Blackboard Users and Groups

Adding Participants to a Course
Once a user is added to the course as an Instructor with User Management, they can start adding participants to the course.

1. Navigate to your Blackboard Ultra Course.
2. Click Roster in the side menu. [view screenshot]
3. Click the Enroll People button that looks like a plus sign(+) in the upper-right corner.  [view screenshot]
4. Type the name of the user in the search field, and then click the plus sign (+) next to the user’s name.  [view screenshot]
5. Choose the user’s role.  [view screenshot]
6. Click Save. 

NOTE: Users listed as an Instructor in the course are able to enroll other uses for any role in the same course.  Any users listed as a TA can enroll only students in a course.

Removing Participants from a Course
If users no longer need to be enrolled, the user in this role can remove them from the course. Please note that removing a user from a course deletes all of their work and grades and data and it cannot be recovered.

1. Navigate to your Blackboard Ultra Course.
2. Click Roster in the side menu.  [view screenshot]
3. Click the three dots (…) next to the name of the user you want to remove.  [view screenshot]
4. Click Edit member information.  [view screenshot]
5. Click the Remove member button that is shaped like a trash can.  [view screenshot]
6. Click Remove member.  [view screenshot]

Note: Removing students from a course also deletes all their course data (tests, surveys, discussions, assignments, grades.). 

Removing Manually Added Instructors:
If you would like to remove a manually added instructor from a course, contact the Ed-Tech at ed-tech@bcm.edu for assistance.

Batch Enroll/New User Account File Format

In order to batch enroll students into Blackboard, their accounts must be created first. Below is the format and information needed by Ed-Tech to get the accounts created and enroll them in the course. Put the information into an Excel file, along with the course id and course name, and submit a Batch Enroll Request Form.

• ECA (BCM username) Look up ECAs on the BCM Intouch People page
• Last Name
• First Name
• BCM Email
• Role
  • (B) Course Builder
  • (P) Instructor
  • (S) Student or Residents
  • (T) TA – for faculty in your department helping with the
  • program (including department head). This allows them to
  • view modules before making them available if they wish.
  • (U) Guest
• Password: Leave Field Blank if submitting to Ed-Tech
  • Tip: Blackboard will ignore this information, but this cell cannot be empty or blank.  In other words, type whatever you want in this cell — BCM, xxx, etc.
• BCM ID

Your Excel file should look like the example below:

Instructions to Batch Enroll Users

1. The ability to batch enroll will depend on your permissions/access in Blackboard.
2. On your course/organization’s Control Panel, under Users and Groups, click Users.
3. Click on Batch Enroll
4. Browse File Location and attach file
5. Delimited Type: Tab
6. Click Submit

Note: User accounts must be created before they can be enrolled in courses. Only the Blackboard Admin can create user accounts.

Customize Course Availability
If you have students who need to access a course outside of the normal term, you can override their enrollments. They'll have access to the course until the date you set.

1. Must have a System Role of Program Manager to make edits.
2. On the Administrator Panel in the Courses section, select Courses.
3. Search for a course.
4. On the Courses page, open the course's menu and select Enrollments. The list of enrolled users appears.
5. Open the username's menu and select Edit.
6. On the Enroll Users page, select a calendar day for Availability
7. Override Date. This date will let the user access the course until the date you select. This option will cancel any previous enrollment date settings.

The Enroll Users page is also accessible through the Users page on the Administrator Panel. Search for a user and select Course Enrollments. 

Instructor Enrollment
Some instructors will give you access without requiring any action on your part. You should log into Blackboard during the first three days of the semester to see if you have been given access. If an instructor has granted access, the course will be displayed under “Courses" tab in Blackboard. If the course does not appear, follow the instructions for self-enrollment without a password. If you are not allowed to self-enroll, and you have not been enrolled by your instructor by the third day of the semester, contact the Program/School Blackboard Admin for assistance. For immediate assistance, contact the Ed-Tech Dept. at ed-tech@bcm.edu.

