Blackboard Quick Start Guide

Access Blackboard by clicking on the Blackboard Learning Systems button located on your My

WVNCC Student Portal page.

Links to the classes you are enrolled in will be shown in the My Courses module. Clicking on a

link will open that class. All students have access to the Blackboard Tutorial. If you are

unfamiliar with Blackboard, please take some time to review the tutorial.

GET ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR BLACKBOARD COURSE ENVIRONMENT

Your online course will vary depending on the instructor, however, they will all have the same

common elements.

Course Elements

Online courses contain content and various tools. The instructor manages the course through the

course menu and Control Panel. The Control Panel is only visible and accessible to instructors.

A course consists of the course menu and a content frame. The course menu links to content

and tools and the content frame displays the content you select.

A – Page Header: The Page Header contains tabs, the Global Navigation menu, and the icon to

log out. The page header remains the same regardless of where you are in Blackboard Learn.

B – Tabs: Blackboard Learn has common tabs, the My Organization tab and the Courses tab.

C – Course-to-course navigation: Course-to-course navigation allows you to access all of the

courses you are enrolled in via a drop down list. Click the drop down arrow next to the

house icon and select another course from the list.

D – Course menu: The access point for all course content added by your instructor.

E – Content frame: The larger area of the screen adjacent to the course menu that displays the

selected content area, tool, module page, etc. The first page that you see when entering a

course is chosen by the instructor and is called the course entry point.

A B C

D

E

The Course Menu

The course menu is the panel on the left side of your Blackboard screen that contains links to

course areas. The course menu provides links to areas and tools such as Discussions, learning

modules, course messages, email, assignments, and assessments. Instructors control the content

and tools available in the course menu.

A – Open the course menu in a separate window. The detached menu always displays course

materials in a directory tree. You can expand the view to show the hierarchy of course

navigation and move the window wherever you want.

B – Refresh your view.

C – Expand or collapse the course menu frame by moving your mouse pointer near the border

and clicking the arrow. When you collapse the course menu, you have more room on the

screen to view content.

A

B

C

Exploring Content Areas

A content area can contain multiple components such as assignment (exercises), assessments,

discussion forum links, and supplemental materials. For example, an instructor may create a

content area containing a week’s worth of course material such as reading assignments,

PowerPoints, web links, handouts and quizzes. The instructor creates the names of the content

areas in a course. These customizations may create variations in your courses.

To navigate content areas:

On the course menu, click the name of the content area. The content area appears in the

content frame.

In the content frame, click a link to access content, such as a folder, learning module,

discussion board forum link.

Content Area Organization

Click the link on the course menu to access a content area item. In the content frame, various

content items are organized. Clicking a link to a content item such as the discussion board or a

file will open that item in the content frame.

Learning Modules

Learning modules are containers for packaging and presenting course content. Learning

modules have a table of contents where your instructor organizes the presentation of content. All

types of content, such as items, assignments, and tests can appear in a learning module. The

instructor controls how learning modules are named and the content they contain. Instructors

may arrange learning modules by week, unit, or subject area.

The use of learning modules as seen below may vary from course to course. Some instructors

may use “folders” to package learning content.

Orientation Bar

As you view content and links in a content area, use the orientation bar to navigate to previous

pages or to the home page. Use the orientation bar when you can, and not the browser back

button, to navigate backwards.

Completing Basic Course Activities

Assignments (Exercises)

Assignments are typically located in course modules or in folders on the Course Modules page.

Instructor requirements for submitting assignments may vary from course to course. Refer to

your course syllabus or consult your instructor for specific requirements for submitting

assignments.

Many instructors require that you submit assignments using the assignment submission tools in

Blackboard. Assignment names may vary from course to course.

A – Assignment link. Click the assignment link to open the assignment.

B – Note any attached assignment files.

C – Note and review assignment instructions.

A B

C

Click the assignment link to open the assignment submission window.

A – Assignment due date.

B – Your instructor may require that you submit your assignment using the Text Submission

option. To submit a text submission, click the Write Submission button to open the text

submission box. Type your assignment into the Text Submission box and then click Submit

(D).

