myUSF Blackboard News

We have seen instances of Outlook 2003 filtering emails sent from Blackboard into the SPAM/Trash folder. To stop this from happening, you need to let Outlook know that it can trust emails from acomp.usf.edu .

To do this:

1. Open Outlook
2. Go to Actions -> Junk Email -> Junk Email Options -> Safe
   Senders
3. Add acomp.usf.edu to the list

This will allow mail from the Blackboard servers to pass through to the inbox.

The Search myUSF portal module available in myUSF can be used to search for content within the entire myUSF system or within specific courses. Searches can be quite broad or very specific depending on the criteria entered. It is a powerful tool that enables full text searching of all content in Blackboard. With Search myUSF, users can easily locate documents, announcements, calendar items and other types of content. Search myUSF provides quick access to the following types of content:

• Course Content
• Uploaded Files
  o Word Files
  o PDF files
  o Text Files
  o HTML Files
• Multi-media Files
  o Audio & Video Files
• Staff Information
• Announcements
• Calendar Entries

Click here to open a Search myUSF How-To document –Acrobat Reader is required to open the pdf file.

My Backpack provides users with a way to showcase personal achievements and information to other users within myUSF. Users can easily create a personal site and an online journal. Backpacks can be private (available only to the individual) or public (accessible to anyone on the system) and allow others the ability to comment on the exhibits they are viewing. Using the built in browser editor, users can create sites that include rich media web pages and journals.

• Course and Group Journals are web based diaries or blogs in which students and/or Instructors can add content at regular intervals. Users can add links to other websites, upload documents and images as well as comment on the journal entries of others. Two types of Journals can be created and made available within a course:
  • A “Course/Organization Journal” — a collaborative blog tool that is associated with a course or organization and is accessed through the Course Tools list in Blackboard.
  • Multiple “Group Journals” — may appear in the course documents (or other content area) section of your course. Group Journals are created and used as part of regular course work.
• Teams Sites provide Instructors with a tool for creating group projects and assignments as well as an editable knowledge base (a digital collection of knowledge and information) to support the course materials. It can be used for a variety of purposes within an online course. Teams Sites can be configured by the Instructor and any Teams-based assignments can be evaluated and included in the course Gradebook. Two types of Team Sites can be created and made available within a course:
  • A “Course/Organization Team Site” — a collaborative website that is associated with a course or organization and is accessed through the Course Tools list in Blackboard.
  • Multiple “Group Team Sites” — special Course/Organization documents or assignments that the instructor has set up in a course. These Teams Sites appear along side other course documents.

The User Performance portal module in myUSF has been replaced by a new course tool developed by Academic Computing. This new course tool –Student Performance Assistant– is available to all Instructors from within the course Control Panel.

In addition to the features already available in the original User Performance, the Student Performance Assistant presents:

• Monthly course access statistics
• Number and type of discussion board postings
• Downloadable data for statistical analysis
• Photo identification of students
• Grade list for each student with links to the Blackboard Gradebook
• A Progress Report that can be e-mailed to the student documnting his/her current performance and participation

Click here to open a Student Performance Assistant How-To document –Acrobat Reader is required to open the pdf file.

Withyou can create your own personal database by importing references from online databases. You can use these references in writing your papers and automatically format the paper and the bibliography in seconds.

The RefWorks Bridge Extension for Blackboard –a “Building Block” in Blackboard parlance– developed jointly by RefWorks and Northwestern University is now available at myUSF, providing one-click access to RefWorks databases. Access to RefWorks is provided in two ways:

• Blackboard users can access their personal RefWorks accounts from within the course Tools page;
• Instructors can set up links to specific RefWorks databases from within courses, allowing students to access course-specific reading lists and group research projects.