Communication Tools in Blackboard

Email Tool in Blackboard

You can write to students in Blackboard in various locations. These messages go to their @student.stcc.edu email account. You can send email messages to individuals, groups and the whole class. You can access this tool through individual Discussion Board threads, the Grade Center, and from the main Courses page in Blackboard

Announcement Tool in Blackboard

Announcements appear in the order you post them. The most recent announcement appears first.

Instructional Advice

• Decide how you want to communicate with students via STCC GMail, Bb Email or Bb Messages tool in Blackboard.

• Generate expectations of how correspondence should occur within the course between you and students. 

• Indicate on your syllabus, within your course and on any other relevant documentation your email expectations with students. 

Posting an Announcement

• 1. On the Control Panel, go to Course Tools > Announcements.

  2. Select Create Announcement.

     1. Type a Subject, which appears as the title of the announcement on the Announcements page.

     2. Type your message.

  3. On the Web Announcements Options section, you can choose to restrict the announcement by date:

  4. If you choose Not Date Restricted, the announcement is visible until you remove it.

  5. If you choose Date Restricted, select the Display After and Display Until check boxes to enable the date and time selections. Provide the date and time restriction settings. To display an announcement from a date forward, select the Display After check box and provide a date and time, but don't select the Display Until check box.

  6. Select the Email Announcement check box to send students an email with the announcement. 

  7. The email is sent to all students, even those who chose not to receive announcement notifications through email. Students can reply to the email. Replies will go to your STCC email address. 

  8. This option doesn't work if you chose to post the announcement in the future. You'll receive an error.

  9. Optionally, in the Course Link section, select Browse to link to a course area, tool, or item.

  10. A course link won't appear in the email announcement if you choose to send one.