Introduction
For the most part teaching, learning and assessment takes place at module level, and Blackboard reflects that. However Blackboard also allows you to provide students with information at a Programme level. This could include
- general information relevant to all students on a Programme
- Programme Handbooks
- details of Module options for the coming year
- information on Placements, Week 6 activities, extra-curricular activities
- responses to Programme-level student feedback.
Providing information in this way can help to address the need identified in the Curriculum Framework to take a holistic programme level approach.
Channels for providing Programme-level information in Blackboard
Blackboard courses for Programmes
Every Programme has a new Blackboard course created each year.
The course code for these Blackboard courses ends in PR
e.g. UFENVSC-21-2PR BSc Environmental Science (2021/22)
A new course is set up in Blackboard every academic year for every Programme, and students remain on the same Blackboard course for the duration of their Programme.
The 2021/22 course has only students from the 2021/22 intake.
Then in 2022/23 the new student intake will be enrolled onto the 2022/23 course, and so on.
Note: Prior to 2020/21 a new course was set up in Blackboard every academic year for every Programme. All of the currently registered students on a Programme were enrolled on the Blackboard course for that Programme, regardless of level.
Supplementary Courses
You can Request a Supplementary Course if you want to set up a Blackboard course which pulls together enrolments from several Blackboard courses.
This could be used where you want to be able to provide information for, and communicate with, a specific year group, but need to pull together enrolments from several different programmes – for instance students on both single and joint honours versions of a programme.
Organisations
Unlike courses, Blackboard Organisations continue from one year to the next and are not part of the annual rollover process.
Many Schools use a Blackboard Organisation to provide School, Departmental and Programme-level information to students. Often referred to as a ‘student briefcase’, for example
- History UG Student Briefcase
- Politics PG Student Briefcase.
Typically these Organisations have enrolments from all Parts / year groups but, if required, they can be set up for a specific Part e.g.
- Pharmacy Department Student Briefcase – Part 1
- Pharmacy Department Student Briefcase – Part 2
School and Departmental Organisations: recommended structure and content
Not sure which of these options is best for your Programme? Please get in touch with the TEL team via the Service Desk
Page last updated on May 16, 2023 by andyturner
