Answers About Blackboard at ASU
As you are gearing up for the fall semester, it may be helpful to you to understand a little about how we use Blackboard at Angelo State. I’m not talking about a how-to or tutorial for anything, but just a little info about how Blackboard is structured at ASU.
I’ve compiled these questions based on things that last year’s new faculty asked about. If you have any additional questions after you read through them, please let me know and I’ll be happy to add to the list.
Do I have to use Blackboard?
Every course at Angelo State University has a Blackboard presence. Here are the required pieces for your courses:
- CV and Syllabus: This tool makes your CV and syllabus available to students in your course and also posts it on the public website as directed by House Bill 2504.
- IDEA evaluations: Links to your course surveys are available in your Blackboard course. Toward the end of the semester, you can instruct students to log in to complete the evaluation.
- Final grades: Beginning this fall, final course grades will be submitted via Blackboard.
Beyond those features, you may choose to use Blackboard as much or as little as you would like.
When do courses become available to students?
Two to three business days before the start of the semester.
How much storage am I allowed in Blackboard?
700 megabytes.
If you are concerned about using up that full allotment, you may consider using embedded content that is hosted elsewhere (ex: YouTube or Kaltura videos, Slideshare presentations). We can also optimize some of your course documents to reduce the file size. Contact me if you need help with that.
What do I do when something isn’t working properly?
Depends on what isn’t working. If you are having trouble with student data or pairing publisher content, contact the eLearning Center.
For most other things, call me first and we’ll see if we can figure out what’s going on.
How long can I access a course after a term has ended?
Typically 4 years.
Can I make changes to a course after a term has ended?
Courses are archived for records retention purposes. For that reason, we recommend requesting a course template to copy over your course content to a new course before making any modifications.
How long do students have access to a course after a term has ended?
Students can lose access to the course in as few as 2 hours after the final grade is submitted.
