Blackboard

9.1 Quick Start Guide

Creating Learning Modules

Learning Modules are a method for presenting course materials in a linear fashion, with a
table of contents and the ability to control the release of the material one screen at a
time. It embraces the idea of chunking information, and can contain all types of
content, such as text, graphics, multimedia and assessment tools. Content within a
Learning Module is added and managed just like content in a folder.
You can also add folders and sub folders to a Learning Module to provide a hierarchical
structure. Folders and sub folders provide an outline view that is displayed in the Table of
Contents for the module. The Table of Contents allows you to present content in a
structured manner. Folders and Sub folders within Learning Modules have the same
properties as other Folders and Sub folders found in Blackboard courses.
Learning Modules can be viewed sequentially or non-sequentially. If sequential viewing
is enforced, students view the Learning Module in the order in which the items are listed.
Students cannot advance to a page within the unit without having viewed the previous
page. If sequential viewing is not enforced, items in the Learning Module may be viewed
in any order from the Content page.
The above video provided a demonstration of how to setup learning modules within your
Blackboard courses and the next section provides step-by-step instructions for using the
tool.

1. Open your course and then turn on edit mode by clicking on the Edit Mode
button.

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Blackboard 9.1 Quick Start Guide

2. Navigate to the content area that will house the Learning Module.

3. Click on the [Build Content] button and then click on Learning Module in
the drop down menu. The Create Learning Module screen will be displayed.

4. Enter a title for the module in the Name field.
5. Enter information about the module in the Text field (i.e., unit objectives,
items to think about as the module is being reviewed, etc.).


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Blackboard 9.1 Quick Start Guide

6. Permit Users to View this Content - click the No radio button if you would
like to hide the module from the students or the Yes radio button if the
module should be visible to students.
7. Select Date and Time Restrictions - If you would like the Learning Module
to be visible to students for a specified window of time, enter dates and times
in the Display After and/or the Display Until text fields, or click on the icons
to the right of each of the fields and select dates from a pop-up calendar and
pre-defined time periods from a drop-down menu. Blackboard will
automatically display and/or hide the video based on these defined dates and
times.
8. A certain amount of control can be exercised over how the Learning Module
is viewed by setting the view options
o

Enforce Sequential Viewing of the Learning Module? -By default

the No radio button is selected. Click on the Yes radio button if
students will be required to view the Learning Module in the order in
which the items are listed.

Open in New Window - by default the Learning Module is displayed

within the Blackboard course window. Click on the Yes radio button if
the Learning Module should be displayed in a new browser window.
(We do not recommend that this option be set to Yes -- many students
use small screens and mobile devices making it difficult to navigate to
the main course area.)

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Blackboard 9.1 Quick Start Guide

o

Track Number of View - Click on the Yes radio button if you would
like to tack the number of times the Learning Module is viewed.

9. Show Table of Contents to Users - by default the Yes radio button is

selected. Click on the No radio button if you would like to hide the Table of
Contents from students.
10. Hierarchy Display - Click on the drop down arrow to the right of the field
and select on of the display types if Learning Module content titles will be
displayed in an outline format.
11. Click the [Submit] button to save your changes.

Adding Content to a Learning Module

After a Learning Module is added to a Content Area, content needs to be added to it.
How the content is viewed, sequentially or non-sequentially is set in the Options and can
be changed at any time. Content is normally added to Folders and Sub-folders within the
Learning Module. However a file can also be placed by itself in the learning module.
As you add content to the Learning Module, a link to each content item is displayed in
the Table of Contents.

Once content has been added to the Learning Module, you can set the item sequence by
dropping and dragging them into place. Items can also be sequenced using the keyboard
Accessible Reordering tool located in the Action Bar within the Learning Module.

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Blackboard 9.1 Quick Start Guide

Adding Tests, Surveys and Assignments to Learning Modules

Tests, surveys and assignments can be added to a Learning Module. You can enforce
completion of these items as part of a Sequential Learning Module.
To add assessment items:
1. Open the Content Area that contains the Learning Module.
2. Click the Edit Mode icon in the upper right-hand-corner of the browser
window to switch to edit view.
3. Click on the name of the Learning Module to open it.
4. Click on the [Create Assessment] button and then click on Test, Survey or
Assignment in the drop down menu.
5. Provide the required information for the selected item (click on the Test and
Survey, or the Assignment tutorial links in the menu to the right for
additional information on using the assessment tools).
6. Click the [Submit] button to save your settings.

Adding Interactive Tools to a Learning Module

Learning Modules are connected to a specific Interactive Tool or to a page where that
particular tool is accessed. In the case of tools such as Self and Peer Assessment, Blogs
and Wikis, the link directs the student to the starting page for the tool.
To add Interactive Tools:
1. Open the Content Area that contains the Learning Module.
2. Click the Edit Mode icon in the upper right-hand-corner of the browser
window to switch to edit view.
3. Click on the name of the Learning Module to open it.
4. Click on the [Add Interactive Tool] button and then click on the tool in the
drop down menu.
5. Provide the requires information for the selected tool (click on the tutorial
links in the menu on the right-hand-side of the browser window for
additional information on setting up the Interactive Tools.
6. Click the [Submit] button to save your settings.

Educational Technologies, JPGM 2010