Web
Conference, July 2004
Title: The Creation and Implementation of an Information Retrieval Course for the Sciences at LSU using Blackboard
Author: William W. Armstrong
Contact: notwwa@lsu.edu
Abstract: This poster details the use of Blackboard to present and conduct a course at LSU entitled, "Information Retrieval in the Sciences", a mandatory, for-credit course for Biochemistry majors. I will illustrate some of the tools available in Blackboard for course use and how I employ them within the scope of this particular course. Among the questions I will address are the following: How does the instructor decide what to put on Blackboard? How are the materials actually created and uploaded, and how are they used by students and instructors? Are students able to submit homework electronically via Blackboard? Are there online discussion facilities? What are some of the positive and negative aspects of using this system?
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Opening Screen in Blackboard:
$ Instructors’ View (Control Panel)
Features Used in LSU Course Implementation:
(Unless otherwise noted, screen views provided will be those seen by the students; in other words, the result of work done in the Control Panel by the instructors.)
$ Course Information: Used to place administrative information about the course, course goals, requirements, etc. This page is from the instructors’ work area, accessed from the Control Panel. The students’ view can be found in the Students’ Course Information link.
$ Staff Information: Instructor contact information for students.
$ Course Documents: Lecture notes, in-class exercises.
$ Assignments: Details of weekly assignments.
$ Communication: Used to email students once documents or assignments were posted on Blackboard and ready for them to begin work. Note: There is also a Virtual Classroom available from this category that allows for synchronous online discussions. I have not used it during the course, however, as I meet with my students weekly in a classroom.
$ External Links: Used to provide links to pertinent information on the web.
$ Tools: Contains link to Digital Drop Box used by students to turn in assignments electronically.
$ Assessment: Only available to the instructors, this area provided the ability to create online exams and record grades automatically in an Online Gradebook. Students could access their grades via the Check Grade link under Tools.
Creation and Uploading of Materials by Instructors:
Virtually anything in an electronic format can be posted on Blackboard, so the decision by the instructors as to what to place is more a matter of what format, as opposed to what material. The format can range from a Word or Word Perfect document, to a PDF or HTML document. To make it easier on the students, I used both PDF and HTML formats, as the ability to read these is almost universal.
Conversion of Documents for use in Blackboard:
Most instructors will likely create their initial documents in a word processing program, so the question of Blackboard format is essentially one of conversion, assuming one wishes to use PDF or HTML. PDF can be created automatically from a Word Perfect document, as the translation tool is built into the program. Word can convert its format into PDF also, but only if you have the Adobe Acrobat full version installed in the same computer as the Word program you’re using to convert to PDF. Word uses a plug-in from Adobe Acrobat that works well, but you have to buy the extra program for it to work. With the full Adobe Acrobat program, one can also create hot links within the PDF; without it, this is not possible.
Both Word and Word Perfect will convert documents automatically into HTML, though Word probably works a little easier. The internal coding is a mess, but it’s a quick and painless procedure that translates well in Blackboard, regardless of the browser you’re using. Word Perfect will also convert, but it produces a grey background that is somewhat unappealing. This can be changed, of course, but it requires editing the code after the fact and so slows down the entire process. An advantage of HTML is the ability within Word or Word Perfect, even before conversion, to create hot links.
PowerPoint presentations can also be used, if so desired by the Instructors.
Uploading of Documents:
Documents are uploaded to the Blackboard server via the Control Panel. This is the instructors’ access to all categories for adding, modifying, or removing content. One may create the heading for a link, locate the file on the personal computer from which one is working and upload, set the dates when the file can be viewed, and request that the file’s usage be tracked. This last feature is particularly useful when the instructor wishes to see if the students are actually looking at the various documents being placed online.
Special Functions of Note:
$ Digital Drop Box: Found under Tools, this feature enables students to submit their homework online such that it remains available to the instructors in one spot; a much better organization than provided by mere email submission.
$ Online Exams: These can be created under Assessment/Assessment Manager by the instructors, and are really useful for testing knowledge of concepts. A variety of questions can be created by the instructor, ranging from multiple choice to short essay. Grading is done automatically by the software program, with the exception of the short essay questions; instructors must enter points for these manually, but this is very easily done.
$ Online Gradebook: Also found under Assessment, an online gradebook can be maintained, combining the results of online exams with manual input of other kinds of graded assignments, such as reports. Results are kept in a spreadsheet format.
For a look at some of the other functions available to the Instructors, see the Instructors’ View – Control Panel.
Conclusion:
Blackboard provides a very robust mechanism for creating an online setting for a classroom, such that a course could conceivably be taught completely online in this manner. I have been moving in this direction purposely, to see how well students might do should I have to expand instruction beyond my capacity to meet with classes in person. Though I still prefer the in-person approach, Blackboard does offer an excellent opportunity to expand into an all-online teaching mode, which is becoming more and more necessary for both students and instructors.
I have found very few drawbacks with the program’s abilities, other than the problems one faces with any electronic device – it may fail you when you, or the students, most need it. But that seems to be the nature of life online these days... servers go down, problems happen, teachers cope.