- Log in to Access Illinois Tech (more info)
- Select Blackboard from the list of available apps
- Select “Courses” from the black menu bar located on the left side
- Click on the desired course to enter the course site
If you are looking for a course from a previous semester
- Press the small arrow located on the right side of the “Current Courses” header
- On the drop-down menu that opens, choose the specific semester in which the course took place
If you are looking for a course in the upcoming semester
- Use the arrows located to the left and right of the “Current Courses” header to choose “Upcoming Courses”
If you are looking for a non-curricular course or workshop
- Use the arrows located to the left and right of the “Current Courses"”header to choose the right category, such as “Training and Professional Development” or “Department and Special Projects”
For all courses
- Once you chose a category, a list of the relevant courses will appear. Within this course list, you can search for a specific course based on course name or Course Reference Number (CRN).
To create or add content to your course, visit the Blackboard website for in-depth resources to assist with the process.
How to Add Content (Ultra View)
You can visit the Blackboard website for in-depth resources to utilize and/or develop discussions for your courses.
Watch a video to learn more about the Discussion Board.
How to Create a Graded Discussion Board:
In Original View
- Go to the course
- Scroll down to the Control Panel
- Click Users and Groups
- Click Users
- Click Find Users to Enroll
- Enter the user's ID
- Press Submit
- Go back to the Users list and locate the new member
- Use the drop-down arrow next to their username to select Change User's Role in Course
- Select the desired role and press Submit
In Ultra View
- Click "View everyone in your course" under Roster
- Click the + (plus-sign icon) in the upper-right corner
- Select Enroll People
- Enter the name or ID of the user
- Click the + (plus-sign icon) next to their name
- Select the desired role
- Press Save
Instructors who teach multiple sections of the same course may prefer to manage those sections through a single course. To request a combination of two or more courses, fill out the Illinois Tech Course Merge Request Form.
- Your courses will be merged within three business days
- Fill out a new form for each set of combined courses
- Wait until your merged course is created before adding content to the site
It's possible to content some or all materials from one course site to another. Note: To copy a course, you must be listed as an instructor in both courses.
Instructions:
- Log into Blackboard
- Go to the course that you want to copy
- In the Control Panel, click "Packages and Utilities"
- Click "Course Copy"
- Select "Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course"
- In the field for "Destination Course ID", paste the course ID (or browse) for the course you wish to copy the material into
- Select the checkboxes next to all the content you wish to copy
- Do NOT include enrollments in the course copy
- Click SUBMIT
By default, course sites are available the length of the semester. However, instructors can make the available to enrolled students earlier or extend past the end date to provide access to materials. To do so,
- Log into Blackboard
- Go to the course
- In the Control Panel, click "Properties"
- Set Course Availability to "Yes"
- Under Course Duration, enter the desired dates
- Press Submit
Note: This feature is to provide reading/viewing access to materials, not extended time for incomplete assessments. Students must apply for an "incomplete" if necessary.
Most Illinois Tech instructors use the “Original View” in Blackboard. This is the classic course site with a dark menu bar on the left side. The “Ultra View” has different arrangement of the elements of your course site. All course content is arranged on the central page, and the left side menu contains instructors tools.
Preview Ultra
To preview the “Ultra View,” log in to Blackboard and go to your course:
- Click on the lock in the upper-right corner to make your course unavailable
- Click on the little pencil that appears next to the lock
- Click “Try the Ultra Course View”
- You'll receive an email when your course has changed—review your course and select either “Use the Ultra View” or “Back to Original Course” to go back to the “Original View.” Proceed carefully: once you select “Ultra View,” you can't go back to the “Original View.”
- Click the lock icon to make your course available to students again
Learn more the differences between Ultra and Original, and learn more about “Ultra View.”
If your course is in Original view, it will have a dark menu bar along the left side, like this:
If your course is in Ultra View, it not have a menu bar, but rather the instructor's name and picture at the top, like this:
