Blackboard Vista is IPFW's online course management system used to administer internet classes and for augmenting face to face classes. This guide covers the following topics:

• Getting Help
• The eLearning Home Page
• The Browser Tune-Up
• Logging Into Bb Vista
• The My Blackboard Home Page
• Where To Work
• The Course Tools Menu
• Navigating in Bb Vista
• The Build Tab
• The Teach Tab
• The Student View and View Template Tabs
• The Course Tools Menu vs. Adding Content Links
• Page Headers and Footers
• Web Links
• Changing Course Colors and Icons

The Blackboard Vista home page is located at http://elearning.ipfw.edu. This page contains the login link to the Vista service as well as a number of useful resources for getting started and staying productive in Vista.

• Announcements: This is where you will find information about scheduled downtimes, dates of course loads, training classes, etc.
• Before You Begin: Many problems with Vista can be avoided by ensuring that your internet browser is properly configured for use with Vista. Before You Begin includes links to information on tuning up your browser, installing Java, configuring your pop-up blocker, and more.
• Documentation: Training guides and videos are available for students and instructors that cover a wide range of topics such as creating content for courses, communicating with students, and assigning and grading assessments.
• Training: Information for faculty and students about Vista workshops is available here.
• Troubleshooting: Tips for clearing up any problems you may have using Vista can be found here. Contact information for the IT Services Help Desk is also available.

Many problems instructors and students run into when using Blackboard stem from mis-configured browsers, incorrect software versions, pop-up blockers, etc. Most of these issues can be prevented by performing the browser tune up before using Blackboard Vista or once a problem arises.

1. Go to http://elearning.ipfw.edu.
2. From the menu on the left, click the Before You Begin link and choose Perform the Browser Tune Up.
3. Step 2 provides a link to Start the Browser Tune-up.
4. Follow the prompts, selecting your operating system and browser.
5. Configuration instructions for your browser will appear. Be sure to follow all steps.

To select the channels you would like to display on My Blackboard:

1. Click the Channels link in the upper right-hand corner of My Blackboard.



2. On the Select Channels page, check each channel that you would like to display.
3. You can also uncheck any channels that you would like to remove from My Blackboard.
   • You cannot deselect Campus Announcements, Campus Bookmarks or Course List.
4. Click the Save button.
   

To change My Blackboard's color scheme:

1. Click the Color link in the upper right-hand corner of My Blackboard.

   

   • On the Select Colors page, you will find a list of page elements along the left side of the screen, and Color Swatches and Color Preview windows on the right side of the screen.
2. Select the page element you would like to change, then click the desired color from the Color Swatches window.
3. Click the Apply button.
   

To organize Channels on My Blackboard:

1. Click the Layout link in the upper right-hand corner of My Blackboard.

   

   • On the Edit Layout page, you will be presented with a list of your currently displayed channels as they appear on My Blackboard, organized into three columns.
   • Under the center column, you will see a collection of Move icons.
   • The Move Up icon moves a channel toward the top of the column list, the Move Down icon moves a channel toward the bottom of the column list, and the Move Left/Move Right icons move a channel to the next column over in the chosen direction.
2. To move a channel, select it from the channel list and click the appropriate Move icon.
3. Click the Save button.
   

If your sections already exist, you can begin working in one of those sections. If your sections do not exist yet (future terms) you can create a section to use temporarily for course development.

Creating a section for course prep - http://elearning.ipfw.edu/documentation/faculty/create-section.shtml

The first time you access a section, you will be presented with a variety of options.

Accessing a section for the first time - http://elearning.ipfw.edu/documentation/faculty/first-access.shtml

The course tools menu functions as a way for instructors and designers to create or edit items in the section. It also serves as a way for students to access tools and files for the section. Instructors and designers can customize their course tools menu as well as the student's view of the menu.

To select/deselect the tools that are available on the Course Tools menu:

1. Click the Manage Course link in the Designer Tools menu. If you are on the Teach tab, the Manage Course link can be found under Instructor Tools.



2. Click the Tools link.

   

   • The Tools page will contain a list of all the Course Tools available to you organized into groups, as well as a brief list of Student Tools.
   • Tools with checkmarks in their checkboxes are available for you to use.
   • Tools with empty checkboxes are disabled.
3. To enable or disable a tool, simply click the checkbox next to the tool to select or deselect it.
4. Click the Save button.
   

To rearrange items on the Course Tools menu:

1. Click the Manage Course link in the Designer Tools menu. If you are on the Teach tab, the Manage Course link can be found under Instructor Tools.



2. Click the Course Menu link.



3. Using the Move Item icons, you can alter the positioning of each tool

To hide items from students on the Course Tools menu:

1. Click the Manage Course link in the Designer Tools menu. If you are on the Teach tab, the Manage Course link can be found under Instructor Tools.



2. Click the Course Menu link.



3. Click the Hide Link button to the right of any tool you wish to hide from students.



4. Click the Show Link button to unhide the tool.

Blackboard Vista has navigation controls built into the interface. These controls should be used instead of your internet browser's back button, as the browser's controls can cause Vista to behave in unexpected ways.

The Build, Teach, and Student View pages each have a tab in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. To move to a different page, click the tab for that page. Each page has a menu on the left that contains a list of Course Tools and another, context-specific set of tools (Designer Tools, Instructor Tools, and My Tools). You can select a tool to use from the Content Links in this menu.