Self-Enrollment without a Password
Some instructors will require you to self-enroll your course. If the course does not show up under “Courses” in Blackboard at the beginning of the semester, search the catalog and self-enroll the course by following these instructions:

1. Login to Blackboard
2. Click "Courses" menu option at the top of the page
3. Click "Course Catalog" button in the upper right corner
4. Search the appropriate course and instructor
5. Hover the cursor over the course in which you wish to enroll. If the course allows self-enrollment without a password, a down arrow will be displayed.
6. Click the down arrow
7. Click "Enroll" [view screenshot]
8. You should see an enrollment request pop up, and will need to click submit.
9. Success: the course will now display in your Courses tab and you will have access to the course.

If self-enrollment is not allowed by the third day of the semester, students should contact the Program/School Blackboard Admin for assistance. For immediate assistance, contact the Ed-Tech Dept. at ed-tech@bcm.edu.

Self-Enrollment with a Password
Some instructors will require you to register yourself through Blackboard with a password. If a password is required, you will be sent the information via email. If you are sent a password, click on the Course Catalog button in Blackboard, search and find the appropriate course and instructor, and use the password provided to add the course.

If you have not been given access or a password and are not able to register the course by the third day of the semester, contact the Program/School Blackboard Admin to gain access. For immediate assistance, contact the Ed-Tech Dept. at ed-tech@bcm.edu.

Instead of removing students from the course (which deletes all their course data upon deletion), the better option is to just prevent them from accessing the course. This action prevents users from accessing the course and their course data remains intact.

Guideline: Access is removed for students that go on LOA or withdraw from a course. (This prevents the deletion of records of student participation in the Course up to that point.) This action makes the course unavailable to the student but does not remove them from the Grade Center.  

1. Navigate to your Blackboard Ultra Course.
2. Click Roster in the side menu.  [view screenshot]
3. Click the three dots (…) next to the name of the user you want to remove.  [view screenshot]
4. Click Edit member information.  [view screenshot]
5. Uncheck the box for Allow Access to the Course.  [view screenshot]
6. Click Save.

A user’s role determines what access that user has to the course, what content is visible to them, and the changes they can make in the course.  If you accidentally enroll someone into your course with an incorrect role, or need to change the level of access that they have, it’s easy to change it. 

1. Navigate to your Blackboard Ultra Course.
2. Click Roster in the side menu.  [view screenshot]
3. Click the three dots (…) next to the name of the user you want to remove.  [view screenshot]
4. Click Edit member information.  [view screenshot]
5. A new window will appear, titled Member Information, under Course Settings, click the drop-down menu under Role. [view screenshot]
6. Select the new role for the user. [view screenshot]
7. Click Save.

Instructors have full access to the course. This role is generally assigned to the person developing, teaching, or facilitating the class. If a course is unavailable to students, users with the Instructor role may still access it. The instructor is included in the course description in the Course Catalog. The instructor role can control tool availability. 

Teaching assistants can administer all areas of a course. A teaching assistant cannot delete an instructor from a course. Teaching assistants have access to most tools and features in the Control Panel. Even if a course is unavailable to students, teaching assistants still have access to the course.  Can enroll only students in the course.

The Course Builder role has access to most areas of the course. This role is appropriate for an assistant who shouldn't have access to student grades.

If the course is unavailable to students, a course builder can still access the course. The course builder can't remove an instructor from a course.

Course builders have access to the following Control Panel sections:

• Content Collection
• Course Tools
• Users and Groups
• Customization
• Packages and Utilities
• Help

The Grader role has limited access to the course. Graders can assist an instructor in the creation, management, delivery, and grading of assessments and surveys. The grader may also assist an instructor with adding manual entries.

If a course is unavailable to students, the course appears in the course list for a user with the role of Grader. However, the grader can't enter the course until the course is available.

As part of the delegation grading workflow, instructors can assign the ability to reconcile grades to graders.

Graders have access to the following Control Panel sections:

• Content Collection
• Course Tools
• Evaluation
• Grade Center
• Packages and Utilities (limited access)
• Help

The faculty role has no edit access to the course but can see hidden content.  This is a read-only role, much like the student role, but doesn't show up in the Grade Center.

The Facilitator role has default privileges related to course materials, gradebook, calendar, announcements, discussions, and groups to assist instructors in the progress of a course.

