Teaching Technology reminders - March 2021
Blackboard courses - Course copy reminders
For new trimester courses you can request that old course content can be copied over to the new course, you can also request that a course template is applied.
A course template may be set up for your school or Faculty or a general 'Toiere' university one can be applied. The template just adds in the menu structure with good practice layout and core items already set up. It also adds the core Student support information and links. Course copy and templates are requested through the Staff Service centre - Build a Blackboard course. All the available templates are listed. If you are unsure which one to select talk to your Faculty Learning Designer.
Course content can be copied over from a previous running of the course. This will bring all the content (ppts, pdfs and text items) as well as any tests and assignments previously set up.
Please make sure you add in Tutors into the course with the correct role. The desired role will be at the request of the course coordinator and based on what the tutor is expected to do within the course. Typically, Tutors would go in as Teaching assistants or Graders.
When courses are starting and being set up please remember to go through the course and check/refresh:
Students not enrolled
If students are not appearing in Blackboard courses they cannot just be manually added. The enrolment into courses is managed by Banner and refreshed overnight. If a student is not appearing in a course, it is because their banner records are classifying them as something other than fully enrolled. Please check through their student record to review why there is a hold or if they have been categorised incorrectly. Once corrected in Banner their enrolment will update the next day for Blackboard.
Blackboard roles
This is a quick summary of what the various BB roles do:
Instructor, Course Admin, Teaching assistant — These roles are pretty much the same, except CA and TA can’t remove instructors from the course (though they can change the role of the instructor, then delete them). Also TAs don’t appear on the list of ‘instructors' for the course.
Demonstrator — can view the same content as students, don’t appear in the grade book, don’t have access to grading. This is a custom demonstrator role. It is the same as students except that it can turn on Edit Mode to see unavailable course content and it does not appear in the gradecenter.
Grader — can view the same content as students, don’t appear in the grade book, DO have access to grading
Course Builder — can edit, create and view content in the same way as an instructor, don’t appear in the grade book, don’t have access to grading
Guest — avoid using this role. Can view content defined by the instructor, but usually courses are set up so that they don’t allow guests. NOTE. That every piece of content within the course would need to have 'allow guest to view' set for this role to see everything.
Library Support — used by the library to add content etc to courses if need be. This role is assigned to subject librarians who are supporting course delivery and student learning. Anyone in an Instructor or Teaching Assistant role can enrol a Subject Librarian in the Blackboard course they teach or support. This role is equivalent to a course builder.
https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Administrator/Hosting/User_Management/Roles_and_Privileges/Course_and_Organization_Roles
VStream (Panopto)
Recordings in teaching spaces can be set up to automatically record. The recording schedule can be setup by anyone listed in the Blackboard course as an instructor, or requested from the Staff service centre - Recording schedule.
These recordings will go straight into the course VStream folder.
By default all screen in the room will be recorded as if they are in extended mode(different content on each screen) and if other devices are used such as laptops to document cameras they will only be included in the recorded content if they are displaying on the left (main) screen. Make sure microphones are always used.
Recording can be done manually in teaching spaces where the Panopto recorder is installed. This can be started, paused, stopped and extended just by clicking on the Panopto icon in the task bar at the bottom of the screen. The recordings will be saved to a folder for the room. To move these to a course folder please log a call with the service desk.
Zoom
Staff Zoom accounts can be used for teaching or course zoom accounts can be set up for teaching. These can be useful where there are multiple people (lecturer and tutors) running zoom sessions for the course.
If staff need to run multiple zoom sessions for the course at the same time or through tutors, these can be set up within the same zoom account. Refer to The Digital Learning Hub for more guidance.
Zoom recordings that are done to the Cloud will be saved into the zoom account used for the meeting but will also be automatically transferred into a Panopto folder for that Zoom account. These recording can then be transferred to course folders in Panopto. If you cannot see the Panopto content of you zoom account, please contact your faculty Learning designer or Staff service centre.
Support and training
CAD is continuing to run daily Drop-in Sessions ( https://vuw.zoom.us/my/CADTraining ) on Zoom. You can come to a session between 1pm and 3pm and ask question about Blackboard, Zoom, teaching practice, assessments, tutoring or anything else relate to teaching and teaching technology.
We will also continue to run webinars and training sessions both in person and zoom.
To see what's coming up and register for a session check out the webinar calendar. And check out all the professional development opportunities on the PD calendar.
Refer to the Digital Learning Hub for support information about teaching technology, teaching practice guidance and information about CAD’s support.
