Orientation and Introduction

1. Procedures/Resources at Highline

· Building courses on Highline’s server

· Student accounts and course enrollment

· Contact information for assistance

· Overview of http://flightline.highline.edu/blackboard

· Requesting a Flightline account for large file storage

2. Demonstration and Guide to Features

· Personal Information – have students check that their email addresses are current

· Tour of sample class (content, communication, assignments, testing and grade book)

3. Course Customization and Adding Content

· Logging in - http://blackboard.highline.edu

· Customize course menu

· Adding Content

· Notes on Adding and Modifying Content

4. Communication

· Threaded discussions

· Group project areas

5. Assessment and Grading

· Assignments

· Question Pools & Tests

· Surveys

· Using the Grade book

6. Addendum

· Selecting document formats

1. Procedures for Blackboard

BlackBoard URL

· http://blackboard.highline.edu

Building courses on Highline’s server

· Faculty and staff need to complete an orientation to create courses/sites

· Student orientations are at the discretion of the instructor

· Courses can be created one quarter before a class is taught and kept for one quarter after

· The online form for submitting course requests can be found on the Blackboard site (http://flightline.highline.edu/blackboard)

· Faculty have two accounts on the server - one as instructor, the other to provide a "student view" of your courses

Student accounts and course enrollment

· Registered students will be enrolled by Instructional Computing (IC) during the week before the quarter starts

· Updates will be made daily for the first two weeks of class

· Once a student is on the server, you can enroll/unenroll from the Control Panel. NOTE: you must remove students who drop from your Blackboard roster using “Remove User” in the User Management section in the Control Panel.

· Student accounts will use the standard IC account and password formula (more information about this at http://flightline.highline.edu/ic/ichelp/passwords.php).

Faculty Resources

For assistance with student accounts, contact the IC Help Desk.

For assistance with building courses and using BlackBoard features, contact Instructional Design at id@highline.edu.

Bookmark this site--> http://flightline.highline.edu/blackboard. You will find all the information you need to use Blackboard at Highline, including:

· Course Request Form

· Workshop schedule

· How To guides

· Information about adding students

· Password Help

· Best Practices

· BlackBoard users group

· In-depth BlackBoard Manuals

Student Resources

· IC web site has password and technical support information (http://flightline.highline.edu/ic/ichelp.php)

· IC Help Desk can help students with account and other problems (ichelp@highline.edu, 206-870-4880)

Requesting a Flightline account for storage of large files

Contact Carrie Jolicoeur, cjolicoe@highline.edu, to request your faculty web site on Flightline, Highline’s Instruction server. Let her know in your email if you would like to use the HCC faculty web template. There are two versions: a one page and a multi-page. Preview templates at http://dev.highline.edu/templates/.

2. Demonstration and Guide to Features

Logging In

Go to the BlackBoard site at http://blackboard.highline.edu

Instructors have two different usernames for BlackBoard. One is for you as an instructor. The other is a "student" login, which allows you to see what your course looks like for your students.

Instructor ID

Your instructor ID is the same as your network logon at Highline. It will be the first letter of your first name, followed by the first seven letters of your last name. Use the "Forgot Password" feature (click on the link on the BlackBoard login screen to use this feature) at first login to set or reset your password.

Student ID

Your student ID allows you to see how your courses will look to students. The username follows the pattern that all student users follow. It will be the first seven letters of your first name, followed by the first seven letters of your last name. Click on the "Forgot Password" link on the BlackBoard login screen to get your student password. Remember to use your student username when filling out the Forgot Password form!

For details, see the IC Help page at http://flightline.highline.edu/ic/ichelp.phppasswords.

Note also that you can check student usernames in your roster: Control Panel/User Management/List/Modify Users.

Updating Student Email Address

First thing, have your students check that their email addresses are correct so that they will receive all course communications. Students are asked for their email address when they register, but if they don’t give one, or don’t give the correct one, they will need to update Personal Information.

1. At the Home page, the first screen upon login, click on the Personal Information link in the Tools box on the left.

2. Select “Edit Personal Information” to access the form. NOTE: tell students to change only the email address field. They should not add other personal information here. Their personal information is hidden unless they reveal it by adjusting their Privacy Options.

