SSW TEACHING ORIENTATION

Keep in mind, within SSW.UMaryland email (which you can always reach on office.com by logging in with your @ssw email address and UMID/password/DUO), you can also configure forwarding so that all email to your Umaryland.edu address is also forwarded to an email of your choosing.

Click the Settings gear wheel in upper right, search for Forwarding or click "View all Outlook Settings" in blue near the bottom - to get to the Mail > Forwarding settings. There you can type or paste in your preferred email. Click to enable forwarding, and we recommend keeping a copy of forwarded messages.

Blackboard: What is it?

Blackboard Learn 9.1 (not Ultra) is the courseware management system that the University of Maryland, Baltimore uses for web-enhanced and web-based courses. It is run and supported by UMB Center for Information Technology Services (CITS).

It includes tools for communicating with enrolled students (email, announcements, discussion forums, Collaborate Ultra videoconferencing); providing information, files, slides, etc. (course content, syllabus, web links); and assessment (assignments, tests, surveys).

Please note: most tablets, including iPads, do not fully work with our Blackboard course management system. Please plan to use a laptop and/or desktop computer.

UMB Blackboard Instructor Tutorials

Follow the steps below to learn about using Blackboard, and to get assistance.

STEP 1 - SETUP (LOGIN, PROFILE, HELP)

Need help with Duo Authentication? Contact the UMB CITS Helpdesk: 410-706-HELP or help@umaryland.edu

Resources: https://www.umaryland.edu/cits/services/duo/

Need to change password, manage your UMID, or get access to campus systems from abroad? Use https://directory.umaryland.edu - where you can also generate a manual passcode for DUO authentication, in case your mobile phone isn't working or you are in another country without phone access.

Logging In | Getting Help | Duo Multi-Factor Authentication Setup PDF

Step 2: Files (syllabus, presentations, PDFs)

Add Files | Links to Files

Step 3: Communication(announce, discussions, email)

Email and Announcement tips | Email FAQs

The easiest way to communicate with everyone in your course is to create an announcement, and check the "send email now" box. This will both post an announcement in your Blackboard course and email all students and course participants at once. Alternatively, you can use the Email tool and select a more specific set of participants to email.

Want to see a list of your students? You can do so here:

Lower Left > Control Panel > Users and Groups > Users
Mail > click on "All Student Users" or "Select Users" and you will see the names of all students.

Step 4: Assignments (setup assignment, SafeAssign)

Blackboard has excellent tutorials on setting up assignments, assignment settings, grading assignments, using SafeAssign (to check for plagiarism), setting up and using rubrics to foster transparent grading practices and for easier grading, and self/peer assessments. We recommend you start by using their guide to add assignments into your course, and if you run into questions or need assistance, get in contact with the IDEA Team.

Step 5: Exams (setup grades, analyze)

Exams are known as "tests" in Blackboard. We recommend using the Bb tutorials on creating tests and surveys, question types, test and survey options, grading tests, and item analysis for starters. Naturally, all the information about tests and surveys can be located on the Blackboard site, but if you have issues or questions, get in touch with the IDEA Team.

Step 6: Gradebook (manage & reports)

The video demonstrates some tips for getting started setting up a gradebook in Blackboard Learn 9.1. You will likely also want to visit the Bb tutorials on the grade center, including info about columns, rubrics, and grade reports.

If you have questions or issues, get in touch with the IDEA Team.

IDEA Team: Instructional Design, E-Learning, Assessments

IDEA Toolbox | Get Help! (with Blackboard, Tk20, Collaborate, E-learning)

The IDEA Team supports academic technology tools, such as Blackboard, Voicethread, MyMediaSite, and others. When you need help with Blackboard, you can always use the Get Help! link in every course in Blackboard in the left navigation to get in touch, or call the IDEA Team Hotline at 410-870-9663.

The IDEA Toolbox is chock full of information for teaching. It includes teaching resources on pedagogy, diversity, course design, inclement weather strategies and tools, adjunct faculty information, social media, and a whole host of tools and technologies. You can always check our latest blog posts, Twitter tweets, or reach out for help. We also maintain a Blackboard orientation and Anti-Plagiarism tutorial for students.

Many faculty members also need to report student achievement on competencies for our CSWE accreditation. Here's a page on how to report the competency achievement for these courses.

Informatics: IT, Network, A/V Media, Classroom Technology and Computing Services

Dave Pitts, Assistant Dean for Informatics discusses: school email account, computer services, media center: a/v equipment, classroom, and equipment borrowing.

Since Informatics operates with multiple people on teams, please use the group emails, rather than contact one individual directly:

To email Informatics: sswinformatics@ssw.umaryland.edu

Computer Services: sswcomputerservices@ssw.umaryland.edu

Media Center: sswmediacenter@ssw.umaryland.edu

For assistance with projector/audio/video issues in the classroom, please call 401-706-7232. This number is posted on/near the laptop in every classroom.

Informatics web page | UMB Campus Helpdesk

(Total Run Time: 2:22 minutes)

Classroom Technology

Tom Mitchell from the SSW Media Center, discusses how to work the standard SSW classroom technology. (Total Run Time: 6:52 minutes) (Note, this does not cover the new classrooms on the 3rd floor.)

Google Sites

Report abuse