Blackboard Learn, accessed via mymodule.tcd.ie, is College's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It allows academic staff to deliver online and blended modules to students.
→ Click on the titles below to view information and guides on getting started with Blackboard
Blackboard Learn(mymodule.tcd.ie) is College's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You can use Blackboard to host your teaching materials, create online assessments, use social learning tools such as blogs and journals, and incorporate other technologies such asvideosandwebinars. Having a clear layout in your modules will help students to find content quickly and make it easier to add in more advanced tools and features over time. Click on the sections below for an overview of the different aspects of Blackboard and to view some guides to help you to add content and plan the layout of your modules. Once you have developed your module layout, then consider incorporating other learning technologies that align with and support your module's learning outcomes.
Blackboard (mymodule.tcd.ie) requires an active TCD computer account for access. If you are not enrolled to a module check with your school office to ensure you are timetabled for it in CMIS (the College timetable system). Your students are automatically enrolled to your Blackboard modules as long as they are listed on my.tcd.ie (SITS). IT Services cannot manually enrol staff and students - the enrolments must come from CMIS or SITS.
Staff enrolment: Academics & teaching staff please check with your school office that you are timetabled to the modules in CMIS (the College timetable system) and you will be automatically enrolled in the corresponding Blackboard modules for 2024/25. Administrative staff who require access can complete the form on the IT Services website.
Module creation: Modules are created automatically in Blackboard based on the information in SITS (my.tcd.ie); please ensure the required modules are set up correctly in SITS for 2024/25 if they are not appearing in Blackboard. However if you don't see a module listed, it may just be that you are not enrolled to it - see enrolment details above.
Student enrolment: Student enrolments in Blackboard are automated and are based on their SITS (my.tcd.ie) student record. Do not manually enrol students who are taking your module for credit directly via Blackboard. Instead, if a student is not enrolled to your module check with your school administrator to ensure their student record is correct.
Changes to enrolments/module creation typically occur overnight. For more information on access and enrolment issues visit the IT Services VLE enrolment page.
Adding Content in Blackboard
This video guides gives an overview of how to add content to your Blackboard module. The appearance of Blackboard has been upgraded since this video was created but the steps for adding content are the same.
Quick Guide: Adding Content
This one-page Quick Guide gives you a brief summary of the steps needed to add content to your Blackboard module.
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Interactive Guide: Structuring Your Module Menu
This interactive guides gives you some ideas of how you can structure your module in Blackboard to make it easy for students to navigate.
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Technologies Available in Blackboard
This page gives a list of the technologies available in Blackboard. You can also access this list via the left-hand blue menu on this page.
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Webinar Recording: Desiging & Developing Your Blackboard Module
This webinar recording from September 2023 covers how to design and develop your Blackboard module and looks at the different options for uploading content.
Video Guide for Students (2023)
This video covers how Trinity College Dublin students can access and navigate Blackboard. Staff members might find it useful to watch this video to see how the service is presented to students.
Customising Your Module Image
In the new-look Blackboard, you can customise the image that appears in the Module List and homepage. Please check out our video for guidelines on how to create an effective image.
Technology-Enhanced Learning Webinar Series
Visit our Technology-Enhanced Webinar Series page to view upcoming sessions & recordings of previous webinars.
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Using the New Content Editor
This video guide covers how to use the new content editor in Blackboard to format text and upload content such as images.
Panopto (Video Hosting & Lecture Capture)
You can use Panopto to create video content for your students to support flexible and innovate teaching & learning approaches. You can use the Panopto tool within Blackboard to create, upload, edit and publish videos via desktop and mobile devices.
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Blackboard Exemplary Course Tours
This video playlist showcases some courses from around the world that have won or been nominated for the Blackboard Exemplary Course award in 2020. It gives some examples and inspiration for staff on how they might structure and design their own modules.
Blackboard Allyis being introduced as a new feature within the Trinity Blackboard Learn Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).This is a collaborative partnership between the Trinity Disability Service and IT Services to improve the accessibility of online content available to our student community. For information related to accessibility, please visit the Trinity Disability Service website.
