Blackboard Access: Extending Beyond University Walls

Blackboard is a popular platform used by many universities to facilitate teaching and learning. It provides a range of features, including course content delivery, discussion boards, and grade management. While Blackboard is typically accessible only to enrolled students and faculty members with valid university credentials, there may be instances where access is granted to individuals outside the university system. This could include guest speakers or experts in a particular field who are invited to participate in course discussions or share their knowledge with students. In such cases, universities often have procedures in place to create guest accounts and provide Blackboard access to these external individuals. However, the process for granting access to non-university members can vary depending on the institution's policies and requirements.

Guest Access

At the University of Reading, for example, guest students are permitted to attend lectures but not classes such as laboratory sessions, seminars, or tutorials. Guest students are given limited access to the relevant Blackboard course, where they can view core lecture content and associated materials but cannot attend interactive sessions.

At Sheffield Hallam University, staff who are not employed by the university but are involved in teaching enrolled students can be given access to Blackboard for their teaching activities. External examiners are also given accounts to access Blackboard. At Northern Illinois University, guest speakers can be given access to Blackboard if they complete a Volunteer Agreement form and a Mandated Reporter Acknowledgement form.

It is important to note that guest access in Blackboard is typically limited to ensure the protection of student confidentiality and privacy. Guests will not have the same level of access as enrolled students or staff members.

Observer Access

Observers typically have restricted access to course content. For example, at the University of Reading, guests can only access core lecture content and associated materials, and are not permitted to attend interactive sessions. They are also unable to access the Control Panel and other tools and features.

To enable Observer Access, an instructor must first allow guest access to the course by going to Control Panel > Customisation > Guest and Observer Access and choosing 'Yes' to the option "Allow guests to access this course?". Secondly, the instructor must permit guests to view content areas by going to Control Panel > Customisation > Tool Availability and ticking the box in the second column ("Visible to Guests"). Finally, the instructor must manually permit guests to view specific content in the course by clicking on a content area in the course menu, selecting "Permit Guests", and giving them 'view-only' access.

It is important to note that Observer Access may vary depending on the specific Blackboard implementation and the policies of the educational institution using it. For example, at Sheffield Hallam University, external examiners can be given access to Blackboard after completing their induction, but other external users such as workplace mentors and employers cannot be given access. Similarly, at Northern Illinois University, guest speakers can be given access to Blackboard, but they must complete a Volunteer Agreement form and a Mandated Reporter Acknowledgement form.

Student enrolment

Students outside the university can be given access to Blackboard as guests. Guest access is typically limited, and guests can only view specific content such as lecture notes and course documents. They are not allowed access to the Control Panel or other tools and features.

To enable guest access, the course instructor must take the following steps:

• Allow guest access in the course by going to Control Panel > Customisation > Guest and Observer Access and choosing 'Yes' to the option to allow guests to access the course.
• Permit guests to view content areas by going to Control Panel > Customisation > Tool Availability, scrolling down to 'Content Area', and ticking the box in the second column ('Visible to Guests').
• Permit guests to view specific content in the course by going to the course menu, hovering over a content area, clicking on the grey arrow that appears, and selecting 'Permit Guests'. This gives guests ''view-only' access to the specific content area.

It is important to note that guest access to Blackboard may vary depending on the university and its policies. For example, at the University of Southern California, guests cannot be enrolled if they are not affiliated with the university to protect the privacy of students and professors. Similarly, at Northern Illinois University, access to Blackboard is restricted to protect the university and its students, and guest speakers must complete a Volunteer Agreement form and a Mandated Reporter Acknowledgement form to request access.

External examiners

Students outside of a university can be given access to Blackboard as guests or observers. Guests can access any content areas allowed by the course instructor, but they cannot access areas that display student information, such as discussion boards. Observers are typically assigned to follow specific users in Blackboard without interacting with the system and can view courses and track students.

University of Sheffield

The University of Sheffield uses Blackboard as its Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to deliver online teaching and learning activities. To access Blackboard, external examiners should:

• Log in to MUSE from the top left of the University of Sheffield website.
• Enter their username and password, then select "Log in."
• Set up multi-factor authentication when prompted.
• Select "My services" from the toolbar at the top of the page, then select "Blackboard."
• Change their default password when they log in to their University IT account for the first time.

To access a Blackboard module course:

• Log in to Blackboard and select the "Courses" tab on the left-hand menu.
• Module courses will be displayed in order of the academic year (most recent first) and then by name alphabetically. Select the course name for the module being examined.
• Use the "Search your courses" field at the top of the page to find the relevant Blackboard course.

To prevent accidental changes to Blackboard courses, ensure that the Edit Mode toggle button in the top right-hand corner is turned off when navigating the course and student work.

University of Worcester

To give external examiners access to Blackboard at the University of Worcester, they must first have their University of Worcester single sign-on account set up. Then, they can request enrolment in the Blackboard courses they require, including direct access to student assessments, by using the standard online form and selecting the "External Examiner" role in the "Type of access" field. Here is the process:

• Navigate to the University of Worcester Staff Portal by clicking the link at the bottom of the University website.
• Log in to the portal by clicking the "Sign In" button at the top right of the screen using the University of Worcester account username and password.
• Click on the relevant Blackboard Access link, usually displayed as the current year and the previous year. This will take the user to the Blackboard Access form.
• Complete the form for each module required. Ensure there are no spaces before, after, or within the module code. Under "Type of access," select "External Examiner."
• Access to the modules will be granted within 24 hours.

To access Blackboard:

• Navigate to the University of Worcester Staff Portal and log in using the University of Worcester account username and password.
• Under "Applications," click the "Blackboard 9.1" link.

University of Reading

At the University of Reading, external examiners can be given a University external user account. They will need this before being enrolled on any relevant Blackboard modules. Accounts can be requested using the SailPoint IIQ website. When applying for a new account, select "Visiting Staff-External Examiner" as the visiting reason and "Non-Campus" as the location. This will ensure the user can activate their account off-site.

To enrol external examiners on Blackboard, any University of Reading staff with the role of instructor or TA on the Blackboard module can enrol them. External Examiners can be assigned the specific course role of "External Examiner."

Student privacy

Students outside the university can be given access to Blackboard as guests or observers. Guests can be given access to specific content areas of a course site, but not to areas that display student information, such as discussion boards. Observers are typically assigned to follow specific users in Blackboard Learn without interacting with the system. They can view courses and track students but cannot access student information.

Blackboard's terms state that they care about privacy and believe that privacy is a fundamental right for all individuals. They collect device, usage, and personal information from users, including first name, last name, email address, student ID, account credentials, courses a student is enrolled in, credentials, audio and video recordings, and any other information that users provide.

Students and participants can make their own privacy choices on the Personal Information page, accessible from any tab in the Tools panel or under Tools in any course or organization in Blackboard Learn. They can choose whether to be listed in the User Directory and whether to display their email address, address, work information, and any other additional contact information.

These fields and the user's name are the only personal information displayed in the User Directory, and by default, they are not included unless the user opts in. Users can exercise this option at any time and are not limited to a specific period specified by the institution.

Blackboard's terms state that they employ a variety of physical, administrative, and technological safeguards to protect users' personal information against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access or disclosure. They have dedicated information security programs and continuously work to enhance their technical and operational security measures.

Blackboard's collection, use, and sharing of student data are governed by their contracts with educational institutions and applicable laws, such as FERPA and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

In summary, Blackboard provides tools and safeguards to protect student privacy, allowing users to make their own privacy choices while also complying with relevant laws and regulations.

Frequently asked questions