• What is Blackboard: Blackboard is a learner management system (LMS) which is used by most UND instructors and students. It is web-based, which means you can access it anywhere there is internet access. It is cross platform for MAC and Windows users.
   
• UND is currently using
  • Blackboard version 7.3
  • Building Blocks (Blackboard Add-Ins)
    • Campus Pack (Wikis, Blogs & Podcasting) version 2.9.1
    • Wimba (Live Classroom, Voice Authoring Tools, Podcasting, Pronto Instant Messaging, & Create)
    • Safe Assign (plagiarism software)
    • Link Checker
    • TurningPoint clicker registration
    • Browser Tester (Durham University)
    • Document Unpackager (Joliette Junior College)
      
      
• The administrators of Blackboard will make every effort to:
  • Safeguard the privacy of individuals using the system
  • Ensure backup and recovery procedures are current and functional
  • Follow established procedures for upgrades and maintenance
    
    

UND Computer Policies

NDUS Computer and Network Usage Policy 1901.2

 

• All materials placed on the Blackboard servers by faculty and students are governed by the University of North Dakota’s general intellectual property policy, aligned with the NDUS policy.
  
  
• The Blackboard system is intended solely for support for teaching and learning at UND.
  
  
• No use will be made of any materials posted by faculty and students on these servers other than those intended by the faculty member teaching the course.
  
  
• The faculty member teaching the course is responsible for informing students about the use he or she will make of materials that students post on the system.
  
  
• NDUS-SBHE Intellectual Property regarding course ownership
  • Mediated Courseware (Section 611.2.5)
    
    1. Self-initiated Mediated Courseware. When employees develop Mediated Courseware without specific direction by the Institution, unless otherwise agreed, the ownership of the courseware shall remain with the employee. Normally, no royalty, rent or other consideration shall be paid to the employee when that Mediated Courseware is used for instruction at the Institution and such Mediated Courseware shall not be used or modified without the consent of the employee. While the Creator is under Institutional employment, the Mediated Courseware shall not be sold, leased, rented or otherwise used in a manner that competes in a substantial way with the for-credit offering of the employee's own Institution unless that transaction has received the approval of the chief academic officer of the Institution. The Institution shall have a perpetual, non-exclusive royalty-free right to use such courseware for archival research purposes. Should approval be granted to offer the course outside of the Institution, the provisions of section 4b of this policy shall apply.
       
    2. Institution-directed Mediated Courseware. When the Institution directs in an employment contract the creation of a specific Mediated Courseware, the resulting Mediated Courseware belongs to the Institution and the Institution shall have the right to revise it and decide who will utilize the Mediated Courseware in instruction. The Institution may specifically agree to share revenues and control rights with the employee.
       
    3. Institutions shall develop procedures for reporting the development of Institution-directed Mediated Courseware to the appropriate administrator at the Institution.
       
       
• Links to more information:
  • TEACH Act
  • US Copyright Office-Fair Use
  • Library of Congress – Copyright
  • Creative Commons
  • UND Intellectual Property
  • NDUS Procedures 1901.2 Intellectual Property 3.1.2

• Course Access
  • General access to Blackboard system: Blackboard (Bb) policy is aligned with FERPA requirements, NDUS SBHE computer and network use policies, and reviewed and approved by the Registrar’s office in collaboration with General Counsel. Bb course sites are created based on information verified in ConnectND, including Subject, Catalog Numbers, and Class Number. Course sites are populated with users based on information verified in ConnectND: Instructor and Students. Other users added to course sites are received through requests by the instructor of the course. These additional requests normally include Graduate Teaching Assistants and Co-Instructors. Graduate Teaching Assistants (TA) are verified by the Graduate School. Co-instructors are verified in ConnectND. All other users must have a documented “educational purpose” for their enrollment into the Bb course site. Enrollment of other users must be approved by the instructor of the course. The only users enrolled in the course who have access to making changes in the gradebook should be the instructor and, if appropriate, TA (as assigned by the graduate school). An exception to this guideline may be made to assist the instructor with technical issues in the gradebook on a short term basis and must include a statement regarding their education purpose for inclusion, permission from the instructor and approval by the Registrar’s office.
    
    
• Course Roles
  • Instructor – provides access to all areas of the course including the control panel for posting content, enrolling and changing roles of users, removing users, posting grades, and making the course available/unavailable.
  • TA = provides access to everything included with the instructor role, except changing roles of users.
  • Course Builder – provides access to everything included with the instructor role, except changing roles of users, and gradebook.
  • Grader – provides access to the course gradebook to post grades.
  • Student – provides access to all areas of the course, excluding the control panel.
  • Guest – provides access to areas in the course designated by the instructor, excluding the control panel, and is unable to view student interactions or post to blogs, wikis, or discussion board.
    
