This survival guide, designed to aide new and current University of Mississippi online instructors, consists of quick links and resources of common issues and requests.
Course Support and Resources
Academic Outreach Instructional Design (ID) Team is available for online course support and services during regular office hours.
Need answers now? Browse the topics and links below.
How-To Videos from Vendors: Blackboard Ultra Videos | Panopto Videos | Zoom Videos
Course Development in Blackboard
You may develop your online course in a sandbox or a blank course shell. Course development may be done alongside or after you receive online teaching endorsement. We recommend setting aside several weeks to work on your course materials and Blackboard course setup.
A few months prior to the beginning of the semester
- Continue customizing online course template in the sandbox
- Don’t have the template? Get instructions and template download link.
- Customize or finalize online course syllabus template
- For syllabus and course schedule, add items in Bb Original | add content in Bb Ultra
- Create an assignment in Bb Original | Create an assignment in Bb Ultra
- Optionally, enable SafeAssign in Bb Original | SafeAssign in Bb Ultra
- Create a Test in Bb Original | Create a Test in Bb Ultra
- Create a Discussion in Bb Original | Discussion in Bb Ultra
- If applicable, create a Rubric in Bb Original | Rubric in Bb Ultra
- Record video on Zoom or Record video on Panopto
- Instructor Introduction Video – Typically, this is a talking head video introducing yourself to students.
- Course Introduction Video – for example, a video describing course overview, highlighting important items on the syllabus
- Lecture Video – for example, a screencast video or narrated slide deck explaining a single topic, ideally less than 15 minutes in length. You may have a number of videos in one week or module.
- Edit captions on Panopto
- Upload Video to Panopto inside a Blackboard course
- Add Panopto Video in content folder
- Embed a Panopto video
- Embed a resizable Panopto video – see Embed a Panopto video
- To create a uniformed course structure, copy and reuse content in Bb Original | copy content in Bb Ultra
Course Prep and Launch
We recommend preparing the course for launch, updating semester-specific information and important dates within a couple of weeks up to the day before the semester begins.
A few weeks prior to the beginning of the semester
- Online Course Syllabus Checklist
- View Course Schedule and Class Rolls on myOleMiss
- Semester Start Checklist
- Enable Blackboard for the online course through myOleMiss
- Bb Original: Copy Content from a sandbox or a previous course – Watch a tutorial video on copying a course with template
- Course copying tips:
- Do not copy discussion posts
- Check for items that need to be deployed
- Course copying tips:
- Bb Ultra: Copy Content in Ultra | Copy Content from Original to Ultra
- Course copying tips:
- Copying individual course items will not preserve the settings
- Course copying tips:
- Audio/Video files transcribed/captioned and posted to Blackboard course
- Submit Caption Request form as soon as your media is ready
- Schedule Proctored Testing
- Post an icebreaking activity
An icebreaking activity helps students get to know each other and feel comfortable working together. See Icebreakers for Online Classes from University of Waterloo. - Update links and adjust dates in Bb Original | adjust dates using Batch Edit in Bb Ultra
- Create/Update Rubric in Bb Original | Rubric in Bb Ultra
- Set up Grade Center Bb Original | Gradebook in Bb Ultra
- Set up Retention Center in Bb Original to monitor student performance
A few days prior to the beginning of the semester
- Syllabus finalized and posted to the Syllabus in your course
- Post a welcome announcement in Bb Original | announcement in Bb Ultra
- Send email in Bb Original | Send email in Bb Ultra
- Post an introduction video introducing yourself and highlighting how the course works
- Make sure course is available to students on myOleMiss – review Enable Blackboard through MyOleMiss guide
- Add a TA to Bb Original course
Teaching an Online Course
In an asynchronous online course, much of your time will be spent guiding students through course materials and assignments, communicating with them regularly, managing the course, and providing timely and meaningful feedback.
