Instructor and Department Chair Task List
for Hybrid and Online courses
Department Chair Tasks
☐ Check that syllabi for hybrid and fully online sections are posted on faculty websites 30 days in
advance of the course start date.
☐ Check that Blackboard shells are open on the first day for online sections.
☐ Remind that initial attendance is based upon the first educational assignment not just logging in.
☐ Remind that each assignment requires a grade or a zero. Do NOT leave it blank.
Instructor Tasks
☐ Check schedule listing for accurate information for the course.
http://www.lssc.edu/academics/schedule/Pages/SearchCourses.aspx
☐ Post syllabi as PDF for each class on your faculty webpage 30 days before the first day of class
(Online & Hybrid).
☐ Make sure you have access to all your Blackboard shells.
☐ Make sure your course is unavailable to students until the first day of class.
☐ Copy course content from your master course into each Blackboard shell.
☐ Upload syllabi into each Blackboard shell.
☐ Make sure to complete your section updates prior to the first day of class and make the necessary
modifications.
☐ Update all dates and times in each Blackboard shell.
☐ Create a welcome message using the Announcement Tool on Blackboard and set the message to
activate the week before classes begin. State the purpose of the course and its components; in the
case of a hybrid course, the statement clarifies the relationship between the face-to-face and online
components. Be sure to inform students of the best way to contact you (an example of a welcome
message with helpful links is located at the end of this document).
☐ Add your test student into the course.
☐ Walkthrough your course as your test student verifying all hyperlinks, dates and content are correct.
First Day of Class Tasks / During the Semester
Please remember to have students notify you should they have any problems accessing Blackboard. When
students are not showing in the Bb grade book, instructors submit helpdesk work orders to eLearning not
students. Students can reset their own password using the “Forgot Your Password” feature.
☐ Open your fully online course(s) by 9:00 A.M the first day of class.
☐ Remember to open your hybrid and Technology Enhanced Blackboard (TEB) according to your
department’s policy.
☐ Submit a [email protected] Work Order if a student is not in Blackboard after 2 hours of appearing
on LOIS.
☐ Remember that initial attendance is based upon the first educational assignment not just logging in.
Semester Closeout Tasks
☐ Remember that each assignment requires a grade or a zero. Do NOT leave it blank.
☐ Ensure you update your Master Section with any new course information before the last day of
class.
☐ Download your grade book as an Excel spreadsheet.
☐ Download your Course Reports.
☐ Export each section; these are your final backups.
☐ Download a copy of your exported sections to a disk/flash drive.
☐ Delete all export files in Blackboard.
Sample Welcome Message (Please Modify as You See Fit)
Hello and welcome to (Course Name),
I am (Instructors Name) and I will be your professor this semester. My syllabus and office
hours are located on my faculty page, (Provide Your Faculty Link Here). The first day of
class begins on (Add Date) and logging in is easy. Click here:
https://lssc.blackboard.com/webapps/login/ and enter your XID and password. If you
need any technological help during the semester, please contact [email protected] and
provide as much detail as possible including, the course, your XID, and the nature of your
challenge.
If your question is course related, please contact me. The best method for contact is (Phone,
Email, Other).
I look forward to a great semester!
Best Practices for Using Blackboard
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Etiquette expectations (sometimes called “netiquette” for online discussions, email, and other
forms of communication) http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html.
New Blackboard students can find a helpful orientation here:
http://lssc.edu/dl/DL/OrientationHome.html.
Please review the minimum computer requirements expected.
Please review how to do a browser tune up and plug in check, explain JAVA.