University of Denver - Blackboard Support

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How can I add an image to the announcements area in Blackboard?

If you would like to add an image to your announcement page, complete the following
steps.

1. Once in your Blackboard course, click the Control Panel.

2. Under Course Options
Course Design then Course Banner.

3. Once on the Course Banner page you can upload the image you intend to post by pressing the Browse button.

4. Press Submit when done.

Note: You may also remove an existing image in this screen. To do so, click the box next to "Remove this banner."

Keywords: add image annoucements image announcement Blackboard ID: 27 Created: Jul 22, 2003 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

What kinds of documents can I upload to Blackboard?

Uploading is simply putting your document up onto the Blackboard server or any Internet server. You can upload just about any file type to Blackboard, however, the type of document that you upload affects how your students can view it. If you upload documents that were created and saved in specific software programs (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.), your students will need to have that particular software installed on their computer to view the documents.

For example, if you upload a PowerPoint document (as a .ppt or .pps), your students will have to download the file and then open it in PowerPoint or the PowerPoint viewer. However, if you save your files as HTML and then upload them to Blackboard, the students can view the documents directly on screen from within Blackboard.

Keywords: Powerpoint Excel Word documents Blackboard ID: 64 Created: Jul 23, 2003 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

What should I put in the Name of Link to File field?

If the file will be downloaded, we recommend typing something like "Click to download." If the file is in a web format and will be viewed online, type something like "Click to view." This lets the student know what will happen when they click the link.

Note: Remember, whatever you type in this field becomes the actual link that students will click on.

Keywords: name of link add item file field Blackboard ID: 66 Created: Jul 23, 2003 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

Are files uploaded to Blackboard automatically checked for viruses?

Blackboard does check documents for viruses. Faculty may also download the university-wide Symantec AntiVirus free of charge from the UTS website (http://www.du.edu/butts/helpdesk/software/download.html). It is recommended that you protect your computer by staying up-to-date with the latest
security patches and scanning all downloaded documents off the Internet.

If you your computer is a Windows based system, you can check for security updates at: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/.

Keywords: viruses add item virus virus check Blackboard ID: 67 Created: Jul 23, 2003 / Modified: Aug 25, 2009

How should I save my graphics?

The most universally supported file formats on the Web are .gif (Graphics Interchange Format) and .jpeg (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format. Generally, the .gif format is used for graphics with few colors, graphics that contain text or type, or graphics that have large areas of a single color. The .jpg format is used for graphics that have many colors and lots of fine detail, such as photos.

Note: It is NOT recommended to use bitmapped graphics with Blackboard. Bitmap files are very large and can affect your course performance, as they are slow to load, especially for modem users. Many scanners default to .bmp files, so make sure you check this if you are scanning photos or images.

Finally, it is also important to remember that Blackboard will upload all graphics in their original size. Make sure that you have re-sized and saved your graphics in a size that is appropriate for your course site. Recommended sizes are shown in the Page Editors for uploading course banners and staff photos.

Keywords: graphics save ID: 68 Created: Jul 23, 2003 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

What kind of media files are supported by Blackboard?

The following media files can be viewed within Blackboard.

* Graphics: GIF and JPEG

* Video: MPEG, Quicktime, AVI

* Audio: WAV and AIFF

Note: Students will need the appropriate software and plug-ins to view the media files.

Keywords: media files media Blackboard ID: 69 Created: Jul 23, 2003 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

How fast (or slow) will my files be downloaded?

When developing your course materials, remember that the students may be connecting to the Internet via a dial-up modem. Files should be kept small enough so users with slower connections will still be able to access the files in a reasonable amount of time. If you cannot keep the file size down, an alternative is to use the text field in the Add Item area to provide the student with information describing what the file is, how large it is, and why it is important that they view it. Often, simply letting a student know that the download may take longer than usual will diffuse any frustration associated with the long process.
Keep in mind that download time will vary based on Internet traffic and connection speed.

Keywords: download speed file size download time add item ID: 70 Created: Jul 23, 2003 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

How do I add Items to Blackboard?

The Add Items feature allows you to add content to your course site. Files can be uploaded in their original format (.doc or .ppt, etc.). When students click on the link created, these files are either downloaded to the student's computer or open in a browser depending on the creation settings. HTML or web supported graphic files (such as .jpg's or .gif's), which can be viewed directly within Blackboard, can also be added.

Note: Blackboard is a cross platform program(works on Macs and PC's), so all files should have a three letter file extension (such as .doc or .htm) to designate its file type. To prevent conflicts, file names should contain no spaces or special character except the underscore (_) and only one period before the file extension (ex: HomeWorkOne.doc).

