Blackboard 9

Create Item (add text or upload a file)

The Create Items feature allows you to add content to your course site. Files can be uploaded in their original format (such as .doc or .ppt documents) and when students click on the link created, the files are downloaded to the student's computer (may open in browser depending on the browser and the computer setup).

Notes:    

• If you only want to upload a file, without adding descriptive text, choose File from the Build Content menu (see image below), rather than item.  It will simply create a link to the file you choose.
• You can attach image, audio or video files in Create Item, but it is recommended that you choose Audio, Image or Video from the Build Content menu instead.  Choosing one of those options will embed the image, or the audio or video player, directly in your page. See Embed a Media File.
• Do not copy and paste directly from MS Word.  If you have Word text you want to paste into Blackboard, please use the Paste from Word Tool.

 

Any time you want to make changes to your Blackboard course, be sure that Edit Mode is turned on. The button will be located near the top right of your screen. Toggling the Edit Mode to "Off" will give you a student view.

To add an Item (either a file or information you type into a text box):

First, click the desired Content Area in the Course Menu.
Then:



1. From the Build Content flyout menu, choose Item.
2. Enter a name for the document into the Name field.
3. At this point, you can type, or copy and paste text into the Text field. If this is all the information you need to convey, you can just hit submit at the bottom of the page. If you're attaching a file, you may want to type a description here.



Attachments


Browse my Computer – Click to attach a file, such as a Word document or PowerPoint, which resides on your personal computer.
Browse Content Collection – Click this to attach a file, such as a Word document or PowerPoint, which you've already uploaded to the content collection system.


Options Section


Permit users to view the content item – By selecting yes, you are allowing your students to see the document. Typically, documents are made "invisible" when you don't want students to access them yet. You can change this at any time.
Track number of views - This option lets you track how often individual users view the item. If the item is a file download, it will NOT track whether or not they clicked the link and downloaded the file. If you've turned on tracking, you can view the results by choosing "View Statistics" from the pulldown next to the item.
Select Date and Time Restrictions - This option automates the "permit users to view the content item" option based on the dates and times you enter. Be certain to check the checkboxes as well as entering the dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What kinds of documents can I upload to Blackboard?
A: You can upload just about any file type to Blackboard, however the type of document that you upload affects how your students can view it. If you upload documents that were created and saved in specific software programs (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.), your students will have to have that particular software installed on their computer to view the documents.

Files that are in .html format will be viewable within the browser. Adobe .pdf files require that users have the Acrobat Reader program, but it's free and nearly universal.

Media files such as mpeg, mov, avi, wav, aiff, and mp3 require appropriate plug-ins such as Quicktime and Windows Media Player.


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