Blackboard, NOVA’s course management system maintained by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), is available to all faculty and staff at NOVA. Faculty and staff automatically have a Blackboard account and course shell provided for use every semester. It is Web-based, so no installing or downloading is required. Blackboard is accessed using most Web browsers but it performs best with an up-to-date version of Internet Explorer. Blackboard works with both Windows and Macintosh computers.

To use Blackboard in your courses, you need to know how to use a variety of the Blackboard features. To help you learn how to use Blackboard, you can attend the face-to-face workshops offered by TAC every semester or use the online tutorials below.  The tutorials are categorized by skills needed to use Blackboard successfully.

Part I Moving Course Content Online

Using Control Panel/Managing Navigation to be able to

• modify the Blackboard Portal
• design/storyboard effective course layout
• choose and change settings, color and images
• add/remove/rename course navigation
• change tool availability
• make Blackboard course shell available
• copy courses or sections of course from one Blackboard site to another
• archive a course

Designing/Managing Content to be able to

• add faculty information
• add permanent and dated announcements
• add syllabus
• create an assignment
• format clear, readable directions
• add links to content areas
• add links to external sources
• add a student and view student roster
• remove a student or change student status
• add/remove documents and folders

Part II:  Developing Successful Online Communication
Managing Interaction to be able to

• create/remove/manage forums
• manage forum discussion threads
• create/remove/manage online groups
• send email from Blackboard

Part III:  Creating Online Assessments & Managing the Grades
Creating Exams/Managing Grades to be able to

• view, enter feedback and manage submitted student assignment
• create and deploy an exam in Blackboard
• manage student access to complete exams
• add/remove/change Grade Center items
• edit grade in Grade Center
• download Grade Center
• use Blackboard Performance Dashboard

Additional advanced features that are not part of the BASIC Blackboard competencies include using the Blackboard Building Blocks and Tools: WIMBA, SafeAssign, Respondus, StudyMate, Impatica, Lockdown Browser and ClassTop.