Blackboard Help and How To

Blackboard help for Faculty

How to Login

To login to the George Brown Blackboard Learn system type bb-gbc.blackboard.com into your browser. Enter your username and password and then click on the "Login" button.

First Time Blackboard Users

Use your Stu-View username and password to login to Blackboard. If you’re unable to login to Blackboard, please reset your password. User requests to change a password should be directed to the self-serve website (service.georgebrown.ca), Contact Centre (416 415 2000 or Extension 2000 within the College), Helpdesk (416 415 5000 x 4357 or helpdesk@georgebrown.ca) or in person at any of the LLC service locations.

Existing Blackboard Users

  • Passwords will remain the same until a user is required to update or opt to change their IDM password. At such a point, the Blackboard password will be updated with IDM password automatically and thereafter user must login to Blackboard with their IDM password. (Stu-view, Banner, email, etc.)
  • User requests to change a password should be directed to the self-serve website (service.georgebrown.ca), Contact Centre (416 415 2000 or Extension 2000 within the College), Helpdesk (416 415 5000 x 4357 or helpdesk@georgebrown.ca) or in person at any of the LLC service locations.
  • IDM Passwords need to be changed every 120 days for staff and annually for Students.
  • Password update reminders are sent out starting 1 month prior to expiration. These are sent to the individuals George Brown College addresses.
  • There is no restriction to unsuccessful login attempts.
Getting Started

Even if you're new to online instruction, you can learn to create a basic course in a short amount of time. You can start with a week or two of materials and add more later. Explore the basics of Blackboard and more at the links below.

Important Note: George Brown uses the “Original experience” of Blackboard Learn. Disregard information referring to the “Ultra experience”

MORE SUPPORT TOPICS ON BLACKBOARD LEARN

Faculty Orientation

Are you faculty looking for Blackboard help?

Email: bbfaculty@georgebrown.ca
Call: 416–415–5000 ext. 4320

Manage Grades

The Grade Center allows the instructor to keep track of and post student grades in Blackboard.

To make grades available to students, instructors must add a My Grades link to the left course menu. To do so, click the + sign at the top left corner of your page. Click Tool Link, type the Name My Grades. From the Type list select My Grades. Select Available to Users and Click Submit.

Blackboard help for students

Are you a student looking for Blackboard help?

Email: bbstudent@georgebrown.ca
Call: 416–415–5000 ext. 2285
Free Linkedin Learning Blackboard training videos

How to:

Transfer Content

​Copy ​content (pdf file)

Create Content

Here are the two videos to help you get started with your courses:

Share Content

Adding Files to Blackboard

A new help feature called EesySoft has recently been installed in GBC’s instance of Blackboard to provide professors with more context-specific help. You can access it any time by hitting the blue button near the upper right side of your screen. Through this button you can get help with any feature of Blackboard, including how to add files to any area.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be mindful of file sizes! Very large files can strain bandwidth and affect usage for both students and faculty.

Sharing in Office 365 & Teams

Every instructor and student at GBC has free access to Microsoft Office365. This online suite of productivity tools includes the full MS Office suite of applications (notably Word, Excel, Powerpoint) as well as personal file storage on OneDrive. It also provides access to MS Teams. Teams has many features to share content, enable group work and file collaboration. 

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OFFICE 365 & TEAMS

Embedding and linking to Video in Blackboard

FACULTY VIDEOS

While Blackboard allows you to upload a video directly into your course, the large file size creates a bandwidth burden. It is recommended instead that you upload the video to another place (such as YouTube) and simply provide the link in your course.

STUDENTS SUBMITTING VIDEOS

​Students may need to submit videos of their presentations as part of their assignment. To reduce bandwidth strain, they should be discouraged from submitting their videos directly to Blackboard and instead be instructed to upload to another server (such as YouTube) and submit a link to their video.

To have students share and comment on one another's work, one strategy is for students to upload their videos to YouTube (or OneDrive) and submit a link to it in a Blackboard discussion forum post. Other students in the course can then watch the video and provide a comment in reply.

Other Tools

You might decide to post content on your blog, social media accounts, or other sites -- as always, it's a good idea to keep in mind the learning curve for students and the possible limitations in their access during this disruption. Wherever possible, post links to your external resources in one centralized spot such as Blackboard so that students can easily find the content in a consistent area. 

Create Course Navigation
Use Communication Tools

Difference between Email and Message:

Email

Communication via the Email tool will be used through the Blackboard default email address (georgebrown.ca) otherwise changed by the users to their preferred email account.

Message

Message Tool is an internal message system, which means the students will only be able to see the messages after they log in and click the Message link. A copy of this message is not sent to their external email address.

