BEYOND “CLICK THIS”Blackboard Integration into

Teaching/Learning A Panel Discussion

The Panel

• Karen Adsit, Ed.D., Director, Walker Teaching Resource Center, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN

• Tracy Chapman, M.Ed., Interim Director of Information Technology and Learning Resources, School of Pharmacy and Allied Health, Creighton University, Omaha, NE

• Ellen Nathan, M.Ed., Instructional Technology Coordinator, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN

• Dean Shaffer, M.S., Director, Instructional Technology, DeSales University, Center Valley, PA

Institutions

Key Points

• Overview of Institutions• How we got started (initial

implementation/integration)• Training (faculty & students)• Influence on teaching• Changing responsibilities• Lessons Learned

Blackboard

• Web-based course management system• Easy to use, non-html, venue for creating

and maintaining course materials on-line• Incorporates theories of Distance Learning• Total On-line courses as well as on-line

resources for classes. • Tools: post documents, send e-mails,

discussion boards, chats, calendars, tests, grade book

• Gentle learning curve for users (teachers and students)

University of Tennesseeat Chattanooga

• Public, comprehensive university (masters and some post masters programs)

• Located in Chattanooga, TN• 8,485 students

– 7, 105 undergraduates– 1,380 graduate & professional

students

Campus Resources• Information Technology Division

– Systems and Networks (administrative & academic systems, networking & systems)

– Technology Support Services (Help Desk, Student Labs, Media Resources)

• Center of Excellence for Computer Applications (CECA)

• Walker Teaching Resource Center– Blackboard– Faculty Development– New Faculty Orientation– Faculty Computer Lab

Creighton University

• Private, Jesuit, Comprehensive University (9 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools)

• Located in Omaha, NE (population 700,000)

• Approx. 6,300 students (3,700 undergraduates)

• 622 full time faculty

Technology Resources

• Campus Information Technology– Administrative computing– Client Support Services– Help Desk– Operations– Student labs

• Office for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

• Campus Media Services• SPAHP IT support

– Office of Information Technology andLearning Resources

Butler University

• Private residential Liberal Arts University in Indianapolis, Indiana

• 4,100 students– 3,573 undergraduates– 691 graduates

• 257 full time faculty/69 part time faculty

Information Resources

• Administrative Computing (PeopleSoft)• Network and Systems• Academic Computing

– Instructional Technology– Student Labs– User Services

• Help Desk• Technical Team

– Media Services• Web Services• Telecommunications

DeSales University

• Private, four-year liberal arts university affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church

• Located in Center Valley, Pennsylvania

• 2,730 students– 1,266 undergraduates– 1,464 graduate and evening students

Technology Resources

• Administrative Computing (Datatel)– Telecommunications

• Academic Computing– Network and Systems– Student Labs

• Instructional Technology– Blackboard– Distance learning– Videoconferencing services– Electronically enhanced classrooms

Systems and Stats

How does it work?Infrastructure

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

• Software Version: 5.5 - Build 139– License Type: License Level 1 - MS

SQL*Server– Server OS—Windows 2000. 

• System Stats:– 501 Courses– 11,175 users– 4,388 students– Instructors: 238– Average hits per day: 8,969

Creighton University

• Software Version: 5.5 build 139– License Type: Level 1 – MS SQL

Server– Server OS – Windows 2000

• Systems Stats:– 332 courses– All students have Bb accounts

Butler University

• Software Version: 5.5.1 – License Type: License Level 3 - – 2 Solaris servers (Data & Application) Oracle

8.17.12– PeopleSoft version 7.6

• System Stats:– 7,924 Courses (all University courses/semester)– 11,175 users (faculty, staff, and registered

students)– 10,423 students– Instructors: 730– Average hits per day: 9,280

DeSales University

• Software Version: 5.5.1 – License Type: License Level 1 – Linux

Redhat 6 server

• System Stats:– 399 Courses– 1,370 users (faculty, staff, and registered

students)– 1,208 students– Instructors: 147– Average hits per day: 4,026

Getting Started

Initial Implementation and Integration

Blackboard at UTC

• Before Summer 2001: Web Course in a Box (3 years)

• Summer 2001: 6 selected faculty tested Blackboard

• Fall 2001:– Full implementation and faculty training

instituted• Spring 2001: Moved to a larger server to

accommodate load • Faculty create courses; users are added

through an upload available to faculty from the student information system

Blackboard at CU

• WebCT (spring 97-present)• Blackboard - Fall 2000• Space allocations per course

suggested, but not enforced at this time

• Faculty request course creation via online form, students enrolled in courses by Campus IT

Blackboard at Butler Univ.

