Best Practices

Discussion Board: Online Discussions for Blended Learning (pdf)
Techniques and strategies to improve student learning through the use of the Discussion Board in a course taught partially online (a "blended" or "hybrid" course).

Online Exams: Strategies to Minimize Cheating (pdf)
This list provides a variety of ways to make your exams and quizzes more secure.

How-To Guides

Course Backups (pdf)
Create a course backup and save it to your computer.

Creating Extended-Time Exams (pdf)
Create copies of your exams that have a longer duration for students who require more time due to special needs (learning or physical disability).

Customize a Courses Look (pdf)
Follow these steps to change course icons and colors.

Discussion Tool: Blogs (pdf)
Instructions on how students and instructors can create a "web log" within your course.

Discussion Tool: Journals (pdf)
Learn how students can create a private online journal.

Editing Text Using the HTML Creator (pdf)
Learn how to format text used in mail messages, assignment and assessement instructions, discussion descriptions, etc. using the HTML Creator.

E-Packs (pdf)
Learn how to obtain and use publisher-created content within SacCT.

Grade Book with Excel (pdf)
Manage your grades via Excel and the SacCT Grade Book.

Grading Forms (Rubrics) (pdf)
Create a rubric that you can use to grade students’ work based on specific criteria.

Import/Export Exams Between SacCT Courses (pdf)
Copy quizzes, surveys or self-tests and/or your entire question database between courses using the Import/Export option in SacCT. You can also use the Import/Export option to share assessments with other course designers.

Resetting Your Course (pdf)
Recommended steps to clean up your SacCT course for the new semester.

Selective Release (pdf)
Learn how to release content based on a date, student name or grade book score.

Tips and Tricks (pdf)
Be aware of different options in SacCT that will help you use and navigate your courses more easily.

Using WebDAV to Upload or Download Files (pdf)
Use WebDAV to transfer files to and from your SacCT course.

Working with Publisher Test Banks (pdf)
Use publisher-provided exam software to create and export a quiz or exam for a SacCT course, export a Word or text file from the publisher into a SacCT course using Respondus and export a Respondus-formatted test bank file into a SacCT course.

Presentations

Effectively Managing Online Discussions and Learning Modules for Blended Learning (pdf)
Best practices and strategies to develop a Community of Inquiry and structuring content when using F2F and online environments.

Training Manuals

Assessment and Assignments (pdf)
Learn to create and deliver online quizzes, surveys, assignments and other assessment tools in your course.

Communicating Online (pdf)
Learn to use Interactive and Informational communication tools in SacCT such as Discussions, Chat, Mail, Announcements and the Calendar.

Cooperative Learning with Groups (pdf)
Learn how your students can work collaboratively and privately in groups using mail, discussion and chat tools.

Designer and Instructor Reference Manual (pdf)
This manual created by Blackboard Inc. details in step-by-step instructions how to use the Blackboard Learning Management system. The manual is divided into chapters that focus on a specifc tool and/or function in the SacCT/Blackboard system.

File and Content Management (pdf)
Manage and display content in your course using folders, content links and learning modules.

Grade Book (pdf)
Learn to maintain an online grade book and perform other administrative tasks in your course.

Introduction to SacCT (pdf)
Learn about SacCT's features and capabilities and create a plan to take other SacCT workshops specific to your course needs.

Quick Start (pdf)
Learn the basics of creating and managing a SacCT course such as adding content and using two communication tools: mail and discussions.

Quick Start for Locus Users (pdf)
A comparison of LOCUS and corresponding SacCT features to help you migrate a LOCUS course to SacCT.

Tracking Student Course Activities (pdf)
Use the Assessment Manager and Tracking tools to view assessments not submitted, force a student submission, view an assessment time log, reset an assessment attempt, and run the Tracking report.