A

B

D

You can enter text in the Text Submission box. Use the ribbon tools to format text if desired.

C

C – Your instructor may require that you submit your assignment as a file attachment. Click the

Browse My Computer button to locate the assignment document that you have saved on

your computer or flash drive. Double click on the desire file to attach it to your assignment

submission.

D – Click on the Submit button to submit the assignment to your instructor for grading.

Completing Basic Course Activities

Tests and Quizzes (Assessments)

Quizzes and tests are typically found within course modules or in content folders on the Course

Modules page.

Click the test or quiz link to open it.

A – The instructions provide important details such as the due date, number of attempts

allowed, and the time limit allowed.

B – Click the Begin button to begin the assessment. Be sure to allow yourself enough time to

complete the assessment in the time allowed.

A

B

A – Test information including any specific instructions and timed test information.

B – The test timer indicates the time remaining to complete the test.

C – Test question types will vary by course. The example above is a multiple choice question

with radio buttons for answer selections. Click the radio button to select your answer.

D – Click the Save Answer button to save your answer for each question. It is recommended that

you save answer after each question. You also have the option use the Save All Answers

button when you have completed the assessment.

E – Click on Save All Answers to save your answers when you have completed the test. Note:

clicking Save All Answers does NOT submit your assessment. To submit your completed

assessment, click on the Save and Submit button.

A

B

C

D E

Completing Basic Course Activities

Discussion Forums

Most online courses have a required class participation component. Class participation is

typically conducted through the discussion forums. Class participation requirements vary by

course and by instructor. Refer to your course syllabus or consult your instructor for specific

course requirements.

To access the discussion board, click on the Discussions link in the course menu.

A – Instructors may set up weekly discussion forums for class participation. Click on the Forum

link to open the desired discussion forum.

B – The forum description may contain that forum’s discussion question(s) or specific

instructions.

C – The Unread Posts column shows the number of posts that you have not yet read in each

discussion forum.

A

B

C

Creating a New Thread

Click on the Create Thread button to write and post your own thread to the discussion forum.

A – The Forum Description may include specific instructions or the discussion question.

B – Enter the Subject of your thread posting.

C - Type your response in the Message box. You can use the ribbon tools to format text if

necessary.

D – Click the Submit button to post to the forum.

A

B

C

D

Reply to Thread Post

A - The thread link will open that discussion posting so you can read and respond to it. Click on

the thread link to open the thread.

B – Click on the Reply button to respond to another student’s post.

A

C

D

B

C – Type your response in the Message box. You can use the ribbon tools to format text if

desired.

D – Click Submit to post your response to the forum.

Completing Basic Course Activities

Course Messages

The most commonly used communication tool in Blackboard is Course Messages. Please note

that some instructors will use different names for the tool links. In this case, look for Course

Messages or simply Messages as the most likely names for the tool link. You will find the

Course Messages link in the Course Menu on the left side of your Blackboard page.

A –The Create Messages button. This will open the Compose Message page where you can

send messages to your instructor or other students in your class.

B – The Inbox folder link. Click the Inbox folder link to access your new messages. The Unread

column will display the number of new, unread message in your inbox.

C – The Sent folder link. Click the Sent folder link to access your sent messages.

A

B

C

Composing and Sending a Course Message

To compose and send a course message, click on the Create Message button (“A” above) to

open the Compose Message page.

A – The To, Cc (Copy), Bcc (Blind Copy) buttons. Click the To button to open the Select

Recipients list box shown above. In the Select Recipients list box, select the recipient(s)

you want to send a message to then click the right facing arrow to move the recipient(s) over

to the Recipients box.

B – Type your message subject in the Subject box.

C – Type your message in the Body box. Use the ribbon tools to format text if desired.

D – Click the Submit button to send your message.

E – Click the Browse button to locate and attach files to the message if necessary.

A A

B

C

D E

Getting Help

Getting help with Blackboard is only an email or phone call away.

Your first contact for help in your course is your instructor. Look for instructor contact

information in the course syllabus.

For technical support:

Official Blackboard Student Help Page

The WVNET Blackboard Helpdesk is available 24/7. Call (800) 253-1558, press 1 for

the Helpdesk.

A

A