This is an introductory guide designed to help you become familiar with how to begin setting up your first course from scratch in the new Ultra version of eCampus. This guide walks through the steps to add and manage content, customize your layout, create tests or assessments, interact with the gradebook, and use various course tools including the Collaborate online meeting tool. Read through the content sections below to learn more about the topics that interest you, or join us for a live training session during scheduled events.
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Synchronous Classroom: students and instructors are in the online class at the same time. Asynchronous Classroom: students view and complete course material on their own schedule. |
eCampus runs on Blackboard Anthology Learn, and is integrated with the STAR (Banner) system, making it easy to transfer mid-term and final grades each semester Blackboard Anthology Learn. All WVU students, staff, and faculty can access eCampus from a web browser any time, from anywhere!
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As a supplement to face-to-face classrooms, eCampus is an easy way to communicate with students and allows for discussion groups or posting additional content. You can provide a calendar for assignment or exam dates, administer quizzes or homework assignments online, and use the electronic grade book to track students , and post grades to be easily seen, and export grades to the STAR system.
Roles in eCampus
There are several access roles that are available, depending on your responsibilities in the course.
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On the Courses page, you’ll see a list of your courses – click to open a course. Ultra courses are color-coded here, and on the Calendar and Messages pages as well. You can star a course to mark it as a favorite, and move it to the top of the list. Click the ellipsis (…) to Hide a course that you don’t need to access right now.
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On the Grades page of the navigation menu, you can view summary grade information for all courses. Faculty can see the overall grade average for all students in a course, and a list of gradable items that have submissions ready to grade, or grades to post.
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Navigate to the Courses page and click on the title of a course to open it.
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A brand-new course in eCampus will be empty - you will need to add and organize content. In addition to the Content page, you’ll find tabs across the top to access the main communication and grading tools. Many more tools and options are available via menus. To create an engaging educational experience for your students, start by adding lectures, readings, media, links to other tools, assignments, and tests to the content page.
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At the top of your eCampus course, you will see tabs allow access to the main areas of your course: Content, Calendar, Announcements, Discussions, Gradebook, Messages, and Analytics.
Content
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Course Faculty
This area at the upper left shows who the instructors are. Students can click here to send a message to their instructor(s).
Details & Actions
Below the faculty names is a list of links to additional tools that are available in eCampus and through 3rd third-party vendors. These include:
Roster - a grid of tiles (or list) showing who’s in the course. Students can also see this list.
You can filter by category by clicking the course members dropdown in the upper right.
Click the ellipses to the right of a student’s name to note any accommodations.
Course Groups – create and manage groups (for assignments, discussions, grading) for this course.
Progress Tracking – turn on progress tracking to use participatory grading for items in the course.
Course Image – Click Edit display settings to change the image that displays on the course list grid for this course.
Click the slider in the Course Image options panel to also use the image as a course banner at the top of the Content page.
Class Collaborate – join the default meeting room or click ellipsis to schedule, edit, access recordings, etc.
Attendance – Click Add Attendance to track attendance (graded or not)
Books & Tools – click View course & institution tools to see a menu of other tools you can use in your course.
Tools with a plus can be added as a Tool Link on the content page.
Scroll to the bottom of the list to click a link to Browse all course tools.
Question Banks – Click Manage banks to build or import pools of questions for use in assessments.
Course Schedule – When you first set up a new course, an option to set the course schedule appears at the bottom. Click Add course schedule to set your class' meeting schedule in eCampus. Click Skip if you don’t wish to do this; you can always add it later in the Calendar settings.
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Click the plus sign in the middle of the page to begin adding content:
Create - begin the creation of an eCampus content item such as an assignment or test, a text document, web link, or discussion prompt.
Copy Content - copy items that already exist in another eCampus course.
Upload - select a file from your computer to share on the content page.
Cloud Storage - share a file from your WVU MIX account’s a Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Box accountsaccount.
Content Market - share content items from 3rd party tools such as textbook publishers, and many more instructional tools.
Content Collection - browse your eCampus content collection for collections (this course and other courses others) to share files on the content page.
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The course Calendar displays the same information that you see on the eCampus navigation page calendar view - but you can only see this course. View the Schedule or click to switch to only a list of Due Dates; on the schedule view, switch between a day and month calendar. Click the plus to add an event, edit the course schedule, or add office hours to the calendar.
