Template-editing Manual For Blackboard

Transcription

1 Template-editing Manual For Blackboard Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 1

2 Welcome The aim of this manual is to explain, in a simple and clear way, the edition of Content Templates for Blackboard. With this guide, step by step, you will be able to design (or modify) the course basic information, activities calendar, and bibliography. Each of the sections of this manual is illustrated with pictures to help you edit more practically and easily, either at work or at home. You will also be able to consult it as much as you need in order to achieve your objective. Finally, as an act in favor of the environment and attempting to preserve it, we urge you to always read this manual from your computer and try to avoid printing it. Thank you, And we hope you find useful this manual Since it was done especially for you Professor. Cheerfully, Cintia Hernández López Departamento de Desarrollo Académico Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 2

3 Index 1. Welcome Preparing the space to save Extracting the templates Template editing. a. Course information: knowing the contents Editing Putting links to the templates b. Activities calendar: knowing the contents Editing Designing the activities calendar ( Index ) Putting links to the templates c. Bibliography: knowing the contents Editing Putting links to the templates Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 3

4 Preparing the space to save The very first thing to do is to save the template (compressed or zipped files) in an assigned folder that can be easily localized. Example: Create a new folder and name it Templates BB. Here is where the templates will be saved (either compressed or not): Remember: Once the compressed files are saved there, do not move them. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 4

5 Extracting the templates Once all the files have been saved in a secure and easy to remember place, they must be decompressed and saved in the same folder. In order to decompress the files, right-click on one of the compressed folders and choose the option Extract All or Extract files Next, a window will appear. Here, the location of the extracted files is asked; leave it as it is. Just unmark the option below: Show extracted files when complete, and click on Extract. It is possible that your computer could extract automatically the files. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 5

6 In the end, the most important thing is that there are two folders with the same name (one is a compressed or zipped folder and the other one is a normal folder). Repeat this process of extraction for the rest of the compressed folders. When all the folders have been extracted, now you can delete the zipped folders (the ones you received. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 6

7 Course information: knowing the contents Among the folders we have, the most important and with which we will work the most is the one titled info_del_curso. The contents of this folder are: The first two folders ( banners and Botones ) contain the images and buttons used in the templates. REMEMBER: The contents of these two folders must not be edited, moved, or deleted, since it may cause an unexpected change in the final result. Moreover, the files titled Index and Menu should not be edited too. However, we will constantly open them. The third folder, imágenes, is there for you to put all the images that you wish to appear on your templates. It is important that you save your images in a JPG format so it is easier to access them later. Remember: If you put your images in a different location, they may not appear on Blackboard. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 7

8 The files from Bienvenida through Politicas are the templates that will be edited and uploaded to Blackboard. In the previous image, the files appear with the Google Chrome logo (the web browser), it depends on which browser you use as predefined (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc). Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 8

9 When double-clicking on one of these templates a new window of your web browser will open. The last image shows the window that opens after double-clicking on the template Index. As you can see, this template also includes the menu (in the top part) and when clicking on any button, it leads to a different template: Bienvenida, Intenciones educativas, etc. However, the information that will appear on Blackboard still needs to be added. We will constantly open the template titled Index in order to observe the changes; but we will never edit it directly. 1. Remember: There are two templates that should never be edited (since this could change the predefined structure): Index and Menu. It is important to note that when opening any of the templates (except for Index and Menu), the contents without the menu will be shown. The only way to see the contents of the templates and the menu, at the upper part, is through Index. Thus, in order to open all the templates, it is recommended to use Index, and by clicking on the buttons of the menu, open the different templates. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 9

10 Editing It is necessary to use a special program to edit the templates; it can be any of these two: Microsoft Expression Web or Microsoft Sharepoint Designer. The first thing to do is to choose the template to work on, and then right-click on it. Example: When right-clicking on Bienvenida a menu will appear; then click on Open with and choose the editor (Microsoft Expression Web or Microsoft Sharepoint Designer). After this, the program will start. This program allows us to modify the contents of the template chosen. Each template contains instructions about what to add or write on each space, you just have to follow these instructions. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 10

11 1. As the image shows, the templates have special spaces for you to put images. To insert an image, first you have to erase the text with the instructions. Then click on the button Insert, then Picture, and From File (as shown in the next page) Important: All the images that will be added must have been saved in the Imágenes folder previously. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 11

12 After this, a window will appear for you to search for the desired image. You should go to the images folder as we have already stated. Remember: All the images that will be used must be saved at the folder titled Imagenes. Once the image was chosen, it will appear on the template; there you can change its size. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 12

13 IMPORTANT: At the bottom of each template there is a gray stripe as the next image shows: As it can be seen, the year is not updated; therefore, it is necessary to change it to the actual year. This change must be done on every template that will be edited. Once you are satisfied with the contents of this template you may save and go on with the next one. If you want to check a preview of the final result you can click on the Preview button, which is near the Save button: Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 13

