Explore the Template
Part of the Kent State Online Framework is the Blackboard Learn course template. The template comes pre-loaded with online teaching necessities and has placeholders for the aspects of the template that you will want to customize. The template is designed to help you build a high-quality online learning experience quickly and efficiently. Start exploring today!
Course Home
Customize & Extend
The course Home page is the entry point to your online course. The Kent State Online template home page is pre-populated with the following placeholder content items:
- Instructor Information content item
- Start Here content folder
- Learning Materials content folder
- Course Announcements tool link
Instructions for basic customization of the Kent State Online template can be found on the Build page, which also includes a variety of tutorials for creating additional course content, such as a video introduction to welcome your students, in the Extending Your Course section.
Start Here Folder
Essential Information for Students
The START HERE folder contains the essential information your students need to succeed in the online environment in one location that is convenient and easy to access within your online course. The START HERE content folder is pre-populated with placeholder content items you can customize, and content folders packed full of information instructors are required to provide all online students:
- Course Learning Outcomes content item
- Example Syllabus
- Example Course Schedule
- Technical Requirements and computer set-up checklist
- Links to University Services for online students
- University Policies
Course Menu
Navigating the Course
The course menu is the global navigation for course. A short, logically organized course menu will help your students quickly and easily find important course information. The menu has been “chunked” into three main categories.
Getting Started menu links provide quick access to information relating to the structure and administration of the course
My Course menu links guide students to course learning materials, Bb Learn tools they may be required to use such as the Discussion Board, and communication tools such as Email and course announcements.
Technical Support menu links direct students experiencing technical difficulties to the appropriate university resources such as 24/7 technical help from the KSU Helpdesk.
Instructions for basic customization of the Kent State Online template course menu can be found on the Build page.
Learning Materials
The Core of Your Course
The Learning Materials content folder contains the core learning materials for your course. An example folder structure organized by weeks is provided for you. The course structure can easily be customized for your course whether you organize by part, section, session, module, or themes.
Each of the example weekly folders contains a placeholder Overview content item, an advanced organizer to help students understand what to do, in what order, and when assignments and assessments are due.
Instructions for basic customization of the Kent State Online template example Learning Materials course structure and Overview content item can be found on the Build page.