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Notify students of things you need them to know – it will show up in their eCampus Activity Stream (, as a pop-up inside the course, and on the course announcements page). You can also opt to send a copy to their MIX email, or to schedule the announcement to occur in the future.
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Discussions provide a place to get students to share ideas and enrich each other’s understanding of the content, or even just a place to connect with each other. Create discussions for help topics, readings discussions and more. You can also organize discussions into folders and add a link to a discussion in a learning module on the content page.
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View and edit grades for assessments, create calculated columns, manage grade schemas, assignment categories, grading rubrics, and moreand set up the overall grade for the course. There are multiple views of the grading details that allow you to easily drill down to details about each student or submission.
Messages
The Messages tab gives everyone quick access to the in-system mail tool for eCampus, . This is the same messages tool that you see on the navigation page. Inbox and Sent box show your messagesYou will see any messages that you have sent or received in the course on this tab. Click the plus in the upper right to compose a new message.
Analytics
View a data table with student performance, run reports on Course Activity, Question Analysis, and SCORM content.
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New items added to your content page will be hidden from students be default. You will choose to show the item either when you create it or later by setting a date range for visibility. You can check the visibility of items, and even practice going through an assignment or test as a student by clicking the icon to see the course in Student Preview mode.
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as a student by clicking the icon to see the course in Student Preview mode.
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If you do complete an assessment and want to try grading it, make sure to save the student preview user data when you exit the preview session. Doing so will create a fake student in the gradebook named Instuctor Name_PreviewUser whose submissions can be reviewed and graded for practice.
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Adding Course Content
When you first log into a new eCampus Ultra course shell, it will be empty – you will have to add content. All off your main educational content, assignments, and tests (aside from Discussions) will be placed on the Content tab of the course.
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From the main Course Content page, click the plus + symbol where you want to place the syllabus.
When you mouse over the horizontal rule between items, a plus will appear. Insert new content anywhere on the page. You can also move items after by dragging and dropping.
Click Select Upload from the menu to upload your a syllabus from your computer.
Select the file from your computer and click Open.
Set the Edit File Options for the document.
The Display Name (what students will see on the content page) defaults to show the actual filename. You can enter something more descriptive instead.
Choose the File Options permission level to determine if students can view and/or download this file.
Save the uploaded file to the content page.
Click the visibility drop-down to make the syllabus file Visible to students when you’re ready to share it.
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After you have added some files or edited content areas, you’ll see Ally accessibility icons next to files and on the editing page of eCampus items. Ally is an integrated tool in eCampus that can help make sure the content in your course is easy for everyone to files and on the editing page of eCampus items. <Insert accessibility benefits everyone statement.> Ally access and consume. It provides alternate formats of shared files (such as a downloadable audio version of a document) that any student can use and shows the instructor simple ways to improve the web accessibility of other content. Ally automatically assesses the accessibility of files and content items at a granular level, so you will see the Instructor Feedback tool link usually on the edit view of that item. Ally options will appear for most kinds of uploaded documents.
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Instructor Feedback - Click the meter to view the Instructor Feedback tool, which can walk you through the steps to improve the accessibility of both eCampus content items and uploaded documents.
Alternative Formats - Click the Ally download icon to view the Alternative Formats available to students (and you!) for this document. Download one and try it out yourself! Depending on the document type, options include audio, ePub, electronic braille, tagged PDF, HTML, and more.
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Assignments can take any format that you like. You can build a quiz using one some of the many question types, or write up instructions for a writing assignmentterm paper, audio or video submission, or written problem solution. You can include a grading rubric or attach institutional goals & standards for grading to an assignment. A little more about assessments in UltraHowever you like to structure learning exercises, you’ll find options for graded assignments.
Blackboard Anthology Help Center: Create and Edit Assignments
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Click the plus + sign in the center of the Course Content area. Place the item inside a learning module, or in-between other assignments if desired.
Click Create to open the Create Item panel.
In the Assessment section, click Assignment. A new assignment page will open.
Give the assignment a Name in the field at the top.
Click the Plus + in the center content area to add questions, instructions, or documents.
Choose Add text to type or paste in instructions for the assignment.