3. They can change their password here also. See the “Change Password” link.

Course Overview

Building your course is a matter of organizing and placing different teaching tools and your existing materials into the BlackBoard platform. Your course site is organized into functions located on the navigation panel (see image below).

You can label these buttons or links according to your approach to teaching your class. You can also add and remove buttons or links. For example, if you want a button to take students directly to the discussion board, you can add one. The figure below shows a course menu that has been customized.

FEATURE	DESCRIPTION
	Announcements - Post important information for your students -- especially information about dates or deadlines. Go to the Control Panel to add an Announcement.
	Course Information - Use this section for your course syllabus, testing requirements, policies, tech support information, etc…
	Course Documents – A content page. You can change the page label, if desired.
	Assignments- This is a good section to list assignments, quizzes, surveys, and other assessment pieces.
	Instructor Information- Place information about the instructors in this section. Go to the Control Panel to access the form for posting your information here.
	Communication- This section contains all the communication tools including e-mail, threaded discussion, virtual chat, etc…
	Discussion Board– You can add a direct link to the discussion boards.
	Groups- If groups are assigned as part of a course, members can access group homepages and other tools in this area.
	External Links- An optional section for links such as reference material, the library catalog, etc.
	Course Tools- Students can view and update their personal information, create personal web pages, see the course calendar, and more.
	Dictionary– Example of a direct link to an external web page, added by the instructor.
	Course Map- Gives immediate access to the directory of documents and tools in a course.
	Control Panel- This is where you make changes to course materials and course design. You will also use this section to create quizzes and other assessments, update student information, enroll students, access the grade book, and more.

3. Course Customization and Adding Content

Your course will be built by customizing each of the functional areas described in the tour. You control the addition, modification, or deletion of all your course items through the editors located either in Edit View or in the Control Panel.

Customize Course Menu

The first step to setting up a course is to decide which features you are going to use, and what you want to call them.

To customize your course menu:

1. Go to the Control Panel and click on “Manage Course Menu” in the Course Options section.

2. Select the options you want:

o Click the Remove button to eliminate an entry from the menu

o Click Modify to make an area temporarily unavailable or to change a name

o Change the order of items by changing the numbers on the left

o Add a Content Area, Tool Link, Course Link, or External Link using the Add toolbar at the top of the list

3. Click the "OK" button at the bottom of the screen when you are done. Remember, if you don't click OK, the changes will not be made!

Customizing Tools

To customize the tools available:

1. Click on the "Manage Tools"

2. Click on "Tool Availability"

3. Select the tools you want students to be able to use

4. Click "Submit" to make the changes permanent.

ID Note: Receipt Page When you submit something in Blackboard, you will get a confirmation page with an OK button at the bottom of it. When you get to this page, your content has already been submitted. To make changes, you need to click on OK and then go to the item you want to edit and click Modify. If you use Back to make changes, they will not be saved.

Content Areas vs. Course Tools

Adding Content

Content can be added to content areas in Blackboard. You can customize these by adding, removing, or changing the link labels (see “Customize Course Menu” above). 

Adding Course Cartridges

Course cartridges are collections of material created by publishers to complement textbooks. Be sure to load the cartridge before you start building your course.

To add a course cartridge:

1. Contact your textbook sales representative and get the Instructor Download Key. (You can also search for the key in the Course Cartridge screen on BlackBoard).

2. Go to the Control Panel and select Import Course Cartridge.

3. Type in the Key and click Submit.

4. Within 24 hours, the course cartridge will be added to your course.

5. You will receive an email when the installation is complete.

Adding Your Own Content

Edit View allows direct access to buttons for adding items to a content area of your course. Click on the “Edit View” link on the right side of your screen. To return to the student view, click on “Display View” in the same spot. You can also add content through the Control Panel.

“Edit View” link at upper right on content pages (except on Announcements and Staff Information)

Once in Edit view, you will see the Add toolbar, with different types of content to add:

Add toolbar

Also on the far right hand side is a pull down menu with additional choices:

More selections from the drop down menu

Item – add content using Item when you want to post information for read only. Item in non-interactive.

Folder – create a folder to organize your course material into units.

External Link – provide a direct link to an external web page.

Course Link - link within Blackboard from one content area to another.

Test - create a new test from another test or pool. For more details, see the Assessment section below.

Survey - make a survey, which is an anonymous, unscored assessment.

