ACU students are now able to access Blackboard through their mobile devices, said Hab Adkins, manager of programming and support.
ACU updates Blackboard usually every summer to fix problems in the system as well as assimilate new features, Adkins said. However, the update to a 9.1 version from an 8.0 version has ushered in a host of new possibilities for both professors and students.
The Blackboard app works only on a wireless connection, which means that a cellular plan will not support it. This also means that the mobile device operating the app must be connected the ACU wireless network.
Students can download the free application “Blackboard Mobile TM Learn for iPhone.” A Blackboard app was available last year, but it was so difficult to use that ACU did not activate the feature. It allows students to access ACU classes through the app, said Jackie Hughes, educational multimedia designer. That changed this semester.
“Blackboard had a major enhancement in their mobile application, so it looks a lot nicer,” Hughes said. “Now students can read the discussion board and whatever documents the teacher puts out there, look at their grades or make comments on discussion board all from their iPhones, iPod Touches or iPads.”
Another significant change is the Blackboard homepage, Hughes said. What had been the announcement page is now a customizable site featuring a dashboard. The dashboard displays feeds from students’ calendars, assignment lists and announcements.
The dashboard displays feeds from students’ calendars, assignment lists and announcements along with alerts about updates to blogs and the discussion board. The dashboard also notifies students when an assignment or test is past due or they have received an absence in their class.. Teachers can use this feature to give early warnings if they see a student beginning to fall behind or receiving unusually low scores, Hughes said.
“It helps the teacher help the student to be successful,” Hughes said.
The new version of Blackboard gives both professors and students the ability to embed YouTube videos and Flicker images into discussion boards and blogs, Hughes said. Students can also create digital tools called ‘widgets’ in Blackboard, allowing them to arrange information displays in a textbox displayed on the Homepage.
Another new tool for professors is NBC Learn. ACU has a semester-long trial subscription to this video archive, allowing teachers to access 11,000 resources covering a wide variety of topics dating from 1920 to the present, Hughes said.
“These video archives are so easy to use,” Hughes said. “Teachers can try it out this semester. If they like it, let us know and we’ll continue subscribing to it.”
NBC Learn can be used with or without Blackboard. This allows professors to use the teaching tool that best fits the content and style of their class, whether that is Blackboard, WordPress or more traditional means, Hughes said.
Professors can contact Hughes for training or comments about NBC Learn.
