Blackboard How Toolkit

Blackboard

How-Tool Kit

LSCPA

Learn more about online learning at LSCPA!

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Index

Online Learning

SHSU Help Center

About the LMS Bb

Bb Excellence Contest

IT Services

Upcoming Changes

About Blackboard at LSCPA

Online Learning at LSCPA

What are online courses?

Online learning at Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) is designed to provide greater access to higher education for students whose work schedules, family responsibilities, or geographic distance make attending campus-based classes challenging. Unlike correspondence courses, which often involve self-paced, independent study with limited interaction, online courses at LSCPA deliver instruction via the Internet, requiring active participation, regular communication, and adherence to assignment deadlines. Students can engage with their coursework anytime and from anywhere, provided they have Internet access and email. While most online courses are entirely virtual, some may include required campus visits for labs or exams. This flexible yet structured approach ensures students receive a quality education while balancing their other commitments, enhancing their return on investment in education.

+ Online Learning

Blackboard How-Tool Kit

Introducing Blackboard Troubleshooting Tools

At LSCPA, Ultra View is now the only available Blackboard experience, reflecting our commitment to embracing change and evolving with technology. This shift marks a new era in meeting students where they are, ensuring a more intuitive and modern platform for learning and collaboration.

Ultra View is the new Bb

Recources available for Instructors

Anthology offers a wealth of resources to help instructors, administrators, and students navigate the Blackboard Ultra experience with confidence. These tools include guides, tutorials, and videos designed to support effective course design, enhance communication, and streamline administrative tasks. Instructors are encouraged to take advantage of these resources to build their skills, stay updated on best practices, and create engaging, well-structured courses that improve the learning experience for their students.

Ultra Guide

What is Blackboard Ultra?

+ Video Gallery

SHSU 24/7 Blackboard Help Desk Team

Leslie Hale

Jacob Spradlin

Rachel Scherer

SHSU Shared Services provides dedicated support to LSCPA faculty for Blackboard instructional design and troubleshooting. Their expertise ensures that faculty have the resources and assistance needed to create engaging courses and resolve technical challenges effectively.

Information Technology Services

Information Technology at LSCPA

Technical Support. Providing faculty with access to computer hardware, software, information, and telecommunications equipment necessary to perform their respective job tasks and instructional assignments;

IT Services

Help Desk Services. Get Support or Request Service Online using TeamDyanmix Contact the Help Desk for assistance by E-mail HelpDesk@lamarpa.edu or by phone (409) 984-6150 during the following normal business hours:

Computer Lab. The computer lab for, available for students staff and faculty, is located in Education Building 1, Room 132.

Lamar State College Port Arthur is committed to making its website and other electronic and information technology resources (EIR) purchased or created by the college accessible to all. We want everyone to be able to access information easily, including individuals with disabilities.

IT Accessibility

+ info

Updates to Blackboard

2022

2019

LSCPA enters into shared services agreement with SHSU, thus adopting Ultra View.

Blackboard Ultra View is Launched

2024+

2021

New updates from Anthology are rolled out

Anthology Completes Merger With Blackboard

Blackboard Mentorship Program

We are pleased to announce the first cohort of 2023 Exemplary Course Program (ECP) Award winners. The ECP Awards recognize faculty and course designers from schools, colleges, and universities around the world who develop engaging and innovative courses that represent the very best in technology and learning. ECP winners demonstrate excellence in course design, interaction and collaboration, assessment, and learner support.

Anthology Announces First Cohort of 2023 Exemplary Course Award Winners

About the Exemplary Course Program

Gain Mentorship and Expertise

The Exemplary Course Program recognizes the excellence in course design demonstrated by faculty and designers. The core of the program is the Exemplary Course Rubric, which defines key characteristics of high-quality courses within the framework of Course Design, Interaction and Collaboration, Assessment, and Learner Support.

2023 Winners announced

+ join program

An essential aspect of online learning is Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI), which differentiates it from correspondence courses. RSI ensures meaningful engagement between instructors and students, such as discussions, feedback, and real-time communication, whereas correspondence courses are primarily self-paced and lack significant instructor involvement.