Assignment – use the Assignment feature to create a space for direct communication with your student, allowing feedback along with the grade, and exchange of files that stay associated with the assignment.  See Managing Assignments section below.

Learning Unit enables the Instructor to set a structured path for progressing through the content within a course. 

LRN Packages - Microsoft LRN Content enables Instructors to create course content presentations that have a hierarchical structure and sequential navigation. It is only compatible with Internet Explorer 5.x and 6.x Web browsers.

Wikis, Podcasts, and Blogs - Enhance collaborative learning as part of your Blackboard course by adding a blog, wiki, podcasts, or multiples of all three.

· Blog Tool - A blog -- "web log" -- is a journal that can be written by one person or multiple people, and commented upon by readers. Use a blog as a class-wide journal, or create blogs for individual students or groups.

· Wiki Tool - While the blog is generally a "one to many" tool, the wiki allows for equal contribution by all members. Use it for group projects, building a bibliography, collaborative writing--any number of uses across the curriculum. See the vendor case studies linked below for more ideas.

· Podcasts Tool - A podcast is an audio, video or other media file that you can make available from your course. It can be a recording of your lecture that you want students to be able to review, of a student presentation, a class discussion, or any other type of recording you make. You can also link to podcasts out on the internet. You can make podcasts available for download to user's MP3 players through iTunes.

For more information about adding this tools to your course, visit http://flightline.highline.edu/blackboard/learningobjects/index.html.

Content can be added in three ways. A mix of approaches is often best, as each is effective for different things. The three ways are:

· Adding directly into a BlackBoard page

· Attaching a document

· Linking to a web page created in FrontPage

Adding Content Directly

Blackboard has a Textbox Editor for typing and formatting content directly into your course.

Features include:

· Formatting buttons.

· Spell checker

· Math Formula Editor WebEq- Square root symbol.

· Math ML (Math Markup Language) Editor - Division symbol - for more information go to http://www.dessci.com/en/support/tutorials/mathml/

Printing content can sometimes be challenging for students. This is because BlackBoard opens the content inside a "frame" of the web page. When students print something, they need to:

1. Use the right mouse button (right-click) on the link to that document

2. Select Open in New Window from the menu that appears

3. Print the document from the new window.

Attaching a document

It is often more effective to attach a document rather than enter the text directly into Blackboard. This is especially true when:

· The document is one that students will need to print.

· The content is a worksheet, handout, or tip-sheet that students will need to save for future reference or that may be used in multiple courses.

Make sure that the file formats you use are accessible to your students. We recommend that you use Rich Text Format (RTF), HTML or PDF files. See the addendum at the end of this document for a discussion of appropriate file formats.

ID Note: PowerPoint documents can create printing difficulties. Often students have to print slides one page at a time. If you want your students to print PowerPoint files, we recommend printing them 6 to a page, then copying and handing them out in class, or giving students explicit instructions on how to print 6 slides to a page.

To attach a document:

1. Click on the "Item" option on the toolbar.

2. Type in a name for the item, or select from the pull-down menu

3. Browse for the file on your computer in Section 2 of the Add Item page.

4. Select the display options, available times, etc.

5. Click "Submit"

Printing linked documents can be challenging for students in the same way that in-line content is. See the note above for tips to print more successfully. And remember, if this is something that you want all your students to have, it's easier and cheaper to print, copy, and hand it out in class.

Linking to a web page

You can also link students to a web page that you've created on Flightline. This is often useful when:

· An assignment or document is used in multiple classes

· A document will be updated or changed frequently

· A document contains many images or other media (which often doesn't translate well into BlackBoard)

To link to a document on your web site:

1. Click on the "External Link" option on the toolbar.

2. Type in a name for the item, or select from the pull-down menu

3. Find the item in your web browser (Internet Explorer or Mozilla/Firefox)

4. Copy and paste the URL

5. Select the display options, available times, etc.

6. Click "Submit"

Keeping large files "friendly"

Powerpoint presentations, video, and audio files are often very large. They can be slow to load, which is a problem for students, and space-hogs on Highline's Blackboard server.

• An 11MB PowerPoint file takes 4 minutes to load over a cable or DSL connection.
• That same file converts to a 1.5MB PDF (Portable Document Format), which takes less than a minute to download
• A 6MB PowerPoint file takes 2.5 minutes to load over a cable or DSL connection.
• That 6mb file converts to a 0.3MB PDF, which takes around 15 seconds to load.

