View this webinar recording, Getting Started with Bb Annotate.

Please check the FAQ collection after May 20 to learn more about specific functionality. Instructional Technology staff are updating documentation and linking to Bb resources.

No planned downtime is expected on May 25, 2020 when Bb Annotate is enabled for UMBC. The file migration will begin in the background and could take some time to complete depending on the number of annotated files that need to be migrated. However, the current inline grading tools will remain available and all pre-existing grading comments will be migrated and visible in Bb Annotate. Please review additional information about the transition to Bb Annotate on this FAQ. 

As always, if you have any questions, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection 

• What’s new in Ultra? | Known Issues 

• Open a ticket via RT

• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups

• Request a consult with instructional technology staff

VoiceThread is a learning tool for enhancing student engagement and online presence. With VoiceThread, instructors and/or students can create, share, and comment on images, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, videos, audio files, documents, and PDFs, using microphone, webcam, text, phone, and audio-file upload. 

VoiceThread is offering the following training sessions:

Humanize Your Online Course with VoiceThread

When: May 19, 2020 1:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)

Register here

Creating engaging online courses is not easy. In many discussion-board based courses, students feel isolated and disconnected from their instructors and classmates. VoiceThread bridges the gaps in social presence typically found in online courses. In this workshop, educators will learn how to establish a social presence and connect with their students using VoiceThread to improve course satisfaction and student learning.

VoiceThread Basics 1: Upload, Comment, and Share

When: May 26, 2020 1:00 pm (Eastern Time)

Register here

Participants will learn how to upload media, comment and annotate on that media, and share it with others. This will be a slow paced, step-by-step, hands-on workshop. It is open to both VoiceThread license holders and free accounts.

Using VoiceThread in Blackboard

When: June 2, 2020 1:00 pm (Eastern Time)

Register here

In this hands-on workshop, you will learn how to create VoiceThreads and then add them to your Blackboard course as lessons or assessments.

Blackboard has announced a webinar series to help faculty transition to remote instruction. Click here to sign up for the options described below.

Who are these webinars for?

This webinar series is designed for Instructors who are just getting started with teaching using Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate, as well as those who have started to transition to deliver instruction remotely and are looking to make some improvements.

About the webinar series

Many of you had to quickly transition to remote teaching in response to growing concerns on the spread of the coronavirus. The journey to teaching remotely is a process, and we want to ensure you have the tools you need to be successful for both you and your students.

Whether you are brand new to teaching online or looking to make some improvements to what you have started, we designed a set of webinars from basic topics to advanced. We added more topics to help you as you prepare for your next semester.

Getting Started with Blackboard Learn Original Course Experience - Do I have Learn Original?

This webinar is designed to provide you easy step-by-step instructions on how to upload course content, create discussion boards for students to communicate, and provide an overview on the types of online assessments available in Blackboard Learn’s ORIGINAL course experience.

Getting Started with Blackboard Learn Ultra Course Experience - Do I have Learn Ultra?

This webinar is designed to provide you easy step-by-step instructions on how to upload course content, create discussion boards for students to communicate, and provide an overview on the types of online assessments available in Blackboard Learn’s ULTRA course experience.

Getting Started with  Blackboard Collaborate

Moving from in-classroom instruction to the virtual classroom does not have to be difficult or stressful. Blackboard Collaborate Ultra is a web-based communication tool that allows you to continue to engage with your students in real time or even to record sessions for students to watch at a later time. In this 30-minute session, we will review the Collaborate interface and tools that support engaging teaching online.

Getting Started with Bb Annotate: Inline Assignment Grading in Blackboard Learn

Blackboard Learn’s inline assignment grading functionality, currently delivered through a technology called New Box View, will be replaced over the next few months with a new tool called Bb Annotate. Created in partnership with clients around the globe, Bb Annotate will offer a more robust feature set to provide customizable feedback to learners, including a sidebar summary view, freehand drawing tools, various color selections, and much more. Join this webinar to see a demonstration of the new tool and get your questions answered by Blackboard experts.

OFFICE HOURS: Ask the Experts About Blackboard Learn and Collaborate

Have a question on how to do something in Blackboard Learn or Blackboard Collaborate? Join this live Office Hours session where Blackboard experts will be on hand to answer questions, demonstrate workflows and provide guidance on teaching remotely.

Intermediate/Advanced Topics

Assessment & Assignments in Blackboard Learn (Original Course Experience)

This intermediate session will provide a deeper dive into setting up assessments, utilizing different types of assessments and creating gradable assignments within a Blackboard Learn Original experience course. 

