When marking a Blackboard assessment (for instance a Blackboard assignment, graded Blackboard journal, or Manual Gradebook column) it is possible to record up to 5 minutes’ feedback, using your computer’s microphone and/or camera.
How to access the Record Feedback screen
Open the ‘Overall Feedback’ / ‘Feedback for Student’ panel for the submission you are marking.
Click on the ‘Insert Content’ (+ sign icon), and choose Recording.
Making a recording
Set up your microphone and/or camera
The first time you use the recording tool, your internet browser will require permission to access your webcam and/or microphone.
Before starting to record, check that your recording device is working correctly.
Click on the Settings icon, top right of the screen.
From here you can set up your camera and/or microphone.
Important Warning
After setting up your microphone or camera, you MUST close the Recording window, then reopen it again to make your recording. If you try to record immediately after setting up your microphone, without closing and reopening the window, your recording will be silent.
Audio recording
When ready to start recording, press the Record button at the bottom of the screen.
Video recording
Click on the camera icon at the bottom of the screen to enable video recording.
The video image is shown on screen: position yourself and/or the camera until you’re happy with the image.
When ready to start recording, press the Record button.
Saving your recording
When done, press the Stop button.
You will be able to preview your recording in the same window.
If happy, press Save and Exit.
As the on-screen warning says, you must wait for the file to be saved – do not close this window prematurely. The longer the recording the longer it will take to save. Video recordings will of course take longer to save than audio files.
Once the file is saved, the screen which appears allows you to rename the recording if you wish. Make any desired changes and press Insert Recording.
You can of course provide typed feedback alongside the audio/video feedback.
When you have finished, be sure to press Save Changes.
Are there any technical limitations?
- Any modern browser should support use of this tool. Blackboard recommend Chrome or Firefox.
- The maximum recording time, for audio and video feedback, is 5 minutes.
Recording stops automatically when 5 minutes have elapsed. A warning of how much time is left is shown on the recording screen.
- Recordings made using this Blackboard tool cannot be edited, but you have the option to pause recording at any point, and resume when ready.
- To avoid time-out issues, if you take a break while marking a series of student assessments, always go back to the Gradebook when you are ready to resume marking.
Check the Blackboard Help pages for additional information.
Any audio or video recording made using these tools is considered to be an integral part of the student’s feedback. Therefore, once released to the student, recordings must not be deleted. By using the audio or video feedback tool you implicitly grant consent to the recording being used as part of the assessment process, and you cannot subsequently withdraw that consent.
Guide last updated on December 20, 2023
