Instructors who need a refresher regarding Blackboard, or just need a quick reference, can access "Bb Buzz," a series of short tutorial videos that are produced approximately twice each month.
"Bb Buzz" tutorials are less than four minutes long and cover basic and advanced features of Blackboard. Previous episodes of the tutorial also are available online.
Tammy Cummings and Randy Wald from Information Technology Services' Instructional Services narrate each video, but neither of them appears on screen. “As much as we’d like to show you our smiling faces, the Buzz videos only show what’s happening on the Blackboard screens, so you can see exactly what we’re talking about,” Cummings said.
Recent episodes have addressed creating a new course, using MyFiles storage, and collecting feedback using Blackboard. “We use "Bb Buzz" to keep instructors informed about new features and functionality in Blackboard, but we’re also trying to create a reference library that will serve as an ongoing resource,” Wald said.
The first episode of "Bb Buzz" was distributed in October and new episodes are announced by e-mail to all Blackboard instructors about every two weeks.
For more information on "Bb Buzz" or to see all episodes, visit www.ndsu.edu/its/rd/buzz.
Jan. 14, 2009