Best Practices for Large Files

Put the files on Flightline, link from BlackBoard 

Use your faculty web site on Flightline as storage for your course content. (See the demonstration movie and step-by-step instructions).

• Flightline transfers files faster than Blackboard, so students get materials faster
• It keeps these large files off the Blackboard server, which has less capacity than the Flightline server.
• Files can be used in multiple courses or from quarter to quarter. It is easier and faster to link to them versus importing them into Blackboard. If it is a file that needs to be updated quarterly, it's faster to update it on Flightline; the link in Blackboard will still work.

Convert files to PDF

Convert PowerPoint presentations and read-only documents to PDF. (See the step-by-step instructions).

• PDF files are smaller in size so much quicker to load.
• Most computers have PDF readers already installed. If not, the plug-in is free and quick to install.
• Unless the student has PowerPoint, presentations will be printed one slide per page. PDFed presentations can be set up 3 slides per page, with handy note-taking lines included.

Consider streaming video and audio

If you have a short video for students, consider having it streamed over the web instead of using a great big download. This delivers the video over the web as the student views it; less wait, more watch. Contact Media Services for details.

This information is available online at http://flightline.highline.edu/blackboard/bp/manage.large.files.html.

Notes on Adding and Modifying Content

Items may be modified by clicking the "Modify" button next to an item. The fields on the Add Item page and Modify Item page are the same. The Add Item page opens with empty fields. The Modify Item page opens with an item already filled. You can change any of the options, including the title, description, or display options.

Note: Pay attention to the following options when adding or modifying content.

Do you want to make content visible?	Select Yes to indicate that the item will be available to students.
Do you want to track number of views?	Select Yes to track the number of times users access this item. Use the Course Statistics page to view a report.

4. Communication

BlackBoard has numerous communication tools, including announcements, student and group emails, threaded discussions, group project areas, course chat rooms, and more.

E-mailing an Announcement

1. Click Control Panel
2. Click Announcements
3. Click Add Announcement
4. Write a subject and message
5. Choose desired options such as permanent status, date restrictions, and course link location
6. Check the box next to Email This Announcement to All Course Users
7. Click Submit

E-mailing to Students, Including HTML, and Running Spell-Check

1. Click the Communication link in the left side navigation area (or go to Control Panel)
2. Click Send E-mail.
3. Click All Student Users.
4. Write a Subject and Message.
5. Place the HTML tags for boldface around a word in the message [type <b> in front of the word and </b> after it].
6. Run a spell check.
7. Click Submit.

Spell check in bottom right corner of text box.

Email – “Select Users”

To select email recipients when using Send Email, a new interface requires selecting recipients from a box on the left, then clicking the arrow pointing right to send it to the box on the right. Note that you can send recipients out of the “Selected” box by clicking on the left-pointing arrow. You can also invert the lists by clicking a button.

New interface for Send Email – Select Users

Using Messages – internal mailbox

This is not a new feature. It has not changed from Version 6.3. Messages allows users to compose and pick-up email within Blackboard. Find Messages at the Communication link in the left side navigation area. Try Compose. Selection of recipients is the same as for Select Users in Send Email.

Threaded Discussions

These are web-based discussions in which you and your students post messages to a page. "Threading" refers to the way that responses to a message are indented below the original message. The Discussion Board is divided into separate Forums, which you create and specify. Once a forum is created, students can post and reply to messages in that area.

Forum interface

• Search
• Manage: Lock, Restrict Availability, Status
• Moderate
• Collect

Creating a Forum

1. Click the Discussion Board.
2. Click Forum.
3. Type a name for the forum and a brief description.
4. Make sure the forum availability is set to Yes.
5. Choose Forum Settings where the author can remove only posts with no replies, members may subscribe to threads, post rating is activated, and grading by forum is established.
6. Click Submit.

Creating and Saving a Thread: Draft and Publish

1. In the Discussion Board, click on a forum.
2. Click Thread.
3. Type a name for the Thread and a brief message.
4. Click Save.
5. Notice that your Thread is not visible. In the Display field, highlight Show All, then Go.
6. Your draft Thread appears. Notice that its Status is still Draft. Click the Thread.
7. Click Modify. Change anything if you wish.
8. Click Submit.
9. Click OK. Your Thread’s status is now Published.