Additionally, at the top of the main window you will find Your Location, a navigation tool that allows you to travel back to pages that you have recently visited. The item furthest to the right is your current location, while the items to the left of your current location, called breadcrumbs, are the pages that lead back to the home page. For example, if Your Location is listed as Home Page > Discussions > Current Events, your current location is the Current Events page. To get to the Current Events page, you had to click on the Discussions folder from the Home Page, then the Current Events link from the Discussions page. If you click on the Discussions or Home Page breadcrumb in Your Location, you will be taken back to the appropriate page.

Finally, if you have several breadcrumbs in Your Location, you will see a button containing a left arrow. Clicking this button will take you to the page immediately to the left of the current page.

The Build tab contains all the tools you will need to build your course. When you click on the Build tab you are taken to the course Home Page. In order to add content to the course Home Page you must first create or upload content using the available course tools, then link to the content from the home page or create a folder to hold the content. The Build Tab includes the Designer Tools menu on the left.

The Build Tab has two views: Basic View and Power View. The Basic View displays the content of your course the way students and instructors will see it. The Power view displays the content of your course in a hierarchical tree format. This format allows you to quickly find content without having to navigate through pages or folders. It also allows for more efficient reorganization of course content.

Clicking the Course Content link from the Course Tools menu will always take you back to the home page of your course.

The Teach Tab presents your course as an Instructor would view it. The tools presented are designed for interacting with your students and managing the class, rather than developing content for your Course. Because of this, the Teach tab is not available in a template since templates do not contain student data. The Teach Tab includes the Instructor Tools menu on the left.

Clicking the Course Content link from the Course Tools menu will always take you back to the home page of your course.

The Student View or View Template tabs allow you to view the course as a student. What you see under the Student View or View Template tab is what your students will see when they log into your course.

When you are working in a section (not a template) the Student View tab also allows you to interact with the course in the same way a student would--you can complete assignments and assessments, participate in discussion, etc. The author of any entries you create while in the Student View tab will be listed as Demo Student rather than you. The Student View tab includes the My Tools menu on the left.

Clicking the Course Content link from the Course Tools menu will always take you back to the home page of your course.

The Course Tools Menu:

Clicking links in the Course Tools menu will take you to an inventory of the instances of each tool you have created. For example, clicking Discussions will take you to a page listing all the Discussion threads you have created and clicking Assignments will likewise take you to a list of the Assignments you have created. This menu is completely customizable as described in the The Course Tools Menu section above.

Creating new instances of each tool via the Course Tools menu will not create icons for these objects throughout the course. Items will only be visible to your students by clicking links in the Course Tools menu to view the inventory.

To make icons on your course pages:

1. In the Build tab, click the Add Content link button at the top of the screen.



2. From the list of available tools, select the one you want to add. The tools listed in this drop-down directly correlates to the tools in your Course Tools menu and can be customized as described in the The Course Tools Menu section above.
3. Once you click the tool, you will usually have options to either create a new instance of that tool or to add existing instances of the tool. Choosing the create option will run you through the steps to create an object and add an icon when you are done. Choosing the select from inventory option will simply add an icon pointing to an object you have already created. Refer to the appropriate guides for questions about creating instances of specific tools.

To create a header or footer:

1. In the Build tab, navigate to the home page, or the folder to which you would like to add your header or footer.
2. Click the Page Options button in the upper right hand corner of the screen.



3. Select Edit Header or Edit Footer from the menu that appears.



4. You can create a basic message by inputting your desired message into the text box, or you can use the HTML Creator to format the content.
5. If you would like to use this message as the default header or footer throughout your course, check the Use this as the default header for the entire course option.
6. Click the Save button.
   

To create a new Web Link:

1. Click the Web Links tool from the Course Tools menu.



2. Click Create Web Link.



3. Enter a Title and, if desired, a Description into the appropriate fields.
4. Select Show Item to make the Web Link visible to your students or Hide Item to hide it.
5. In the Web Address section, enter the URL of the web site.
6. It is recommended that you always check the box labeled Open in a new browser window.
7. In the Category section, you can place the link into a category if one exists.
8. Click the Save button. You may also click Save and Create Another to create additional Web Links.
   

To create categories for your Web Links:

1. Click the Web Links tool from the Course Tools menu.



2. Click Create Category.



3. Enter a title and a description, if desired.
4. Click the Save button.
   

To change the Color Set used in your Course:

1. From the Build tab, click the Manage Course link in the Designer Tools menu.



2. Click Colors.

   

   • The Colors page will contain a list of Color Sets along the left side of the page and a Preview window along the right side of the page.
3. Select one of the Color Sets from the list to see a preview of that set.
4. If you would like to create a custom color set, select Custom. Every item whose color can be changed will appear with an Edit Background Color icon, an Edit Text Color icon, or both.
5. To change the item's color, click the Edit Background Color or Edit Text Color icon next to that item, then select a color from the menu that appears and click Apply.
6. Click the Apply button when you have finished making your changes.

To change the icons used by your course:

1. From the Build tab, click the Manage Course link in the Designer Tools menu.



2. Click Course Content Icons.



3. The Course Content Icons page will display each of the icons currently in use. To change an individual icon, click on the item whose icon you would like to change and select the icon you would like to change it to from the Content Browser window that appears.
4. To select a new set of icons to use, click Select New Content Icon Set. The Select Icon Set window will appear, with a sample of each icon set available. Select the icon set you would like to use and click Select.
5. Click the Apply button.
   

Author:

Jason Polubinsky, 2007

Contributor:

Mandi Witkovsky, 2007

Editors:

Han Fei, 2007
Scott Vitz, 2007
Mandi Witkovsky, 2007

Last Updated:

July 24, 2008