In the text box, enter the instructions and details about the assignment. Use formatting, tables, links, attachments, etc. to describe what you want them to do.
Click to Save the text content. You’ll now see that text on the assignment page. Click the plus above or below the text section to add other content to the assignment.
There are a number of settings you can choose related to access, submission, and grading. Click the Assignment Settings Gear or one of the provided links to:
Choose a due date and set late submission and collection options.
Choose whether to allow class conversations so that students can converse with each other and the instructor about mechanics of the assignment.
Opt to collect student submissions for this assignment offline.
Set presentation options (for eCampus question types only) that will show only one question at a time, prohibit backtracking, or randomize questions, answers, or pages.
Make this a formative assessment for graded participation in this class, that will not be excluded from grade calculations.
Choose grading & submission options like the grade category, number of attempts, points/letter/percentage grading, number of points available, and grader options. Also set whether this assignment will be automatically posted for student view as soon as it’s graded.
Choose which assessment results are visible
(for eCampus question types only) after a student submits this
assignment
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Select assessment security options that can require an access code to begin the assessment or the use of Respondus LockDown browser (which ensures no other applications are open).
Implement additional tools such as setting Time Limits, including a Grading Rubric, aligning the assignment with goals & standards, or assigning this item by groups.
At the bottom of the settings for an assessment you will find a text box to enter a description. Enter a brief sentence or so to tell the students about this assignment.
Now choose when you’d like this assignment to be visible to students and any other release conditions.
At the top of the assignment page, click the drop-down that will default to “Hidden from students.”
If you want students to see this assignment immediately, click Visible to students.
If you want to wait, and make this visible later, leave the Hidden from students setting.
If you want access to this assignment to be restricted to a certain date range or certain students, click Release conditions.
Close (X in the left corner) the new assignment to see it has been added to the content page.
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Click the Plus (+) on the content page or inside a learning module.
Click Create.
Click Folder under the Course Content Items list.
Name the folder at the top of the new panel.
Choose whether this folder will be Visible/Hidden from students. You can always change this option later when you’re ready.
Enter a Description of this module that will show for students on the content page. (max 750 characters).
Click Save to place the folder on the content page or in the module/folder you selected.
Fill the folder with content:
Click on the folder to expand its content.
Click the plus inside the expanded folder to add content (of any type) here.
Drag-and-drop content items from the content page into the folder.
Tests in eCampus Ultra
Tests can contain many types of questions and content that assess students' grasp of the content. Something more about assessing students' grasp of the content…
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into the folder.
Tests in eCampus Ultra
Tests can contain many types of questions and content that assess students' grasp of the content. There are numerous built-in question types including multiple choice, matching, essay, fill in the blank, true/false, calculated formula, and more. You can also use questions from existing eCampus pools or computer files. Questions can include all the kinds of text or information that you can place in any other text box in eCampus - images, links, formatted content! Try out the options. You can keep the test hidden until you’re ready to make it visible to students.
WVU ITS Help: Creating a Test in eCampus Ultra
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On the Content page (or inside a Learning Module box on the content page), click the Plus + to open the content menu.
Click Create to open the Create Item panel.
Under the Assessment section, click Test.
At the top of the test page, enter a Name for the test.
Click the plus (+) in the center of the page to add questions.
Choose the question type (from a pool, calculated formulas, essays, fill in the blank, hotspot, matching, multiple choice, true/false, or add text or upload a file)
To create a multiple-choice question:
Click in the Question text box to type the question. Use formatting tools, or add content like images from the tool bar.
In the multiple answer boxes, type the answers.
Check the correct answer box for at least one.
Change the points or credit for this question at the top.
Click Save to place the question on the test.
To create a true/false question:
Type the T/F statement in the text box.
Select whether it’s true or false
Edit the # of points or make extra credit, then Save
To crate an essay question:
Enter a question / essay prompt in the text box.
Enter an example correct response by clicking the box below.
After you’ve added all the questions select the Test Settings you’d like this test to have:
Click the gear icon to view all test settings.
Due Date – choose a date and time when students must submit their test, also select whether to allow late submissions, any attempts after the due date, conversations about the test, or offline submissions.
Presentation Options – display one question at a time, prohibit backtracking, randomize question, answers, or pages.
