Record enrollments, a new version of Blackboard, limited staff equals a recipe for disaster! See how Fresno State survived with the Blackboard Student Orientation course. In this presentation you will learn first-hand how Fresno State prepared students for Blackboard 9.1 Service Pack 13. Faced with a record freshman enrollment and skyrocketing online courses, ensuring that students had the technology and the skills to be successful in the online classroom was paramount. To meet this challenge, the Blackboard 9.1 Student Orientation Course was developed. This course, available to all students, was built on best practices in online course design with a focus on active engagement. Students enrolling in the course came away with hands-on experience with all the Blackboard 9.1 tools, knowledge of the Fresno State interface, and a Certificate of Completion, which they received after demonstrating skills through an assessment. Encouraged by faculty, and the chance to win prizes, nearly 2000 students self-enrolled at the beginning of the fall 2013 semester. The course, facilitated by an Instructional Designer and student assistants, proved to help students became comfortable with the tools and technology used in online courses and provided a safe space for asking Blackboard related questions. This was clearly evident by the reduced number of "how to" calls to the Blackboard Resource Center on campus. Using a backchannel to drive discussion and answer questions, the presenter ensures that you will come away from this session with a sustainable plan that you can immediately implement on your campus for preparing students to use Blackboard. In addition to the course, you may take away a module that instructors can import into their own course and customize . The goal is that students are prepared for the technology so that they are able to focus on the content and assignments once the course begins.

1. California State University, Fresno
Blackboard Preppers: Ensuring Student
Success
Mary Bennett, Instructional Designer
Technology Innovations for Learning and Teaching
California State University, Fresno

2. California State University, Fresno
Welcome
• Introductions
• College Portrait
• Blackboard @ Fresno State
• The Challenges
• Customizable Student Orientation Module
• Blackboard 9.1 Student Orientation Course
• Next Steps
• Questions?

3. California State University, Fresno
College Portrait Fall 2013
• Located in the Central Valley
• Enrollment 22,000+
• 637 Full-Time Instructional Faculty
• 1504 Instructor Head Counts
• 59 Undergraduate Degrees
• 44 Master Degree Programs
• 3 Doctoral Programs
– Educational Leadership (Ed.D)
– Nursing (DNP)
– Physical Therapy (D.P.T)

4. California State University, Fresno
Fall 2013 Enrollment

5. California State University, Fresno
Blackboard @ Fresno State
• Campus wide transition from v7.3 to 9.0 Fall
2010
• Currently running 9.1 Service Pack 13

6. California State University, Fresno
Fall 2013 Courses on Blackboard
• 191 Fully Online Courses
• 8 Hybrid
• 3437 Course Shells

7. California State University, Fresno
Blackboard @ Fresno State
Technology Innovations for Learning and Teaching (TILT)
 3 Instructional Designers
 1 Blackboard Architect
 2 Video, Photography & Multimedia Specialists
 Blackboard Resource Center
 1 Technical Lead
 4 Student Assistants
 scanning documents, compressing PPT files, formatting test questions, video
editing, etc.

8. California State University, Fresno
The Challenges
Training faculty and students with limited
resources
– Face-to-face workshops for faculty
– Faculty responsible for student training
Ensuring Quality in Online Courses
– eScholar/Bootcamp Programs
– Individual Consulations

9. California State University, Fresno
Statewide Program to Support and Enhance
Academic Quality in Online Courses
• The State of California Assembly Bill 386 (2013),
requires the CSU to provide its students access
to all fully online CSU courses across our 23
campuses by fall 2015

10. California State University, Fresno
Seven Major Goals
1. Students should be prepared for success in fully online courses.
2. Online learning experiences should provide students with equivalent (or better)
quality instruction as they receive from traditional face-to-face courses.
3. Online courses must be accessible and useable by all students, including those
with disabilities.
4. Student achievement of learning outcomes should contribute to the metrics on
quality education.
5. Academic integrity of student performance must be assured to minimize cheating
and plagiarism.
6. Campuses need to support faculty designing and delivering quality online courses
with professional development and support services.
7. Techniques, experiences and outcomes from the various campus projects should
be disseminated widely across the CSU campuses through effective
communications between campuses as well as the Chancellor’s Office.

