Blackboard Course Setup
Related Technology |
Course SetupReview your course structure and design for student ease of access through your course.
Consider such elements as:
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Course Entry Point
This is what your students see first when they join your course. We recommend that you set up your course so that students enter at the announcements page. This ensures they see important updates every time they log in. Watch the video below to see how to do this.
Banner Image
Adding a banner to your course gives the course a clear identity and immediately shows students which course they are in. Banners should be a landscape rectangular shape. A good size guide is 1000 to 1500px wide by 150 to 300 high. Typically the banner will contain an image and the course code and name of the course. Below are some examples of course banners for real or imagined courses.
Here is a list of websites that can be used to create banners, although you are welcome to use any tool you like:
Please also use copyright-free images, these can be found on the following sites*:
*Note that images available within the banner making tools should be copyright free.
Please also use copyright-free images, these can be found on the following sites*:
*Note that images available within the banner making tools should be copyright free.
Welcome Page
A welcome page is a page on your course that details what the course is about, who is teaching it and what students should do first when they access the course. It is different from a course outline as it is more personal.
We recommend that your welcome page has:
A welcome and orientation contact section which has a personal welcome message from the lecturer and the core learning objectives of the course.
We recommend that your welcome page has:
A welcome and orientation contact section which has a personal welcome message from the lecturer and the core learning objectives of the course.
A brief profile of any staff teaching on the course, plus details of tutors or administrators if necessary. Each profile should include: contact details, photo and office location, preferred method of contact, expected response time. You can also add personal details such as why you like teaching the course or related hobbies.
A 'Kickstarter' video is also a recommended (but not required) feature. This is a brief video introduction to the lecturer and the course.
Other things you can choose to include are:
A 'Kickstarter' video is also a recommended (but not required) feature. This is a brief video introduction to the lecturer and the course.
Other things you can choose to include are:
- A list of priority things for students to do to start the course.
- A guide on how to navigate the course in Blackboard.
- If the course has a dedicated Zoom room the link to it could be provided.
Student Support Information
In consultation with a range of different services at Victoria University of Wellington, CAD have created a standard student support package that can be added to any course. This gives students quick and easy access to information about support services around the university
To load the student support package to your course, follow these steps:
- Download the Student Support Package
- Open your Blackboard course
- Go to Control Panel > Packages and Utilities > Import Package / View Logs
- Import Package
- Select a package: Browse for the package file
- Select Course Materials: tick the following boxes:
- Content Areas
- Navigation Settings (this will also tick the Settings box, that's fine, just let it do that)
