This document provides a summary report on Blackboard usage at Grand Rapids Community College for the summer of 2009. It finds that over 1,500 course sections are active in Blackboard, representing a 8% increase from the previous fall. Over 500 unique faculty, or 70% of total faculty, used Blackboard in the last fall semester. Student and faculty surveys show strong support for increased Blackboard usage. Upcoming initiatives include deploying new features like the content system, Relay, and Rave Wireless text messaging.

1. Blackboard Report & Overview
Grand Rapids Community College - Summer 2009
Prepared by: Eric Kunnen, Coordinator, Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies
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2. Outline
 Blackboard @ GRCC
 Trends in Courses and Faculty Use
 Current Usage and Reports
 Student and Faculty Surveys and Quick Polls
 Sloan-C Pillars of Quality + Why does this matter?
 Project ASTRO Sneak Peek
 Next Steps
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3. Blackboard @ GRCC
 Blackboard is a…
● Online classroom for our online and hybrid courses.
● Course web site for traditional courses.
● Web-based environment for student organizations to
share materials and communicate.
● Resource for college employees to communicate and
share materials.
● College wide professional development resource.
● Survey and assessment tool.
● Single integrated system to manage college activities
including ecommerce transactions.
 Blackboard Campus Solutions
● Learning System (Courses)
● Community System (Organizations, Departments,
and Portal)
● Transaction System (RaiderCard and eCommerce)
● Content System (Web-based Document
Management)
● Outcomes System (Institutional Reporting)*
*Not currently licensed and used here at GRCC.
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4. Trends in Blackboard Usage – Active Courses
The following chart indicates that there are over 1,500 course
sections that are active in Blackboard. This number has increased
since Fall 2004. Most recently, there has been an 8% increase in
usage of Blackboard from Fall 2007 to 2008.
Sections Active in Blackboard
3000
2500
2000
LIVE Sections
1500
Total Sections
1000
1540
1165
1091
500
811
412
0
Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008
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5. Trends in Blackboard Usage – Active Faculty
The following chart indicates that there are over 500 faculty that
used Blackboard in the Fall 2008 semester. This is an increase of
over 24% from Fall 2007 to 2008. In addition, the data shows that
over 70% of GRCC faculty are using Blackboard.
Total Unique Instructors
600
517
500
416
382
400
298
300
200
100
0
Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008
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6. Current Usage – Tools Used
The following chart indicates that the content, gradebook,
announcement, staff information, and email features are the most
commonly used tools by instructors in Blackboard.
Email, 27%
Staff Information,
34% Content, 89%
Announcements,
48%
Gradebook, 80%
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7. Current Usage – Blackboard Building Blocks
Building Blocks provide extended capability within Blackboard in a
seamless way. The information below provide the usage level of these
just 3 of the most popular additional tools.
Wimba Pronto iPhone/iPod touch App CourseFeed
Pronto is a free instant Through Blackboard Sync, CourseFeed is a Facebook
messaging, audio chat, app students can receive application that alerts students
sharing, and video notifications when their when their instructor posts
conferencing tool that is instructor posts new new assignments,
integrated with Blackboard. assignments, announcements, and content
Total Users: 2,069 announcements, and content in Blackboard.
in Blackboard.
Total Instructors: 170 Total Accounts: 2,812
Total Accounts: New!
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8. Current Usage - A Snapshot in Time
The following table includes data on how many unique users
(students, staff, and faculty) are logging into Bb at any given time.
As shown in the bottom row, within 3 hours, 7229 unique users
logged into Blackboard on April 27th.
Usage from April 27, 2009 2:39PM
Individual User Login Totals
Within Last minute 14
Last 5 minutes 100
Last 30 minutes 476
Last hour 2076
Last 3 hours 7229
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9. Current Usage – Google Analytics
Google Analytics was recently added to Blackboard to track usage
levels. As shown below, the Blackboard server had 16,097 unique
visits on April 27th. In Michigan, Bb has been accessed over a million
times from 376 cities.
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10. Survey – Students Advice to Faculty
What advice would you give to your professors related to technology
use in teaching and Blackboard? The students said: "use, blackboard,
grades, post, update, please.” (The larger the font size the more times
it was mentioned.)
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11. Survey – Students Describe Bb in One Word
When students were asked to describe Bb in one word, they said:
"helpful, convenient, useful, informational, beneficial“. (The larger the
font size the more times it was mentioned.)
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12. Survey – Students and Faculty Request More Use
In a student based survey regarding their use of Bb this past semester
(N=761), 94% answered YES for "It would improve my learning
experience here at GRCC if more of my instructors would use
Blackboard to deliver their course materials, grades, and
announcements."
In a faculty based survey regarding their use of Bb this past semester
(N=54), 92% answered YES.
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13. Polls – Bb Community System Portal
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14. Sloan-C Five Pillars of Quality
Learning
Effectiveness
Access
Faculty
(Flexibility)
Satisfaction
QUALITY
Cost Student
Effectiveness Satisfaction
* Janet C. Moore. 2005. Sloan Consortium Quality Framework and the Five Pillars,
The Sloan Consortium (http://www.aln.org/publications/books/qualityframework.pdf).
** Jon Mott – BYU “Demonstrating the Value of Your CMS,” 2008 BIE Steering Committee • Washington, D.C.
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15. Sloan-C Pillars in Context
 Learning Effectiveness
– Student Self Pacing and Content Review
– Discussion Boards, Email, Instant Messaging, and Text Messaging
– Test and Quizzes
– Gradebook
– Blogs, Wikis, Social Bookmarking
– Rich External Links and Video
 Cost Effectiveness
– Fully Automated (Effortless and Indispensable)
– Saves Time
– Content Delivery (“Handouts are now Mailouts”)
– Online Communication vs Driving
 Access & Flexibility
– Online and Hybrid Courses
– Anytime/Anywhere Access to Content and Grades
– Door Access, Cashless Vending, Parking, and Online Deposits “It allows me to focus on
– Facebook Integration and iPhone/iPod touch Application
– Rave Wireless Text Messaging teaching and gives the
 Student Satisfaction students some
– Increase Retention and Connection
– Ease of Use, Convenient, Helpful, Useful responsibility to get the
 Faculty Satisfaction lecture materials, and
– Convenient and Easy to Use
– Saves Time handouts so they are
– Reduces Repetition and Administrative Tasks ready for class.”
- GRCC Professor
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16. Project ASTRO
 Blackboard Greenhouse
Program Grant Funded
 Advanced System
Tracking and Reporting
 Open Source
 Coming soon!
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17. Next Steps – Rollout Relay and Rave Wireless
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18. Next Steps – Bb Content System Deployment
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19. THANK YOU!
 Comments?
 Suggestions?
 Questions?
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