Designing, Organizing, and Creating Content in Blackboard

Designing, Organizing, and Creating Content in Blackboard
In this Tutorial
• Creating a Folder and Filename hierarchy for local storage of online course content (Step 1)
• Using WebDav to bulk upload files and folders to Blackboard (Step 2)
• Linking files in Blackboard (Step 3)
• Using WebDav to make fast updates to Blackboard content (Step 4)
Overview
While it may seem more work initially and less immediately gratifying than created content directly in
Blackboard (or any LMS), taking the time and effort to properly organize and name your files will save
you much time and effort in the future. Additionally, creating a locally stored set of files and folders
will enable you to easily mirror your Blackboard content elsewhere (i.e. website, Wiki, other LMS) and
ensure that your files are always current and backed-up.
In this tutorial, you will learn to create a course file/folder hierarchy and setup WebDav folders to
enable easy file/folder transfer to Blackboard.
Step 1: Creating a Folder and Filename Hierarchy for Local Storage of
Online Course Content
It is not overly important to this procedure what you name your files and folders or how they are
organized. It is critical, however, that you remain consistent in your structure and file naming system
within a particular course.
Develop a file/folder naming convention. Be consistent!
For example:
In a Music Appreciation course, one might create a naming convention thusly:
Course Folder Name: MA_fall2011
Other Folder Names (located within MA_fall2011): Course_Information; Introduction_Unit;
Unit_1_Melody; Unit_2_Harmony; Unit_3_Rhythm, etc.
File (documents) names (for example, located within the Unit_1_Melody folder): U1_overview
(pdf); U1_activities (pdf); U1_assignments, etc.

In planning this structure, you might use Word to create an outline. For example:
1. MA_fall2011 (course folder)
a. Course-information (folder)
i. Welcome_letter (pdf)
ii. Syllabus (pdf)
iii. Course_Schedule (pdf)
iv. Course_Policies (pdf)
b. U1_Melody (folder)
i. _overview (pdf)
ii. U1_activities (pdf)
iii. Lecture (video linked from Media Server)
iv. Web resources (Blackboard link)
v. U1_assignments
vi. Assignment dropbox (Blackboard link)
vii. Quiz (Blackboard link)
c. U2_Harmony (folder)
i. U2_overview (pdf)
ii. U2_activities (pdf)
iii. U2_Lecture (PowerPoint)
iv. Web resources (Blackboard link)
v. U1_assignments
vi. Assignment dropbox (Blackboard link)
vii. Quiz (Blackboard link)
d. Etc.
Once you have created a working outline of your course structure, create folders and documents on
your computer in a convenient location (like in My Documents). You can create this structure in
Windows Explorer or by right-clicking directly on the Desktop.
Create your folder structure on your computer-

Name your folder(s)-
Create folders inside of folders based upon your designed structure above-

For your documents, create and name appropriately according to your file naming
convention. In Word, use “Save As”-
Save your files to the right place-

Collect existing files from other locations and move or copy to your new folder structure (rename as
necessary to fit your new naming convention).
Once your structure is created, it may look something like this-

Save your Word documents (and PowerPoints, perhaps) as Acrobat Reader (pdf).
As you save your Word documents, create a duplicate version as a .pdf file. You can also do this in
Word under the “Save As” option and choose “PDF”. Acrobat Reader files work much better in
Blackboard. These files provide a more seamless look , avoid security issues, and aid in accessibility.
See http://www.ccga.edu/ET/tuts/Tutorials/tips/tips.html for more information and instructions.
Step 2a: Setting up WebDav to Bulk Upload Files and Folders to
Blackboard
(Note: these directions are different for Windows XP and Windows 7. For Windows 7,
see below.)
For Windows XP only (option 1: Open WebDav Folder- Internet Explorer Only)
Sign into your Blackboard Course.
In the Build Tab, navigate to File Manager-

In File Manager, click on Open Webdav Folder-
If prompted, sign-in using your usual Blackboard credentials-
After sign-in, a new window will open displaying your files in your Blackboard section-
Compare these files to the files as shown in File Manager. They will be identical.

A more useful option is to create a Network Place in Windows XP.
Step 2b: Setting up WebDav to Bulk Upload Files and Folders to
Blackboard- Windows XP; Option 2- Add a Network Place)
Return to File Manager in your course.
Click on “View WebDav Info”-
Copy this information for use later-

In Windows XP, navigate to “My Network Places”-
Click on “Add Network Place” and follow the prompts of the Wizard-

Sign-in with your usual Blackboard credentials-

Open your new WebDav Folder and compare the files with Blackboard File Manager-

Step 2c: Using WebDav to Bulk Upload Files and Folders to Blackboard
(Windows XP Only)
With the two windows open (Your WebDav window created above and your local computer), drag
your folder(s) and file(s) to Blackboard-
Note- you do not use Blackboard File manager for this step. In fact, WebDav is in effect a replacement
for Blackboard File Manager.
After moving your local files to your WebDav folder, confirm that the files/folders in Blackboard File
Manager are identical to the files/folders in your WebDav window.
They will be!

Step 2d: Setting up CyberDuck to Bulk Upload Files and Folders
to Blackboard- Windows 7 or XP)
Windows 7 does not work with WebDav folders properly. A 3 rd party software is needed. There are
several free applications which will work, but the best for our purposes is CyberDuck.
Download and install CyberDuck from- http://cyberduck.ch/
After installing CyberDuck, set-up your WebDav folder-

You can create a bookmark to your WebDav section to make future login faster-

Step 2e: Using CyberDuck to Bulk Upload Files and Folders to
Blackboard- Windows 7 or XP)
Note- you do not use Blackboard File Manager for this step. In fact, CyberDuck is in effect a
replacement for Blackboard File Manager.
With the two windows open (Your WebDav window open in CyberDuck and your local
computer), drag your folder(s) and file(s) to Blackboard-

Step 3: Linking files in Blackboard
Now that you have all needed documents uploaded and properly named and organized, it is a
necessary but easy matter to link your files as desired in Blackboard. Your efforts in creating folders
and consistent file names will make future updates a snap. You can create other Blackboard specific
content and activities now as needed (i.e. Discussions, Assessments, Assignment drop boxes, etc.)
Blackboard has two main types of organizers: folders and learning modules. Either are useful, but
think of using Folders for organizing large items 9such as Learning Modules and other Folders).
Consider Learning Modules for organizing content in a manner in which your students will access the
content and activities.
Please see http://www.ccga.edu/ET/tuts/Tutorials/tips/tips3.html for more ideas on the difference
between Folders and Learning Modules.
Whichever you choose to use (possibly both), the linking procedure is the same.
For a Learning Module:
Navigate to the Build Tab in your section-

Step 4: Using WebDav to Make Fast Updates to Blackboard Content
When it is necessary to update files on Blackboard, WebDav makes this process easy and streamlined.
As you named each of your files and folders carefully, you will be replacing Blackboard files with those
which are more current from your computer.
Remember: consider the content on your local computer as the most current content.
Open your WebDav folder (Network Places-windows XP or CyberDuck- Windows 7)-
Blackboard works on a system of links; your updated files will automatically and immediately reflect
your updates.