Blackboard for Library Instructors

1
Blackboard for Library Instructors

• JQ JohnsonDirector, UO Center for Educational
  Technologiesjqj_at_uoregon.edu
• http//www.uoregon.edu/jqj/presentations/
  bb/bblib06.ppt
• 9 Nov 2006

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This presentation

• Blackboard overview for library faculty
  (followup to similar presentation 8 Sept 05)
• Using Blackboard in library instruction
• Self-paced tutorials
• Teaching LIB courses
• Ways we can help other faculty use Bb
• Providing help and referrals
• Advising faculty on resources to include in their
  coursesites
• Integrating with other library services

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What is Blackboard?

• A commercial, web-based Course Management
  System
• An integrated, easy to use environment offering
  wide variety of features for teaching
• access control only enrolled students
  participate in course
• easy web publishing of syllabus, lecture notes,
  etc.
• asynchronous communication announcements,
  threaded discussion, surveys
• synchronous communication chat room, virtual
  whiteboard
• online quizzes, homework submission, and
  gradebook
• collaborative workgroups
• A UO Library service

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Blackboard usage consistent growth since 1999

• Statistics as of 31 Oct 2006
• 18,598 student users (85 of all students)
• 1369 active fall-term or fall-sem Banner (CRN)
  coursesites
• 1500 faculty, GTFs, and staff teaching using
  Blackboard
• Approx. 57,000 fall coursesite enrollments
  (estimate at least 2/3 of all UO student credit
  hours now have a Blackboard component)
• Approx. 1,500,000 web server hits/day, 12,000
  logins/day

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The UO Blackboard home page --
https//blackboard.uoregon.edu
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Typical UO Blackboard courses

• Courses in almost every discipline
• Large lecture, small seminar, and everything in
  between, plus non-course uses
• Some use for true distance ed and hybrid
  courses, but most supplements face to face
• Different instructors use different features
• Different instructors have different pedagogical
  goals
• Most instructors start slow first term teaching
  with Blackboard use only a few features

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The Blackboard team at the Library

• Not shown
• CET Consulting (faculty support), esp. Nargas
  Oskui
• Library Systems
• ITCs (student support)
• Media Services, CETIM
• etc.

Tim Boshart Blackboard Coordinator and system
admin
JQ Johnson Director, CET and project manager
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Blackboard users

• All instructors and students have accounts. Log
  in as you would to wireless or to modem pool,
  e.g.
• Username jqj_at_uoregon.edu
• Password my darkwing password(dont know your
  password? https//password.uoregon.edu)
• Data in Blackboard is loaded from banner twice a
  day

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Blackboard coursesites

• Coursesites are created automatically for
  (almost) all UO CRN courses each term.
• Instructors can request a merged site combining
  CRNs
• UO instructor of record is Blackboard
  instructor
• Default to unavailable to students instructor
  must activate before use
• Sites created starting beginning of registration
  period for term, then twice a day
• Also sites for department (staff) major
  (undergrad) by request to courseinfo_at_blackboard

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Getting started

• Instructors edit coursesite via Control Panel
• Add material by filling out forms in web browser
  or uploading files
• Reuse material by copying a previous version of
  the course
• Change settings for appearance, functionality
• Invoke instructor tools (email, gradebook, etc.)

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Field trip

• A brief demo of blackboard with a focus on
  library-centric features
• Some typical existing CRN coursesites
• A support coursesite
• A brand new empty coursesite

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Using Blackboard in teaching

• LIB courses are UO courses, so automatically have
  Blackboard sites
• We can create additional special-purpose sites
  for special populations
• We can create publicly accessible sites, e.g.
  library tutorials

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Some other sites

• Other sites also use Blackboard for library
  tutorials
• http//averett.blackboard.com/
• http//redlandsapps.redlands.edu/library/faculty/r
  esearchcollegestudents.htm
• http//www.asumh.edu/library/blackboard_course/ind
  ex.htm
• Etc.

Sent Monday, October 30, 2006 941 AMTo
BBFS_at_LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDUSubject Re BBFS
Library Tutorials  Northwest Nazarene University
conducts library orientations through Blackboard
for our fully online programs as well as a few
others. Students click links to library
databases, etc., and complete half a dozen or so
Assignments using the trackable assignment
feature. A librarian is enrolled in the course so
s/he can retrieve the assignments and answer
questions.   For more info, contact Lance
McGrath at LRMcGrath_at_nnu.edu You can tell him I
sent you -)   Regards, Crystal
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Helping faculty use Blackboard

• We can answer typical FAQs how to log in, where
  to get help, where to send students for help
• Blackboard HELP (many resources, including FAQ)
  http//libweb.uoregon.edu/cet/blackboard/help
• For faculty CET consulting (Knight 19) CETIM
  Blackboard workshops (formerly IT Curriculum)
• courseinfo_at_blackboard.uoregon.edu
• For students ITCs
• Computing Center micro support

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Helping faculty enhance their Bb sites

• Problem is identifying the faculty, but can use
  Bb catalog, personal contacts
• Most sites allow guests to browse portions
• Instructor of record owns the site, but can be
  encouraged to add SS as teaching assistant, or
  can simply take advice and do it him/herself

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Providing resources to enrich faculty Bb sites

• Some subject specialists are now providing custom
  Blackboard materials for their clients
• Providing course-specific research guides loaded
  into Bb coursesite
• Identifying/evaluating things to include or link
  to (not just finding aids and research materials)
• Identifying relevant RSS feeds
• Helping with mechanics of linking to library
  resources
• Providing advice on collaborative learning
  assignments

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Some other sites

• Sites with online tutorials about integrating
  library resources in blackboard
• http//www.utexas.edu/academic/blackboard/tutorial
  s/
• http//www.lib.utexas.edu/services/instruction/fac
  ulty/blackboard
• http//www.library.eku.edu/services/blackboard.php
  
• http//www.dowling.edu/library/services/articlelin
  king.html
• http//infodome.sdsu.edu/infolit/blackboard.shtml
• http//www.libraries.uc.edu/instruction/faculty/bb
  oardlibguide.html
• Google integrating library blackboard for many
  more

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Integrating with other online Library resources

• We preload coursesites with
• Link to library home page
• Link to ereserves (with automatic login)
• Instructions, including a pointer to subject
  specialist list

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Some typical course-specific information an
instructor could add

• External links to library resources
• Course-relevant databases and indices
• Specific articles in databases or online journals
  (persistent URL)
• Links to ejournals pertaining to the course
  content
• Direct links to credible websites
• Subject guides
• Streaming media
• Descriptions of library services (equipment
  checkout, ITC, PP Room, et.c)
• Name/contact info for relevant subject specialist
• Library research assignments

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Helping faculty find/evaluate other resources

• Other UO faculty using Blackboard
• Course-relevant free web links
• Learning objects
• Test banks
• Textbooks, especially ones with Blackboard course
  cartridges

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Learning objects

• What are these things?
• Finding them
• Merlot, SMETE, Maricopa Learning Exchange, etc.
• Coursesite collections, e.g., MIT Open Courseware
  initiative
• Course cartridges
• Evaluating them
• Intellectual appropriateness
• Quality
• Currency
• Access rights
• Helping develop new ones -- CETIM

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Learning Object Examples

• Merlot
• SMETE
• Coursesite collections, e.g., MIT Open Courseware
  initiative
• Textbook course cartridges
• CETIM projects