Collect posts, split screen options, Rate post, Thread Details.

Message Interface

• Collect Posts to save or print out
• Split and collapsible window
• Thread details, e.g. author and number of views
• Subscribe to thread (sends notification of new posts to email)
• Rate thread

Collecting Posts in the Discussion Board

1. Open a thread to show Thread Detail.
2. Click Go next to the Select All dropdown field.
3. Click Collect in the gray toolbar at top.
4. In the Sort By dropdown field, highlight Date, then click Go.
5. Click OK.

Grading a Discussion Forum

1. Within the Thread Detail, click on the Grade Thread button (see figure below)
2. Click the Grade button to the right of each user to read their posts
3. Enter a grade at top right.
4. Click OK

Grade Thread button in Thread Detail

Group Project Areas

You can create Group Project areas for your courses. Students can use them to exchange messages on a member-only discussion board, share files, and communicate via email.

To create group areas for your students:

1. Click on "Manage Groups" in the "User Management" section of the Control Panel.

2. Click on "Add Group" at the top of the page.

3. Name the group, and select the options to be made available for that group.

4. Click "Submit"

5. On the Groups page, click the "Modify" button next to that group.

6. Click "Add Users to Group" to add students

5. Assessment and Grading

There are three features that support assessment activities built into BlackBoard. The Assignments tool helps manage the process of handing out, collecting, grading, and providing feedback on papers and other assignments. The Test, Pool, and Survey Managers support creation and grading of those feedback techniques. Grades are recorded and managed through the Gradebook feature.

Assignments

The Assignments area manages document exchange between teacher and student, as shown below.

Add Assignment

Assignments list the name, point value, and a description for class work. Instructors can also include attachments, such as a grading rubric, set of notes, or a case study, to an Assignment. Students complete the assignment in a separate file and upload it into BlackBoard. The instructor can then grade the work, and send it back to students, along with feedback.

To add an assignment:

1. In any content area, click on Edit View.

2. On the right side of the Add toolbar, use the drop down menu to select Assignment.

3. Click on Go.

4. Type up the instructions and fill in the form. Attach files as needed.

5. Click Submit.

Grading Assignments

Once a Student completes and submits an Assignment the Instructor may access this file in the Gradebook. The student can not make changes to an assignment after they have submitted it.

To retrieve and grade an assignment:

1. Go to the Control Panel and click on Gradebook.

2. In the column for that assignment, click on the exclamation point (which indicates an assignment was submitted but has not been graded) for a specific student.

3. Click on the View button at the far right of the assignment information to see the assignment and files.

4. Grade the assignment and type in feedback to the student. You can also type in comments for yourself that will not be sent to the student.

5. The students will then be able to view their grade. If they click on their score, they'll see your feedback.

Question Pools and Tests

Pools and tests work together to create exams and quizzes for students. A pool is a set of questions that can be used in a test. A test is the actual arrangement of those questions that a student will see. A test can draw from multiple pools, or can randomly pick different questions from a pool.

Creating Pools

To create a pool:

1. From the Control Panel, select Pool Manger.

2. Click "Add Pool".

3. Name the Pool, add any other information you want, and click "Submit."

4. Create your questions.

 Creating Tests

1. From the Control Panel, select Test Manager.

2. Click "Add Test."

3. Add a name and descriptive information, and click "Submit."

4. You can then build tests, either from an existing pool or by creating the questions.

Deploying a test

You can deploy tests in any content area. Tests can not be deployed from the Test Manager, though. If you choose to generate an announcement about a test, it will tell students which area to go to find it. The announcement will not provide a direct link to the test.

1. Open a content area and click on Edit View.

2. Click on the Add: "Test" button.

3. Choose the test you want to add and click Submit.

4. Back in the content area, find the test and click on Modify.

5. Click on Modify Test Options to set availability, presentation, and feedback options.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you change a test after some students have taken it, you will need to go into the gradebook and manually grade their tests.

Surveys

Surveys can be created to assess student understanding, to take a poll of class opinions on a topic, or other activity where you want to gauge student understanding without applying a grade. Although not graded, BlackBoard will report whether a student has filled out the survey.

Creating Surveys

1. From the Control Panel, select Survey Manager.

2. Click "Add Survey."

3. Add a name and descriptive information, and click "Submit."

4. You can then build the survey questions much like test questions.

o You can use question pools for surveys as well.

