Blackboard Users and Groups

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.

1. On the Control Panel, expand the Users and Groups section and click Users.
2. On the Users page, click Find Users to Enroll. [view screenshot]
3. Type a user's BCM ECA (Example: u23581 or astarke) [view screenshot] -or- click Browse to search for a user. Only users that are not already enrolled in your course will be listed in the search results. Select or type as many usernames as needed. Separate multiple usernames with commas.
4. Note: If you are unable to find a user to enroll contact the Ed-Tech at ed-tech@bcm.edu.
5. Select a Role and Enrollment Availability for the user(s).
6. Click Submit.

Located Users: Search results display up to 25 names on a page. Searches that result in more than 25 users will display users on multiple pages. You cannot enroll multiple users who appear on different pages. Instead, select users to enroll from a single page and click Submit. Redo the search to select additional users to enroll.

Availability: You cannot enroll users who have been made Unavailable in the Blackboard course. ContactEd-Tech at ed-tech@bcm.edu for assistance enrolling Unavailable users. Users who have been enrolled in your course, but made Unavailable by you, will not see your course in the  Courses tab and do not have access to your course.

Batch Enroll/New User Account File Format

User accounts aren't automatically created in Blackboard.  In order to batch enroll students into courses and get accounts created, the below information is also needed by Ed-Tech. An Excel file must be created and then emailed it to ed-tech@bcm.edu or submitted through the Blackboard Support Center.

• ECA (BCM username)
• 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
• 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.

1. Click on the Control Panel within your course.
2. Click Users and Groups.
3. Put a check in the box next to the name(s) to remove.
4. Click Confirm Users.
5. Click Remove Users.
6. You will see a warning notice that deleting someone from the course site will delete all their coursework and grades as well. You cannot get the data back.

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.

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.

Users who have been enrolled in a Couse but made Unavailable by the Instructor will not see the Course in my Courses and do not have access to the course. These users must be made Available by the Instructor in order to see that they are enrolled in the course.

Guideline: Students that go on LOA or withdraw from a course are disabled (made unavailable) in the corresponding 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. Once a student is removed from the course, all course data is deleted.

1. If Control Panel is not expanded, click the words Control Panel.
2. Click Users and Groups.
3. Click Users.
4. Search for the student you would like to make unavailable.
5. Click next to the student's username.
6. Click Change User's Role in Course.
7. Available (this course only): select No from the drop down menu.
8. Click Submit.

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. Enter your course by clicking its name in Courses
2. In the Control Panel, select Users and Groups, then Users. [view screenshot]
3. Your course roster, including all students, instructors and TAs will be listed.
4. Click the down-pointing arrow button to the right of the username (BCM ID) of the person you wish to change, then select Change User’s Role in Course. [view screenshot]
5. Select the appropriate role, then click Submit.

Instructors have access to all areas in the Control Panel and in the course. This role develops, teaches, or facilitates the class. Instructors can access a course that is unavailable to students. In addition, an instructor can export a Blackboard site as a court cartridge and can import a course cartridge. Instructors can enroll any users (that have have a Blackboard account) to the course.

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 Control Panel. This role is appropriate for a user to manage the course without having access to student grades. A course builder can still access the course if the course is unavailable to students. A course builder cannot delete 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

A grader assists the instructor in the creation, management, delivery, and grading of items such as tests and discussion board posts. A grader also assists the instructor with managing the Grade Center. A grader cannot access a course if it is unavailable to students.

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.

Student is the default course role. Students have no access to the Control Panel or to make edits in the course.

Guests have no access to the Control Panel. They do not have access to content within a course unless the instructor designates certain content areas as available to Guests. The Guest role does not permit interaction in the Blackboard course and cannot give access to areas that display student information (Discussion Board, Blogs, etc.)

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.

Splitting students off into groups is helpful for project collaboration, study and help sessions or to create peer review opportunities. Discussion boards, blogs, wikis, 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.