11. California State University, Fresno
Solutions
• Customizable module for courses
• Blackboard 9.1 Student Orientation Course

12. California State University, Fresno
Customizable Module

13. California State University, Fresno
Bb 9.1 Course Orientation Module

14. California State University, Fresno
Navigating the Blackboard Environment
• Information for Current Students at Fresno State
• Working with Files in Blackboard
• Working with Documents
• Using the Content Editor
• Sending Email
• Checking My Grades
• Practice Assignments

15. California State University, Fresno
Instructions
• Discussion Board
• Learning Module
• Tests
• Assignments
• Blogs
• Journals
• Wikis
• SafeAssign/Turnitin

16. California State University, Fresno
Bb 9.1 Student Orientation Course
Beginning Fall 2011 Self-enroll

17. California State University, Fresno
Marketing
• Email to Instructors
– Many required the certificate as a first assignment
• Email to students
• High visibility in the Library
– First two weeks of the semester
• Prizes

18. California State University, Fresno
About the Content
• Content and Videos by Blackboard
• Content and Videos specific to Fresno State
• Videos created by Students
• Universal Design Principles
• Accessible Content

19. California State University, Fresno
Course Homepage

20. California State University, Fresno
Course Menu Items
 START HERE: Syllabus and Schedule
 Announcements
 Contacts
 Bb 9.1 Student Guide
 Course Orientation Modules
1. Technical Requirements and Getting Help
2. Global Navigation and My Blackboard
3. Social Learning Tools
4. Blackboard Basics
5. Working with Files, Documents, and Content
6. Communication and Collaboration
7. Assignments and Tests
8. Test Your Knowledge
 Virtual Office
 Blackboard Mobile Learn App
 On Demand Video Tutorials

21. California State University, Fresno
Syllabus

22. California State University, Fresno
Consistent Module Format
• Module Objectives
• Content
• Just for Fun Quizzes

23. California State University, Fresno
My Practice Assignments

24. California State University, Fresno
Required Modules
1. Technical Requirements and Getting Help
2. Global Navigation and My Blackboard
3. Social Learning Tools
4. Blackboard Basics
5. Working with Files, Documents, and Content
6. Communication and Collaboration
7. Assignments and Tests
8. Test Your Knowledge

25. California State University, Fresno
1. Technical Requirements and Getting
Help
• Ask Tilt?
• Video to the Resource Center
• Accessibility Information
– navigation, accessing content

26. California State University, Fresno
2. Global Navigation and My Blackboard
• Blackboard Environment at Fresno State
• Notifications
– how to manage the notification system

27. California State University, Fresno
3. Social Learning Tools
• Profiles
• Setting Privacy Options
• What’s up with Facebook and Twitter?
• Reporting Inappropriate Content

28. California State University, Fresno
4. Blackboard Basics
• Is Online Learning for Me?
• Courses vs. Organizations
• Navigating Courses
• Collapsing Menus

29. California State University, Fresno
5. Working with Files Documents and
Content
• Accepted File Types
• Content Editor
• Video Everywhere
• Navigating Learning Modules

30. California State University, Fresno
6. Communication and Collaboration
• Rules of Netiquette
• Asynchronous vs. Synchronous Communication
Tools
• Groups

31. California State University, Fresno
7. Assignments and Tests
• Instructions for Taking Tests
• Assignment Manager
• Safe Assign
• Turnitin

32. California State University, Fresno
8. Test Your Knowledge
Blackboard 9.1 Orientation Quiz
Adaptive Release > Score of 30 > Survey >
Certificate of Completion

33. California State University, Fresno
Examples of Questions
• Where is the TILT Blackboard Resource Center located?
• Select the browsers that are compatible with Blackboard.
• Who do you contact if you are having trouble with your email?
• Which is the correct file name to upload into Blackboard?
• Which synchronous tool may require the use of a microphone and a web
cam?
• What happens when you hold down the shift key when entering the
Virtual Classroom or a Chat session?
• It is okay to use casual and text language in course related emails.
• When taking exams in Blackboard it is okay to have several browser
windows open.

34. California State University, Fresno
Course Orientation Enrollments
• 3701 Fall 2012
• 2767 Fall 2013

35. California State University, Fresno
Fall 2013 Outcomes

36. California State University, Fresno

37. California State University, Fresno

38. California State University, Fresno

39. California State University, Fresno
Sample Comments
• “The blackboard orientation has everything you need to learn how to
succeed in an online course”
• “Make the quizzes mandatory that way you can make sure they are
paying attention”
• “Add a tab where it shows the assignments that have been completed
and the ones that need completion”
• “A to do list or check off list of needed or required steps”
• “Very long. It'd be better if the learnings were shorter, maybe more
engaging rather than just watching a video”
• “This orientation took me about 4 hours to complete. My eyes are cross
eyed from looking at the screen for so long”

40. California State University, Fresno
Interesting Facts
• 1751 attempts on the Quiz
• 42 In Progress
• 199 students scored 100% on the Quiz
• 1548 Certificates Issues
• “How do I?” questions to the Resource Center
-15%

41. California State University, Fresno

42. California State University, Fresno
Revision Process
• Blackboard Exemplary Course Program
– Increase interaction between students and
“instructor”
– Q & A Board monitored daily

43. California State University, Fresno
Next Steps
• Include in Dog Days (new student
orientation)
• First Year Experience
• Tablet Courses
• Institution Badging System

44. California State University, Fresno

45. California State University, Fresno
Questions?
• Mary Bennett
– mbennett@csufresno.edu
– Twitter: @marybennett
– G+: google.com/+MaryBennettTechEd