Deploying a survey

You can deploy surveys in any content area, but cannot do so from the Survey Manager.

1. Open a content area and click on Edit View.

2. From the menu on the right, select "Survey" and click "Go".

3. Choose the survey you want to add and click Submit.

4. Back in the content area, find the survey and click on Modify.

5. Click on Modify Survey Options to set availability, presentation, and feedback options.

Using the Grade Book

The grade book manages scores for the class, and can be accessed from the Control Panel, in the Assessment section. Students can securely view their grades (but won't see any other student's grades). You'll see the class grades in a spreadsheet view.

Grade Book Items

Each assignment or test is a grade book item, represented by a column in the grade book. When you deploy a test or create an assignment, an item is automatically added in the grade book.

For other assignments, you have to add the item manually. To do this:

1. Go to the Control Panel and click on Gradebook.

2. Click on the "Add Item" option in the toolbar.

3. Add the Name of the item, and any other information needed.

4. Modify the options.

5. Click Submit.

Entering grades

Grades for Assignments and Tests are automatically added to the Grade Book. Other activities will have to be entered by hand. Once entered, grades can be adjusted by you at any time.

Adding Grades can be done by individual student, for a whole class on one item, or for each individual student's score on an item:

· To enter grades for a student on all items, click on the student's name in the gradebook. Then click on User Grade List. Enter the grades and click Submit.

· To enter grades for an entire class on one item, click on the item label at the top of the gradebook. Then click on Item Grade List. Enter the grades and click Submit.

· To enter a grade for a particular student on one item, click on the current grade for the student (or the dashed line, which indicates that no grade has been recorded yet).

Modifying a grade can be done in exactly the same way. To modify a grade, click on the grade, item, or student to be modified, make the change, and click Submit.

Exporting Grades to Excel

To download grades into Excel:

1. Click on Download Grades from the Toolbar.

2. Select comma as the delimiter type, then click on Submit.

3. At the next screen, note the file name BlackBoard is using to save the file, and click the Download button.

o If a list of student names and grades displays, copy that information into an Excel Spreadsheet. Then go to the Data menu (in Excel) and select Text to Columns. Follow the steps to convert the information from BlackBoard.

4. Open the file in Excel.

6. Addendum:

Selecting Document Formats

Word processing programs that are used for creating a syllabus, assignments, or other course information can be imported into BlackBoard using the procedures outlined above. However, the documents should be saved using a file type such that students will not have to depend on a certain word processor to view them.

Below are common file types, along with advantages and disadvantages for each.

Word or WordPerfect Document

If you choose to use a Microsoft Word or WordPerfect document, your students must also have that program on their computers to view it. Different versions of Word may also conflict and restrict a student’s view. Many users have the latest version of Word, so this may not be an issue for your course. With some exceptions, they will see the same format that you do on your screen.

Rich Text Format (.rtf)

Your original Word document may lose some formatting as an .rtf file, but usually the differences are minor. Your students will be able to view the content no matter what word processor they have. You can convert Word documents (.doc) to Rich Text Format (.rtf) by opening the document, choosing File and selecting Save As..., then changing Save as type: to Rich Text Format. Once you have saved the file as .rtf, you are ready to import the document into your course site.

Portable Document Format (.pdf)

PDF files require that you convert the document using the Adobe Acrobat program. The resulting file will preserve the layout of your document, as if you'd taken a picture of the page and sent that. Students will need a PDF reader (usually Adobe Acrobat Reader), which is freely available. The Acrobat conversion program is available in the MIDS lab on the 6th floor of the library, or on some newer office computers.

HTML Format

Your original Word document may lose some formatting as an HTML file, but your students will be able to view the content no matter what word processor they have. Compared to Rich Text Format, HTML formatting will preserve more of the graphics. You can convert Word documents (.doc) to HTML (.html) by opening the document, choosing File and selecting Save As HTML... Once you have saved the file as .html, you can import the document into your course site.

ID Note: You can also use this to add content directly to a page. Use Front Page to create the content, then copy and paste the HTML. Click on the HTML tab in the lower left corner of the FrontPage screen. Begin copying at the word <body> and copy until you get to </body>. If you are using HTML, don’t forget to select the HTML button at the bottom of the BlackBoard text box.