"Thank you" to ITS Staff for work over and above the call of duty during the Christmas Holiday!
We owe a great deal to Paul Schieman and others who spent most of the holiday period in the college installing a new database server and upgrading Blackboard to version 6.3. We have noticed significant improvement to server response times, and a number of other issues were resolved as well. Paul and everyone else worked so hard to make this happen!
New Features in 6.3
New to Blackboard's Algonquin Tab
Printing the Gradebook Tip Sheet Now Available
Navigational Short Cuts: Access the College Network a Little Faster
New Features in 6.3
Many of you have already found and are using the new features in Blackboard. Here are a few that we think are most important:
- New Advanced Question Types in the Test and Survey Managers
PD sessions are planned, and a focus group is meeting to evaluate the Calculated Formula, Calculated Numeric and other new question types. - New Options in the Gradebook
Running Weighted Total and Running Total allows you to exclude items that have not been graded from the calculation. These will be explained in depth during the upcoming PD session. - Modifying your Blackboard opening page
Modify Content and Modify Layout. Did you know you can change your Blackboard environment? - What's New
Individuals can add this module to their Blackboard opening page through Modify Content. It displays items that have been added or changed recently in the courses within which they are enrolled.
If you need more information on these or any of the new features, please contact the Online Learning Centre (x-6552) or Blackboard Help (X-2501) staff.
New to Blackboard's Algonquin Tab
Blackboard Tips for Faculty
A new module has been added to Blackboard to highlight tips or information instructors may find useful. It is our intent to update this weekly.
Printing the Gradebook Tip Sheet Now Available
As we get closer to the end of a semester, we get many requests for information on how to print the Blackboard Gradebook.
It is recommended that you download your Gradebook, then open it in Microsoft Excel or whatever spreadsheet program you use, and print it from there.
If you open the Gradebook within Blackboard, you are subject to the limitations of your web browser. Quite often, it’s impossible to print the whole Gradebook, especially if you have many columns.
For more information, read the new Printing the Gradebook tip sheet.
This tip sheet, and many others that we use in training sessions, can be found on the login page for Blackboard at http://online.algonquincollege.com. Just click on Blackboard Faculty Resources.
Navigational Short Cuts: Access the College Network a Little Faster
Tired of clicking through menus or typing in long web addresses? Type in the word shortcuts below when you are on-campus, or logged onto the domain.
| online | Blackboard url: http://online.algonquincollege.com |
| webmail | Webmail url: http://webmail.algonquincollege.com |
| elearning | elearning url: http://elearning.algonquincollege.com |
| academic | Academic url: http://academic.algonquincollege.com |
| acsis | Student ACSIS url: http://acsis.algonquincollege.com |