At the beginning of the semester
- Regularly communicate with students via:
- Check student logins on Performance Dashboard in Bb Original
- Report student attendance for the first two weeks of semester
- You may allow students to be enrolled in an online course with instructor permission up to the last day to add according to UM Academic Calendar
Forward request to Amy Saxton in Academic Outreach – amysax@olemiss.edu
During the semester
- Encourage participation and send reminders via:
- Contact students who are not attending or participating
- Use Retention Center in Bb Original to find and track students
- Monitor emails and discussions and respond to students as needed
- Build a FAQ document if desired
- Hold office hours
- Grade assignments in Bb Original: Discussions | Tests | SafeAssign Submissions | Panopto video assignments
- Grade assignment in Bb Ultra: Grade Assignments | Annotate Assignments, | Grade Using Rubrics
- Create a Bb survey in Bb Original to collect student feedback. Survey questions have no point value and student responses are anonymous. However, you can see if a student has completed a survey.
At the end of the semester
- Check Grade Center Bb Original | Gradebook in Bb Ultra to ensure accuracy according to your grading criteria
- Remind students to save any work they would like to keep
- Submit Student Grades on myOleMiss
- Faculty Activity Report on myOleMiss
- Review and revise course for next offerings
Technology Access
Support for tools and technology is provided by the Office of Information Technology unless otherwise noted.
Available Tools and Technology
| Technology/Tool: | How/Where to Get Access: |
|---|---|
| Faculty/Staff receives an @olemiss.edu email on Office 365 platform upon hiring. No account? Contact HR |
|
| WebID | Faculty/Staff receives a WebID upon hiring. WebID is your account for accessing various UM services including email, Blackboard, myOleMiss, Box, library remote access, etc. Visit WebID FAQs for password reset and common access issues. |
| Blackboard | Blackboard is the university’s Learning Management System. |
| Panopto | Panopto is an online video platform integrated into Blackboard. It provides a seamless way for faculty to add videos to courses and allow for student video submissions. Access Panopto through a course on Blackboard or sign in with your UM email address at panopto.com. |
| Zoom | You may use Zoom to virtually meet with your students for office hours, virtual classrooms, or student presentations. Access UM Zoom at olemiss.zoom.us and sign in with your WebID. |
| Box | Box is a cloud storage for UM community. Access UM Box at olemiss.box.com and continue with your WebID. |
| UM Gmail | Faculty/Staff may request a UM Gmail account as an additional email account. UM Gmail, known as UM Go account) provides access to Google Apps for Education (Drive, Doc, Sheets, etc.) and YouTube. |
| Departmental Software | Selected Microsoft and Adobe products available through FTDC at a discounted rate for installation on a university-owned computer. Computer property number is required. See a list of available products with link to software request form. |
| Recording and Editing Studio |
Visit STUDIOone in the library for more information and to schedule an appointment. |
Using Blackboard
Blackboard is a course management system used campus-wide at The University of Mississippi. The system allows you to post course materials, deliver tests and surveys, hold online discussions, and facilitate many other course-related functions.
Helpful Tutorials to Get Started
- Blackboard Quick Start Guide
- Copy Your Sandbox to Your New Course
- Create an Announcement in Blackboard
- Create an Assignment in Blackboard
- Grade Center in Blackboard
- Add Content in Blackboard
- Tests and Surveys in Blackboard
- Using Panopto Video in Blackboard
- Use Zoom for Virtual Office Hours or Class time
- Using SafeAssign to Detect Plagiarism
Whom to Call
Can’t find the answer here? Get in touch with the right people.
Get help
| Help With: | Contact: |
|---|---|
New Hires:
|
Your HR contact person |
Instructor inheriting a Course:
|
Your academic department or chair Previous instructor |
| Blackboard: Technical & Grade issues |
Blackboard Support blackboard@olemiss.edu 662-915-7918 |
| Proctored testing services | Linda Chitwood Testing Center detl@olemiss.edu 662-915-1267 |
General Tech Issues:
|
UM IT Helpdesk helpdesk@olemiss.edu 662-915-5222 |
| Zoom | zoom@olemiss.edu |
| Panopto | Blackboard Support blackboard@olemiss.edu 662-915-7918 |
Online Course Accessibility:
|
Academic Outreach IDs |
| Online Course Enrichment Revision Support | Academic Outreach IDs |
| Grants for online instructors | Mary Lea McMillan mlea@olemiss.edu 662-915-7089 |
| Studio One Recording and editing studio at JD Williams Library |
Schedule an appointment with idealab@lib.olemiss.edu. |