Organizing and Adding Content

Items

• Items allow you to insert a title, descriptive text, and file attachment.
• When adding an item you will get the text box editor, which allows you to embed objects, add tables, images, audio, and video.

Files

• Files will allow you to insert a title and attach a file.
• No additional text can be added.

Content Folders

• Creating a folder will allow you to give the folder a name and descriptive text.
• When creating a folder, you will get the text box editor, which allows you to embed objects, add tables, images, audio, and video.
• A content folder will give you the ability to insert items "into" the folder, allowing you to further organize your course.

Learning Modules

• A learning module is similar to a content folder - you are able to give the learning module a name and descriptive text.
• When building a learning module you will get the text box editor, which allows you to embed objects, add tables, images, audio, and video.
• A learning module will give you the ability to insert items "into" the module, allowing you to further organize your course into modules, units, or weekly lessons.
• Unlike the content folder, a learning module will give you and your students a table of contents that automatically lists the content you put within the module.
• You can enforce sequential viewing of the items in the learning module, so students will need to access the items in the order that you determine.

If you're not copying content from a previous Blackboard course you can start by creating a content area which is a new page in your course with a corresponding left menu link. The content area is where you can add new Items, Folders, Learning Modules, etc. You can create as many content areas as you need.

• Put your cursor on the plus symbol in a circle at the top of the left menu
• Select the first option Content Area.
• Enter a name (Course Content, Assignments, Syllabus, etc.)
• Click the checkbox Available to Users.
• Click Submit.

The new content area is created at the bottom of the upper part of the left menu. You can drag it by the left edge to reposition if desired. Click on the new left menu link to enter the content area.

1. Open a course area, such as a Content Area, Learning Module, or folder.
2. Ensure Edit Mode is ON.
3. On the Action Bar, point to Build Content to access the drop-down list.
4. Select Item from the Create pull down menu column.
5. On the Create Item page, type the item’s Name.
6. The default color is black. If you select a different color for the name be sure it can be easily read. If meaning is attached to the color we recommend including descriptive text in the textbox that describes the color meaning to students with visual disabilities.
7. Type instructions or a description in the Text box. Format the text using the Text Editor functions, if needed.
8. Attach a file if desired. Click Browse My Computer to locate your file, or drag and drop your file from your computer to the "hot spot" in the Attach Files area.
9. Select Yes to Permit Users to View this Content.
10. Select Yes or No for Track Number of Views.
11. Limit the availability of the item with Display After and/or Display Until dates if desired.
12. Click Submit.

Editing an Item or File

1. Go into a Content area in your course, such as “Course Materials” or “Syllabus.”
2. Hover over the Item or File to be edited and from the drop-down menu that appears, choose “Edit.”
3. Click the “Submit” button to republish the edited Item or File to your course.

1. Open a Content Area(Assignments, Course Documents, etc.)
2. Confirm that Edit Mode is ON.
3. Put your cursor on Build Content.
4. Select Content Folder.
5. Enter a name for the Folder.
6. Add a description and limit availability if desired.
7. Click Submit.

1. Access a Content Area (Assignments, Course Documents, etc.)
2. Ensure Edit Mode is ON.
3. Put your cursor on Build Content.
4. Select Learning Module.
5. On the Create Learning Module page, type the Name. Optionally, type instructions or a description in the Text box. Use the Text Editor functions to format the text.
6. Under Availability, select the Yes option to make it available to users.
7. Use the Display After and Display Until date and time fields if you want to limit availability. 
8. Decide if you want to select Yes to Enforce Sequential Viewing of the Learning Module. This makes students work through the material in one specific order and does not allow students to navigate with the table of contents.
9. Select Yes to force the Learning Module to Open in New Window.
10. If you want to track views, select Yes for Track Number of Views.
11. Select Yes to Show Table of Contents to Users.
12. Select the type of Hierarchy Display from the drop-down list.
13. Click Submit.

1. Put your cursor on the Learning Module's name.
2. Select Edit from the contextual menu.
3. Make changes to the settings.
4. Click Submit.

1. Put your cursor on the Learning Module's name.
2. Select Delete from the contextual menu for the Learning Module.
3. Select OK to confirm the deletion. This action is final and cannot be undone.

• Blackboard Video: Adding Content to a Learning Module
• For more information about Learning Modules, visit Blackboard's Create Learning Modules
• For more information about Items, Content Folders, and Learning Modules visit Blackboard's Create Content

1. Go into a Content area in your course, such as “Course Materials” or “Syllabus.”
2. Click on “Build Content.”
3. Click on “File.”
4. Enter a name for the File (i.e. “Reading 1”).
5. To attach a file to either an Item or a File, click the “Browse” button and find the file.
6. Click the “Submit” button to publish the Item or File to your course.

Editing an Item or File

1. Go into a Content area in your course, such as “Course Materials” or “Syllabus.”
2. Hover over the Item or File to be edited and from the drop-down menu that appears, choose “Edit.”
3. Click the “Submit” button to republish the edited Item or File to your course.

If you want to place a link to a file within any text in Blackboard, follow these steps:

1. While you are typing in the text editor anywhere in Blackboard (e.g., discussion post, item, or announcement), click the plus icon (+).
2. In the window that pops up, select “Insert Local Files”, and click “Open.”
3. If you want to change the displayed text of the link, right click on the link and select “Link…” to edit the text, and click Save.
4. Click Submit.

Sometimes you may wish to link to an article that is not in Blackboard. To do this,

Go to the Website to which you want to link.

1. Copy the full URL from the address bar, e.g. http://www.nytimes.com/.
2. With the address copied, go to your Bb course content area.
3. Under the “Build Content” button, choose Web Link.
4. Give the link a title, e.g. “New York Times”
5. Paste in the URL in the next field.
6. Click Submit.

or

If you want the link to appear within the text in an item,

1. Go to the Website to which you want to link.
2. Copy the full URL from the address bar, e.g. http://www.nytimes.com/.
3. With the address copied, go to your Bb item where you want the link to appear.
4. Type the words that will become the link, such as “see this link on the New York Times site.”
5. Select or highlight the words you typed for the link and click the chain link icon at the top of your text block.
6. In the window that pops up, paste your URL into the URL field.
7. Click Submit.

The “item” is an area where many types of content may be displayed, such as text, images, and videos. To add a text item, click the “Build Content” button and choose “Item.”

If you would like for your instructor to see a photo, image or graphic, it is a good idea to have the image display right in the Blackboard item instead of requiring them to click on a link to download it.

Follow these instructions to add an image to any Blackboard item:

1. Log into Blackboard and navigate to where you would like to add the image, such as in a discussion or an assignment.
2. In the Message area, click + to add content. If you do not see the + button click the three dots in the top right to display all rows of icons. [view screenshot]
3. Under the Add Content tab, click the Insert Local Files button to navigate to the image you would like to add. You can also choose to add the file to Kaltura here if you would like to use it easily in other posts! [view screenshot]
4. You can right click on the image and click Image to add an Alternative Description for accessibility. [view screenshot]
5. Check to see if your image is displaying correctly. You may choose to resize your image by selecting the image and dragging one of the corners larger or smaller.
6. When you are happy with the way your item looks, click Submit to save the changes to your Blackboard item.

Note: If the image or graphic you added is taking a long time to load when you view it, some people may not be able to see it if they are viewing your course on slower internet connections or mobile devices.