This is a special edition of TipsNTricks to remind you of Blackboard’s migration to the cloud and provide tasks to assist you with course development.
- Blackboard’s migration to the cloud (and how it will affect you)
- Blackboard course site size
- Online grading
- Technology Fair, Tuesday, January 16
- New Faculty Blackboard Training
Blackboard’s migration to the cloud (and how it will affect you)
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- Fall 2017 course sites will be available using the following URL: https://blackboardlegacy.edgewood.edu until those course sites are migrated on Friday, January 5.
- December 22, the sites that have been migrated will be unavailable to you until the migration is complete at the end of December. Once the migration is complete, an email will be sent to campus. At that time the URL for Blackboard will be https://blackboard.edgewood.edu
Blackboard course site size
Blackboard course sites have a quota of 1 GB soft limit and a maximum of 2 GB hard limit for all course files. Once the 2 GB limit is reached, no additional files can be uploaded to the course site. If you have a course site that could reach 2 GB, there are options such as using the My Content Collection. Please contact Diane Deci for additional information.
Online grading
Blackboard uses a third party vendor for the online grading tool called Crocodoc. That vendor will be deprecating this tool as of January 15. With the conversion to SAAS, Edgewood College will move to the new tool, NewBox. Some of the current features will be unavailable, but many more file types can be uploaded. The documents that you have graded in Crocodoc will still be available to you. You will not be able, however, to make changes to files graded using Crocodoc, including annotations that were added..
Technology Fair
Tuesday, January 16 is the date set for Technology Fair. The day begins at 8:30 am with lunch served at noon. For each session you attend, you will receive the opportunity to win a door prize provided by our vendors. The drawing will be at 3:00 pm. You must be present or have a representative present to win. Sessions include information on OneNote, Windows 10, Orientation to Blackboard in the Cloud, Qualtrics, Cybersecurity, and open consulting time with the Online Team, Library, Qualtrics and more. A schedule will be posted in EC Today and updated regularly.
New Faculty Blackboard Training:
On Thursday, January 11, there will be the New Faculty Blackboard Training from 9 to 11 am. If you are new to Edgewood during the Fall 2017 or Spring 2018 terms and have not attended a New Faculty Blackboard training, you are cordially invited to attend. Dean Pribbenow graciously is providing a $100 stipend for attending. Please contact Diane Deci for more information.
Beginning of Semester Tasks:
- When developing the course, have you…
- Used due dates so you and your students can see the tasks in the calendar?
- Merged course sites if they are the same course number and term? (Please go to https://services.edgewood.edu to request the merger.)
- Set up groups for communication and grade center view in your merged parent course site?
- Copied your course from a past semester?
- Changed the dates after copying your course content?
- Added Lynda.com courses to your Blackboard site?
- After developing your course, have you…
- Removed the course tools that you will not be using?
- Made the course site available to your students?
Technology Assistance:
If you are in the need of any technology assistance, including Blackboard, printers, telephones, computers, or presentation stations, contact the Technology Assistance Center by going to https://services.edgewood.edu . The Technology Assistance Center will route all requests appropriately. If a user contacts a member of IT directly and if that person is unavailable, the request may not be responded to in a timely manner.
As always, if you have any questions or would like to meet with me, please do not hesitate to contact me. ddeci@edgewood.edu
Diane Hart Deci
Academic Technology Specialist
Edgewood College
DeRicci 105
608-663-6724