Grading & Submission – grade book category, number of attempts allowed, grade method (points, percent, letter), max number of points, grading and evaluation options.
Assessment results – what students can see about their submitted test and grade, and when; what answers they submitted, any automated feedback, scores for each question, what was the correct answer, etc.
Assessment Security – set an access code, require Respondus LockDown Browser
Additional Tools – set a time limit for the test, use a grading rubric (only if your test does not use auto-graded questions), Goals & Standards tool, group assignments.
Goals & standards are set up by the ITS eCampus administrators after you submit a request with details about the goal. Submit a request for a goal by completing the form at eCampus Support - WVU ITS - Jira Service Management (atlassian.net).
Description – add a description of this test for students to see under the title
Click Save to save the test options you’ve selected.
Choose whether to allow students to add Additional Content at the end of the test. (checkmark slider)
Hidden/Visible: select whether this test will be visible or hidden for now (top of page)
Click the X to close the test editor page.
Drag and drop the test to move it into the appropriate module or folder on the content page.
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There are several built-in communications options to allow you to send announcements, share upcoming deadlines or events, send and receive mail messages, and engage in discussions or Q&A with your students. Tabs at the top of the course area link to these tools.
WVU ITS Help: Communication Tools for Faculty in eCampus Ultra
Messages
The Messages tool is the built-in eCampus email application. The Messages tab you see inside of each course is the same tool that you can access from the eCampus navigation page. Messages allows you to send out communications to selected members of the course or to everyone and includes the option to also send an email copy to their MIX account.
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Click the Messages tab in the top menu.
A list of your received messages for this course will appear. Click on the message to view its full content, or click the trash icon to delete it.
Click the plus + in the upper right corner to start a New Message.
Click in the Recipients field to select course members by name or grouping. You can also begin typing to see a list of matching people and groups.
Click on individual or group names to select recipients.
Click a checkbox to choose whether to:
Send an email copy - this will send a copy to users’ MIX accounts.
Allow replies - permits users to reply to this message in eCampus
Type or copy/paste the information to be shared in the Message field. Use the formatting options to edit or attach things like you would for any other content in eCampus.
Click Send at the bottom of the page.
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Click the Calendar tab at the top of your course to open the Schedule view of the calendar.
Click the plus + in the upper right corner (next to the Day/Month buttons) to choose to add to the calendar.
Select Edit Course Schedule.
Click the plus + to enter the regular meeting time for your course.
The Nickname field allows you to give the calendar item a friendlier name. Enter a shorter course title or meeting name.
Use the date and time selectors to choose the Start date and time, and the End date and time of your regular class meetings (online or in-person).
Check the All Day box only if your meetings are in fact, all-day affairs.
Select the recurrence and frequency of your meetings:
Choose to track the recurrence by days, weeks, or months.
Choose to set the meeting frequency. You’ll see some different options depending on your choice.
Enter a Location for the scheduled course meetings. The location can be a physical place, your class Collaborate meeting room, or a URL to join a meeting.
Click Save to place the meeting schedule on everyone’s course calendar.
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Click the Announcements tab at the top of the course page. You will see any previously posted announcements listed.
Click the plus (+) in the upper right corner of the Announcements page to create a new announcement.
On the New Announcement page, you’ll see all three fields are required:
Title - enter a title to let course members know what this is about.
Recipients - all course members receive announcements.
Message - type up a message to convey the necessary details.
Optionally, you can select check-boxes to:
Send an email copy to recipients - so they will get a copy in their MIX email account, or
Schedule the announcement to display at a future date. (You can't select a display date in the future if you send an email copy.)
Click Save to share the announcement now or at the time you’ve chosen. The announcement will appear on everyone’s navigation page Activity Stream and course announcements page.
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The Gradebook is the built-in grading tool for eCampus, which automatically collects information for any assessments that you have created in this course based on the grading detail you provide. The Gradebook tool lets you add or remove assignment columns, or edit the grades as needed. You can even download a spreadsheet copy to work with off-line. You will find the Gradebook in the tabs at the top of the course.Link to Kathy
Blackboard Anthology Help: Grading
Blackboard Anthology Help: Navigate Grading
Gradebook Views
There are two views of the data in the gradebook: the list view, or the grid view. Both views provide options to filter what you see by students, groups, assessment categories, and more. You’ll find the same data in both views of the gradebook, so take some time to navigate through both and choose the most comfortable format for you!
