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Tools for Success - Teaching Online

This guide is for faculty members looking for tools that can help them be successful facilitators of online education. Specifically created during the COVID-19 crisis, the tools listed in this guide can be useful for anyone teaching distance courses.

 

ENCOURAGE INTERACTION 


The below options can be found inside Blackboard (MUOnline) under Content > Tools

  • Collaborate Ultra: record your classes or broadcast live with whiteboard, chat, breakout groups, and more features.

  • Poll Everywhere: Capture powerful feedback instantly during virtual meetings, classes, and more.

  • Student Portfolios: a place for students to creatively house samples of their work and evidence of their skills

  • Journals: Can be shared between students and professor or with the whole class, and are a great way to solicit personal reflections from your students, especially those who are working with confidential information. 

  • Blogs: Post a discussion, video, or prompt and get feedback on one page using this tool. 

  • Wikis: Provide a site for interactive and multi-user collaboration that can be used for groups. The wikis can be shared with the instructor, or the entire class, providing an opportunity for students to present on content. 

  • VoiceThread: This tool will enable you and students to add audio, video, text, and other media to presentations. This tool is good for courses that contain a listening or responding component, and is another method for students to present on content. 

Learn How: Blackboard Help

To view all the ways you can interact with your students via Blackboard, visit their Instructor Help pages: https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Interact

Screenshot of Faculty Edit Mode inside Blackboard, showing Tools in Content Area

KEEP STUDENTS ON TRACK

Blackboard Learn offers many different options for students to receive notifications and reminders to ensure they are set up for success. Instruct your students to learn more via the Student Help pages of Blackboard Learn: https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Student/Stay_in_the_Loop/Notifications

Want successful group assignments? Download this PDF:

Learn How: MU Design Center

Visit Marshall University's Design Center Help pages for in-depth information and how-to's

Learn More

Marshall University's Center for Teaching Learning also has a robust schedule of trainings as well as online resources:


PLEASE NOTE that the editor of this guide will always try to stay current with information about new releases and/or versions of the resources contained herein. However, for any questions about the most up-to-date information, please contact the MU Design Center regarding the above MUOnline/Blackboard resources.