BlackBoard Question of the Week

Q. Is there a way to post audio files on Blackboard so that they can be streamed, but not downloaded?

A. The best way to post audio files so they can be streamed is to upload them to Ignation https://webapps.luc.edu/ignation/index.cfm .  Login in the upper right corner and then choose Upload a Video under My Tools.  After about 24 hours, you will receive a link  that you can post in Blackboard.

Q. Is there a way that I can limit access to a folder in my course to only a select group of students?

A. If you click on the chevron icon next to the folder you’ve created, you can select Adaptive Release.  In the Adaptive Release settings, under Membership, you have the option to add the usernames of those you would like to have access to the folder. This Blackboard video explains Adaptive Release rules:  Adaptive Release: Create Multiple Rules for a Content Item .

Or you could create groups and use the File Exchange area to make items available for specific groups.  Here is a link to a tutorial on creating groups:  Creating Student Groups .

Q. In Blackboard, my Spring 2012 course has the wrong course name because it is cross-listed with another course. What can I do to fix this?

A. As the instructor in the cross-listed course, you have the option to have the course title (course name) to be listed as you wish.

Go into the Blackboard course, go to the Control Panel, click on Customization, then click on Properties.  Under item 1. Name and Description, you can change the Course Name, then click the Submit button.

Q. I have used Articulate lectures in the current version of Blackboard. I want to upload the same in version 9 but I think the steps are different. Can you please help me figure out how to upload (.. and unpackage) an Articulate lecture?

A. Uploading an Articulate file in Blackboard 9 is a two-part process. First, you will upload the file to the course’s Files area, a kind of storage area to keep files so they can be accessed from any content area in  your course; then you will add the file to a content area.

Upload the file

1. Scroll down under the Course Menu to see the Control Panel.
2. Click on the chevron next to Files in the Control Panel.
3. Click on the Create Folder button in the Course Content window. It’s important to create a folder for each of your Articulate presentations since, for each .zip file you upload, the file you will link to so students can play the presentation has the same name: player.html.
4. Name the new folder with the same name as your Articulate file (this is not required, but will help you organize your Articulate files).
5. Click on the new folder you made.
6. Click on Upload and select Upload Package.
7. Browse for your Articulate zip file and click Submit.

Add the file to a content area

1. Click on the content area where you would like the Articulate file to be accessed, such as Course Documents or Content.
2. Under Build Content, select Item.
3. Give the Articulate presentation a name
4. Next to Attach File, choose Browse Course, then click on the appropriate Articulate folder (the one you created).
5. Click in the box beside player.html.
6. Click Submit.
7. Click OK to the “Message from Webpage.”
8. Under File Action, accept the default.
9. Select the options you want and click Submit.
10. Students will access the presentation by going to the content area, finding the appropriate Articulate file name, and clicking on player.html.

Q. I am having trouble posting a large PDF file; I can upload the file, but some of my students cannot view it. What should I do?

A. Since PDFs open within Blackboard, if a student double-clicks to open the file in Blackboard it will take a long time, or might even time out and not open.  However, if your students right-click on the document and save it on their local drive, they should then be able to open it.

Since the issue is the document’s large size, a second option would be for you to break the PDF up into several smaller documents and post that way.

Q. I have uploaded an html file that has embedded image files. I want students to see the html file, but all the images files are listed separately in Blackboard. How can I set this up so my students just see the html file with the images embedded, and not listed separately?

A. You can do this in three steps:

1. Make a folder on your computer and put all the image files and the html file in the folder.
2. Zip (compress) the folder (on a Loyola PC, right-click on the folder and select Send To > Compressed (zipped) Folder).
3. Log into your Blackboard course and create a new item.
4. Attach the zip file and, under 2. Content > Special Action on the Add Item page, select Unpackage this file.
5. Select your html file as the entry point.

This will show only the zip file as a link, and students will see the html file when they click on it.