Bb LEARN cloud & Social Profile Updated

Release Highlights

The Enhanced Cloud Profile for Blackboard Learn provides students with their first professional profiles. The added features help users demonstrate competencies they have developed through their educational journeys in a visual and uniquely compelling way. Leveraging the MyEdu profile experience, the Enhanced Cloud Profile will allow students to showcase the following:

• Work Experiences
• Projects
• Membership in Organizations
• Competencies

Students access the new Enhanced Cloud Profile by navigating to their profile in Blackboard Learn. A wizard walks them through the setup process. All previous information students have entered is retained and used in their new Enhanced Cloud Profiles.

• Instructors and administrators can choose to not connect their profiles to MyEdu.
• Profiles now have a cover page that includes tiles that highlight knowledge and competencies.
• Competencies level up as they are associated to work experience and projects. This shows how advanced a student is at the competency.
• New profile cards include the top eight tiles.
• There are more privacy setting options that include employers and web searches.

The Cloud Profile End-User Feature Guide provides an overview of each of the new end-user profile features. Click here to access the guide.

To learn more about students using profiles, see Profiles.

If you need assistance, please contact the Help Desk at 540-665-5555 or via email at helpdesk@su.edu or submit a Help Ticket 

Note: Arabic is not yet a supported language in the Enhanced Cloud Profile.

Student Tech Buzz 5/26-5/30

Don't lose your work! Save Drafts in Bb If you are using the Bb Content Editor (Where you edit text within Bb) to post information or submit work to your professor, you will have the ability to "Save Draft." Using this feature is an excellent way to avoid losing work. The "Save Draft" button is located next to the submit button so it should be difficult to miss.  Once your draft is saved, just click the "View Drafts" button to recall your draft (Discussion Boards thread replies are slightly different, you just click back into the drafted comment and get back to work)!  Three Ways to Easily Organize Your "Courses" Sub-tab   Want to organize the experience of the "Courses" sub-tab?  You can! Here are some easy to follow tips that will have you organizing "Courses" in no time. Collapse rarely used modules to free up some visual space. All of the modules on the "Courses" sub-tab are important, but not everybody needs to use them every day.  Right next to a module's name, there is an arrow, click that arrow and your module will minimize. Click it again, and your module will return to it's original state. Yes, if you collapse a module, it will stay like that even if you log in and out. Rearrange Modules to your liking.  If you hover your mouse over the name of a module and you see a plus sign with arrows on all ends that means that you can left click (and hold) on the module and then drag it to a different location. Keep in mind, some of the module's are locked, so that you cannot move them. Organize your "Course List" by term. If you hover your mouse over the "Course List" module you will see a settings icon appear (it looks like a gear), click that icon.  On the next screen, click "Group by Term" and click submit.  Now all of your courses will be grouped by the term they are associated with so that all of your Summer courses are separate from your fall courses. A Few Tips For Getting Started With Blackboard Collaborate   If you are in a class that is going to be using Collaborate, show up to the session 100% prepared by utilizing the following resources: The Web Conferencing - First Time Users page by Bb Collaborate is a quick resource you can use to make sure that you are Java compatible and able to launch a Collaborate session without a hitch. Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing Online Orientation is a collection of 19 videos ranging from 11 seconds to 1 minute long that help you get orientated with the Collaborate interface as a participant. What to Expect When Connecting to Blackboard Collaborate page on SU's Bb Support page is also a quick resource to make sure that you are familiar with the start-up process of Collaborate.

Save as Draft. Don't Become a Statistic

If you have ever written a journal entry, only to close your browser or leave Bb before submitting your work, and then come to the realization minutes later that you have lost your work, this blog post is for you.

Losing your work can be, at best, obnoxious, and, at worst, mildly infuriating. I get it.  Let's make sure that never happens again.

The save draft option is not always present, so you need to know where and when you can utilize it.

Anytime you are making superficial text commentary in Bb, there will NOT be a save draft option. Remember the last time you turned in a SafeAssign assignment and there was a field called "Comments?" There will NOT be a safe draft option for things like that.

However, anytime you are using the Bb Content Editor (where you enter text in Bb) to share your work with others, or submit an assignment to a professor, you WILL have the option to save drafts. 

The key tools that allow you to save drafts are:

• Assignments
• Journal Entries
• Discussion Board Threads
• Wiki Posts

Once you hit the "Save Draft" button, you will be able to recall that information by clicking the "View Drafts" button near the top right corner of your page (Discussion Boards are slightly different, you just need to go back in and edit the thread and then click "Submit").

The Save Draft tool is a quick and simple process that just might save you from losing a lot of time!

SU Technology Tips & Tricks By Devon Taylor

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that you all had a great weekend!  This week I've got an iOS App for document viewing, quick links in Bb and a great Gmail tip!  As always, if you have any questions, let me know at dtaylor4@su.edu

SU Tips and Tricks

Documents 5 by Readdle Documents 5 is a great iOS app that allows you to view just about any type of file you may download on your iPad. MS Office documents, PDF's, songs, videos, zip files and more can be opened by this app.  You can even link in your cloud storage accounts for quick access to your online documents.  The best part, it is 100% FREE!  Click the link for more info and a download link.

SU Links Inside Blackboard Did you miss being able to access all of those non-Bb resources within SU's Bb environment? They're back, and more convenient than ever!  Now, these resources are in one convenient location. If you are logged in, you can access the links by going to the "Links" subtab that is found within the Employee, Faculty and Student tabs.  For a more detailed breakdown, check out the link for a post from the IC Tech Blog.

