Recommendations for Designing & Structuring Blackboard Modules in Trinity

Module Essentials

• Create a Module Information learning topic in your module and within this, create documents and resources to provide the following key information (example screenshot): 
  • Module Welcome & Overview page (example screenshot): 
    • Create an Ultra Document with a short welcome message (text, video, or audio). This could include a brief module overview, a summary of expectations and other key introductory information such a link to the TCD Reasonable Accommodation Policy for students with disabilities. Provide (or link to) the module descriptor and learning outcomes. Upload or link directly to other relevant document(s) on your School's website - for example, a programme or School handbook (example screenshot).
    • Provide a communication statement: describe how you will communicate with students and how you expect students to communicate with you. Include your availability, response time, “virtual office hours”, contact information and netiquette i.e. acceptable standards for communication and participation. 
  • Meet the Module Team page: Create an Ultra Document which includes names, photos and additional contact information as needed (e.g. telephone, email, location, drop-in hours) (example screenshot).
    
    
• Create a Module Assessment learning topic to collate module assessment information and submission links in one location (example screenshot); within this learning topic:
  • Create an Ultra Document with a name such as 'Module Assessment Details & Resources' to provide a clear overview of the module's assessments including submission details, deadlines and related assessment resources (example screenshot).
  • Create submission links for assessments such as Blackboard and Turnitin assignments etc. within this learning topic so that students can easily locate these submission links rather than needing to check through different folders within the module (example screenshot).
    
    
• Below your Module Information and Module Assessment learning topics, create learning topics for each week/topic/theme (example screenshot) and give each learning topic a clear name, image and description (covered in more detail in the next section below).

Module Structure

• To make your module as easy to navigate as possible, organise your content and activities clearly and consistently according to weeks/themes/units using learning topics (example screenshot). Decide on a consistent naming scheme where possible across your programme. Avoid creating learning topics with generic names such as 'Week 1' - instead, give each learning topic a clear name, a brief description and an appropriate image.
  
  
• Add content and activities within your learning topics and avoid adding content such as lecture notes and documents directly to the module's homepage outside of learning topics where possible as this creates a poorer user experience when there is too much unstructured content (example screenshot of what to avoid).
  
  
• Add a banner image to the module and add images to learning topics to make the module visually appealing and to aid students in navigating among modules and folders more quickly (example screenshot). Use the Unsplash (stock images) feature to search for an appropriate image if you cannot easily source your own images.
  
  
• Add descriptions to learning topics, folders and files to give students an indication of what each item contains (example screenshot). Adjust the Display Names of files you upload to have titles that are easy to read, rather than leaving a PowerPoint file with whatever file name you might have had locally on your computer. For example, in a module on the Solar System, a PowerPoint file you are uploading might have the file name of 'theme1-lectureslides-version6-solarsystemintro(1).pptx' but when prompted by Blackboard after uploading, you can rename it to something clearer like 'Theme 1: Introduction to the Solar System' and give a brief description (example screenshot).
  
  
• Minimise cognitive load from the outset: avoid overloading the module homepage and learning topics with long lists of files. Instead, chunk your content: break down your content into smaller units ('chunks') such as 'pre-class, in-class and post-class activities, notes and resources' if you have a large amount of content and activities (example screenshot).

Preparing for Live Classes and Pre-recorded Videos

• Class schedule: prepare and share a schedule of classes in advance. Include dates, times and information on how to join online classes (if any). Ensure that lectures do not overrun their scheduled time and for classes longer than two hours, build in a short break. 
  
  
• Recordings: If recording live classes or creating pre-recorded content, add links to the recordings within your module and notify students when they are available. Host any videos you create in your Blackboard module's Panopto folder where possible - do not upload video files directly to Blackboard. Panopto is specifically designed for hosting and streaming video content and supports accessibility features such as captions. Consider using the Panopto Video Embed feature to add videos to Ultra Documents within your module - this allows you contextualise your videos by adding introductory text and related activities (example screenshot).
  
  
• Orient students at the outset: consider allocating time at the start of your first live class to orienting students (particularly first years) to the new environment e.g. include time for icebreakers, key orientation information, initial troubleshooting etc. You can use the Student Preview option to demonstrate your Blackboard module to students without revealing hidden content to them.

