Blackboard Course Creation System FAQ / Blackboard / University Services / The University of Newcastle, Australia

The Blackboard Course Creation system is available at

http://webapps.newcastle.edu.au/bcc

You will be required to login to use the system.

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2. How do I log in to the Blackboard Course Creation system?

You will be prompted for your Uni-ID and your Internet password.

3. How long will it take for my course to be created?

Your request will usually be processed in minutes, though in some case you may need to wait up to one hour. Student enrollments are processed at midday and 6pm daily.

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4. My Blackboard Course hasn’t been created, who should I contact?

If your requested Blackboard Course has not been created after one hour, please contact bb-admin@newcastle.edu.au to report the problem.

5. Can I create a Blackboard Course that is based on more than one NUSTAR course code?

1. Yes, from the Blackboard Course Creation menu, select ‘New Blackboard course based on NUSTAR course'.

2. Search for the first NUSTAR course code and click 'Next'.

3. You will see a screen 'NUSTAR Search Results'.

4. Check the box next to the first course you wish to include. At the bottom of this screen there is the option to 'Add More Courses'.

5. Click this button to search and add another NUSTAR course.

6. Proceed with creating your course by clicking the Next button.

7. At the final screen, click Create Course.

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6. Can I create a Blackboard Course that is based on an academic program?

Yes, from the Blackboard Course Creation menu, select ‘New Blackboard course based on NUSTAR academic program. You will then be prompted to ‘search for a NUSTAR academic program code. Blackboard Course Creation requests can be based on one or more academic programs as required.

7. How will I know that my course has been created?

The Blackboard Course Creation system provides the functionality for you to view and modify previously created courses.

Steps:

1. From http://webapps.newcastle.edu.au/bcc

2. Select the ‘Previously Created Courses’ tab at the top of the page. A list of all courses that you have previously created will be displayed.

3. The ‘Status’ column reports on the progress of your request. For example:

Success – your course has been created.
Pending - Your request is still being processed.
Failed – A problem has been encountered in the creation of the course.

If the status of your request is reported as ‘failed’, please allow one hour before contacting bb-admin@newcastle.edu.au to report the problem (unless urgent). Though the status is reported as ‘failed’, the system will continue attempting to fulfill the request.

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8. Does the system inform other University staff that they have been added as an instructor to a course I have created?

Yes, the system allows the course creator the option to notify staff (via email) that they have been added to a new Blackboard course, as well as identifying their instructor role type, e.g. teaching assistant, course builder, etc.

Notification is not automatic and must be selected by the course creator at the time of the request.

9. Can I edit my course request to change some of the information at a later time?

Yes, the system allows you to modify your course request after it has been created.

Steps:

1. From http://webapps.newcastle.edu.au/bcc

2. Select ‘Previously Created Courses, a list of all of the courses you have previously created will be displayed.

3. Select ‘edit’ to modify course details.

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10. Can I go back later and add another Instructor to my course?

Yes, the system allows you to modify your course request after it has been created, including to add instructors.

Steps:

1. From http://webapps.newcastle.edu.au/bcc

2. Select ‘Previously Created Courses, and a list of all of the courses you have previously created will be displayed.

3. Select ‘edit’ to modify course details.

4. From this screen you can select to ‘add’ or ‘edit’ information about NUSTAR courses or Instructors.

5. When you edit details you will be need to click the ‘confirm’ button to update the request with the changes.

6. As a last step you must click the ‘Update Course’ button to submit your updated request.

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11. Will students be enrolled automatically into my course?

Yes, when Blackboard courses are created based on NUSTAR courses or a NUSTAR academic program students are enrolled automatically (data is updated every 6 hours)

Students are not enrolled into Blackboard courses created that are not based on NUSTAR. The course creator will need to manually enroll students into these type of Blackboard courses.

12. I need to add a staff member as an instructor to my course but Blackboard lists them as ‘inactive’, what does this mean?

Blackboard is able to identify a user who may be listed as ‘inactive’. This reflects current information from the staff system, in this case that the staff member is not active in the staff system.

Inactive users are able to be selected for Blackboard courses, however a user cannot log in to Blackboard if they are flagged as ‘inactive’. Their access will not be available to them until their status changes to ‘active’.

To query an ‘inactive’ user please contact user-accounts@newcastle.edu.au

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13. Can I still modify my Blackboard course within Blackboard as well as within the Blackboard Course Creation system?

Yes, you are still able to modify your Blackboard course within Blackboard. Information from the Blackboard Course Creation system will flow across to Blackboard.

Changes made in Blackboard that will flow across to the Blackboard Course Creation system are changes to instructors and students (for non-NUSTAR courses), while course names do not.

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14. I have a course that combines 2 or more NUSTAR courses and I forgot to add a course. Can I go back and add this via the Blackboard Course Creation system?

Yes, you can edit the course you have created in the Blackboard Course Creation system at any stage.

Steps:

1. From http://webapps.newcastle.edu.au/bcc

2. Select ‘Previously Created Courses, and a list of all of the courses you have previously created will be displayed.

3. Select ‘edit’ to modify course details.

4. From this screen you can select to ‘add’ or ‘edit’ information about NUSTAR courses.

5. When you edit details you will be need to click the ‘confirm’ button to update the request with the changes.

6. As a last step you must click the ‘Update Course’ button to submit your updated request.

15. I'm using a Macintosh computer and the Internet Explorer (IE) web browser, and am experiencing problems when I use the Blackboard Course Creation system?

Macintosh users wanting to create courses in the Blackboard Course creation system need to use the Safari or Firefox web browsers and not IE. Known bugs have been identified when using IE on a Mac which are unable to be resolved.

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16. I need to create my courses for next year based on NUSTAR codes and the courses are not displaying the year I require. Can I create my courses anyway?

Yes. You can use the Courses Not Yet on NUSTAR option.

Steps:

1. Click on New Blackboard Course based on NUSTAR courses and search for your NUSTAR code.

2. You will see on the results page the following message:

If the course code you require has not displayed, it may be that the course has yet to be added to NUSTAR at this time. If this is the case, click the Courses not yet on NUSTAR link to proceed with your request.

3. You will need to ensure that you enter the exact course code as it appears in NUSTAR.

17. I created my course and I can see the course in Blackboard but the students aren't there.

When your Blackboard course is created by the Blackboard Course Creation system, it will appear in Blackboard within minutes. Enrolment data is refreshed every 6 hours from NUSTAR to Blackboard. If you cannot see your student enrolments after 24 hours please email Blackboard Support, providing your Uni ID and Course ID.