All UAB academic courses (except labs/seminars/independent studies )  have a course site automatically created in a system called Blackboard.

• The course site is made available to students the first day of class to the last day of class.  
• Faculty have access to the course  from 16 weeks prior to 10 days after the official term start and end dates

If your course is a lab/seminar/independent study and you would like to make a course site available for you and your students,   please complete the Course Request form. 

• Please note that this form is also used to make any request related to the course section you are teaching (e.g. adding a teaching assistant, copying content from a previous course, cross listing your course with another course you are teaching).

Your online course site can be used as much or as little as necessary to fit your teaching needs.  Here are some options and things to consider for this online course site:

• Save the basic course information that is ordinarily handed out in class - syllabus or course schedule.
• Create sessions/folders with course material - PDF versions of PowerPoint slides, vocabulary lists, instructor-produced written materials, photographs, illustrations, recorded lectures, etc.
• Post student grades so they can be privately accessed by the student as desired.
• Link to other websites (internal and external) for additional materials or content.
• Use discussion forums, blogs and chat to generate participation and collaboration.
• Create live audio and video sessions.
• Create assignments for students to submit online.

To quickly get started in using the Blackboard and other teaching tools, seven steps have been created below:

Step 1 
provides basic information for faculty and students to get setup and on Blackboard.

Step 2
includes some quick start guides/steps on understanding the Blackboard course interface and posting content into your course.

3 and 4
describes options to communicating with your students when away from a physical class environment  

Step 4 
goes into more detail about additional tools that are available for faculty when teaching  in the virtual environment

Step 5
describes the resources available to assist students in using the features of the Blackboard course.

Steps 6 and 7 
lists training, tutorials and guides, tips and individual resources available for faculty.

Upon entering your online course, you'll be presented with the home page, course menu, and control panel. 

• Refer to Getting Started with your Course Environment for an overview of the layout and terms.
• See the tutorials available in the Foundations section of the website.

You can communicate with students in several ways, either within your Blackboard Vista course or externally using the Classroom Email Distribution System (CEDS) or through normal UAB email. Within Blackboard a coursemail feature lets you send and receive mail for each individual course. You can also communicate through the chat feature and draw on a white board that is visible to all students logged into the course. For more information on each option,  click on one of the links below.

• Communication tools in Blackboard  
• Class Email Distribution Service (CEDS)
• UAB campus email

Create an audio or video recording

• Use Wimba Voice Tools to create an audio recording (podcast) of your lecture
• Use Wimba Live Classroom to create an audio and video archive of both your voice and most items that are shown on your computer/projector. You can also use Wimba Live Classroom to broadcast your lecture live to all students in your course. Click on the links to each tool for more information.

Develop and deliver tests and quizzes

• Create quizzes and tests with Respondus
• Create quizzes and tests using Questionmark

Ensure integrity and honesty on online quizzes with Respondus Lockdown Browser

Check the originality of papers using Turnitin

Maintain accurate grades using the Blackboard grade center.

Several resources are available to get students started in using the Blackboard course:

• Student Tutorial
• Working in your course; assessments and grades, and working with discussion boards: http://www.uab.edu/bblearn/student-support

The following tools and services are available for use when UAB employees and participants are off campus. For more information , check the Remote Access Technology Toolkit

• Access to on campus computer desktop
• UAB phone and voicemail system
• UAB email
• Web and telephone conferencing for group meetings

The Instructional Technology department has additional material and training for faculty.  Check out the links below for more information.

• Training Workshops and Hands-on Sessions
• Tutorials and Guides
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Best Practices for using Blackboard
• Portfolios (Requires blazerID and password)
• Blackboard Learn Support Site