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