Using the Blackboard Course Calendar (Faculty)

Problem

The Course Calendar can help students stay on task throughout the term. Instructors add entries, which are visible to students in the course. If you use due dates in your Blackboard assignments and discussions, these will be added to the calendar automatically. You can also add entries for field trips, office hours or more.

Students can view calendar dates from their course or from the Calendar link under Tools on the Blackboard homepage. Faculty can also add calendars to organizations to remind members of key due dates or events.

Environment

Blackboard (Faculty)

Resolution

Adding a Calendar Button to your Course

1. Click on the plus sign in the upper left corner of the course menu.
2. Select Tool Link.
3. For Name, type Calendar.
4. For Type, select Calendar from the drop-down menu.
5. Check the box for Available to Users.
6. Click Submit.

Adding Dates to your Calendar

Once you have created your calendar link, click on the link to open it. You will see the following options:

1. Add new event: Click on the plus sign and fill out the details to add an event to the calendar. Note: Use the sliders to move the hour and minute to the correct time.
2. Today button: Jump to today’s date.
3. Calendar views: Switch between day, week or month views.
4. Month: Use the arrows to move back and forth to different months.
5. Calendars: You can view all of the calendars for your courses and organizations in one place. Institution refers to dates added by the Blackboard system administrator. Personal is a calendar where you can add personal dates, so you can see everything in one place.
6. Events: Click on an event to open it. If it is an event created from an assignment, you will have the option to go directly to that assignment.

Cause

The Course Calendar feature on Blackboard is a great tool for teachers to have a visual layout of important due dates in the course, as well as for students to stay on top of their coursework throughout the term.