News
New Course Availability and Deletion Policy To Be Implemented May 2016
Apr. 5, 2016—The Center for Teaching, as the administrative home for Blackboard, is announcing a new Course Availability and Deletion Policy for Blackboard. This policy, recommended by Vanderbilt’s Blackboard implementation team and approved by the Blackboard Faculty Advisory Committee, is intended to reduce the amount of storage space Vanderbilt purchases annually from Blackboard, while also allowing most...
Complements to Blackboard: Constructing Effective Multiple Choice Questions
Feb. 8, 2016—Did you know that you can create tests or quizzes in Blackboard and have students take them online? The on-demand resources page of our website includes a guide to creating a test. The testing feature allows instructors to set up different types of questions, several of which are automatically graded. While Blackboard may help streamline the technical side...
Sunday, January 31, 2016 1-5am: Blackboard Maintenance
Jan. 28, 2016—Regular Blackboard Maintenance Window: Early Sunday Morning 1:00-5:00 AM Central Time Between 1-5am early Sunday mornings, Blackboard undergoes weekly mmaintenance. Often, Blackboard continues to be available for users during that time, but occasionally a shut-down and restart of the system is required. Users should not plan on scheduling or taking quizzes, assig nments, or using...
Taking our Blackboard Workshops on the Road!
Jan. 15, 2016—Many of you have visited us for Blackboard trainings and drop-in hours here at the CFT. What you may not know is that we have also taken that support model on the road to various schools, centers, and departments across campus. If you work with a group that you think might benefit from a tailored...
Your textbook may integrate with Blackboard
Jan. 8, 2016—Beginning in the spring 2016 semester, Vanderbilt faculty will be able to integrate online textbook materials and grading with Blackboard. If your textbook includes publisher-provided online content, email us at blackboard@vanderbilt.edu or come see us during our drop-in support hours to find out if your textbook is one of the many that have partnered with Blackboard to...
Comprehensive Tools List Added to Support Website
Nov. 10, 2015—Have you ever run across a tool in Blackboard and wanted a quick explanation of what it does? Or are you a Blackboard power-user, determined to master every feature of our Learning Management System? If you have ever found yourself wondering about one of the more (or less) obscure tool offerings in Blackboard, the Comprehensive...
Save the Dates: November/December Drop-in Support
Oct. 30, 2015—We are excited to announce our November/December schedule of drop-in support hours. Drop-in support hours will take place on Mondays 1-3pm in the CFT workshop space from November 2nd – December 14th, with the exception of November 23 when we will be observing Thanksgiving break). During drop-in hours, faculty and staff who have Blackboard-related questions...
Save the Dates: Fall Drop-in Training/Support
Sep. 3, 2015—We are excited to announce our September/October schedule of drop-in support hours. During drop-in hours, faculty and staff who have Blackboard-related questions can stop by the workshop space of the CFT (even without an appointment) and find a team of specialists ready to assist. We can get you up to speed with Blackboard’s new features,...
Fall Blackboard News: New Features, New Support
Aug. 16, 2015—As the new administrative home for Blackboard, the Center for Teaching (CFT) is excited to announce a number of developments for Vanderbilt’s primary course management system, all part of Vanderbilt’s strategic investment in the use of technology to support student learning. New Features A number of platform upgrades were rolled out this summer providing new...
Regularly Scheduled Down Time: Sunday, Nov 17 6AM-10AM
Oct. 24, 2013—OAK will be down Sunday, November 17 from 6AM to 10AM for maintenance. We do not expect the outage to last the entire four hours. Please visit the main OAK website for maintenance updates, OAK availability, and regularly scheduled maintenance dates. Note about Regularly Scheduled Maintenance: Though we like to have our servers up 24/7,...