MELA Meeting Minutes 2003 - 2017

ii. Blackboard provides the functionality of an RSS Module, with a one hour refresher. There is now a module available called MSVCC News and Resources that can be pulled into each Blackboard site. This module will include new training resources, PDFs, screencasts on MSVCC site, workarounds for Grade Center or other Blackboard bugs, and updates from Bb Asp on problems/issues. iii. Terry provided a sign-up sheet for anyone interested in having the MSVCC News and Resources module added to their Blackboard site. He recommends that the tab be added to the faculty tab site (example: Holmes Faculty or Hinds Faculty). iv. The second module that has been developed is the phone-to-blog Blackboard module. This module is for those of you who are always on the go and will want to update from your phone. v. The MSVCC tab will be removed from all Blackboard sites. Audra Leverton requested that the toolbox on the left-hand side of the screen be added to our current website. Those are tools that are used frequently. Terry stated that they would like to take down the MSVCC module as it currently looks, but will discuss with the colleges on what links/tools that they currently use. vi. Jennifer Leimer stated that Desire2Learn has an RSS feed option. We would like this to be added to the MSVCC Home page for the Desire2Learn faculty. Desire2Learn will allow us to conditionally release to the necessary group (example: faculty). Christian mentioned that the Blackboard Grade Center is a java program that runs within our database. There will continue to be gradecenter issues in the fall; however, if we run into problems Blackboard will have staff on stand by to assist with the sluggishness of the system. One of the work arounds for the Grade Center is to re- create a course from scratch and re-create each of the grade items. This obviously is not the best resolution, but is a viable work around. Part of the issue with Grade Center are broken links between course content and the Grade Center itself. ii. Problems that colleges have incurred: a) Chris Jenkins stated that one of the problems that ECCC instructors have incurred was with the time it takes for the grade center to load and then re- load when posting grades. b) LaMetrius Daniels asked why some of the grades, such as exams, never appeared in the grade center. Buffy Matthews stated that this also occurred for an MGCCC faculty member. We found that if you click the chevron, in the grade column, that you could then choose to view the attempt. c) Jennifer Leimer mentioned the problem that occurred this summer with tests locking up because of the test date/time limit set. This is an all or none deal. You are unable to set the date/time limit without it appearing within the exam itself. This causes tests to lock up prior to submission. The association would like state board to discuss this issue with Blackboard for a potential work around. d) Outside of the time limit issue, Hinds also found that they were unable to get several exams to submit. This too was a problem for many schools. Chris

f. ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON GRADE CENTER PROBLEMS i.

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