Email | Virtual Classroom | Chat Tool | Roster | Group Pages

Discussion Board

The discussion board allows instructors and students to discuss topics asynchronously. Discussion boards are similar to listserves: an instructor posts a message and others respond to it. The participants do not have to be logged into Blackboard at the same time. They can respond to each other's posts at their convenience. Unlike a listserve, the messages do not show up in your email account. The entire discussion takes place within Blackboard.

Access the Discussion Board

1. Click the Discussion Board link in the Course Navigation Bar.

2. Click the title of the forum in which you would like to participate.

3. Usually the professor of the course will have posted the first message or thread in the forum. In order for you to access the actual message, click the title of the message.

Reading and Posting Messages

1. To read a message, click the subject-heading link.

2. If you wish to reply to the message after reading it, click the Reply button. Enter your own message in the Message text field, then click the Submit button.

Add New Thread

1. If you wish to create an entirely new thread or topic for the particular forum you are engaged, click the Add New Thread button.
   
   Note: sometimes professors do not enable the Add New Thread function. So if it is missing, you are not able to add a new thread.

2. Enter a new subject line and message in the new Message text field. Once done, click the Submit button located at the bottom right of the screen.
3. Your message will be posted in the forum with the new thread line appearing.

Post to Threads

1. Click a forum title to enter the forum.
2. Click the Add New Thread button to post a message.
3. In the Subject text field, type the subject of your message and enter your message in the Message text box. You can attach one file from your computer to your message if the file-attachment option was allowed by clicking the Attach a File link, which then makes the Browse button visible on the same page.
4. Click the Submit Button.

Reply to Message

1. Click the Subject Title link.
2. Click the Reply button.
3. On the Reply Message page, enter your response in the Message Text Box Editor.
4. Click the Submit button.

Email

You can exchange email with fellow students enrolled in a course and the instructor using Blackboard’s Email feature.

Caution: because of a programming problem within Blackboard there is no guarantee that fellow students or the instructor will receive your message, and there is no way to confirm who did or did not receive e-mail.

Because of this problem your instructor may disable this feature in your Blackboard course.

If the professor does not disable sending email, you can access the feature by first clicking the Communication button from the Navigation Bar and then clicking the Send Email link.

If the professor has enabled the email feature so you can send email to everyone in the course all at one time, click the All Users link, as indicated in the example below.

Next, enter a Subject heading and the Message you would like to email to all participants enrolled in the course, including the instructor. Once done, click the Submit button to send the email.

Virtual Classroom

The Virtual Classroom in Blackboard allows you and an instructor to have synchronous or real time communication. You can think of the Virtual Classroom as a kind of chat room where live discussions can take place.

However, unlike a chat room, the Virtual Classroom also lets your professor share a computer screen with you. For example, if you do not understand a particular concept or idea, the professor can type and draw in the Virtual Classroom whiteboard to better explain what they are talking about.

Enter the Virtual Classroom

1. Login and open the course you wish to participate in.

2. Click the Communication link in the navigation bar.

3. Click the Collaboration link.

4. Click the Join button next to Virtual Classroom.

Before using the Virtual Classroom in Blackboard, you should consider the following:

• You may need to download the Java plug-in that makes the Virtual Classroom run. If this is necessary, follow the instructions on the screen.
• The Virtual Classroom is a Java application that may be slow downloading.
• You will need to have Java enabled browsers.
• Since the Virtual Classroom functions in real time, you will have to be online at the scheduled timed in order to use it.

Chat Tool

The Chat tool is similar to AOL Instant Messenger or MSN Messenger. It is a text chatting tool that instructors and students can used to communicate with each other. Unlike, discussion boards, Chat and Virtual Classroom are synchronous learning tools. In other words, they require everyone to log into Blackboard at that same time.

Use Chat

1. Click the Communication link in the Navigation Bar.

2. Click the Collaboration link.

3. Click the Join button next to Chat. It may take a moment for the Lite Chat window to open.

4. The messages will be displayed in the white space at the top of the Lite Chat window.

To send a message, enter the text in the Message box below the display window and click Send.

Roster

The Class Roster allows you to have a detailed list of other students enrolled in a Blackboard course.
Note: Professors can choose which components of Blackboard are enabled. If your professor has disabled this feature, you will not be able to access the Roster.

View the Class Roster

1. Click the Communication link on the Navigation Bar.

2. Click the Roster link.

3. After clicking the Roster link, you will enter into the Roster area where you will encounter a Search text field. You can either search for other students individually using the Search function or you can post the entire class roster by clicking the List All tab.

4. To view the entire class roster, click List All button.

5. The Blackboard course class roster will appear.

6. If a student has completed a course home page, you may access it by clicking on his or her name.

Group Pages

If your coursework includes group projects, your professor can create a section in the Blackboard course site for each group. The group pages give the members of the group a way to communicate and collaborate with each other. Depending on which features the instructor enables, groups can send email, create discussion boards, conduct virtual classroom sessions and share files with the file exchange.

Access Group Pages

1. Click the Communication link on the Navigation Bar.

2. Click the Group Pages link.

3. Click the name of your group from the list of groups.

4. Once inside the area of the specific group chosen, you can now perform various operations associated with the group, such as participating in a discussion forum, exchanging files, using the Virtual Classroom, or emailing individuals in the group. The group discussion board, virtual classroom and email functions work the same way the main class tools do.