Blackboard 9.1 provides all of the same features and functions found in the version that we were previously using: Blackboard 4.1. This latest version of Blackboard, however, has a more modern interface and includes many new features and enhancements. Therefore before actually trying to develop your course site, you should spend some time exploring and navigating this new environment.

Bythe time you have finished this module, you should be able to:

• Login to your Blackboard (Bb) course site
• Identify the major components of the course environment
• Locate and identify the function of the "My Institution," "Courses," and "WebCT Courses" tabs
• Customize your personal setting in My Places
• Turn the Edit Mode on/off
• Work with the Course Menu
• Work with the Control Panel
• Customize a Home/Dashboard Page
• Permit/Restrict Guest and Observer Access

To login to your Blackboard 9.1 course site:

1. Open a browser such as Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox or Chrome
2. Type in the following URL in the address bar and press Return/Enter: http://www.utoledo.edu/dl/index.html
3. At the "Blackboard Learn+" login screen, type in your UTAD username and password and then click the "Login" button
4. From the Blackboard 9.1 course site, click on the "Courses" tab to see a list of your courses on Bb 9.1
5. Click on a course link to enter a course site

Indentify the major components and functions of the Bb 9.1 Course Environment:

• Click here to open/download a PDF copy of Getting Started with... the Course Environment which will help you identify the major components and function of each of the Bb 9.1 course environment.

Customize Personal Settings in My Places

1. Login to your Blackboard 9.1 course site.
2. Click on the "My Places" link at the very top of the screen (adjacent to the Home, Help and Logout links).
3. Click on the "Personal Information" link or the "My Preference" avatar.
4. From the Personal Information page you can choose a link that will allow you to edit you personal information, change your password, upload an avatar to appear on your My Places page, change your personal settings, and set your privacy options. Make sure to cick the "Submit" button after making any changes to ensure that the changes take place.

Modify which Modules Appear under the My Institution Tab

1. Click the "My Institution" tab (located just under the UT logo in the upper left corner of the screen.
2. Click the "Add Module" button (just below the My Institution tab).
3. Click the checkbox in front of each module (tool) that you wish to have displayed in the My Institution area.
4. Click the "Submit" button to complete the change.

Turn the Edit Mode On/Off

The status of the edit mode determines whether you can edit the content of the course site (Edit Mode is "on" or whether you are previewing the course site as a student would (Edit Mode is "off".)

• From any page in the course site, click the On/Off slider switch next to "Edit Mode is:" near the top right corner of the screen. Clicking on the switch toggles its status between the two modes: OFF and ON.

Show/Hide the Course Menu

You can selectively show or hide the Course Menu on the left side of the Course Environment window.

• Click the left-pointing arrrow in the the small tab located on the left side of the Content Frame to hide the course menu. If the Course Menu is hidden and the Content Frame appears to be occupying the entire broswer window, then click on the right-facing arrow in the small tab on the left side of the Content Frame to display the Course Menu.

Switch Course Menu Views

You can display your Course Menu in a List View, a Folder View or in a separate Window

• Place your cursor over each of the icons at the top of the Course Menu and then click the appropriate icon.

Change the Order of Items in the Course Menu

1. Make sure that you are displaying the Course Menu in List View mode.
2. Click the vertical, double-headed arrow to the left of any item in the Course Menu (your cursor will immediately change to a four-headed arrow) and then drag the item up or down to its new desired position.

Permitting and Restricting Guest and Oberserver Access

• Click here to view a video tutorial on Permitting and Restricting Guest and Observer Acces.

Turning Tool Availability On/Off

• Click here to view a video tutorial on Turning Tool Availability On and Off.

Making Tools Available to Students

Click here to view a video tutorial on Making Tools Available to Students.

It's your turn! Try the following activities in your own course or use the training site you were assigned in our training session:

1. Log onto BB9 course site.
2. Update your personal information.
3. Turn the Edit Mode On/Off.
4. Hide/Show the course menu.
5. Hide a tool that you will not use in your course.

• Hide the tools that will not be used in your course.
• 
  Leave the notification modules on the homepage as they display notification links to course items and information that have been changed, submitted, created or that have impending due dates.
• 
  Use simple names for the course menu items so that students can locate course contents easily.

Bynow you should be able to navigate within Blackboard 9.1 as welll as be be able to identify the major component of this course environment.