14 When you click in this button, a window will pop-up asking you to save the changes; click on Accept in order to save and see the preview: Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 14

15 DONE!!! The template is now finished and ready. The changes done to the template are now open in an Internet window; this is how your students will visualize the template when accessing Blackboard. If you wish to continue making modifications to the template, just close this window and keep on editing; if you have concluded the modifications, then just close the window and go for the next template to edit. The rest of the templates can be edited in the same way. Each one contains specifications and instructions for you to add the right information and images in the given spaces. In this way, the templates that you can now edit are: Bienvenida, Intenciones, Metodología, Normas, Objetivos, Políticas, Contenidos. REMEMBER: Index and Menú may not be opened for edition. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 15

16 Putting links to the templates 1. The template Contenidos asks you to include the link to the analytic program of your course. 2. To do this, first, open the preview of this template (by clicking on the Preview button). Once the Internet window is open, click on the given link where you should look for the analytic program. 3. You will be led to a different web page. After this, click on Planes de Estudio, then Preparatoria or Profesional, depending on your course. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 16

17 4. Once you have found the plan of your course, you just have to copy the link (URL) of that page. Close the window and go to the template Contenidos. 5. On the specified space, write the name of the course. Then erase the instructions and select the name of the course you have written, rightclick it and choose the option Hyperlink Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 17

18 The window that will appear will ask you to specify the direction of the link. On the space named Adress paste the link you had copied from your course plan: Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 18

19 After clicking on Accept, the hyperlink will have been added to the title of this template. If you go to the preview and click on the title (the name of the course you wrote at the top), the hyperlink will take you to the analytic program: Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 19

20 After this, the rest of the edition of this template is simple. You just have to write the contents of the course in the chart, divided in modules and topics. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 20

21 Once all the templates from Info_del_curso are completely edited, you can see the final results by opening the template Index (by just double-clicking over it): Remember that from here you can access the other templates by using the buttons of the menu. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 21

22 Activities calendar: knowing the contents From here, we have officially concluded the edition of the course contents. Now we will proceed to the course calendar where all the activities are contained. First, we must leave the folder info_del_curso and ge tinto the other folder titled calendario_actividades (remember to access the one that is unzipped): We will start working only with the contents of this folder. As you can see, there are some folders and templates similar to the ones from indo_del_curso. REMEBER: The contents of the folders banners y botones will not be modified nor edited. All the images that you wish to add to the templates of the activities and in the calendar shall be saved in the folder Imagenes. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 22

23 Exception: Here we also have a template named Index ; however, in this case, it does have to be edited. The template titled Actividad is a mold for you to create all the activities templates that you wish to implement. Editing Now that we have an idea of what the contents of this folder are, we can start the design and edition of the activities. As we already know, the template Actividad works as a pattern for us to create the different activities upon it. The first thing to do is to change the name of this template so we do not confuse it with the other templates in the future. Just right-click over it and choose Rename. We can name it Mold, Pattern, or whichever name you prefer; the idea is that you can identify it easily: Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 23

24 After this, we will start editing this template by opening it with Expression Web (or Sharepoint Designer). As in the past templates, this one also has instructions you should follow in order to edit it correctly. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 24

25 1. Before doing anything, read all the instructions and make sure you understand them. 2. Important: At the bottom part you will find 3 different icons, each one corresponding to the ways the activities can be done: Individually, by pairs, or in groups. Depending on how you wish to organize the activity, choose the suitable icon for your activity and delete the other two. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 25

26 After deleting all the instructions and filling the space with your own instructions for your first activity, you have to correct the date at the bottom part, like in the other templates. Next, we will save this template as a new file (remember that we started working on the mold template, and we can to keep it without changes so we can use it for the rest of the activities). For this, go to File and then choose Save as Example: Save as Activity 1, as you create more activities, it is recommended that you give them names that follow an order: Activity 1.1, Activity 1.2 o Activity 2, Activity 2.1 Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 26

27 3. A window will appear; here you have to look for the folder where the activities will be saved. Look for the folder calendario_actividades (the uncompressed one), right where the mold template is. Remember to give it an appropriate name. 4. Once the template is saved, you may close it. 5. If you check the folder where we are working, you will see that there is the activity template we have just created; besides, the mold template is still there, unchanged. In this same way, you can design and save the rest of the activities you have planned for your course. REMEMBER: In order to save the next activities, click on File, then Save as, look for the folder where all the activities will be saved (where the mold is) and give each file a proper name. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 27