Many institutions use Subject Matter Experts to create content for large, multi-section courses that are facilitated by multiple faculty. These institutions or courses may also require more than one person to help keep the curriculum moving forward. Additionally, institution administrators can grant some or all grading, curriculum set up, and communication permissions to trusted facilitators to help ease these responsibilities in larger courses.

Student is the default course user role. A user with the role of Student submits coursework and participates in discussions. Students can't create or grade course items. Students see private courses in their course lists, but they can't access them.

The Guest role allows prospective students to explore Blackboard Learn without making any changes to users, courses, or content. Users with the role of Guest are unauthenticated users.

If an administrator has enabled guest access, instructors can make areas within a course accessible to unauthenticated users.  

NOTE: Though you can assign the guest role to users in the Ultra Course View, guests can't access courses at this time.

If you wish to give auditors or guests access to all the content posted in your Blackboard course, we recommend adding them with the Student role. For more information on using this role see Guest Access to a Blackboard Course.

The Spectator course role gives institutions a flexible, read-only option for course access. Use this role for auditors, observers, or external reviewers who need to review course content without making changes or accessing administrative features. This role supports secure, non-intrusive access to course materials and improves oversight and collaboration.

The Spectator role applies at the course level and grants read-only access to all course content. Users with this role cannot edit, delete, grade, or change course settings.

The role uses the same permission checks as the Viewer system role but only applies to courses where the user is enrolled as a Spectator. Spectator users do not have access to administrator privileges or system-wide data.

Assign the Spectator role from the Role Management page using the course role selector. Administrators manage which courses a Spectator can access and for how long through enrollments.

Common uses include:

• Assigning Spectator to external auditors for accreditation reviews
• Giving department chairs or instructional designers access to observe course delivery
• Providing temporary, read-only access for peer review or compliance checks 

This is a limited role that gives students the ability to add/remove content.

Student Helpers have edit access (not to delete) to the following areas:

• Content
• Calendar
• Announcements
• Discussions
• Messages
• Achievements

This is a view only role, much like the student role but no edit access.

Splitting students off into groups is helpful for project collaboration, study and help sessions or to create peer review opportunities. Discussion Boards, journals and other collaborative tools and features can each be made available on a per-group basis, if desired. The benefits of student collaboration in Blackboard groups are like those found in the classroom and include developing communication skills and enhancing students' connection with others. Blackboard groups promote delegation, project management, accountability, peer review and self-regulation.

Groups can be incredibly helpful when teaching.  They allow students opportunities for peer instruction and developing vital skills that will be necessary when they enter the workforce.  Blackboard has many group management and assignment features that you may find useful.

1. Open your Blackboard Learn Ultra course.
2. Click Groups from the top menu. [view screenshot]
3. Click the plus sign with the circle to create a course group set. [view screenshot]
4. Edit the Group Set Name and Set availability for students. Select Custom, Randomly Assign, or Self Enroll. [view screenshot]
5. Click the plus sign (+) to add subgroups for the set. [view screenshot]
6. Select the student(s) that you want in a group and click on the three dots (…) next to the name and select the group. [view screenshot]
7. Now the group will show the selected students.  You can edit the title and add a description.  [view screenshot]

More information about Group, go to Create and Manage Groups

1. Select the Assign members tab in the Import Groups or Members panel.  [view screenshot]
2. Select Download members template and download the template.
3. The CSV has six columns. Required columns are marked with an asterisk.  [view screenshot]
   1. Group Codes*
      1. Groups codes are unique alphanumeric identifiers used only for import purposes. Group codes provide a unique way to identify each group in case they have the same name. You can assign any group you want.
   2. User Name*
      1. The username of the student you’re assigning to a group.
   3. Student ID
      1. If available, the student ID number.
   4. First Name
      1. Student’s first name or given name.
   5. Last Name
      1. Student’s last name or surname.
   6. Group Set
      1. Group sets are smaller student groups within the group set.

Fill out the CSV with the students you’d like to assign. You must assign all students to groups. Go to the Assign members tab in the Import Groups or Members panel. Either select Upload File and browse for the CSV in your device or select and drag the file into the Upload File rectangle. Select Import at the bottom of the panel.

Importing students will take some time. You can refresh your screen to check if the students have been imported. You’ll also receive a confirmation email when the import is complete.

View more information on importing and exporting groups.