Navigating Blackboard

• Tabs
• Blackboard Gateway
• Individual Courses

Tabs

Tabbed Blackboard Areas:

• NIU Tab:  Faculty and students can access all classes they are teaching or are enrolled in and can check grades, calendar, and personal information. From this tab, the user can click the underlined course title to enter the course.
• Courses Tab:  This tab provides a complete and detailed listing of all courses faculty or students are enrolled in. Users can click course titles to enter the course.  Also found here is a link to the Notifications Dashboard which displays notifications for changes to items for all classes the user is enrolled in. These notifications are displayed in three different modules (What’s New, To Do, andNeeds Attention).
• Community Tab:  Blackboard Communities are online environments for formal and informal organizations and clubs at the university. Blackboard Communities are only viewable to enrollees of a NIU Community.
• Content Collection Tab:  The Blackboard Content Collection is a tool that allows faculty and students to securly store, manage, reuse, and share digital content.
• Services Tab:  Requesting courses and course shells can be found here under the Faculty Blackboard Course Utilities link.   In addition, this area provides access to Blackboard support, student and faculty resources, and all NIU and academic calendars. 
• MyOneCard:  Students can manage their One Card while in Blackboard, giving them instant access to their account balance, the OneCard office, local vendors offering Huskie Bucks, and more. 

Blackboard Gateway

After a user has logged into Blackboard, they will be directed to Blackboard’s gateway, the customizable default entry page providing access to all classes faculty and students are enrolled in.  Users will have access to links and tabbed content areas across the top of the page, providing access to a variety of NIU and Blackboard information depending on the needs of the user. 

Individual Courses

1. Upon entering an individual Blackboard course, students and faculty will have access to the Course Menu, providing links to course content, tools, and a student's grades.  The Course Menu is fully customizable and is administered by the course instructor(s). 
2. Faculty members will also have access to the Control Panel, located directly under the Course Menu.  Here the faculty member will be able to manage their course through a variety of menu areas including:  the Content Collection, Course Tools, Evaluation, Grade Center, Users and Groups, Customization, and Packages and Utilities.
3. The Home Page is the course entry page and provides easy and instant access to important course information.  Faculty members can customize and arrange the modules on the Home Page based on priorities and preferences determined by the faculty member. 
   

Last Updated: 12/8/2011