What is RSI?

Online Learning

What is substantive interaction?

The Ultra Course View is a simpler and more modern course experience for instructors and students. The workflows and tools are easy to find and use in the Ultra Course View.

Ultra Course View Feature Guide

Instructors and students need very little experience with Blackboard Learn to find and use the tools available to them, but more experienced users may find the Ultra Course View completely different from the Original experience.

In addition to a robust installation of Blackboard, other benefits of the shared services project include licensing for exam proctoring, lecture capture and video hosting software, ADA Compliance tools, access to a 24 x 7 technical call center, instructional design services, and faculty development workshops.

Blackboard licenses include Bb Ultra, Bb Communities, Bb Content, Bb Outcomes, and Bb Collaborate Ultra.

Jacob Spradlin

SHSU Director of ID Support

SHSU Online is proud to announce that Jacob Spradlin, Associate Director for Instructional Technology and Support Service, has been appointed to the Blackboard Community Leadership Circle (CLC). The client governance board is designed to empower influential members of the Blackboard user group to lead and influence Blackboard community initiatives in the EdTech space.

“I am pleased to welcome Jacob Spradlin to the Blackboard CLC family,” said Lee Blakemore, Chief Client Officer and President, Global Markets at Blackboard. “Mr. Spradlin is joining a group of leaders who have been selected by a diverse internal committee across various functions of the business, for their excellence in vision, influence, community service at their respective institutions. We’re proud to partner with our inaugural CLC members to drive innovation and excellence within the Blackboard community.”

SHSU Support

Blackboard at LSCPA

Rachel Scherer

Lead instructional designer

Here, the SHSU Online Newsletter presents another "ID Corner," a spotlight feature designed to help faculty members get to know their department's instructional designers, one by one. We use “ID Corner” to spotlight each of our talented and committed instructional designers. This installment of ID Corner focuses on Rachel Scherer, who is involved in special projects for SHSU Online Operations, including her current assignment which is in support of Lamar Institute of Technology’s online course development needs. Here is a video featuring Rachel.

This set of instructional videos provides valuable guidance for educators on effective course design, communication, collaboration, and assessment strategies within Blackboard Ultra. Created and maintained by Anthology, the company behind Blackboard Ultra, these resources are regularly updated to reflect the latest features and best practices. Whether you’re new to the platform or looking to enhance your skills, these videos offer practical tips to streamline your workflow and improve the learning experience for your students.

Blackboard Ultra for Instructors

Along with the NEW! rubric and a webinar series to help you learn more about the exemplary principles, Anthology celebrates the winners who developed and designed these exemplary courses. These educators and instructional designers are improving the quality of online learning at their institutions for their students. The Exemplary Course Award highlights their efforts.

Want to join the Exemplary Course Program?

We are excited to announce the launch of a new platform for the Exemplary Course Program submission window. The new platform will provide a seamless, enjoyable, and engaging experience for ECP submitters and reviewers!

Leslie Hale

LSCPA instructional designer

Leslie Hale is LSCPA's instructional designer. She earned a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education with an English/Language Arts concentration from Lubbock Christian University After spending a couple years as a teacher, she decided to move to Austin and pursue a master's degree in Technical Communication at Texas State University. Afterward, she took some freelance copywriting and editing work which eventually led to a full-time job in digital marketing, followed by a job as an Online Course Developer with the Office of Distance and Extended Learning at Texas State University, where she has worked for the past five and a half years. In 2020, she became an instructional designer.

Leslie tells SHSU Online: "I am so excited to join the SHSU Online team! I see this as an opportunity to expand my skills as an instructional designer and serve a diverse community of faculty and learners."

Anthology, a leading provider of higher education software solutions that support the entire learner lifecycle, and Blackboard Inc., a leading global EdTech software company, today completed their previously announced merger.

Boca Raton, Fla. and Reston, Va. — October 25, 2021 —

Our Blackboard® Learn team here at Anthology has remained at work on new features and updates to the platform. Read on to discover highlights from the latest Blackboard Learn release!

View the Latest updates

Release Errata