Blackboard is Davenport's Learning Management System (LMS). Blackboard serves as the digital set of tools used to conduct online courses and the interface for content outside of campus based courses. As a student, you will use blackboard to interact with other members of your class, check your grades, turn in assignments, and work on group projects.
As a new student at DU we recommend that you complete three tasks before classes start:
- Check your browser to ensure it is compatible with Blackboard.
- Access Blackboard and review the following key items on the Institution Page: Activity Stream, Profile, Courses, Calendar, & Assist
- Courses are not available in Blackboard until three days before they begin
- Optionally you can also download the Blackboard Mobile app but note that not all class assignments can be completed in the app
- Review one or both of the Blackboard Course views
Feel free to also review other related technology used in courses at DU: Ally, Class.com & Kaltura
| Item | Video | More Info |
|---|---|---|
| Check Your Browser | Checks whether your browser supports Blackboard Learn | |
| Accessing Blackboard |
To access Blackboard you will need your username and password Davenport University uses a single sign on which means your username and password is the same one used for your email, student connections, etc. There are three ways to access Blackboard:
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https://davenport.blackboard.com/ |
| Activity Stream | More on the Activity Stream | |
| Profile | More on editing your profile | |
| Find Your Courses | More on finding your courses | |
| Calendar | More on the Blackboard Calendar | |
| Blackboard Mobile App |
Blackboard Course Views
Determine your course view: courses are in two views: Ultra and Original
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Original Course View: The course menu appears on the left side of your window—your access point for all course content. Select an item to open it. Content appears in the main window to the right of the course menu.
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Ultra Course View: on the Course Content page, your instructor's name and picture appear. At the top of the page, you can open frequently used tools. Select each tab to access course content, check the course calendar, drop in on class discussions, access your grades, and send a message if allowed. As you open pages, they open as layers. Close the layers to return to a previous page or the list.
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| Item | Video | More Info |
|---|---|---|
| Navigating Inside a Ultra Course |
; |
More on Navigating an Ultra course |
| Discussion Boards | More on Discussion Boards | |
| Submit an Assignment | More on Submitting Assignments | |
| Exam/Tests Overview | More on Blackboard Tests | |
| Check Your Grades | More on Checking Grades | |
| Assignment Grades | More on assignment grades | |
| Assignments & SafeAssign |
SafeAssign is used by your instructor to check submitted assignments for originality. SafeAssign compares your assignments against submitted assignments website, etc. to identify areas of overlaps. After the comparison, a report is generated that provides detailed information about the matches found. |
More on how to submit work with SafeAssign |
| Working In Groups | More on working in groups |
| Item | Video | More Info |
|---|---|---|
| Navigating Inside a Original Course | More on navigating an original course | |
| Navigate between courses | More on navigating between courses | |
| Discussion Boards | More on Discussion Boards | |
| Submit an Assignment | More on Submitting Assignments | |
| Exam/Tests Overview | More on Blackboard Tests | |
| Check Your Grades | More on Checking Grades | |
| Assignment Grades | More on assignment grades | |
| Assignments & SafeAssign |
SafeAssign is used by your instructor to check submitted assignments for originality. SafeAssign compares your assignments against submitted assignments website, etc. to identify areas of overlaps. After the comparison, a report is generated that provides detailed information about the matches found. |
More on how to submit work with SafeAssign |
Other Technology
Ally
Class.com
Kaltura
Video management and creation tool available inside Blackboard. Staff and students can easily create, upload, edit, manage, publish, discover, and deliver high quality videos to any device live or on demand.
Davenport uses the Kaltura Video Platform to enable students and instructors to create and share videos within courses.
View this Getting Started Guide, or watch the videos below, for detailed information about how you can set up Kaltura for use in your course.
Locate your My Media gallery and install the Kaltura Capture recorder to begin making your own recordings.
Visit the Kaltura Learning website for detailed information on how to use the Kaltura Capture Recorder to create recordings.
Post your Kaltura recordings in any Blackboard course.