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Blackboard’sWikisTool

WikisareusedtocreateacollaborativespacewithinaCoursewhereallstudentscanview,contribute,andeditcontent.ThemostcommonexampleisWikipedia,theonlineencyclopediathatallowsanyoneintheworldtocontributecontenttoit.

AboutCourseWikisAnyCoursemembercanaddpagesunlesstheInstructorintendstobethesoleauthorandusetheWikiascoursecontent.

AboutGroupWikisAnyCoursemembercanreadtheGroupWiki,buttheusermustbeamemberoftheGrouptoeditapageormakeacommentonaGroupWikipage.

HowtoCreateaWikiOnlytheinstructorcancreateWikitopics.

1. AccesstheCourse.EnsureEditModeisON.2. IntheControlPanel,expandtheCourseToolssection.SelectWikis.3. OntheWikislistingpage,clickCreateWikiontheActionBar.

4. OntheCreateWikipage,typeaWikiName.5. TypeoptionalInstructionsfortheWiki.Formatthetextandadd

images,links,multimedia,Mashups,andattachmentsusingthefunctionsintheTextEditor,ifneeded.AttachmentsaddedusingtheTextEditorcanhavealternatetextaddedtodescribetheattachment.

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6. SelecttheYesoptiontomaketheWikiavailabletousers.7. UsetheDisplayAfterandDisplayUntildateandtimefieldstolimitavailabilityofthe

Wiki.SelecttheDisplayAfterandDisplayUntilcheckboxesinordertoenablethedateandtimeselections.DisplayrestrictionsdonotaffectthecontentintheWiki,onlytheappearanceoftheWiki.

8. SelecttheStudentAccessoption.StudentAccesscanbechangedatanytime.a. ClosedtoEditing:SelectthisoptionwhentheInstructorwillbetheonlyone

contributingpagesortodisallowfurtherpageeditingbyusers,suchaswhentheWikipagesaresettobegraded.WikiscanstillbeviewedwhenClosedtoEditingisselected.

b. OpentoEditing:AllowsuserstomodifyanyWikipage.InaGroupWiki,ausermustbeamemberoftheGrouptoeditaWikipage.

9. SelectNogradingortheGradeoptionandtypethenumberofPointspossible.Pointspossiblewillapplytooneormorepagesaddedandalleditsbytheuser.OnceaWikiissettobegraded,acolumniscreatedforitintheGradeCenter.ItispermanentlygradableandcannotbesettoNograding.

TheWikitopicsappearinalphabeticalorderontheWikislistingpage.Columnscanbesortedbyclickingthecolumntitleorcaret.

AddingaCourseMenuButtonforaWikiTomaketheWikisyouhavecreatedeasilyaccessibletoyourstudentsyoucanaddaCourseMenubuttonorlinknamed“CourseWikis”orsomethingsimilar.

1. SelecttheplussignatthetopofyourcoursemenuandselectCreateToolLink.

2. GiveButtonaName.3. UnderType,selectWikis4. Select“AvailabletoUsers.”

ClickSubmit.Thiswilllinktoallcourseblogs.

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HowtoCreateaWikiPageEachnewlycreatedCourseorGroupWikirequiresafirstpage,whichisthehomepage.TheInstructororanyCourseorGroupmembercancreatethehomepage.Thehomepagecannotbedeleted,butiftheWikiisopentoediting,itcanbeeditedbyanyCourseorGroupmember.Thehomepageandallsubsequentpagesarecreatedfollowingthesamesteps.

1. OntheWikislistingpage,selectaWikititle.2. OntheWiki’stopicpage,clickCreateWikiPageontheActionBar.3. OntheCreateWikiPage,typeaNamefortheWikipage.4. TypetextintheContenttextbox.Formatthetextandaddimages,links,multimedia,

Mashups,andattachmentsusingthefunctionsintheTextEditor.AttachmentsaddedusingtheTextEditorcanhavealternatetextaddedtodescribetheattachment.

5. ClickSubmit.HowtoEditWikiContentAnyCoursemembercaneditaCourseWikipageandanyGroupmembercaneditaGroupWikipage,unlesstheInstructorhasdisabledthisfunction.WhenaWikipageisbeingeditedbyoneuser,itislockedtopreventothersfromeditingthesamepage.Ifausertriestoeditapagesomeoneelseisediting,heorsheisinformedthatthepageiscurrentlybeingeditedbyanotheruser.

Note:StudentsdonothavetheabilitytodeleteWikipages.

1. AccesstheWiki.TheWikitopicpageappears.2. Selectthepagetoreviewandedit.TheWikipage

opensinthecontentframe.3. Inthesidepanel,clickthepage’sActionLinkto

accessthecontextualmenuandselectEdit.

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4. OntheEditWikiPage,changescanbemadetothenameandcontentofthepage.Additionalcontentcanbeaddedalso.UsethefunctionsintheTextEditortoformatexistingtextoraddlinks,images,multimedia,Mashups,attachments,andlinktootherWikipages.

5. ClickSubmit.Note:SelectHistoryfromapage’scontextualmenutoseehowthepagehasbeenmodified,viewanyversion,andcomparetwoversionssidebyside.ThePageHistorypageallowstheInstructortoretrieveinformationaboutthedevelopmentofanypageandseewhocontributedcontent.