Communication

• Communicate regularly and clarify expectations: this is important particularly at the outset of a module. Tell students how to contact you and how you plan to communicate with them. 
  
  
• Use the Announcements tool to communicate updates on an approximately weekly schedule. However, communicating too often, and via multiple channels, can lead to student disengagement and overload. Advise students to check their notification settings in Blackboard so they can set their preferences for alerts.
  
  
• Consider hosting a regular “office hour” (e.g. via the virtual classroom). 
  
  
• Facilitate peer communication: use communication tools (such as discussion boards) to give students an opportunity to ask questions which may be answered by classmates and/or staff. In addition to nurturing a sense of community, this can also reduce the time you spend dealing with common queries (example screenshot). Make it clear to students how they are expected to engage with discussions and how often staff will reply to posts (if at all).

Assessment and Feedback

• Create a Module Assessment learning topic to collate module assessment information and submission links in one location (as covered previously under Module Essentials).
  
  
• Consider timing and balance when planning your assessment schedule. Also consider the timing of assessment submissions across the programme of which your module is a part. Avoid clashes and overload for students.
  
  
• Provide tools and information on academic integrity: for example, link to the Library's guides and resources for students.
  
  
• Ensure that students know how to submit their assignments and receive feedback online. Clarify any technical requirements for submissions in your Module Assessment learning topic. 
  
  
• Make use of the feedback and annotation features available in Blackboard and Turnitin assignments where possible to provide richer feedback for students.
  

Content and Resources

• Use the Trinity Identity templates for your PowerPoint files and related resources where possible to ensure a consistent design and appearance.
  
  
• Use the Accessibility Checker feature in programs such as PowerPoint and Word to ensure your content is accessible for students before uploading and then monitor your module's accessibility rating using Blackboard Ally (available via the Details & Actions panel, then Books & Tools) to address issues. For more details on Ally and creating accessible content, please visit the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum and the Trinity disAbility Service's pages on creating accessible materials.
  
  
• Provide a reading/resource list with links to core and optional texts and online content. For example, consider using MyReadingList (supported by the Library) which is available to add to your Blackboard module (example screenshot).
  
  
• Abide by copyright for content you upload - for example, link to an academic paper rather than uploading a whole paper into your module.
  
  
• Avoid overload: consider the time that it will take students to read/engage with each resource and plan student workloads and reading lists accordingly. For example, a 20-minute video might take students 2-3 times longer to watch than the runtime itself as they may need to pause, take notes and review sections of the video. Clearly identify and label “Core Reading” and “Supplementary Reading”.

Pedagogic rationale and basis for these recommendations

The importance of school-level and university-wide templates and standards in enhancing the learning experience for students has long been recognised in the literature.¹ Collins et al. note that many '...colleges and universities use a course design template for online courses because it provides students [with] a standardized web navigation experience. This enables students to focus on learning rather than figuring out how to navigate each new course site, making it easier to transition from one course to another.'² Similarly, Lewis (2021) suggests that without a common design:

...[an] institution’s policies and procedures, accessibility resources, technology support, and other documents are often located in different places in different courses, if available at all. Learners spend valuable time that could be devoted to coursework searching for this type of information in their courses. Not having a standard LMS course template also presents challenges around creating a learning environment that is accessible to all learners. Therefore, course designers should use a standardized online course template to allow students to have a similar experience from one course to the next.³

There is a distinction between templates that are automatically applied university-wide to all modules and recommendations such as the one covered on this page. Other universities apply templates automatically to their Blackboard modules^{4, 5} after developing university-wide templates in consultation with Schools and key stakeholders.³ While this practice has not currently been implemented in Trinity, it is important in the meantime to provide guidance for staff on structuring their modules to enhance the student experience and support important approaches such as Universal Design for Learning.

The recommendations on this page are derived from several sources:

• The literature covering best practices for blended and online module design (as per examples above).
• Consultation with other College units and areas - for example, advice on creating accessible content.
• Attendance by the Academic Practice team at Blackboard community events involving presentations by other institutions showcasing their templates and module design best practices.
• Research on the Blackboard Ultra module structures and approaches developed and implemented by other universities similar to Trinity (see references 6-8 as examples).
• Elements of Anthology's Blackboard Exemplary Course Program rubric.