Gmail - Drag and Drop to Attach and Insert Did you know that you can drag and drop attachments into your SU email messages? This makes it very easy to add files to your emails. Depending on where you drop the file, it can be inserted inline into the email (perfect for images) or added as an attachment.  Want to learn more, click the link!

Visiting the "Tech Support" Sub-Tabs

The "Tech Support" top frame tab has valuable resources, and if you have never explored them, you could be left wondering, "Why does everybody else seem to know this but me?"


For this blog's purposes, we will visit each sub-tab in bullets in the order that they appear in Bb.

Let's get started:

• Help Desk:  This is the Help Desk website embedded within SU Bb.  You can also access this site from the SU Bb Login Portal.  This site contains all of the information that the Help Desk deems important for all SU users.  Remember when we switched to 1SU?  You would have found information about the change there.
• 24/7 Trainer: A sleek and informative support page that is embedded within Bb.  This site has a little bit of everything (including another set of the SU Bb login portal links). Want to know where you can find Devon Taylor when he is out and about?  Visit this sub-tab and you'll see a schedule in the right hand corner.  
• Blackboard Support: This is SU's Bb support page embedded within Bb.  Here you can find System News which is news that is dedicated to the status and important information surrounding SU's Bb environment.  Additionally, you can visit this site to find tutorials and information about how to use Blackboard functionally.  Make sure to check the Traveling Bb Support schedule to see where Tristan Plummer and Techwinkle will be providing SU Bb support next!
• Web Help Desk:  This is is the work order website embedded within Bb.  Here you can submit work orders to receive quick and efficient help that is tracked and recorded to ensure client satisfaction.
• Tech Blog: This blog embedded within Bb.  Since you are currently reading this tech blog, you probably know a little about it. But, this sub tab is another way you can easily access this blog.
• Library Passwords: Where you can go to find the passwords for various library resources.  This is an extremely important sub-tab if you are trying to get the most out of our library system!  Make sure to check it out.
• Atomic Learning:  The service that allows you to get the help you need for almost all the software you would need to use on a day-to-day basis.  This resource is invaluable when you are trying to learn a new piece of software and do not have anybody around to teach you. With Atomic Learning, you can receive the information you need in short, to the point, video tutorials, check it out!
• Media Services:  The Media Services website embedded within Bb!  The information on this page is your guide for all things related to Media Services included, and perhaps most importantly, the best ways to contact Media Services.  Keep in mind, this is where you can also go to request training from Media Services.

If you need assistance, and it is tech related, the "Tech Support" tab within SU's Bb environment is one heck of a great place to start.  Get familiar with your resources so that you can spend more time accomplishing your tasks, and less time figuring out how to make it happen!

Student/Faculty/Employee Tabs Now Have Login Portal Resources on "Links" Sub-Tab

Did you miss being able to access all of those non-Bb resources within SU's Bb environment? They're back, and more convenient than ever!  Now, these resources are in one convenient location.

Keep in mind, some of the most important links have been accessible since the change from the "Quick Links" module on the "Courses," and continue to be accessible from that location

Regardless of your roll in Bb (Student, Faculty, Employee), everybody has access to these important links.

Feel free to continue to work within Bb, and when the need arises, access important links without pausing your productivity by logging out of Bb!

Non-Bb related resources made conveniently available within SU Bb. Enjoy.

To access these links go to the "Student", "Employee", or "Faculty" tab and click the "Links" sub-tab.  

Special Faculty & Student Focus Tracks Added To BbWorld Conference

We are reaching out to all SU faculty and students, to this unique opportunity for attendance at the  BbWorld 2014 .  Students can attend the conference for FREE and faculty in this 12 session track can attend for the reduced cost of $350. Travel & Hotel cost are at the responsibility of the attendee. 

	Registration Cost	Promo Code
Faculty	$350	BBWFACULTY
Students	FREE	BBWSTUDENTS

BbWorld is where thousands of industry leaders and educators from around the globe come together in Las Vegas to participate in shaping the future the Blackboard products and get Higher Education. 

Blackboard has expressed how important the student voice is to them. They have developed a special program this year designed to engage, challenge, inspire and motivate students:

• Discuss the key trends impacting education with industry and academic leaders and learn more about how you can affect change on your campus.
• Represent the needs of your fellow students in workshops with the Blackboard teams who design and build the leading learning systems in the market.
• Get an exclusive first look at the new tools and services Blackboard is building to serve you and your fellow students.
• Learn new ways that you and your fellow students can showcase your capabilities to employers online.
• Up to $5,000 in scholarship funds available! Win technology prizes and gift cards too!

Blackboard has expressed how important the faculty voice is to them. They have developed a special program this year designed to engage, challenge, inspire and motivate educators:

•       Over 12 sessions dedicated solely to faculty – covering topics such as exemplary course design, increasing student engagement, best practices for teaching online, understanding student expectations and more
•       Share ideas, best practices, and meaningful insight with industry peers
•       Participate in workshops and learn strategies for saving time while also improving student performance
•        Have your voice heard and impact the future of Blackboard products 

        You can register for the event at blackboard.com/bbworld. Faculty, please use discount code BBWFACULTY to access this offer. Students, please use with promo code BBWSTUDENT.