The following is a brief introduction to the basic features of our Blackboard Learning Management System. Your program may require you to use additional features that are not described here. More information on these features can be found in the online User Guide accessible from the Tools area of any course, And Blackboard’s On Demand Learning Center at http://ondemand.blackboard.com/students.htm. We've included links to several tutorials from the On Demand Learning Center on our main Blackboard Support page.
We have found that your fellow students are often the best resource when questions about Blackboard arise, and we encourage you to collaborate with your classmates as much as possible.
When you go to https://bb.westernu.edu, you go directly to Blackboard’s log in page, where you enter your WesternU username and password .
Once you log in, you’ll see a set of windows. The window on the far right, My Courses, lists the links for the courses you’re enrolled in. Simply click the link to go to the course.
Note the links at the top of the screen. My Places remembers the last places you visited and your site preferences, and provides shortcuts to them from anywhere in Bb. Home and Help link to Blackboard corporate resources. Always use the Logout link to end your Blackboard sessions.
You can customize the look of your home page by using drag-and-drop to rearrange the windows.
The list of buttons or links on the left side of your screen is your course navigation menu (A). From there you can access all of the areas of course. Some course areas will have additional levels of folders containing the content of the course (B).
As you can see at the top of the screen image below, Blackboard uses a form of breadcrumb navigation so that you can always see the path you’ve taken (C). You can use these links to skip back to any level at any time.
The icons at the top of the course navigation menu (D) change the menu display as follows:
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Displays the menu items in a list (default) |
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Displays the menu items in a tree view, where individual folders can expanded or collapsed. |
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Displays the menu area in a separate window |
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Refreshes the screen (a good idea after making menu changes) |
Files uploaded to Blackboard can still be saved to your local computer for offline viewing by simply clicking on the file and saving it.
You may find in some of your courses that the uploaded files have been replaced with links to files located outside of Blackboard, Simply click on the link and you will be given the choice to Open or Save the file.
Interactive Tools in Blackboard
Within the Tools area you will find interactive applications that you can use in your courses.
- Collaboration provides a real-time chat area with and without a community whiteboard.
- Discussion Board is a delayed messaging tool where you post messages to your classmates and respond to their posts.
- Blog is a collaborative tool that allows students to post their personal reflection about the Course or discuss and analyze Course related materials.
- Journal is a self-reflective tool that allows the student to post their personal reflections about the Course or discuss and analyze Course related materials. Unlike blogs, journal entries are for the Instructor’s eyes only.
- The Wiki tool creates a collaborative space within the course where all students can view, contribute, and edit content. Wikis can also be used as a resource for students to view information and content relevant to their courses.