Welcome to MSU's Blackboard Support Center!

From here you can scroll down to:

• View our Blackboard Transition and Training Schedule
• Open the Documents tab to quickly find
• "How-Tos" to accomplish your Blackboard tasks
• Download the Blackboard Instructional Manual for Faculty
• Download the Course Conversion Checklist for Faculty when you are ready to start reviewing courses to go live!
• Consult our FAQ section, as needed.

The MSU Blackboard Implementation Team is dedicated to keeping you informed. If you have questions, please feel free to contact either of our Project Leads:

Alissa Perkins, Distance Programs Support Specialist. alissa.perkins@mayvillestate.edu 

Chris Gonnella, Instructional Designer. christine.gonnella@mayvillestate.edu

Transition & Training Schedule

(in reverse chronological order)

  Attend a Drop-In Session online.

Fall 2018 - Any new courses will be automatically created via Connect ND. All Fall 2018 courses will be in Bb.

Aug 1, 2018 Deadline for faculty to review Fall 2018 courses in Bb

Jul 2018 - Hosted Moodle site extension ends 

Spring 2018 courses will be moved to Bb. Continue training.

June - August 2018 Phase 3 

All Summer 2018 courses will be LIVE on Blackboard

End of Spring 2018 - MSU stops using Moodle 

April 13 (Friday) 5:00 pm - Recommended deadline for faculty to review Summer 2018 courses.

"Training Season" begins. Fall 2017 courses will be moved to Bb.

January - May 2018 Phase 2

 Semester Break - Drop-in sessions to review courses and ask questions

Dec 20 (Wednesday) 8:00 to 10:00 am - Session #1, Faculty Orientation: Recorded version of previous live, remote training will be viewed in a group setting to allow for interaction between learners. The session is limited to 10 seats. Must RSVP to get a spot. The people who attend this session will become part of Group 1.

Dec 19 (Tuesday) (grades due date) 1:00 to 3:00 pm - Session #1, Faculty Orientation: Celebrate getting your grades in by spending the afternoon with us. Recorded version of previous live, remote training will be viewed in a group setting to allow for interaction between learners. The session is limited to 10 seats. Must RSVP to get a spot. 

Dec 5 (Tuesday) 8:00 to 10:00 am AND 1:30 to 3:30 pm - Session #1, Faculty Orientation: Recorded version of previous live, remote training will be viewed in a group setting to allow for interaction between learners. The session is limited to 10 seats. Must RSVP to get a spot. 

Nov 29 (Wednesday) 2:00 to 4:00 pm - Session #1, Faculty Orientation: We will offer live, remote training by Bb trainers for faculty teaching in Summer 2018. Session is limited to 20 seats (in-person or remote). Must RSVP to get a spot- keep an eye out for details. Session will be recorded. 

Mid Nov 2017 - All Summer 2017 courses will be moved to Blackboard

Oct 2017- Feb 12, 2018 - Implementation Team conducts quality assurance reviews on Summer 2017 courses 

Sept 22, 2017 - Based on survey results, the Bb Implementation Team chose complex courses for initial testing.

Sept 20, 2017 - Published Blackboard Updates webpage

Sept 15, 2017 – Deployed Survey of faculty to identify courses that have complex features

Training for Admins. Move Summer 2017 courses to Bb 

July – December 2017 Phase 1

August 18, 2017 - My MaSU tab customized and branded for collaborative students as "under construction" with a link to Moodle page.

May 8 - May 17, 2017 - MSU System Admins received synchronous training via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra

April 25, 2017 - MSU's Bb Implementation team members were granted access to stage and production environments of shared instance

April 11 - April 13, 2017 - Blackboard representatives visited campus. MSU completed Academic Technology Planning discussions and action plans

Nov 21, 2016 - Functional team formed a student focus group with two students per campus

Nov 17, 2016 - NDUS Core Technology Services (CTS) targeted deadline for developing system-level project timeline

Nov 16, 2016 - Governance teams and campus representatives gathered in Grand Forks to begin making system-level decisions for Blackboard

May 24, 2016 - State Board of Higher Education voted to proceed with consolidation into a single-instance of Blackboard Learn

Bb Training Schedule 022018.pdf

Blackboard Instructional Manual for Faculty

Course Readiness Checklist for Faculty

Academic Technology Planning (ATP) Report from Blackboard

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I RSVP to a training session? 

1. Click the RSVP Link in the Bb Updates page that pertains to the date and time you prefer. If there is no link, the RSVP has not been created yet.

2. Click the RSVP link in the email you received regarding the training session.

Please be sure to complete all of the questions in the RSVP. 

Which training sessions are mandatory?

The Office of Academic Affairs is requiring that all full time faculty members take Sessions 1, 2 and 3. 

What is the difference between the training sessions? 

Session 1: Orientation to Bb. Introduction to the interface and navigation. A few course design tips.

Session 2: Presenting Dynamic Content: Topics such as course organization, content editor, accessibility, folders, learning modules and lesson plans. 

Session 3: Grade Center training - how to customize and optimize the Grade Center for you and your students.

What is the difference between Groups 1 and 2?

Group 1: All faculty members who taught in Summer 2017 and/or will teach in Summer 2018. 

Group 2: Everyone else.