Announcements

Announcements are quick messages broadcast to students in a course. To add this tool to the left course menu, click the + sign at the top left corner of your page. Click Tool Link, type the Name Announcements. From the Type list select Announcements. Select Available to Users and Click Submit.

To add a new posting to this tool, click Create Announcement. Follow the steps on this page and click Submit.

Discussions

Forums are made up of individual discussion threads that can be organized around a particular subject. Create Forums to organize discussions.

To add this tool to the left course menu, click the + sign at the top left corner of your page. Click Tool Link, type the Name Discussion Forums. From the Type list select Discussion Board. Select Available to Users and Click Submit.

Collaborate

Collaborate helps to create virtual classrooms, offices and meeting spaces that open more possibilities to more students, wherever they are. Offering exciting new approaches to learning while involving each student on an individual level.

For technical support with the Collaborate tool, please call 1-877-382-2293. This helpline is available 24 hours 7 days a week.

Collaborate Scheduler

Tutorials for setting up a Collaborate Session:

Use Course Management Tools

Course Management Tools are communication and collaboration tools that enhance interaction between users.

Tests and Assessment

Use Respondus Upload Test Questions

Respondus is a powerful tool for creating and managing exams that can be printed to paper or published directly to Blackboard. Exams can be created offline using a familiar Windows environment, or moved from one LMS to another.

If you have any further questions, please contact the Faculty Helpdesk: helpdesk@georgebrown.ca.

Respondus LockDown Browser

This tool is a custom browser that locks down the testing environment within Blackboard. When students use Respondus LockDown Browser they are unable to print, copy, go to another URL, or access other applications. When an assessment is started, students are locked into it until they submit it for grading. Available for both Windows and Mac. This option is currently available in our Assessment Testing labs only.

Read more instructions.

Test Exception

You can change these settings at any time, even after the test has been attempted by some students. If conflicts in rules occur, the most permissive settings for that user or group of users are granted. For example, students would receive the greatest number of attempts, longest availability time, and so on.

Supervising Test

Supervising test is available in Blackboard online testing labs at all of the College's campuses upon request. For more information, please contact Dawn Chandelier (St. James and Waterfront Campus) dchandel@georgebrown.ca or ext. 2793 or Michelle Lee (Casa Loma Campus) mmilee@georgebrown.ca or ext. 4706.

Other helpful links for tests and assignments

Blackboard Online Testing

Helpful links for administering online tests:

Blackboard Assignments

Helpful links for administering assignments:

Course Tools

Blog

A blog - a shorthand term that means web log -— is a personal online journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public access and use. Most blogs also have some kind of commenting system, so that people can respond to and interact with one another. Blogs encourage students to clearly express their ideas and it also addresses the need to expand various aspects of social learning. Moreover, they are an effective means of gaining insight into students' activities and provide a way to share the knowledge and materials collected.

In Blackboard Learn, instructors create and manage blogs, and only enrolled users can view and create entries and comments in them.

To add this tool to the left course menu, click the + sign at the top left corner of your page. Click Tool Link, type the Name Blogs. From the Type list select Blogs.

Select Available to Users and Click Submit.

Journals

Journal is a personal space for students to communicate privately with you. Students can also use journals as a self-reflective tool to post their opinions, ideas, and concerns about the course, or discuss and analyze course related materials. You can create journal assignments that are broad and student-directed as your students reflect on the learning process and document changes in their perceptions and attitudes. Students can describe problems faced and how they solved them. Also, you can create instructor-directed journal entries that are more formal in nature and that narrow the focus by listing topics for discussion.

To add this tool to the left course menu, click the + sign at the top left corner of your page. Click Tool Link, type the Name Journals. From the Type list select Journals. Select Available to Users and Click Submit.

Rubric Management

A rubric is an assessment tool listing evaluation criteria for an assignment, and provides a means to convey to students your expectations for the quality of completed assignments. Rubrics can help students organize their efforts to meet the requirements of an assignment, and you can use them to explain evaluations to students. Rubrics can help ensure consistent and impartial grading.

Use the Mobile App

George Brown College has enabled the Blackboard Mobile Learn application, it allows you to access your Blackboard Learn content in an engaging and intuitive way from virtually anywhere.

Download Mobile App:

  • Open the Android Market or App Store application on your phone, search for 'Blackboard Mobile Learn' and download
  • Launch Blackboard Mobile Learn and search for your school
  • Login using your school credentials
Use Blackboard Collaborate

Blackboard Collaborate Ultra is a communication tool you can use to meet with students in a live virtual session. See the links for information on using this tool.

Use Blackboard Groups

Useful links for Blackboard groups

Best Practices

Create AODA Content

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

Land acknowledgement

George Brown College is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.


Learn more about our land acknowledgment