1. In the Control Panel, click Users and Groups, and select Groups. [View screenshot]
2. Next you can choose to create groups one at a time or in a group set. NOTE: See step 7 if you don’t know which enrollment method to choose. [View screenshot]
   • To create groups one at a time, under Single Group choose either Manual Enroll or Self-Enroll.
   • To create a set of groups, under Group Set choose either Manual Enroll, Self-Enroll, or Random Enroll (students are automatically and randomly assigned to groups). NOTE: Only Create Group Set has a Random Enroll option.
3. Enter a Name (required). [View screenshot]
4. Enter a Description (optional). [View screenshot]
5. Make sure Group is visible to students is Yes. [View screenshot]
6. In Tool Availability, click to un-check any tool options you do not want available to the group. By default all tool options are checked. [View screenshot]
   • Blogs, Journals and Wikis have a grading option. If grading, enter the points possible. This will appear as a column in the Grade Center.
   • Within a group, Blogs, Journals and Wikis are group-created, rather than individually created. Everyone within the group can contribute and view the contents.
7. In Module Personalization Setting, the default setting allows personalization. When selected, a student can customize their personal group settings with modules like “What’s New”. Any settings they change here are only viewable by that individual student.
8. Enroll your students in the group(s). Students can also be added after group creation.
   • If you selected Manual Enroll, click Add Users, select the names of the students who belong in this group and click Submit. [View screenshot 1] [View screenshot 2]
   • If you selected Self Enroll, type the Name of the sign-up sheet (required). You can also enter the total number of members allowed per group. To allow students to see who else has signed up for a group, check the box next to Show Members. By default, Allow Students to sign-up from the Groups listing page is selected. This allows the instructor to go to a content area in the course and put a link to the sign-up sheet for students to access. [View screenshot]
   • If you selected Random Enroll (group set only), you will select either the number of students per group, or the number of total groups and designate how to distribute uneven numbers. Students will be randomly assigned to each group. [View screenshot]
9. Click Submit.

You can allow students to create their own study or project groups. By default, student-created groups are allowed.

• Go to the Control Panel, click Users and Groups, and select Groups.
• On the far right of your screen, click on the Group Settings button.
• Select the checkbox to allow students to create groups.
• Click Submit.

Use the All Groups and All Users tabs located in the top right of the Groups page to easily see which students are in which groups, including which students are not in any groups and modify group memberships. The Groups page options allow instructors to: 

Import and export groups and group memberships.
Sort columns, delete multiple groups, and create Grade Center smart views for one or more groups.
Optionally, manage tool availability for all groups on the All Groups page.

All Groups Page

Click the tabs at the top right of the page to view by groups, group sets, or users. All Groups is the default view and has sortable columns that contain details about all of the groups in your course.

After you create groups, you have the option to make communication tools available or unavailable for each group. Put your cursor on the View Options button, click Show Tool Availability to display the tools available to each group. Click the check mark in a tool's column to make it unavailable—an X appears. Click the X in a tool's column to make it available—a check mark appears. Put your cursor on the View Options button and select Hide Tool Availability when you are done.

With the Bulk Actions drop-down list, you can select groups for deletion or create smart views in the Grade Center for each group. A smart view allows you to see a group in the Grade Center. The view is saved for continued use. When the Grade Center includes a great number of students and columns, you can use smart views to help streamline grading.

All Users Page

Click the All Users tab to see which groups students belong to. This is a good place to find students who are not yet in a group and add them, or move students from one group to another.

• For a student who is not yet in a group, put your cursor on the student's row. The Add to Group icon appears. Click this to select the correct group name from the pull-down menu, click Submit.
• To change which group a student is in, put your cursor on the group name to the right of the student's name. A red X will appear, click the X to remove the student from that group. Click the Add to Group icon to add this student to a different group.

Importing and Exporting Groups

You can export a CSV (comma-separated value) file containing your existing groups and group members, reorganize them as needed offline, and then import them back to a Blackboard course.

You can use the import and export functions to add new users and groups, but you cannot remove users or groups. During these processes, you cannot add new users to your course.

View more information on Importing Groups by excel sheet.

Group Codes

Groups codes are unique identifiers used strictly for import purposes. You may reveal a column in the interface to see the group codes, but you cannot edit group codes while in your course. Group codes also appear in downloaded CSV files. You can edit the group codes in the CSV file when importing existing users to a group to ensure the users are added to the correct group. Group codes are required to provide a unique way to identify each group in case they have the same name.

When viewing all groups, use the View Options drop-down list to show and hide the Group Code column.

Create an CSV file and import many groups all at once.

1. From Site Manager select USERS & GROUPS.
2. Select Groups.
3. Select Import Groups.
4. Select Import.
   • A link to a sample CSV file is available here to access, complete, and save.
     • Sample for group members (available in English only)
     • Sample for groups (available in English only)
   • Mandatory fields are Group Name and Group Category ID.
   • Once completed and saved:
5. Browse and select your completed CSV file.
   • Only Group Name and Group Category ID are required fields. You can add additional fields.
6. Select Open.
7. Select Import.

View More information on Importing and Exporting Groups