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Gradable Items shows a list of all assignments, tests, and graded items (discussions).
View the Item name and the number of students who have submitted their work, the item’s Due Date, Grading Status, and Post status.
Click any graded item in this list to see and edit all students’ scores for that item.
Close (X) the item page to go back to the Gradable Items list.
Students shows a list of all students in the course and their Overall Grade.
View the students' Full Name, Student ID, eCampus Username, their Last Access date, and their Overall Grade for the course. You can search for a student by name, ID, or username in the field at the top.
Click on a student row to view their grades for each assessment as well as links to a report on student activity in the course, notes on any accommodations, and to send a message to this student.
For the selected student, you’ll see a list of all assessments with the Status of their submission and their Grade on each assessment, and any Feedback you’ve provided.
Click the ellipsis (…) to Add or Edit Exemptions for each item (for this student only).
ℹ️ WVU ITS Help: Accommodations, Exemptions, ExceptionsClose (X) the student grades page to return to the list view of the main Gradebook.
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Gradebook Grid View
The grid view displays a traditional spreadsheet version of the gradebook, with columns for each graded item or calculation and rows for each student. Click in a cell to grade a submission, edit the current grade, and see more options (i.e., setting exemptions or exceptions).
WVU ITS Help: Accommodations, Exemptions, Exceptions
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Rows display students: Columns display assessments (or calculated grades).
Click the Grade Now link in a cell to view student submissions and enter a grade. Or click in any cell with an existing grade to edit/change a grade. Just type a new value.
Filter the data in the gradebook multiple ways:
Search for a student or assessment in the search box at the top of the page.
Click the Filter button to choose which Students, Groups, Gradable Items, or Categories to display.
Click Clear All to remove all filters.
Click any Student Name to see the same student grades page that you can access from the students list view above.
view their grades for each assessment as well as links to a report on student activity in the course, notes on any accommodations, and to send a message to this student.
For the selected student, you’ll see a list of all assessments with the Status of their submission and their Grade on each assessment, and any Feedback you’ve provided.
Click the ellipsis (…) to Add or Edit Exemptions for each item (for this student only).
Close (X) the student grades page to return to the list view of the main Gradebook.
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Click the Gradebook tab at the top of the course page.
Click the gear icon to open the Settings panel.
Scroll down a bit to see the Overall Grade section, and click on Setup up overall grade.
Choose a type of grading setup (click to show examples):
a total Points grading setup,
a Weighted grade setup for items or categories,
or Advanced to use the formula builder to create a specific grade formula.
Click Next after selecting the grading format to see the Overall Grade editing page.
You can still switch the calculation type by clicking the buttons at the top.
For each Category, you can click Edit calculation rules to choose to drop the lowest or highest scores, or use only the highest or lowest score.
Expand (click drop-down) any category to see the assessments in that category, see how many points each is worth, exclude an item, or unlink it from its current category grouping.
Under Overall Grade Settings, click the drop-down to select how the overall grade is displayed: letter, points, or percentage.
The default display will also show this calculation to students in their view of the gradebook. Uncheck the show to students checkbox to hide this gradebook item.
Click Save to create the new calculation as a gradable item (column in the gradebook).
Close (X) the Overall Grade page to return to the main gradebook settings panel.
Close (X) the Gradebook Settings panel to see the new Overall Grade appear as a gradable item.
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Zoom – host Zoom sessions from your eCampus course, and place a link in your content area to your course’s Zoom meetings.
Ally Accessibility Report – view an interactive report for the accessibility of all items in your course, and get guided help on how to make items more accessible.
Content Collection – access your course’s file storage area (and other eCampus courses’ collections).
Respondus – you can require students to use Respondus LockDown Browser to complete tests and assignments from the Respondus dashboard. Click other tabs in the Respondus interface for guides and tutorials.
Keep Going!
Now you have a start on some basic content and assessment items in your course, you can keep adding more. Import content you’ve already used in other formats, create brand new media or documents to share, and try out all the many instructional tools available with eCampus to enrich your class.