Blackboard Ally analyses the academic content uploaded into the Trinity Blackboard VLE against accessibility standards and provides step-by-step guidance to academics on how to improve the accessibility of the content if needed. Blackboard Ally also provides alternative accessibility formats for any files you upload which students can access and download. This gives students the flexibility to use a format that suits their needs.
For module instructors, Blackboard Ally will grade the accessibility of content and provide advice on how to make the content you upload to Blackboard accessible for all your students. While it is not mandatory, we encourage you to improve the accessibility of your content regularly as it will benefit the student community.
The accessibility icons visible to yo as a module instructor are not visible to the students in their Blackboard view. If you are presenting to your students within Blackboard, it is recommended that you switch to the student preview mode within your module so the students don’t see the accessibility icons next to your content.
The Blackboard Help website provides a range of guides on how to improve the accessibility of your module content. When you upload new files or replace existing files, Blackboard may take a few minutes to process and add the accessibility score and alternative formats icons beside your files. You can also use the module accessibility reports (in the left-hand menu of your module, under Module Management, Module Tools) to review how your module meets accessibility standards overall.
Using Blackboard Ally is a key part of fulfilling College’s commitment to accessibility. Trinity is governed by a number of policies and guidelines, including at a national and international level, in relation to providing information in an accessible format:
- The Trinity Accessible Information Policy states that “information should be available in an accessible format, without discrimination against those with print disabilities.” Furthermore, section 4 of the policy states that “staff should be attentive to principles of accessible design when developing material.”
- Disability Act (2005), section 28 states that public bodies have a duty to ensure that “as far as practicable, written and oral communications be provided to the public in an accessible format.”
- EU Web Accessibility Directive (2016) stipulates that the websites and mobile apps must be accessible to all people, including persons with disabilities.
- United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Section 9 states that “States Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications.”
Information on creating accessible content is also available on the Trinity Inclusive Learning and the Creating Accessible Material pages and the Trinity-INC Explains: Blackboard Ally and Accessibility Video Playlist.
Please note: modules are referred to as courses in the Blackboard Help documentation.
Below are examples of some of the communication tools available to add to your Blackboard module once you have created your module structure and added your content.
There are some communication tools included in modules by default such as Module Messages that you can choose to use (or disable as needed). If you need advice on these tools, please .
Blackboard Collaborate Ultra (Webinars & Video Conferencing)
Blackboard Collaborate Ultra is a web conferencing program that lets you host virtual classrooms with your students and communicate with them via voice, video, lecture slides and text chat.
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Blogs in Blackboard
Blogs in Blackboard contain diary-style entries and allow students to write about and reflect on their experiences, prior and current. They also allow students to engage in peer learning as students can view and comment on each other's blogs.
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Journals in Blackboard
Journals in Blackboard allow students to write about and reflect on their experiences, prior and current. As a lecturer you can set up journals for your students in Blackboard, view students' journals, grade and provide comments on their posts.
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Forums in Blackboard
Discussion Forums in Blackboard provide a space for students to discuss topics. As a lecturer you can create a discussion forum in your module and also grade individual students on their contributions to the forum.
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Below are examples of some of the assessment tools available in Blackboard. We recommend you first create a dedicated folder (Content Area) in your module's left-hand menu and group all assessment links and related material in this folder so that students can more easily locate the assessed components of the module.
Turnitin
Online assignments allow you to provide detailed feedback to your students using annotations, rubrics, voice recordings and text. Turnitin, now integrated into Blackboard, offers a streamlined process for online assignments.
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Blackboard Assignments
Create assignments within Blackboard and provide feedback using rubrics and annotations. Blackboard assignments offer greater support for group submissions and delegated marking than Turnitin assignments but do not have as large a database for similarity reports.
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Online Tests
Support assessment practices with your students using frequent, low-stakes online tests in Blackboard or by implementing larger tests that incorporate question pools and randomise answers to increase academic integrity.
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Direct your students to the Student Help tab in Blackboard for student support; you can also check here to see what guides are available for students to help you develop your own instructions.
Guides are also available on Blackboard's official help website. Please note: Modules are referred to as Courses on the website & Trinity uses the 'Original Experience' version of Blackboard.
Contact: You can contact the Teaching & Learning IT team via itservicedesk@tcd.ie if you need any further information.
For more information on access and enrolment issues visit the IT Services VLE page.