Keywords: Add Item Blackboard ID: 71 Created: Jul 23, 2003 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

Can I move/copy an item from one location to another within Blackboard?

Yes. Blackboard does allow for items to be moved or copied into other folders. Here's how:

1. Enter you Blackboard and click on the Control Panel. Click
the location of where your item to be moved is located. For this example we will assume that the item is located in the Course Documents area.

2. In the Course Documents area, you should see a Modify, Copy, Remove buttons for each item. Click on Copy.

3. Now you should be on the Copy/Move Folder page.

4. Select the name of the course you will be copying to from the drop down menu.

5. Click the Browse button to select the location that you will be copying to. Select Yes to remove the item from its current location after copying. Select No to keep the item in its original place.

6. Click Submit.

Keywords: move copy add item copy/move Blackboard ID: 179 Created: Aug 15, 2003 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

How do I add a PowerPoint or Word Document to my Blackboard class?

The steps below explain how to add documents to your Blackboard course.

1. Select a Content Area in the Course Control Panel.

2. Click Add Item. The Add Item page will appear. On this page, users can enter text and attach files.

3. In the Name field, select name from drop down menu or "Other-Add Text Below" and specify your own name.

4. If you would like to add a brief description about the file you are attaching, you may do so in the Text field (Content Information).

5. In the Content area, click the Browse button and locate the file you are attaching.

6. In the Name of Link to File area, type a name. You may also want to add the type of file after the name (i.e. Microsoft Word document). The Name of Link to File will be the linked text that the user clicks on to open the file.

7. Leave the Special Action set to the default "Create a link to this file.”

8. Select additional options and click Submit.

Keywords: add content word powerpoint add item Blackboard ID: 216 Created: Feb 3, 2004 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

I don't want all course documents available immediately. (e.g. I want each lecture file to be available only a couple days before the lecture.) How do I do this?

You can set specific date restrictions to items added to Blackboard from the Options area when you upload or modify your files. To set date restrictions for existing files, click on the modify button next to the lecture file you need to change from the Edit View/Course Control Panel. Click on the checkbox next to Display After within the choose date restrictions area and select the dates you want the item to be visible to the students. The item will be “grayed out” in your control panel to signify that it is not visible to students.

Keywords: date restrictions visible to students display dates availablity ID: 314 Created: Mar 14, 2006 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

How can I resize my digital image for the web?

Use our web based image resize tool. This is located at the url below.

http://ctl.du.edu/support/blackboard/resize.cfm

Keywords: resize image ID: 318 Created: Aug 29, 2006

When I upload a file to Blackboard, the option to add an item has disappeared from the toolbar in my control panel. How do I fix this?

You may have inadvertently turned off this option from within the control panel. To correct the problem, click on the Manage Tools link under the Course Options area within your control panel. Click on the Content Type Availability link on the Manage Tools page and make sure that the Item option is checked as available.

Keywords: add item add item missing upload Blackboard ID: 322 Created: Jan 18, 2007 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

I've posted a file from the Web in Blackboard that I can open in the Firefox browser but does not open in Internet Explorer. What is the problem?

This issue may be related to the html code embedded in the source code. If you copied html source code from an existing web page, it may contain javascript which does not open correctly in Internet Explorer. Check the html source code for javascript. Copy the source code into notepad, remove the javascript, save the file and then paste the html into a Blackboard textbox while in the code <> view.

Keywords: javascript Internet Explorer can't open web file ID: 326 Created: Aug 22, 2007 / Modified: Feb 20, 2008

A student took a number of class pictures that I would like to upload to the class site on Bb. I've uploaded student pics under "add profile", but am unsure where and how to best upload these pictures. I wanted to put them in the Course Documents area, but don't see how.

The profile area is designed to upload one photo of the instructor. There are a couple of ways to do this. First add a folder to the Course Documents area of the course and then Add a new item.

1) add the image(s) as an attachment just like you would for a Word doc

2) if you want the pictures to display inline (so you don’t need to click on a link), then click on the image icon in the formatting toolbar of the textbox area, browse for the image and submit. You will have other options to choose including changing the dimensions but if the pic files are large, this won’t compress them for the web.

If the images haven’t been resized, you may want to resize them before posting them on Blackboard. Alex created a nice web-based tool to resize images if you want to use that to resize your images. Click on the link for instructions on resizing the images:

http://ctl.du.edu/support/blackboard/resize.cfm

Keywords: image add image picture resize ID: 327 Created: Aug 30, 2007 / Modified: Aug 30, 2007