Blackboard 7.3 New Features for Faculty
The upgrade brings many requested and helpful features, including changes to:
Discussion Board
View a 5 minute video demo of the two forum views, searching features, message flagging, and tagging options.
- Two forum views: Tree and List
- Enhanced search features allows forum, date, and keyword searches
- Make discussion forums available or unavailable to students
- New post viewing options: hidden/unhidden, draft/published, available/unavailable
- New tool options:
- Peer-to-peer post rating
- Reply with quote
- Flag discussion posts
- Post Tagging to enhance post searchability
- Email subscriptions to threads or forums
- Integrated Discussion Board grading at the thread or forum level.
- Discussion Board statistics aggregated in the Performance Dashboard
Announcements
Ensure that students see important announcements before they log into Blackboard by “pushing” the announcement to their e-mail address. Simply check the box for "Email will be sent immediately to all course users."
Email
The Send E-mail tool now allows HTML e-mails. It also sorts your class list by last name, rather than first.
Assessments
New test options:
- Set a specific number of attempts student may have on tests and quizzes.
- Apply gradebook settings from the test options screen:
- Hide the score of this test from the Gradebook.
- Include this test in Gradebook score calculations.
- Test Feedback
Check the boxes next to which options you would like your students to see. Choose from: Score, Submitted Answers, Correct Answers, and Feedback.
New question options:
- Mark any question within an exam as extra credit.
- Randomize order of answer choices for questions with three or more options.
- Export questions from within the Survey and Test Managers.
Gradebook
- Assessments set with multiple attempts may be displayed as the first or last attempt, highest or lowest score, or an average of all attempts.
- Leave private comments for any entry in the gradebook.
Early Warning System
Instructors can use rules to monitor student performance based on three criteria:
- Due date, as set in the gradebook
- Item grade
- Online activity
Blackboard 7.3 Training Sessions
The Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning is offering many training session on Blackboard 7.3 (view calendar). Please contact the office for individual training appointments and assistance. Email otel@uis.edu or phone 217-206-7317.
Online training sessions will be offered to students at the start of the Spring 2008 semester. Please encourage your students to attend.