For new trimester courses you can request that old course content can be copied over to the new course, you can also request that a course template is applied.
A course template may be set up for your school or Faculty or a general 'Toiere' university one can be applied. The template just adds in the menu structure with good practice layout and core items already set up. It also adds the core Student support information and links. Course copy and templates are requested through the Staff Service centre - Build a Blackboard course. All the available templates are listed. If you are unsure which one to select talk to your Faculty Learning Designer.
Course content can be copied over from a previous running of the course. This will bring all the content (ppts, pdfs and text items) as well as any tests and assignments previously set up.
Please make sure you add in Tutors into the course with the correct role. The desired role will be at the request of the course coordinator and based on what the tutor is expected to do within the course. Typically, Tutors would go in as Teaching assistants or Graders.
When courses are starting and being set up please remember to go through the course and check/refresh:
- All dates (especially assignment due dates)
- Gradecenter column settings, visibility and totals
- All required staff are enrolled in appropriate roles
Students not enrolled
If students are not appearing in Blackboard courses they cannot just be manually added. The enrolment into courses is managed by Banner and refreshed overnight. If a student is not appearing in a course, it is because their banner records are classifying them as something other than fully enrolled. Please check through their student record to review why there is a hold or if they have been categorised incorrectly. Once corrected in Banner their enrolment will update the next day for Blackboard.
Blackboard roles
This is a quick summary of what the various BB roles do:
Instructor, Course Admin, Teaching assistant — These roles are pretty much the same, except CA and TA can’t remove instructors from the course (though they can change the role of the instructor, then delete them). Also TAs don’t appear on the list of ‘instructors' for the course.
Demonstrator — can view the same content as students, don’t appear in the grade book, don’t have access to grading. This is a custom demonstrator role. It is the same as students except that it can turn on Edit Mode to see unavailable course content and it does not appear in the gradecenter.
Grader — can view the same content as students, don’t appear in the grade book, DO have access to grading
Course Builder — can edit, create and view content in the same way as an instructor, don’t appear in the grade book, don’t have access to grading
Guest — avoid using this role. Can view content defined by the instructor, but usually courses are set up so that they don’t allow guests. NOTE. That every piece of content within the course would need to have 'allow guest to view' set for this role to see everything.
Library Support — used by the library to add content etc to courses if need be. This role is assigned to subject librarians who are supporting course delivery and student learning. Anyone in an Instructor or Teaching Assistant role can enrol a Subject Librarian in the Blackboard course they teach or support. This role is equivalent to a course builder.
https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Administrator/Hosting/User_Management/Roles_and_Privileges/Course_and_Organization_Roles
VStream (Panopto)
Recordings in teaching spaces can be set up to automatically record. The recording schedule can be setup by anyone listed in the Blackboard course as an instructor, or requested from the Staff service centre - Recording schedule.
These recordings will go straight into the course VStream folder.
By default all screen in the room will be recorded as if they are in extended mode(different content on each screen) and if other devices are used such as laptops to document cameras they will only be included in the recorded content if they are displaying on the left (main) screen. Make sure microphones are always used.
Recording can be done manually in teaching spaces where the Panopto recorder is installed. This can be started, paused, stopped and extended just by clicking on the Panopto icon in the task bar at the bottom of the screen. The recordings will be saved to a folder for the room. To move these to a course folder please log a call with the service desk.
Zoom
Staff Zoom accounts can be used for teaching or course zoom accounts can be set up for teaching. These can be useful where there are multiple people (lecturer and tutors) running zoom sessions for the course.
If staff need to run multiple zoom sessions for the course at the same time or through tutors, these can be set up within the same zoom account. Refer to The Digital Learning Hub for more guidance.
Zoom recordings that are done to the Cloud will be saved into the zoom account used for the meeting but will also be automatically transferred into a Panopto folder for that Zoom account. These recording can then be transferred to course folders in Panopto. If you cannot see the Panopto content of you zoom account, please contact your faculty Learning designer or Staff service centre.
Support and training
CAD is continuing to run daily Drop-in Sessions ( https://vuw.zoom.us/my/CADTraining ) on Zoom. You can come to a session between 1pm and 3pm and ask question about Blackboard, Zoom, teaching practice, assessments, tutoring or anything else relate to teaching and teaching technology.
We will also continue to run webinars and training sessions both in person and zoom.
To see what's coming up and register for a session check out the webinar calendar. And check out all the professional development opportunities on the PD calendar.
Refer to the Digital Learning Hub for support information about teaching technology, teaching practice guidance and information about CAD’s support.
