As part of our ongoing efforts to provide students with exceptional service and an engaging educational experience, CSU is proud to announce Blackboard Social Learning Tools will launch on July 31.
Q:What are Blackboard Social Learning Tools?
A: New collaborative features and tools, including student profiles, provide students with the opportunity to participate in a social environment geared toward academic engagement and learning. These tools connect learners at Blackboard Learn institutions around the globe while encouraging them to learn from one another through an informal, social platform complementing the more formal structures of traditional online courses. These enhancements provide students with the ability to increase interaction with instructors and classmates, resulting in a more engaging and fulfilling educational experience.
Q: What should I expect to see as a student?
A: Upon initial login to Blackboard on July 31, students will view an overlay page identifying new features that are available in the Global Navigation Menu and accessibility to create your student profile. Go ahead! Explore the new features by following the arrow to your Global Navigation Menu, located in the upper-right corner beside the user ID.
The following tool icons are additions to the Global Navigation Menu:
- Profile – Enables users to have an identity in the system so they can discover each other and share academic information about themselves with others. This includes a user’s name, picture, area of study, and “about me” description, much like a Facebook or Twitter profile.
- People – Gives users access to their learning network. The People tool allows users to see who is in their Classes and Organizations and view an institution-wide directory.
- Messages – Provides the ability to communicate with other students and faculty at CSU and throughout the global learning network. Users can send one-to-one and one-to-many messages that are similar to messages you can send and receive through other social platforms.
- Spaces – Enables users to create virtual communication and collaboration group spaces – for study groups, interest groups, or other informal learning purposes. Each Space contains a wall where the members of that Space can post and communicate with each other. These wall posts are then collected in each member’s Posts tool, so he/she can stay up-to-date on each group’s conversations.
Q: My privacy is important to me. Does this mean my information will be out there for everyone to see?
A: CSU and Blackboard take the responsibility of protecting student privacy very seriously. As a student, you are not required to participate, and a user profile is not created until you agree to the terms of service and submit your Edit Profile page. Even then, the default setting for your profile is private. Below are all of the available privacy settings.
- All Blackboard Users: Anyone with a Blackboard profile can find and message this user. This includes Blackboard users at other schools.
- My Institution: This user’s profile is only available to other Blackboard users at their institution.
- Private: Following this user requires request and approval. Anyone in their courses, organizations and spaces can find and message them.
- Hidden: No other users can view, message or follow this user. They cannot view, message or follow others. They cannot participate in social learning spaces.
I am so glad that CSU is participating in this activity. This will help students to network, for others in their program, find others who have the same major as them, find others who attend various types of schools, and will be a way for us to network and make friends. I will be sure to participate in this activity.
Hello Rakia are you still attending CSU?