    
• Add User
  • Instructor, TA and student users are enrolled in course sites during the course creation and daily population processes. Additional users can be added to course sites by using the “Add Users to Blackboard Site Request Form” which is located on the Blackboard login page.
    
    
• Course Management
  • Course Creation – Instructors may request course sites for current and upcoming semester based courses, under development courses
  • Course Availability – courses are available when they have been requested by the instructor and created by CILT. The creation process takes no more than two days. Courses are made unavailable by CILT at the end of the semester, one week after grades are due. When a course is “unavailable” students will not be able to access the course. Instructors can access their courses whether they are available or unavailable.
  • Course Archiving – CILT archives (a complete copy of the course, including student interactions) all semester-based courses at the end of the semester, the day after grades are due. Instructor can also create an archive of their course and save it for record retention. Instructions are available in the Blackboard manual and in the Faculty Resource Site, under “Semester End Clean-up.”
  • Course Removal – CILT removes courses from the Blackboard system one year and one semester after the course was taught. E-mail notices are sent to instructor advising of the date for course removal, including the option for instructor to retain the course for a longer period. An example of the process is courses taught during fall 2007 will be removed during spring 2010. If instructors choose to keep their course(s) on the Bb system longer, they can e-mail blackboard@mail.und.edu with their information.
  • Course Retention – CILT retains the archive copy of courses in accordance with UND records management guidelines.
  • Course Size limitations – currently there are no size limitations on Blackboard course sites. Best practice guidelines recommend storing larger file types, such as audio and video files on the Helix multimedia server with a link to the Blackboard course site. For information on posting to the Helix multimedia server, please contact CILT at 777-2129 or blackboard@mail.und.edu
  • Course Title and ID conventions – Blackboard course sites are created using the official title of the course from Campus Connection. The course ID includes the following information: Semester – Subject Catalog# - Single or Combined sections – Class #(s). Example: 093-ACCT200-S-21732
    
    

• Organization Site Request
  • Instructors, students, and staff can request organization sites for committees, groups and organizations
    
    
• Organization Access
  • Roles
    • Leader - provides access to all areas of the organization including the control panel for posting content, enrolling and changing roles of users, removing users, and making the organization available/unavailable.
    • Assistant - provides access to everything included with the Leader role, except changing roles of users.
    • Organization Builder - provides access to everything included with the Leader role, except changing roles of users, and gradebook.
    • Grader - provides access to the organization gradebook to post grades.
    • Participant - provides access to all areas of the organization, excluding the control panel.
    • Guest - provides access to areas in the organization designated by the instructor, excluding the control panel, and is unable to view student interactions or post to blogs, wikis, or discussion board.
  • Add User
    • Leader and participant users are enrolled in organization sites during the organization creation process. Additional users can be added to organization sites by using the “Add Users to Blackboard Site Request Form” which is located on the Blackboard login page.
      
      

• Possible abuse of the system that could affect privacy and access.
  
  
• Rights of the authors of materials placed on Blackboard.
  
  
• Retention and safeguarding of information placed on the system.
  • System Administration
    • The administrators of Blackboard (Center for Instructional & Learning Technologies (CILT) make every effort to minimize the amount of personal information about students and instructor that resides on the system. Information used to create user accounts includes the student ID and instructor/staff Emplid, first, middle and last name, and e-mail address. Users are strongly encouraged to change passwords when they log in for the first time.
  • Student Privacy (FERPA)
    • Instructor, students, and staff should become familiar with the FERPA guidelines regarding education records. Instructor should consider student privacy issues when making choices regarding access to areas in their Blackboard courses for users not enrolled in the courses. Areas of concern include gradebook, discussions, blogs, wikis, student homepages, and class roster.
      
      

• System Administrators – CILT is responsible for complete system administration and has three employees with system access; primary server/system administration, secondary server/system administration and primary application administration; and backup server/system administration and application administration.
  
  
• Backup & Recovery – The Blackboard database is backed up every three hours and the complete Blackboard system is backed up nightly at 2 am. The purpose of the backups is for disaster recovery. Backups are made solely for the purpose of restoring the system in the event of a failure. They are not to be relied upon for restoration of course material.
  
  
• Routine Maintenance schedule – days and times for routine system maintenance are posted on the Blackboard login page. Scheduled System Maintenance hours are: Tuesday 4-7AM, Thursday 4-7AM and Saturday 5-8AM.
  
  
• Planned upgrades and advanced maintenance – planned upgrades and advanced maintenance will be posted on the Blackboard login page. These upgrades normally occur after the semester has been completed and grades have been posted to avoid any access issue.