• Summer 2000: 15 selected faculty on CourseInfo 4.0

• Fall 2000:– 248 courses represented– 170 Faculty – 2,868 Students enrolled– Manual creation of courses and enrollment

• Spring 2001: at capacity with 85% faculty • Fall 2001: Bb 5.0, all campus integration

– $120,000.00 cost (license, hardware, consults)– Automated course creation and enrollment by

Peoplesoft extracts into Blackboard

Blackboard at DeSales U.• Before winter 2001 – handful using FirstClass

and Serf• Winter 2001: 5 MBA faculty on Blackboard 5.0• Fall 2001:

– 113 courses represented– 68 Faculty & 656 Students – Manual creation of courses and enrollment

• Currently up to 399 courses– Still manually creating courses, but students

self-enroll– See the need to integrate into administrative

system

Training

Faculty and Students

Blackboard at UTC• 2.5 hour faculty workshops throughout the

year • Bb Advanced Users Groups meetings

once/month• BB4Students developed (web page, pdf

file)• Blackboard Online course on Bb for

faculty and administrative personnel• Small group, one-on-one instruction • Common ID (user name) for students for

all UTC systems

Blackboard at CU

• Initial full day training from Bb for 15 faculty

• Day long seminars by Media Services and OITLR

• One-to-one tutorials• SPAHP students introduction to Bb

sites during orientation (online and on campus students)

• SPAHP – course developer’s guide to encourage standardization in use of navigation buttons

Blackboard at Butler Univ.

• 2 day overview faculty training during the year

• Blackboard course for faculty • ½ hr. Student Training sessions

beginning of each semester and during Early Registration

• Currently: Student Training is self-tutorial multimedia program on desktops in labs

• Development: Self-tutorials on web for both faculty and student training

Blackboard at DeSales U.

• Faculty workshops throughout the year• Special evening/weekend programs for

adjunct faculty• Bb Guide for New Users – for both

students and faculty• Online Course Development Guide for

instructors to get started• Lots of one-on-one instruction for

faculty• Email or letter to students before

course starts (if totally online course)

Influencing Teaching

Pedagogical Modifications

Blackboard at UTC• Encourage faculty to begin small• Faculty seminars on teaching

styles– Encouraging and managing

discussion (F2F and online)– Online teaching and learning– Web-based graphics, video

– Augments traditional classroom material--few totally online classes

Blackboard at CU

• Faculty seminars– Building in interactivity– Building learning communities– Use for just-in-time teaching model– Course design for online teaching– Integration of multimedia– Managing online courses

Blackboard at Butler Univ.

• Extension of courses beyond the walls– As Residential University, reflects

Mission qualification that learning happens in the “community”

• Preparation for computerized exams:– certification licensure– graduate/professional schools

• Skill set mastery for job market

Blackboard at DeSales U.

• Faculty workshops– Student Interactivity– Online teaching and learning– Online course development– Web-based graphics and video

• Augmenting traditional classroom material

• Anxious to try video, graphics, links

Increased Job Responsibilities

Help!Our jobs [roles] have changed!

Blackboard at UTC

• Blackboard System Administrator• ITD supports server and network,

student down/uploads• Balancing Blackboard responsibilities

with instructional design, faculty development, administrative responsibilities

• First weeks and last week of class are 85% Bb related

Blackboard at CU

• Blackboard systems administrator also manages WebCT

• Campus IT Help desk supports students and faculty with access issues

• Media Services supports faculty with course development

• OITLR supports SPAHP faculty with course development, uploading students into courses so students are able to use NetID for all courses

• OILTR supports SPAHP students with access questions

Blackboard at Butler Univ.

• Now wearing Blackboard System Administrator hat

• Share work with another IT person• 50 – 75% time on Blackboard related work

– More 3 weeks prior/2 weeks after semester begins

• Balancing Blackboard responsibilities with Instructional Designer responsibilities

Blackboard at DeSales U.

• Also wearing Blackboard System Administrator hat

• Have IT support for server and database problems

• Balancing Blackboard responsibilities with Instructional Design, Faculty Development, Distance Learning, and Electronic Classroom responsibilities

Lessons Learned

If we were to do it over again…

Questions and Answers

The Panel

• Karen Adsit: Karen-Adsit@utc.edu• Tracy Chapman:

tchapman@creighton.edu• Ellen Nathan: enathan@butler.edu• Dean Shaffer:

dean.shaffer@desales.edu