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.

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.

Blackboard Anthology Help: Send Messages

Send a Message

1. Click the Messages tab in the top menu.

   1. 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.

2. Click the plus + in the upper right corner to start a New Message.

3. 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.

   1. Click on individual or group names to select recipients.

4. Click a checkbox to choose whether to:

   1. Send an email copy - this will send a copy to users’ MIX accounts

   2. Allow replies - permits users to reply to this message in eCampus

5. 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.

6. Click Send at the bottom of the page.

You will also receive any replies in this tool, visible on both the Messages tab in-course and on the eCampus navigation page.

Course Calendar

The Calendar tab will display this course’s calendar from the eCampus Calendar tool (as seen from the navigation page). Use the calendar to help everyone keep track of upcoming deadlines, exams, or meetings or special events. There are multiple ways to view the calendar data: by day, week, or month, or by due dates; see and edit the course schedule and your office hours too.

Blackboard Anthology Help: Calendar

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Set the Course Meeting Schedule

1. Click the Calendar tab at the top of your course to open the Schedule view of the calendar.

1. Click the plus + in the upper right corner (next to the Day/Month buttons) to choose to add to the calendar.

2. Select Edit Course Schedule.

3. Click the plus + to enter the regular meeting time for your course.

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4. The Nickname field allows you to give the calendar item a friendlier name. Enter a shorter course title or meeting name.

5. 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).

6. Check the All Day box only if your meetings are in fact, all-day affairs.

7. Select the recurrence and frequency of your meetings:

   1. Choose to track the recurrence by days, weeks, or months.

   2. Choose to set the meeting frequency. You’ll see some different options depending on your choice.

8. 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.

9. Click Save to place the meeting schedule on everyone’s course calendar.

Create a Calendar Event

1. Click the Calendar tab at the top of your course to open the Schedule view of the calendar. You’ll see this week’s dates across the top, and today’s hourly schedule below that.

   1. Students can click Due Dates to see any assigned activities with upcoming due dates.

2. Click the Month button to change the view to a monthly calendar. You will see any scheduled events or assignments with due dates on the calendar.

3. Click the plus + from any view to add an event to the calendar. You’ll see the menu also shows options to edit the Course Schedule (set regular meeting times) and add Office Hours when students can meet with you.

4. Click Add Event to create a new event for your course.

5. Enter a Name for the event at the top of the Add Event panel.

6. In the Add to Calendar field, the current course will be populated.

7. Select the dates and times for the event. You can select a single day and period of time, or choose a range of dates, or set repeating occurrences.

8. Enter a Location for the event, including physical or online meeting spaces.

9. Enter a Description of the event that students will see on the calendar item.

10. Click Save at the bottom of the panel. The event will appear on the course calendar for all course members.

Announcements

Use the Announcements tool to send a message that will appear on students' Activity Stream on the main eCampus navigation page and as both a pop-up and listed announcement inside the course. Share information about upcoming exams, deadlines, or schedule changes.

Blackboard Anthology Help: Announcements

Create an Announcement

1. Click the Announcements tab at the top of the course page. You will see any previously posted announcements listed.

2. Click the plus (+) in the upper right corner of the Announcements page to create a new announcement.

3. On the New Announcement page, you’ll see all three fields are required:

   1. Title - enter a title to let course members know what this is about

   2. Recipients - all course members receive announcements

   3. Message - type up a message to convey the necessary details

4. Optionally, you can select check-boxes to:

   1. Send an email copy to recipients - so they will get a copy in their MIX email account, or

   2. Schedule the announcement to display at a future date.

5. 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.

Discussions

Discussion boards are built into the course in eCampus Ultra as a tab at the top of the course. Discussions can provide opportunity for thoughtful back-and-forth on the actual course topics or a place for students to ask questions about the logistics of the course. Discussions can be graded, and they can be organized into folders – for example if they will participate in a new discussion for assigned readings every week, you can group those discussions together.

Blackboard Anthology Help: Discussions

Create a Discussion for General Questions

1. Click the Discussions tab to switch to that page of the course.

2. Click New Discussion to create a forum for a discussion topic.

3. Enter a Name for the new discussion at the top of the page, such as Help with this Course.

4. In the text box, type a discussion prompt to get the discussion started. Use the formatting and editing options to clarify your content or add links, files, or media.

   1. Suggest a question you would like students to answer about a lesson,

   2. or state the topic about which they should ask their own questions.

5. Save your post to this new discussion thread. You will see any responses listed below your post.

6. Click the gear icon to edit Discussion Settings, including:

   • Display on Course Content page - selected by default, this option will place a link to this discussion on the main course content page. If your content lives in learning modules or folders, you can drag-and-drop the discussion into that container.

   • Post first - hides any discussion activity until students respond to the discussion

   • Prevent editing - once published, students cannot edit or delete their posts

   • Grade discussion - turn on grading for this discussion. You will be able to read and provide a grade for students' contributions to the discussion.

   • Align with Goals & Standards - select from a list of institutional goals and grading standards that apply for this discussion/assessment.

   • Group discussion - select and assign groups who will participate in this discussion.

   • Save any changes to the settings.

7. Select the release conditions from the drop-down in the upper right corner to choose whether students will see this discussion topic now, or later. Note that this will also affect the visibility of the Course Content page link.

8. Close (X) the new discussion page to return to all Discussions.