Components of a Blackboard course - Online Learning @ KCC

Blackboard Course Sites
Course web sites contain the specific course content and tools for a given course. Each course on the Blackboard server has a common layout that consists of the following:

The navigation path allows students and instructors to return to any page accessed between the main course page and the current page. The button bar links students to the available content areas and tools. The content frame displays web pages accessed through the buttons or navigation path.

Components of a Course Site
The table below includes information on the components of a course site. Please note that the area buttons in a specific course may look different (i.e., color and shape) than those found below. Additionally, not all area buttons will appear in every course.

Area	Description
	Instructors will post important course information and announcements in this area. The view tabs available at the top of the announcements area allow students to view today's, past week, or older announcements. Students cannot post announcements, only faculty are able to do so.
	The course information area should include descriptive materials about the course. Materials usually posted here include: syllabus and course objectives. Material in this area can be date/time restricted. Instructors can choose to have the material released for a given amount time (hours or days).
	The faculty information area should provide background and contact information on the course instructor. It is recommended that students print this information in the event that the course web site is not available. The printed copy will allow the students to contact the instructor offline (e.g. email or phone).
	This area should contain the bulk of the course material. Materials usually include lecture notes, handouts, lesson aids, and/or course exercises. Material in this area can be date/time restricted. Instructors can choose to have the material released for a given amount time (hours or days).
	The assignments area typically includes the required homework, exercises, papers, and/or quizzes. Material in this area can be date/time restricted. Instructors can choose to have the material released for a given amount time (hours or days).
	Instructors usually post required texts, recommended reading lists, useful articles, and other similar material in the Books area. Material in this area can be date/time restricted. Instructors can choose to have the material released for a given amount time (hours or days).
	All course participants (instructor and students) communicate through the Communication area. The Communication area allows course participants to: Send and receive Email Read and post messages to the Discussion Board Enter Virtual Classroom View student Roster View Group pages
	The virtual classroom, a synchronous communication tool, allows the instructor and students to participate in real-time chats or discussions and also view archives of previous chat sessions. The virtual classroom, or the chat room, can be used to hold real-time, online classroom discussions, and office hour type question/answer sessions. Chat room participants have to be logged on at the same time to use the virtual classroom tool.
	The discussion board is another communication tool that can be used to enhance a course web site. This tool is similar to the virtual classroom, but is designed for asynchronous use. With this tool course participants are not online at the same time to converse online. An additional advantage of the discussion board is that instructor-student conversations are logged and organized. Conversations are grouped into threads that contain a main posting and all related replies.
	This tool allows for group project work. Instructors can create study or project groups. The instructor has the option of providing the group with semi-private discussion board functions, virtual classroom functions, group file exchange functions (i.e. digital drop box), and group email functions. These functions are accessed from Groups hyperlink found in the communication area. Also displayed are the group’s members.
	Faculty populate the external links area with hyperlinks that will connect students to web sites and external learning materials. This area can be used to guide students on virtual field trips to web sites containing relevant information, research, reports, and data.
	This area includes numerous student-focused tools. The tools include: Digital Drop Box, Edit your Homepage, Personal Information, Calendar, Check Grade, Manual, Tasks, Electric Blackboard, Address Book, and Manual.
	Clicking this button accesses the Blackboard Resource Center located on Blackboard Inc.'s web site. The Resource Center is a customizable web site of educational resources.
	The course map is the site map for the course web site. It allows for easier course web site navigation. The course map connects to an expandable and collapsible collection of course content bookmarks.
Home	This button will take the users (instructors and students) to the KCC homepage.
Help	Clicking the help button will direct instructors and students to the helpdesk section of KCC's online learning web site.
Logout	Clicking this button will instantly log a user (instructor or student) off of the Blackboard server.

To learn more about Blackboard and see some of the tools and components found in a Blackboard course, you can view a video tour of Blackboard