Blackboard has a tool called the Global Calendar, which is currently being implemented in several of the statewide online courses. Anyone can use the Global Calendar for their course, including face-to-face courses and online courses that don't currently have the feature included in the Start Here area.
For comprehensive information regarding the Global Calendar, you may reference the following websites:
Internet access was unavailable at the Lafayette and Monticello campuses beginning at approximately 10 am. As of this posting, internet access has not yet been restored. Blackboard was down on Sunday, Jan. 24th from approximately 8:30 pm - 10:15 pm. Please work with your students to extend the due dates appropriately. Blackboard maintenance that was planned for Friday, Jan. 29th from 2:00 - 6:00 am was cancelled. Blackboard was not down and no maintenance was performed during that timeframe.
MATH123 WebWork Tool will be down for maintenance on Sunday, Jan. 31st from 6:00 - 7:00 am. WebWork will redirect to the log in page during this time.
If a student saves their assignment as a draft, that assignment is saved in the Grade Center with the date on which that draft was created. If they return to the assignment later and submit, the attempt in the grade center will show the date the draft was saved, not the date the assignment was submitted.
For example, at 2:54 pm on Thursday, January 21st, I went into our test course with a student role and accessed the assignment Session 10: Preschool Activities. I attached a document and clicked Save Draft (as shown above).
Upon returning to the assignment the following day (Jan. 22nd), I could see my attempt date as Jan. 21st at 2:54 pm (as shown above) with the "in progress" icon. Clicking Continue took me back to the assignment screen where I was able to add to and edit my assignment prior to submitting.
After I submitted my assignment, my Grades screen (what the students see) showed the date of actual submission (shown above), however when I click on the title and view my attempt, the date I first saved the assignment is the date that is shown on that screen (1/21 rather than 1/22).
When I log in with an Instructor role and access the assignment, the grade center shows the draft date (1/21), not the actual date of submission (1/22).
In order to determine the actual date of submission, I must click on View Grade Details (as shown at the top of the menu in the image above). From the Grade Details page I must click on the Grade History option (as shown below). The Grade History will give the actual date of submission, not the date the assignment was saved.
College Policy Regarding the Use of Blackboard
College policy specifies several faculty requirements in regards to Blackboard. Specifically, ASOM 7.5 requires:
All faculty must successfully complete BBRD101 prior to their first teaching assignment
All faculty (regardless of course delivery method) must do the following in Blackboard for each course:
Post their contact information in the Instructor or Course Info button
Post a course syllabus and calendar
Maintain accurate grade information throughout the semester in the Blackboard grade center
All online faculty must be certified through successful completion of either IVYC101, IVYC110/112, or have successfully completed another approved certification course
The following campuses were closed for part or all of the week. If you have a student in one of those regions, please work with them on any proctored exam make-ups or for any other issues they may have experienced as a result of these closures.
Thursday, Jan. 21st:
Southwest campuses (Evansville, Tell City, Princeton) delayed until noon
Southeast campuses (Madison, Lawrenceburg, Batesville) delayed until noon
Sellersburg campus closed all day
Friday, Jan. 22nd:
Southwest campuses (Evansville, Tell City, Princeton) closed all day
At the beginning of the semester you may find that some of your students are not familiar with Blackboard and how it works. Our Online Education website has a How-To Video section containing videos that demonstrate:
How to access Blackboard
Basic navigation of Blackboard
Basic course navigation
How to take a quiz
How to submit an assignment
Using Blackboard course messages
For students who are taking online courses, they'll also find a list of Frequently Asked Questions to help prepare them for success in an online course.
The Distance Education blog has up-to-date information about system maintenance, training opportunities, unplanned outages, special tips, etc. Please subscribe in the box to the right so you can receive the weekly posts by e-mail!
GoToMeeting is available for free for any current faculty or staff member at Ivy Tech. To set up your account:
Log in to Blackboard
Click on the "Click for Help" tab
Scroll down to the "Citrix GoToMeeting" module on the left side of the screen
Follow the instructions in that box to request your account
Account set up takes approximately 24-48 hours.
Tips for Your Students
As we continue to integrate Blackboard into more of our courses, your students may have questions about how the system works. Fortunately we have a great website that can help get them up and running! Please encourage your students to check out the Online Education website, even if they've taken a class online or used Blackboard before they can get a quick refresher! http://bit.ly/ivytechonline We have had great feedback from students on the new Tutor.com services. Students can access those free services from the home page in Blackboard. Assistance is available for many courses and the tutors will help students with homework assignments, help students review papers and study for tests, and much more!
Lafayette region has the second highest Tutor.com usage in the state! 97% of students who used Tutor.com said they felt it helped them improve their grades and helped them be more confident about their school work. 98% of students reported that they were glad Ivy Tech offers this service.
Please encourage your students to take advantage of this free service!
Systems Information
The first three chapters of most titles are available in digital format for the students. Please ensure that the book for your course is available through the website before sharing this information with your students.
McGraw-Hill Titles - http://www.mhlearningsolutions.com/ivy_tech/ Username: student Password: student123 Choose the Department from the department drop-down and the course number from the course drop-down and then click search
Vital Source planned maintenance schedule for Spring 2016:
January 30th
February 20th
March 19th
April 2nd
Vital Source services will be unavailable or degraded during maintenance. Maintenance windows occur on Saturdays between 3:00 am and 6:00 am EST to lessen impact. Users who have downloaded their books to their desktop or mobile device will not experience any interruption in service. The Video Anywhere tool is no longer available and will be discontinued officially on Monday, Jan. 11th. You may still embed videos in Blackboard using the "Embed" code in YouTube or using the hyperlink tool.
