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 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.
- 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
- Add items for syllabus and course schedule
- Create an assignment
- Enable SafeAssign for plagiarism detection
- Create a Blackboard Test
- Create a Discussion Forum
- Create a Blackboard Rubric if applicable
- Record videos on Zoom or 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
- Copy and reuse a lesson/module/unit folder for a uniformed course structure
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.
- Online Course Syllabus Checklist
- View Course Schedule and Class Rolls on myOleMiss
- Semester Start Checklist
- Enable Blackboard for the online course through myOleMiss
- 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
- 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 due dates
- Create/Update a Blackboard Rubric
- Set up Grade Center
- Set up Retention Center to monitor student performance
- Syllabus finalized and posted to the Syllabus in your course
- Post a welcome announcement and send welcome email to students
- 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 Teaching Assistant or Graduate Assistant to Blackboard
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.
- Post Bb Announcements and send a copy via email
- Check student logins on Performance Dashboard
- 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
- Encourage participation and send reminders
- Contact students who are not attending or participating
- Use Retention Center 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
- Create a Bb survey 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.
- Check Grade Center 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.
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.
- 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.
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. |