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Keep Teaching with Blackboard

Keep Teaching with Blackboard

Preparing:

Here are some first steps: 

  • Make sure you can log into Blackboard and access your courses. 
  • If you typically save content to your desktop or hard drive on your office computer, move it to One Drive so you can access it remotely 

Keep students informed. Remind them that you contact them using their SUNY Cortland email address and they should be checking that regularly (Note: Blackboard sends announcements, emails, and notifications to SUNY Cortland email accounts.) 

Blackboard: Setting up Your Course 

Blackboard is SUNY Cortland's learning management system (LMS), which allows instructors to supplement face-to-face classes, or launch online classes. Blackboard includes a variety of features that allows instructors to do anything from uploading course documents, to posting an announcement, to collecting and grading assignments. Since student access is tracked, it is pertinent to use Blackboard for “attendance” and grading purposes. Here is a list of the basic functions in Blackboard (click on the links to access video tutorials):  

Is your Blackboard site ready?

  • Add your Syllabus & other course content   
  • Remind your students that all official University emails (including messages sent through Blackboard) are sent to their SUNY Cortland email address.  
  • Make sure your TA/GA’s have access to your course:    
    • Add your TA/GA to your class (student must initiate)
      If the student is not already logged in to MyRedDragon, they will be prompted to do so before the form will appear.
      They will need the instructor's email address to complete the form.
  • Create an Announcement to greet your students. 
    ** Students can receive your announcement by email but cannot reply directly to it. ** 
  • Make sure your students know about the Blackboard Mobile App 
    • please note: when logging into the Mobile App make sure to use your username,  i.e. john.doe
  • Set up your Grade Center.
    ** This is the only way you are allowed to electronically share grades ** 
  • You can use Student Preview  to view your course from a Student perspective. 

Additional Resources