the top right corner of the Course Content page.
 

When you click on the course search icon, a search bar will expand where you can insert text or emojis.

 
 As you type, Blackboard will begin to generate results based on what you have entered.

 
 Clicking enter or return will generate all search results in the course. From there, users can select the assessment or item that they were looking for.

To clear search results and view all course content, select clear search.
 

By default, Progress Tracking should already be turned on in your Blackboard course. You can confirm this setting in the Details & Actions panel. 

 
With Progress Tracking enabled, instructors can see the progress that all students have made for the following content types:

• Documents
• Uploaded files
• Links
• Learning modules
• Folders
• LTI content with no associated grade
• SCORM packages

If this setting is off, you can turn “on” this functionality to give your students an easy way to keep track of what they have done in each of their courses. 

NOTE: When enabling progress tracking later than the beginning of the term, participatory items will be retroactively marked as complete. For example, assessments submitted previously by students will be marked as complete. Non-participatory items, like Ultra documents, will still need to be manually marked by students.

How to Enable Progress Tracking

• To enable Progress Tracking, navigate to the desired course.
• In the Details & Actions panel, select Turn On under Progress Tracking.

• Once the Progress Tracking panel opens, switch the toggle from OFF to ON.
• Save your new settings once completed.

Student Perspective

Now your students will see the progress of their work within the course. Every item in the course will display a circle icon showing the progress.

• Empty - when a student had not yet accessed the item
• Partially filled - when a student has opened the item
• Green check mark - when the student has completed the item

Students can mark complete items like Documents, uploaded files, or links once they have opened them. For any other items like Assessments, Tests, Journals, or Discussions, the item will automatically be marked as complete once the student completes their submission. When all items in a Folder or Module have been completed, the entire folder is automatically marked as complete. 

 
NOTE: The Ultra course interface will not allow students to check off any item that has not been opened or completed.

Student Progress Reports

Student Progress Reports allow instructors to select any of the above pieces of content and view the following information:

• Students who have not yet opened content.
• Students who have opened or started viewing content; and
• Students who have marked the content as complete.

The report includes the date and time when an action occurred (e.g., when a student started viewing content). Instructors can sort by student name or progress status. Sorting by progress status can allow quick identification of those students who are not engaging with the course content.

Accessing Student Progress Reports

• To view Student Progress Reports, navigate to any content item within your course and select the ellipsis (...) to access content options. From there click on Student Progress.

• This page will have a list of all the students enrolled in the course and their progress status for the specific content item.
• Depending on the progress that students are making on the specific content item or overall course material, you can message individuals or groups of students from within the report to connect with them prior to them falling too far behind.

Faculty and staff can create customized certificates for special occasions such as completion of courses, completion of materials, and recognition of accomplishments.

Procedure

1. Download the certificate template or create your own for scratch.
2. Modify the template to meet your criteria.
3. Upload your Certificate to Blackboard Ultra. 

NOTE: Faculty can create a set of rules to control how the certificate is released to students. The rules may be related to a student’s score or date of completion. Review the Release Content instructions for Blackboard Ultra.