Happy Birthday, Alan!

Technically, we missed Alan's birthday last January, but nobody wanted to let that get in the way of having a little fun at a local Mexican restaurant.



We all had a great time. Alan might want to wait a few months before he takes a hard look at his credit card bill, though.

Blackboard Course Backups

We all have heard for years how important it is to back up our computer data. That mindset also applies to Blackboard courses. If you have Instructor access to a Blackboard course, it's as easy as going to the Control Panel > Archive Course. That takes you to the Export/Archive Manager. Click the archive button, and then Submit. The system will generate an archive .zip file (it may take a few minutes) that will remain in the Export/Archive Manager until you delete it. You can then right-click the .zip file and save the file to your hard drive. When and if you need to revert a course to a backup, simply go to Import Package in the Control Panel, and bring in the archive file.

You can and should create an archive whenever you want or need to, especially right after completing a lot of course development work. At a bare minimum, you should create an archive at the end of every term.

Bob Schapper's Bow Tie

We had a great time eating and chatting around the table with the LBCC Library staff this afternoon. We celebrated Bob's retirement, with many jokes and laughs shared and enjoyed. We will all miss Bob, and wish him well in this new and exciting chapter in his life!

New Polling Area Added

We have added a new polling area on the right side of the main page. Pick your answer, and check back later to see the results. And if you have an idea for a fun poll question, send it our way!

Media Services Staff Member Saves the Day!

Media Services Secretary Lori Rowton was enjoying her morning walk when she observed smoke emanating from the concrete cigarette ashtray thingamabob in front of Takena & Willamette Halls. Ms. Rowtan took immediate action by returning to her office, filling a large plastic cup with water, and promptly returning to the scene of the hazard, where she efficiently and effectively extinguished the above-mentioned embers before they erupted into full flame. The LBCC community owes Ms. Rowton a debt of gratitude, and salutes her for her powers of observation and initiative!

New Tutorial - Utilizing the Random Block in Blackboard

You can have Blackboard pull questions from a test pool and deliver them in random order for deployment in new and existing tests. Here's how.

Requires Flash Player (available here).

Watch the video

Download the Step-By-Step Tutorial (Word Doc)

Instructors: if you would like this video copied into your Blackboard course, contact the System Administrator.

LBCC Spring Fling 2008

A bunch of crazy classified staff found yet another excuse to party and play.

New Tutorial - Creating a Blackboard Test from a Pool

Here is how to create a Blackboard Test from a Pool.

Requires Flash Player (available here).

Watch the video

Download the Step-By-Step Tutorial (Word Doc)

Instructors: if you would like this video copied into your Blackboard course, contact the System Administrator.