Guide to Building Mobile Content (Original & Ultra Course Experiences)

Many students prefer to consume course content on their mobile phone. This webinar is designed to provide you with basic fundamentals for preparing online course content for mobile delivery. Additionally, we will review Blackboard mobile apps and provide you with a helpful worksheet on mobile content development. 

Improving Student Engagement (Original Course Experience)

In the new world of social distancing and limited interaction with others, instructors and students may be missing some accustomed modes of interpersonal communication in courses.  Join a team of Blackboard experts who understand first-hand the demands of a fully online teaching environment—we are eager to help you discover how utilizing tools within Blackboard Learn can encourage meaningful engagement among students and between your students and you!  Effectively use discussion boards, engage students with interactive lectures and quizzes and challenge them to collaborate together in teams and then present their work back to the larger class.  Blackboard’s team of academic professionals have plenty of ideas to share with you and are eager to support you as you consider different ways to promote communication, get your students involved, and to keep them engaged in online classes. 

Setting up the Gradebook  (Original Course Experience)

As you prepare (or continue) to deliver instruction remotely this summer, empower yourself to do so with maximum efficiency by understanding Blackboard Learn’s powerful Grade Center. The Grade Center is more than just a location to record students' grades--it is an interactive tool that allows faculty to filter, sort, and access data , calculate grades, and monitor student progress. Join this session to learn the basics of efficiently managing your students’ work and grades. 

Grading Workflows for Discussions, Assessment & Assignments  (Original Course Experience)

Let’s face it – grading is possibly one of the least ‘fun’ parts of teaching.  However, now that you’ve created assessments, assignments, and quizzes in Blackboard Learn, the grading process can be easier than ever.  In Blackboard, instructors can provide feedback, post grades, and check the originality of student work with ease.  Discover how much easier it can be to grade papers when you can annotate right within the online course.  You can even provide audio feedback to the student, helping them understand areas of the paper that may need some attention.  Want to set up a quiz to be automatically graded?  You can do that too!  Join us in this informative session on how to use Blackboard’s course tools to make your online teaching experience more efficient, more engaged and less time consuming!

Click here to register for any of the sessions.

Session Dates

Getting Started with Blackboard Learn Original Course Experience - Do I have Learn Original?

·       Monday, May 4 | 9:00–9:30 am ET

·       Monday, May 11 | 1:00–1:30 pm ET

Getting Started with Blackboard Learn Ultra Course Experience - Do I have Learn Ultra?

·       Monday, May 4 | 10:00–10:30 am ET

·       Monday, May 11 | 2:00–2:30 pm ET

Getting Started with Blackboard Collaborate

·       Monday, May 4 | 11:00–11:30 am ET

·       Monday, May 11 | 3:00–3:30 pm ET

Getting Started with Bb Annotate: Inline Assignment Grading in Blackboard Learn

·       Tuesday, May 12 | 2:00–3:00 pm ET

·       Wednesday, May 13 | 9:00-10:00 pm ET / Thursday, May 14 | 11:00 am–12:00 pm AEST

·       Thursday, May 14 | 9:00–10:00 am ET

OFFICE HOURS: Ask the Experts about Blackboard Learn & Collaborate

·       Thursday, May 14 | 11:00 am–12:00 pm ET

·       Thursday, May 28 | 11:00 am–12:00 pm ET

Assessment & Assignments in Blackboard Learn (Original Course Experience)

·       Tuesday, May 5 | 9:00–9:45 am ET

·       Tuesday, May 19 | 2:00–2:45 pm ET

Guide to Building Mobile Content (Original & Ultra Course Experiences)

·       Wednesday, May 6 | 9:00am - 9:45am ET

·       Wednesday, May 20 | 2:00pm - 2:45pm ET

Improving Student Engagement (Original Course Experience)

·       Friday, May 8 | 9:00am - 9:45am ET

·       Thursday, May 21 | 3:00pm - 3:45pm ET

Setting up the Gradebook (Original Course Experience)

·       Thursday, May 7 | 9:00am - 9:45am ET

·       Thursday, May 21 | 2:00pm - 2:45pm ET

Grading Workflows for Discussions, Assessment & Assignments (Original Course Experience)

·       Wednesday, May 13 | 9:00am - 9:45am ET

·       Wednesday, May 27 | 2:00pm - 2:45pm ET

Click here to register for any of these sessions.

Looking for recordings?
Click here to watch past webinar sessions.

Deep Dive - Blackboard Collaborate recorded session

Deep Dive - Panopto recorded session

Deep Dive - VoiceThread recorded session