Introduction to Blackboard
Blackboard is the University's digital learning environment where you can access study materials and key information about your modules and programme. A new user-friendly layout was introduced in Summer 2024 to provide an enhanced learning experience which supports greater collaboration, connectivity and and inclusion.
Please note that some Blackboard features shown in this video, e.g. “Attendance”, may not be used in your module or programme. If you have any questions, please speak to your module tutor.
How to access Blackboard
Go to https://udo.derby.ac.uk/ and select the My Blackboard tile.
You may need to login with your university credentials e.g. 100123456@unimail.derby.ac.uk and password.
The Blackboard App is designed especially for you to view content and participate in your module.
The current version of the App is available on: iOS and Android.
After you have downloaded the App:
- Search for "Derby"
- Select "University of Derby"
- Log on using your university credentials e.g. 100123456@unimail.derby.ac.uk and password
Blackboard Institution Page
Once logged in, you will automatically land on the Institution page. Within this home page you will see:
- In the main area: Some links to support your study and other useful links.
- The black main navigation menu on the left enables you to access the main areas for your study with us.
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Institution Page – find important announcements as well as helpful links and resources. |
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Profile – add your profile picture and customise the notifications you want to receive in the Activity Stream, by email or on the Blackboard app. |
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Activity Stream – setup and configure your activity stream to alert you to new and upcoming activity in your modules and programme. |
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Modules – here you can find and access your modules. They can be searched, filtered, and displayed in different ways. You can also ‘favourite’ modules. |
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Programmes and Organisations - here you will find information specific to your programme and your discipline area (if applicable). |
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Calendar - view all modules, programme, institution, and personal events. |
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Messages – a tool to send messages within a module or programme areas. Note – messages are not emailed. Tip – please continue to contact your tutors through agreed communication channels. |
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Provisional Grades and Feedback - a quick access to view your provisional marks and feedback across all your modules. |
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Tools - access tools that live outside your programme or modules. Currently the University of Derby does not have any additional tools enabled. |
How to personalise Blackboard
You can customise your profile on Blackboard to make it more personal.
Blackboard now allows you to add name pronunciation and personal pronouns to your profile. This information appears in the class register and is visible across all modules. This can help instructors and classmates get to know you, your name and your gender identity. This only needs to be completed once, and your preferences do not expire.
Your pronouns will appear to other users and will display in various locations in your modules. If you do not want others to see your pronouns, you should remove them.
If your preferred pronouns are unavailable, you can suggest new options through the Union of Students Ideas Forum.
To access your profile page, click on your name on the left-hand side navigation menu. From there you can:
- Upload a profile picture.
- Add the pronunciation of your name.
- Add your pronouns.
Blackboard notifications appear in your Activity Stream, email, and the Blackboard app. You can adjust your settings and choose the types of notifications you receive from all your modules and how they are delivered to you.
Click on your name on the left-hand side navigation menu to access your profile page. In your profile page select the options in Global Notification Settings and click save.
Click on the Modules tab on the left-hand navigation menu. You can view your modules in two ways, either in text line view or in image block view, this is accessed at the top of the module tab and left of the search bar.
To add a module to your favourites, click on the star on the right side of the module tile. This will move the module to the top of the page under the “Favourites” heading.
How to use Ally for alternative formats
How do you prefer to engage with digital learning content? Do you read on your phone or tablet, use a screen reader, like to annotate and highlight, or listen to an audio version?
Ally automatically generates ‘alternative formats’ from your original module files and makes them available for download so that you can engage with your learning content in a way that works best for you.
From the Ally button, an A with a downward-facing arrow, appearing next to all uploaded documents and items in Blackboard, you can access multiple different formats. To access the alternative file formats, Click on the A↓.
The image below shows some of the types of alternative formats available. Choose a format that is right for you.
Select the accessible format you would like to download and click on the download button. Your accessible file will be available wherever your browser places downloaded files or open it in a browser tab. You can then open the downloaded file with an appropriate device.
Choose from:
- OCRed PDF; Creates an improved scanned document.
- Tagged PDF; Creates an improved structure for navigation.
- HTML; Converts the document to a web page.
- EPub; Allows you to read documents on your tablet and annotate and highlight sections. Certain devices, such as the Amazon Kindle natively support the ePub format and students with a Kindle can download and use ePub files straightaway, either by using the Send to Kindle service to email the file to your device or transferring it by connecting your Kindle device to your computer.
To view downloaded ePub versions of Blackboard resources on alternative devices, you will need to first download and install an ePub reader, of which there are numerous free versions available. Android users can use ‘Google Play Books’ and Apple iOS users can use ‘Books,’ freely available in the respective app stores for those devices, or sometimes already pre-installed on the device. Windows users can either use the inbuilt Microsoft Store, web browser supported add-ins, or separately installed device software.
- Electronic braille; Helps visually impaired students read using a braille display.
- Audio; Listen to the document on your MP3 player.
- BeeLine Reader; Makes it easier and faster for on-screen reading. It assists in the readability and focus on digital text. At the end of each line, the text is coloured the same as the beginning of the next, so the colour acts as a signpost that directs the reader's eyes through the text more easily. In addition to this, Beeline Reader offers the ability to print the content or to save it as a PDF document
- Immersive Reader; Assists reading comprehension and grammar skills (An internet connection is required to access this).
- Translated version; Provides a machine-translated version of the original content into multiple languages. PDF, Word, Powerpoint, and HTML documents are supported.
Note: Ally doesn’t currently work in the Blackboard mobile App.
For more info on alternative formats, visit: Alternative Formats (blackboard.com).
Downloading and Printing Content
Externally added resources such as Word and PowerPoint can already be downloaded in their original format or as a PDF. Blackboard Documents can now also be printed or saved to PDF, providing more ways to engage with content. This option allows users to:
- Review content offline
- Share content with students or peers
- Physically archive content
To print a Document, select Print. Use the browser to print options to select the following:
- A printer or the PDF option
- The page range
- The layout
Please note that these steps must be repeated for each individual Blackboard item, and it is not at present possible to select or download resources in bulk.