28 Designing the activities calendar ( Index ) Once all the activities are done, the next thing to do is to create the activities calendar from which the students will access all these activities. To do this, first we must open the template named Index through Expression Web (or Sharepoint Designer). Exception: Only this Index can be edited (the ones for info_del_curso and bibliografia will not be edited). This template contains a chart where you will organize all your activities by modules, weeks, and dates. It is not necessary that you use the entire chart you are given, if your course has fewer modules, just erase the remaining spaces. In the column titled Module you shall add the names of all the modules from your course. The next column shows the week in which the activities will be done; as you can see, it is already numbered, so you do not have to do anything. At the Date section, you have to write the date(s) for each activity. Next, write the titles of the activities, divided by modules. It is recommended that you follow the example given in the template. Finally, write a brief description for each activity, with general instructions for the students. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 28

29 Putting links to the templates Once this is done, we must now create links for each activity, so that when the student clicks on the title of each activity, they are led to the contents of each activity. After all the chart is complete, select the title of the first activity. Then right-click on it, and choose the option Hyperlink Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 29

30 A window will appear. Here you will search the template of the activity that corresponds to the title chosen. At the left part of this window, first choose Existing File or Web Page, and then choose Current Folder. As you will see, the templates of the activities you have done will appear; choose the one that corresponds to this link, in this case it is Actividad 1-1. Finally, click on Accept. After this, the title we had selected will appear in blue letters; this means the hyperlink was created correctly. To make sure this is true, check the preview of this calendar (just as we had done with the other templates to check the changes). REMEMBER: In order to see the preview of a template, just click on the button Preview and click on Accept after being asked to save the changes Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 30

31 Once this is done, your Internet explorer will open the activities calendar with all the changes you have done up to now. As you will see the title of the first activity will contain a hyperlink. If you click on it, you will be led to the template of the activity. As we did for this first activity, you shall put hyperlinks to each activity in your calendar. Once you have finished putting the links, you may save the changes and close the calendar template. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 31

32 Bibliography: knowing the contents We will now work on the last part of your course, the bibliography. When opening the folder titled bibliografia (remember to open the unzipped one) you will find the same three folders: banners, botones (we will not touch these two), and imagenes (here you should store the images of the covers of the books for your course). The templates named Index and Menu will not be edited in this case, since this may provoke the loss of the predefined structure for this section. The template Bibliografia contains the names of the books that you wish to suggest to your students, besides some other complementary references. The template sitios contains the links to the electronic references for your course. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 32

33 Editing We will start designing the template with all the bibliographic references. For this, open the template bibliografia with the Expression Web. REMEMBER: Write your references following the APA or MLA format. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 33

34 REMEMBER: To insert an image, go to the space given for the image and erase the text. Then click on Insert, then Picture, and From File Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 34

35 Look for the image you want to insert. REMEMBER: All the images that you want to use for this section must be saved in the imagenes folder, inside the bibliografia folder. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 35

36 Once you have found the wished image, click on Insert. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 36

37 You can change the size of the image from the lower right corner. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 37

38 Finally, for the other bibliographic references section, just write the name of each reference, according to the instructions given in the template. After completing this, you shall save and close this template and go on the next part, the edition of the electronic references. For this, open (with Expression Web) the template named sitios. As you will see, there are some virtual references already, these are the basic relevant references that every course must have, so leave them untouched. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 38

39 In order to put a new reference, just go to the space given and erase the instructions. Then write the name of the web page you want to add and a brief reference of it. After this, we will insert a hyperlink to this title, so when the students click on it, the will open the web page. To insert this hyperlink, select the title you just wrote and right-click on it, the choose Hyperlink Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 39

40 After this, a window will appear. On the space of Adress, paste the URL (link) of the webpage corresponding to the title. Then click on Accept, and the hyperlink will be done. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 40

41 If you wish to add more references, you will have to create a new space for them. To do this, you have to locate the mouse at the end of the last reference (in this case it is the one we have just added) Next, press the Tab key on your keyboard: Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 41

42 After this, a new space below the last reference will be created. The last thing to do is to copy and paste the icon. Then write the name of the reference and its description at the right of the icon. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 42

43 At the right part of the template there is a special space for you to put an image related to your electronic references (this image must have been previously saved in the images folder) REMEMBER: In every template that you work on, you must update tha gray string at the bottom part. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 43

44 Once you have finished adding all the references that you wish, you can save and closet he template. In order to check the final result, double click on the template Index (to open it with the Internet explorer). The bibliography will appear with your explorer: As you will see, when clicking on any of the links, they direct you to the corresponding pages. Furthermore, at the top part there is a menu that has the options to visualize the bibliography and the electronic references. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 44

45 Congratulations! You have concluded the edition of your course templates. We hope that this manual was useful for you during this process. The only thing that is left is to upload these contents to Blackboard, for which it is recommended that you use the manual that explains step by step this process. Instructional Designer: Cintia Hernández López Page 45