Below is a checklist for Unit Coordinators to work through to ensure that a rolled over course has been updated to the minimum required standard. An expanded checklist and instructions can be found below:
- Step 1: Close down last year’s sensitive course information and assessments [more]
- Step 2: Check that the new course is available on Blackboard [more]
- Step 3: Remove unwanted content from your new course [more]
- Step 4: Check your “Course Information” section for accuracy [more]
- Step 5: Check your “Assessments” section [more]
- Step 6: Review/update any Tests [more]
- Step 7: Review your “Communications” [more]
- Step 8: Re-create (NOT Edit) your TurnItIn assignments [more]
- Step 9: Check that your interactive content modules are talking to the Blackboard Grade Centre, where appropriate [more]
Step 1: Close down last year’s sensitive course information and assessments
In last year’s course:
- Locate any assessments/tests (including revision tests) that allow student access to assessments and feedback, and ensure they are closed to prevent students sharing answers across year groups.
- Close down the Grade Centre so students cannot access/share correct answer feedback.
See a video here:
Step 2: Check that the new course is available in Blackboard
Check that the new course is available in Blackboard for the new academic year (this applies to Semester 1 and Semester 2 courses). Should it be missing, in the first instance, contact your Course Administrator to ensure that you are enrolled correctly. Should the course still be unavailable, follow these instructions for activation. Should you require any help with this, please contact us.
See a video here:
Step 3: Remove unwanted copied content from your new course
- On your new course: make sure that last year’s notes/PowerPoints/hand-outs are removed or, where appropriate, hidden
- Go to Course Management on the left side menu and select Files; then delete any files that are obviously not needed, such as old timetables
- Got any unused folders or menu items? Consider deleting them.
- Course files such as PowerPoints, Word documents, PDFs, and so on would benefit from having meaningful names.
See a video here:
Step 4: Check your “Course Information” section
- Add a lecture timetable with teaching staff highlighted against each lecture
- Add brief information on how the unit is assessed
- Add important contact details.
See a video here:
Step 5: Check your “Assessments” section information
At the top of the “Assessments” page, there should be full details of :
- Assessment deadlines in a table at the top of the page
- Assessments
- Weightings
- Mark distribution
- Marking Criteria.
See a video here:
Step 6: Review any Tests
- Test dates should be rolled forward for the new academic year
- Old extension settings should be removed (this is adaptive release criteria added to courses to allow one or more students to have an extension)
- Check settings to make sure they match the instructions (e.g. 1 attempt/multiple attempts/dates/feedback settings, etc.) The force completion setting should never be used; instead, use the “Set Timer” and “Auto-Submit“
- Review questions to ensure that everything still works, and update incorrect questions
- Test availability dates should be updated (note assessment deadline dates must be within the timeframe of the unit and should also be added to the Assessment information in Steps 4 & 5)
- Revision tests that have been left open should be closed and checked.
See a video here:
Step 7: Review your “Communications”
- Agree a method of staff/student and student/student communication and include this information in the “Communication” section of your course
- Minimum basic communication is a discussion board; information can be found at Blackboard Discussion Boards.
See a video here:
Step 8: Re-create any TurnItIn Assignments
You should delete all old Turnitin assignments and start afresh, as TII assignments created via a course copy can inherit unusual technical problems.
Basic guidance on setting up a TurnItIn assignment:
- Put all 3 dates into the system. ‘Feedback Release Date’ is the date that your feedback / marks become available to the students. It should be no later than 15 working days after the deadline
- Late submissions should be allowed
- Anonymous marking should be enabled
- Similarity reports should be generated on the due date
- If you require further advice, visit How to Add a Turnitin (TII) Essay Assignment in Blackboard.
See a video here:
Step 9: Check your interactive content modules in Blackboard (e.g. SCORM, iSpring, Rise)
There are some units that contain interactive pieces of content for users to complete. These may have been built using iSpring, Storyline, Rise or by students for use in a unit. If this content is important for tracking student progress, or marks, then you will need to test that the content is working with the Blackboard Grade Centre properly, at the risk of losing student grades. For the purposes of this test, we will refer to the interactive content as “SCORM” content:
If your SCORM module is set up to feed into the Grade Centre, complete the following checks:
- Go through the module in Enter Student Preview mode to ensure that it is functioning. In the settings of Enter Student Preview mode ensure that you select the ‘Keep the preview user and all data’ option so that the graded answers of the preview mode are saved to the Grade Centre. This will confirm that your SCORM module is functional
- Attempt the quiz in Student Preview mode. Once completed, if the SCORM module is functional, the result will appear in the Grade Centre
- Once the quiz is completed in Student Preview, exit this mode (keeping the preview user and all data) and go to Grade Centre > Full Grade Centre to locate your Student Preview in the appropriate column. If there is a score in the column then your SCORM module is working correctly. If you see a blue circle, then scores are not saving correctly to the Grade Centre and you should contact the eLearning Team.
Checking the adaptive release on SCORM modules
- If you need Adaptive Release enabled, ensure it is set up appropriately in the settings. Ensure it is ‘Available’ and that ‘Allow multiple attempts’ is enabled. Sometimes there are two layers of adaptive release; if this is the case, ensure that they match. If they are not matched, your module may not be available to students.
See a video here:
Reviewed: July 2024