Students at Ball State University will be able to customize their use of the online application Blackboard when it is updated for the Fall Semester.
Version 9, also called Blackboard Learn, will offer students and instructors new features like blogging, bookmarking and a customizable homepage.
The update is going to have more of an affect on professors than students, Yasemin Tunc, director for technology and training support service, said.
While much of the students' Blackboard will look and act similarly to the old version, professors will have the ability to customize their course's homepage specifically to their preferences.
"This update is going to change the way an instructor can interact with students," Tunc said.
But there shouldn't be concern about the students' ability to navigate the site, she added.
"We're encouraging all the professors to go through their Blackboard site with their students at the beginning of school," Tunc said.
More than 200 professors have been trained to use Version 9 by Tunc and other technology trainers. There are also video tutorials available online.
The updated Blackboard, which will begin running Aug. 1, allows users to customize their homepage to show information such as weather reports, a thesaurus or news updates.
One feature students and faculty will notice missing from the updated Blackboard application is the Digital Dropbox, which has been replaced by a more accessible "Assignments" module.
Student input has played a factor in the updates as well.
Denise Jones, director of Web services and support, met with the new Student Government Association president Beth Cahill this past spring to gather input for improvements and talked with students to see which features were used most and which were largely ignored.
"We welcome student's views and opinions to help expose ways in which to make this interface and others better," Jones said. "We want to work more with the student government and get the feedback we need from students."
Version 9Below are the new features for students to use on the Blackboard site:
- Blogging options
- Customized homepage that can include weather reports, a thesaurus and news updates
- Customized course pages
- Assignment module replaces the Digital Dropbox application
- Denise Jones, director of Web services and support, worked with the Student Government Association during the Spring Semester to gather information on what features students used and didn't use.
- Ball State has trained more than 200 faculty members on Blackboard Learn.
- The update will begin running Aug. 1.
- Yasemin Tunc, director for technology and training support service said they have encouraged all professors to talk about Blackboard Learn and the course's Blackboard site at the beginning of the Fall Semester.
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