Managing and Using Blackboard 9 Organizations

Managing and Using
Blackboard 9 Organizations

A Blackboard organization is similar to a Blackboard course but is designed for administrative work groups or student organizations. This document provides basic information for managing and using a Blackboard organization.

I. Creating a Blackboard Organization

II. Managing Organization Members

A. Accessing your Organization
B. Adding a Member

III. Managing Documents

A. Creating a Folder
B. Posting a Document
C. Removing a Document

IV. Making an Organization Unavailable

V. Archiving an Organization

VI. Deleting an Organization


I. Creating a Blackboard Organization
1. Perform one of the following: a) Log in directly to Blackboard at http://blackboard.temple.edu. or b) Log in to TUportal and in the MY PORTAL tab, go to TUAPPLICATIONS and click Blackboard.

2. At the Blackboard window, click the Course Tools tab. Note: If you do not see the Course Tools tab, inform the Help Desk by submitting a request through the TUhelp web site. A consultant will make an update so the tab will appear for you.

3. Click Create New Organization.

4. Review the Copyright Statement and click I agree.

5. At the Create New Organization window: a) Enter a name for the organization. b) To permit guest access to your organization, click the down arrow to select Yes. c) Click Next >>.

6. At the Create New Organization window, review the information for your organization and click Next>>.

7. At the Organization Created window, click Finish to complete the process.

II. Managing Organization Members

A. Accessing your Organization
1. Perform one of the following: a) Log in directly to Blackboard at http://blackboard.temple.edu. or b) Log in to TUportal and in the MY PORTAL tab, go to TUAPPLICATIONS and click Blackboard.

2. Blackboard will open in a new window. Under the My Organizations module, click the organization name.

B. Adding a Member
1. In the Control Panel, located on the left of the screen, click Users and Groups > Users.

2. Click Find Users to Enroll.

3. In the Username box, type the AccessNet username of the person you wish to add. Note: If you do not know the person's AccessNet username, click Browse. You can then search for participants by username, first name, last name, or e-mail address.

4. Perform the following: a) Select the role you wish to assign to the user. By default, new members are added as Participants. Members added to the Blackboard community can be assigned different access rights based on roles. The main roles and functions are: Participant Participants can view information. Organization Builder Organization Builders can view information, post documents, and perform group functions such as adding and removing members to a group. Builders cannot add (or remove) members to the community. Leader Leaders can make any changes to the site including posting documents and adding (and removing) members to the community. b) Verify that Enrollment Availability is set to Yes. c) Click Submit. The people you added will now see your organization listed under My Organizations when they log in to Blackboard.

III. Managing Documents
A. Creating a Folder
1. Access your Organization as described in Section II, Part A. 2. From the upper left navigation pane, click Content.

3. Verify that Edit Mode on the upper right portion of the screen is set to ON.

4. Click the Build Content tab. Then select Content Folder under the New Page heading.

5. In the Create Folder page, perform the following: a) In the Name box, type a name for the folder. b) Type an optional description of the folder in the Text box. You can use the options within the box to add formatting, such as font and color. c) Fill in the Options section only if you wish to perform the following: Prevent users from viewing this content Track the number of views Set date and time restrictions for how long the content appears d) Click Submit.

B. Posting a Document

1. Access your Organization as described in Section II, Part A. 2. From the upper left navigation pane, click Content.

3. To post the document within a folder that you previously created, click on the folder name.

4. Verify that Edit Mode on the upper right portion of the screen is set to ON.

5. Click the Build Content tab. Then select Item under the Create heading.

6. In the Create Item page, perform the following: a) In the Name box, assign a name for the file. b) Select an optional color of the file name. c) Under Attachments, click Browse My Computer and select the file. d) Fill in the Standard Options section if you want to: Prevent users from viewing this content Track the number of views Set date and time restrictions for how long the content appears e) Click Submit.

7. To see how the document will appear to a participant, verify that Edit Mode on the upper right portion of the screen is set to OFF.

C. Removing a Document
To remove a document with an updated version: 1. Access your Organization as described in Section II, Part A. 2. From the upper left navigation pane, click Content.

3. If the document resides in a folder, click the folder name.

4. Verify that Edit Mode on the upper right portion of the screen is set to ON.

5. Click the down arrow to the right of the file name and select Edit.

6. On the Edit Item page under Attachments, locate the file you want to remove and click Mark for Removal. Then click Submit.

IV. Making an Organization Unavailable
As an organization builder or leader, you have the option of hiding (or making unavailable) your organization from participants.
To make an organization unavailable: 1. Access your Organization as described in Section II, Part A. 2. In the Control Panel, located on the left of the screen, click Customization > Properties.

3. In the Set Availability section of the Properties screen, click No to make the organization unavailable to users or Yes to make the organization available to users. Then click Submit.

V. Archiving an Organization
The Archive Manager feature enables you to back up the contents of your organization. This enables you to reuse the materials in Blackboard if the existing organization is ever deleted. An organization archive file is a single compressed (zipped) file that contains all of the documents posted in your organization. If you ever need to restore some or all of the materials to the Blackboard system, take the archive file to the Instructional Support Center (ISC).
1. Access your Organization as described in Section II, Part A. 2. In the Control Panel, located on the left of the screen, click Packages and Utilities > Export/Archive Organization.

3. In the Export/Archive Organization screen, click Archive.

4. Perform the following: a) Next to Organization Files Default Directory, select Copy links and include copies of the files in the organization default directory. a) Next to Files Outside of the Organization Default Directory, select Copy links and include copies of the files outside of the organization default directory. c) Click Submit.

5. You will receive an e-mail notification when the archive is complete. To download the archive: In the Control Panel, located on the left of the screen, Packages and Utilities > Export/Archive Organization.

6. On the Export/Archive Organization page, click the file link. Then follow the prompts to save the file on your computer.

VI. Deleting an Organization
1. Click the Course Tools tab.

2. At the Course Tools window, click the delete icon to the left of the organization name.

3. At the Delete Course window, click Yes.

Help Improve Temple Computer Services	x
Did you find this information helpful? (required) Yes No
Your Name (required) Your E-mail (required)
Tell us more. Remember to answer required fields. Send

Thanks	x
We appreciate your feedback. You're helping to make Temple Computer Services better. Close