blackboard basics

Navigating the Blackboard Shell for Your Course

Getting StartedWhenever you open Blackboard for this course, you

will see the Announcements page. This is something to check each time you log in, to make sure there are no new announcements.

Check out the “Start Here” Button to get going. Basics about the course, Syllabus, and link to Learning Unit 1 are here.

Learning UnitsEach week has a corresponding Learning Unit. Be sure to look at the Table of Contents for each Learning Unit and click on each link, to ensure you know what is due for each week, along with the readings and discussion board.

Discussion Boards

Every week there will be a discussion board due. You must read the topic and post an original post based on the questions and discussion in the forum, and reply to two posts by your classmates. The initial posts are due on Saturdays and the replies are due Mondays. Be sure your posts are substantive and relevant. You will not receive full credit if you do not post on time, if you do not reply to two posts in addition to your original post, or if your posts are not substantive.

Wait, What?This discussion board is for the questions you will inevitably have. It is a good idea to check here first, to see if others have already asked and answered your question.

Turning in AssignmentsAll assignments, beyond the weekly discussion boards and the Peer Review Group Project, must be submitted via SafeAssign, within the Learning Unit for that week. Read the instructions and submit by clicking at the bottom of the page (note that the link is not in the picture, below).

Emergency PassI do not accept late assignments, but I do allow ONE late assignment per semester. This applies to discussion boards, papers, paper topics (for first paper), and the journal article evaluation. The late assignment must be turned in within a week of the due date, and is submitted via the Emergency Pass assignment in the “Assignments” section of Blackboard. Choose wisely. Discussion boards are only worth 40 points, but papers are worth 100 points. If you do not use your Emergency Pass, you will receive extra credit points at the end of the semester.

Peer Review Group ProjectAs part of the preparation for the first paper, in addition to the Paper Topics and Journal Article Evaluation, you will be required to turn in your paper to your group and review the papers of two people in your group. The review sheet will be in Course Documents, as well as in the File Share portion.

File Exchange:Click on “File Exchange” within your Group, then

click “Add File”