Blackboard Training Sign-Up
The Blackboard Learning Institute is composed of a series of sessions to train faculty in the most efficient and effective practices of course design, management and instruction in using the Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS). The version of Blackboard that Butte College utilizes is Campus Edition (CE) 8, and is also referred to as "WebCT" or "Vista" (such as the system at CSU, Chico).
* Registration is required for attendance.
* A minimum of three registrants is required to hold a session.
Please note that the Blackboard Learning Institute series is available only to currently employed Butte College faculty and staff.
View the complete BLI Calendar: 
** FALL 2010 SCHEDULE WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON! **
BLI SESSIONS:
Blackboard Tools:
(may be taken in any order)
- Course Management
- Communications
- Assessments
- Assignments
- IDST-10 (Requires prior completion of all other Blackboard training sessions)
FOCUS SESSIONS :
Blackboard Introduction
PREREQUISITE: None (*New Blackboard users begin here)
TIME: 3 hrs, presentation, hands-on
DESCRIPTION:All instructors will benefit from this orientation to the Blackboard teaching and learning environment, consisting of best practices in course design and hands-on experience working with common tools. This session will also present an overview of how to orient students for basic access and support, and how to present course level SLO’s into the course. Topics include an introduction to system navigation, common tool usage, file management, and student management techniques. Instructors will receive an overview of the Announcements, Calendar, Mail, Learning Modules, Web Links, Roster, and the Goals tools.
* Faculty are encouraged to bring a digital copy of a course syllabus to the training.
Blackboard Tool Sessions
The following sessions offer training in specific Blackboard tools (or tool sets), such as Quizzes, Discussions, Assignments, and Course Management.
If your objective is to become a certified online instructor for Butte College, you must complete the entire Blackboard Learning Institute, comprised of five face-to-face workshops and one online course (IDST 10). All faculty have one of three choices for how they can be compensated for particpating in the BLI program*. Please let the BLI trainer know at your first attended session.
1) 3 to 34 hours of Flex Credit (depending on number of sessions taken)
2) *BLI stipend ($750) awarded at completion of IDST 10
3) 2.0 units of Professional Advancement Credit, forms submitted to Human Resources (Associate Faculty, Full-Time Faculty)
*BLI stipends will sunset on 7/5/2010, per Office for Student Learning.
The following BLI sessions may be taken in any order, except for IDST 10 which is the final experience for the BLI program.
PREREQUISITE: Blackboard Introduction
Blackboard Course Management
PREREQUISITE: Blackboard Introduction
TIME: 3 hrs, hands-on
DESCRIPTION: This session will cover the various management features within the Blackboard system, for each respective role that the instructor has in designing the course and engaging with their students. We will provide an overview of the Manage Course, File Manager, and Selective Release functions in the Build mode. We will also present how best to structure files and folders prior to importing into the File Manager. This session will also cover the Teach mode features, including the Grade Book, Tracking, Group Manager, and how best to integrate the various Blackboard tools together for maximum student engagement and ease of use.
Blackboard Communications
PREREQUISITE: Blackboard Introduction
TIME: 3 hrs, hands-on
DESCRIPTION:This session will cover best practices when using the various asynchronous and synchronous communication tools in the Blackboard system, such as; Announcements, Mail, Discussions (Threaded, Blogs, & Journals), Who’s Online, and the Chat/Whiteboard. There will be an emphasis on honing each Instructor’s pedagogical approach in establishing “regular & effective student contact”.
Blackboard: Assessment Tools
PREREQUISITE: Blackboard Introduction
TIME: 3 hrs, hands-on
DESCRIPTION:This session specifically covers the Assessments tool, including the Question Database and the Assessment Manager, and the creation and management of quizzes, self-tests, and surveys. We will discuss various methodologies in configuring assessments for the online environment, as well as how best to discourage cheating and/or plagiarism. A brief overview of the Respondus software application and how to leverage it for creating and importing existing questions into a course will also be covered.
Blackboard: Assignment Tools
PREREQUISITE: Blackboard Introduction
TIME: 3 hrs, hands-on
DESCRIPTION: This specific session will cover the Assignments tool, including how to develop and deliver written qualitatively graded papers, essays, or reports. We will provide an overview of the instructor's Assignment Dropbox feature and how to efficiently review, grade, and comment on submitted student work. An overview of the Grading Forms (rubrics) function for Blackboard will also be presented. We will also be focusing on writing clear and concise “boilerplate” instructions for each type of written work you may assign in a course. Participants are encouraged to have an example of a student writing assignment and grading criteria concept in mind for this session.
IDST-10
PREREQUISITE: Blackboard Introduction, all four Tool Specialist sessions (Course Management, Communications, Assessments, and Assignments).
DESCRIPTION: It is assumed that participants have familiarity with the use of Blackboard. The course presents Butte College specific procedures in course development and gives instructors an opportunity to begin work on their actual proposed or revamped online or hybrid course.
What Is IDST 10?
This is a fully online course, taught by Dan Barnett. It is the last component required to be certified to teach online or hybrid courses at Butte College. A hybrid course is defined a course that replaces some regular seat time with mandatory time on the Internet.
IDST-10 is a 4-week, CR/NC online course (3-weeks during the Winter session), which must be completed AFTER the face-to-face Blackboard workshops. IDST-10 assumes skill in using Blackboard and so the the Intro, Course Management, Communications, Assessments, and Assignments workshops are prerequisites.
Online instructor certification includes successful completion of the following:
Face-to-face Workshops
- Intro to Blackboard (required of all Blackboard users)
- Course Management (3-hour workshop)
- Communications (3-hour workshop)
- Assessments (3-hour workshop)
- Assignments (3-hour workshop)
Online Course
- IDST-10, Training for Online Instructors (1.5-unit Butte College course)
NOTE: IDST-10 replaces POP (Project Oriented Pedagogy), but the content is the same.
How Do I Sign Up For IDST-10?
FOCUS Sessions
The following sessions are short training sessions, focused on a specific tool or task in Blackboard.
These sessions are not a part of the requirement for online instructor certification.
Blackboard Gradebook
PREREQUISITE: none
TIME: 1 hr, hands-on
DESCRIPTION: This session will focus specifically on the Blackboard Gradebook tool, used for entering, tracking and displaying student grades. You will learn the basics of how to navigate and manipulate the Gradebook, enter grades, customize the display, create calcuations, import/export from spreadsheet programs (i.e. Excel), and more.