HowtoLinktoOtherWikiPagesWhencreatingoreditingaWikipage,userscanusetheLinktoWikipagefunctionintheTextEditortolinktoanotherWikipagewithinthecurrentWiki.

LinkstootherWikipagescanbecreatedwhenatleasttwopagesexist.

1. AccesstheWiki.OntheWikitopicpage,clickCreateWikiPage.2. OntheCreateWikiPage,typeaWikiNameandContent.3. IntheContenttextbox,positionthemousepointerwherealinkwillbeaddedto

anotherWikipage.

4. ClicktheLinktoWikipagefunctionintheTextEditor,representedbyseveralsheetsofpaper.IfthereisonlyonepageintheWiki,thisfunctionisdisabled.

5. Inthepop-upwindow,selecttheWikipagetolinktofromthedrop-downlist.

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6. Optionally,typeanameforthelinkintheRenameWikiPageLinktextbox.Ifthelinkisnotrenamed,theoriginalpagetitleisusedasthelink.ClickSubmit.ThelinkappearsintheTextEditor.

7. ClickSubmit.ThenewpagewiththelinktotheotherpageisaddedtotheWiki.HowtoAddaCommenttoaWikiPageAnyCoursemembercanaddacommenttoaCourseWikipageratherthanaddtooreditapage.Bydefault,GroupWikiscanbereadbyallCoursemembers,butausermustbeamemberoftheGrouptomakeacommentonaGroupWikipage.TheInstructorcanchangethedefaultsettingtoallowonlyGroupmemberstoviewaGroupWiki.

1. AccesstheWiki.2. OntheWikitopicpage,selectthepagetoviewinthesidepanel.TheWikipageopensin

thecontentframe.3. ClickCommentfollowingtheuser’scontribution.TheCommenttextboxappears.4. TypeacommentintheCommenttextbox.

5. ClickSpellCheckatthebottomoftheCommenttextboxtocheckthespellingofthe

contentbeforecontinuing.6. ClickAdd.ClicktheCommentslinkbelowthecontributiontoviewthecomment.

HowtoViewtheParticipationSummaryOntheParticipationSummarypage,InstructorsareabletoviewalistofallStudentparticipationforthecurrentWikibeingviewed.

1. AccesstheWiki.2. OntheWikitopicpage’sActionBar,clickParticipationandGradingforgradedWikisor

ParticipationSummaryforWikiswithnograding.

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3. OntheParticipationSummarypage,viewparticipationfortheStudentswhohavecontributedtotheWiki.

4. Inthesidepanel,viewinformationabouttheWikiandselectausertoviewhisorherParticipant'sContributionpage.

• PageVersions:ThePageVersioncolumndisplaysallpagescreatedandeditedbytheuser.ThisallowstheInstructortoseepreciselyhowandwhatcontenttheusercontributedandedited.

• WordsModified:Tallyofanywordsadded,deleted,oreditedinallpagesandeachpage’sversionoftheWiki.

• PageSaves:TallyofanytimeSubmitisclickedontheEditWikiPageintheWiki,regardlessofwhetherornotcontenthasbeenchanged.

HowtoGradeaCourseWikiAfteraWikiissettobegraded,acolumnisautomaticallycreatedintheGradeCenter.Then,individualStudentcontributionscanbeaccessedfromtheWiki’sParticipationSummarypage.

AgradedWikicannotbesettoungraded.DeletethegradedWikifromtheWikislistingpageandtheGradeCenter,andcreateanewungradedWiki.Alternatively,donotincludethegradedWikicolumninGradeCentercalculations,iftheWikipagesneedtoberetained.

1. AccesstheWikitobegraded.2. OntheWikitopicpage,clickParticipationandGradingontheActionBar.

3. OntheParticipationSummarypage,selectauser’snameinthesidepanel.Userswithcontributionsreadyforgradingappearwiththeexclamationmark,theneedsgradingicon.

4. OntheParticipant’sContributionpage,alistoftheuser’spagesandpageversionsopeninthecontentframe.Youcanalsoviewinformationaboutthecontributions.InthePageVersioncolumn,clickapage’stitletoreviewit.

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5. Whenreadytograde,enteragradeintheGradewindow.Note:IfaRubrichasbeencreatedforthisgradedWiki,clickViewRubric.TheRubricmustbecreatedandaddedtotheappropriateGradeCentercolumninadvance.

6. Optionally,typeFeedbackfortheuserandGradingNotes,whichappeartotheInstructorandGraderonly.Optionally,usetheSpellCheckfunctioninthebottomofeachtextbox.ClickTextEditortoaccessalltheTextEditorfunctionsforformattingtextandaddingURLs,attachments,images,Mashups,andmultimedia.

7. ClickSubmittoaddtheGrade,Feedback,andGradingNotestotheGradesectionandtotheGradeCenter.

8. TheGrade,Feedback,orGradingNotescanbeeditedagainatanytime.ThechangesappearintheGradesectionandintheGradeCenter.ThechangesaredocumentedintheGradeCenterintheGradeHistorytabontheuser'sGradeDetailspage.

UsethePreviousUserandNextUserarrowsinthesidepaneltoquicklyaccessotherusers’contributionstograde.