Learning Edge

It’s been over two months since Carol’s ‘Top tips for Learning Edge’ post back in 2011, since then more and more support centred answers have been assembled from the user queries and feedback we’ve received.  There’s something for everyone in this collection to enhance ‘your’ experience on Learning Edge – ranging from areas such as Course Management, Groups and Content.

Course Management Tips

1. I have a lot of files to upload into my module area, how much file space is acceptable within my module area?
No need to panic, the allocation of file space for each module will be monitored by LTD in the near future. In the meantime, to ensure an acceptable standard – it is best practice to utilise the tools and building blocks available to minimize any bulky file uploads. A good place to start is to embed any content through eShare or any of the multimedia (YouTube, Flickr) mash up tools within Learning Edge.

2. I can‘t see my module(s) when I login?
To access a module in Learning Edge, you need to be enrolled with the required user rights from within the area. Ask your department administrator to enrol you.

3. As module lead, can I enrol fellow tutors to my module?
Of course, tutors can enrol fellow tutors. Follow these instructions from your area:

• In your ‘Control Panel’ for your course
• Click on ‘Users and Groups’
• Click on ‘Users’
• Place your cursor over ‘Enrol User’ and click ‘Find Users to Enrol’
• Click on ‘Browse’
• Now leave all fields as default and enter the desired username or surname in the blank field and click on ‘Go’
• Now select the check box on the desired row and click ‘Submit’
• From the drop down menu next to ‘Role’, now select which role you require
• Click ‘Submit’

4. Can I manage the display of courses listed on the ‘My Institution’ tab?
Yes, you can edit the display of courses and other information.

Just select the small ‘cog’ icon in the top right hand corner of the ‘My Courses’ module and select or deselect the options you wish to see/not see.

For further information, please refer to this LTD quick guide.

5. Why are my courses marked as ‘unavailable’?
This is because all new Blackboard courses are created as ‘unavailable’ by default. When a course is unavailable, instructors can access it, but students cannot. This is to prevent modules going live then they are still being built.

Information on making your course available can be found in the previous ‘Top tips’ post.

6. It’s hard to find a course on the ‘My Institution’ tab as I have so many listed?
You can try searching for the course. Hold down the ‘Ctrl’ key and press ‘F’ on your keyboard and you will get a ‘Find’ box pop up within your browser. Type the module code or part of the course ID and select ‘Next’ to find that text on the current page. You could also try hiding the modules that you don’t often use, see tip 4 above.

Groups Tip

1. Can I assign students into more than one group?
Yes, you can put students into as many different groups as you like, however you will need to create each group and then add students to each group individually. Information on setting up groups can be found in the previous ‘Top tips’ post.

Content Tips

1. My students state that streamed audio files within Learning Edge won’t play on Macs?
Apple Mac users can install the Windows Media Components plugin for QuickTime, which will allow users to stream .wma and .wmv file formats within Learning Edge.

2. Can I use large multimedia files in my Module area?
As mentioned earlier, instead of taking up large areas of disk space. Large multimedia files should be embedded and streamed online via YouTube, which can be incorporated into Learning Edge areas through the mash up building block. If you need to host media more securely, contact us for more information about the institutions streaming server ‘eStream’.

Any further questions please email them to one of the team and we will endeavor to answer them for you. If you would like to arrange a meeting with one of the team, please ring 01695 650 754 (or internal 7754).

Mark Wilcock
Learning Technologist