Using Blackboard for Programme delivery

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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

Request an organisation

Not sure which of these options is best for your Programme? Please get in touch with the TEL team via the Service Desk