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Blackboard and SoftChalk™ Desktop Integration Guide
Updated July 25, 2017
Contents
Introduction
Explore SoftChalk Cloud
Student Guide to SoftChalk Lessons
Check for SoftChalk Updates
In Blackboard: Edit Mode
Enter the Server Information
In Blackboard: Copy the Access Code
In SoftChalk Create: Paste the Access Code
In SoftChalk 7 or SoftChalk 6: Paste the Access Code
Scored Lessons
In SoftChalk: Save a ScoreCenter Lesson to Blackboard
In SoftChalk: Edit and Replace a ScoreCenter Lesson
In Blackboard: View or Change Scores for a ScoreCenter Lesson
In Blackboard: Edit the Options for a ScoreCenter Lesson
In Blackboard: Delete a ScoreCenter Lesson
In SoftChalk: Open or Download a ScoreCenter Lesson from Blackboard
Print or Email Scores
Non-Scored Lessons – Save to Blackboard
In SoftChalk: Save a Lesson to Blackboard
In SoftChalk: Edit and Replace a Lesson
In SoftChalk: Delete a Lesson
In SoftChalk: Open or Download a Lesson from Blackboard
Non-Scored Lessons - Package and Upload a Lesson
In SoftChalk: Package a Lesson
In Blackboard: Upload a Standard Zip File
In Blackboard: View Your Lesson
Revise a Lesson after It Has Been Uploaded into Blackboard
Link to a Discussion Forum within a Lesson
Help
Copyright Information
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*Note: On April 30, 2014 Blackboard switched from service pack upgrades to twice-yearly updates in April and October. We have discovered that there is currently an issue with publishing new SoftChalk content to this new version of Blackboard. Previously existing SoftChalk content is accessible. (If you are using SoftChalk Cloud hyperlinks or LTI links, your content should appear in the new update of Blackboard.)
This guide is designed for SoftChalk Desktop users who will upload SoftChalk lessons into Blackboard 9.1 versions. The URL for this guide (Blackboard and SoftChalk Desktop Integration Guide) is below. As we update this guide, the URL will remain the same.
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View all our guides at https://support.softchalk.com/FileMana
(If you have a SoftChalk Cloud account, we have a different guide for you; please see the next section Explore SoftChalk Cloud.)
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If you already have a SoftChalk Cloud account and use Blackboard, please see our Blackboard and SoftChalk Cloud Integration Guide at https:http://support.softchalk.com/FileManagAnchor
If you don't have a SoftChalk Cloud account, please feel free to explore the advantages of a SoftChalk Cloud account with a free 30-day trial at https://www.soft
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With a SoftChalk Cloud account, you can:
- Create interactive lessons with SoftChalk Create (the previous version was SoftChalk 7) and save your lessons on your local computer and/or into your SoftChalk Cloud account. By logging into your SoftChalk Cloud account, you can work on your lessons from anywhere.
- Update your lesson once in your SoftChalk Cloud account but link to it in many places. For example, if you are using the same SoftChalk lesson in multiple courses or multiple learning management systems, you can put the link of the lesson from SoftChalk Cloud into your courses. Since the lesson is linked, the update is automatic.
- Have student grades integrate with your Blackboard Results Center. You copy and paste a simple link called an LTI link into Blackboard. (Your Blackboard admin would need to configure your system for the LTI link to work with SoftChalk. This configuration usually takes 15 minutes to complete.)
- Save up to five versions of the same lesson in case you need to go back to a previous version of a lesson.
- Collaborate with other instructors on SoftChalk lessons.
- For more details about using SoftChalk Cloud, please see the SoftChalk
Cloud Guide and the previously mentioned Blackboard and SoftChalkAnchor _Hlt377041695 _Hlt377041695 Anchor _Hlt377041702 _Hlt377041702
Cloud Integration Guide.Anchor _Hlt377041703 _Hlt377041703
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We encourage you to have your students review our Student Guide to
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http://support.softchalk.com/FileManagement/Down
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Please emphasize the following information to your students, which is covered in the above guide.
IMPORTANT: If your lesson has QuizPopper items with a Check Answer button, please tell your students to click the Check Answer button for each question before clicking the Finish button (see below).
IMPORTANT: Please tell your students to click the Finish button at the end of their lesson to finish the lesson (see below). This Finish button does NOT appear when you preview your lesson on your local computer; it only appears when you save or publish your lesson into Blackboard in the ScoreCenter format.)
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If you have SoftChalk, you can get an update for the version you have, free of charge. For instance, if you have SoftChalk 8.02.01 you can get a free update to 8.03.08. (If you have difficulty getting an update for your SoftChalk version, you may need to contact a technical support person at your institution who has the access permission to install software and get updates.)
To check your version within SoftChalk, go to the Help menu at the top and choose About SoftChalk. To check for updates within SoftChalk, go to the Help menu at the top and choose Check for Updates. Notice there is a checkbox to automatically notify you of updates.
If you have SoftChalk 7 (or an earlier version) and you want to purchase our current version of SoftChalk, SoftChalk Create or SoftChalk Cloud (our cloud-based version of the software that also hosts your content), please contact sales@softchalk.com. As mentioned previously, the SoftChalk Create program (our content authoring program formerly known as SoftChalk 7) is part of a SoftChalk Cloud account.
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IMPORTANT: As you work through this guide, be sure to have the Edit Mode turned on within your Blackboard course. After you log into Blackboard and select a course, check the upper right corner of your screen to make sure the Edit Mode is on (see below).
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With SoftChalk 6, 7 and SoftChalk Create, you can save your SoftChalk lesson to Blackboard while you are in SoftChalk. Before you save your lesson to Blackboard, you need to enter your server information within SoftChalk to authenticate your access to Blackboard.
You only have to enter your server information one time for each computer that you use. (You do NOT have to do the steps below for each course; just each computer.)
IMPORTANT: Your Blackboard administrater must install a SoftChalk building block before you enter the server information. This SoftChalk Blackboard Building Block for Blackboard administrators is found on our website at http://support.soft
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If you cannot find the SoftChalk Publish with ScoreCenter link mentioned in the following steps, please contact your Blackboard administrator to have him/her install the SoftChalk Blackboard Building Block mentioned above.
If your Blackboard administrator chooses not to install this building block, then you can get a SoftChalk Cloud account and use hyperlinks in your lesson; please use our Blackboard and SoftChalk Cloud Integration Guide. Or you can upload .zip files to your Blackboard course – see the section Non-Scored Lessons - Package and Upload a Lesson.
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- Click the appropriate link for the version of SoftChalk that you are using (see below). (You may need to scroll down to find it.) If you do NOT see the SoftChalk Publish with ScoreCenter link, please contact your Blackboard administrator to install the SoftChalk Blackboard Building Block mentioned at the beginning of this section.
IMPORTANT: If you see the SoftChalk Publish with ScoreCenter link, click on that link.
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Saving your lesson to Blackboard in a ScoreCenter format allows you to have your student grades go directly into the Blackboard Results Center. This ScoreCenter format also allows you to: 1) determine which score attempt goes into the gradebook (first, most recent, average or highest) and 2) view detailed scoring information for individual students.
To use the ScoreCenter Format, you must have SoftChalk 6.05.08 or higher. (For details on SoftChalk updates, see the section Check for SoftChalk Updates.)
- If you have not already done so, please enter your server information into SoftChalk to authenticate you to your Blackboard server. See the section Enter the Server Information.
- Start SoftChalk if it is not already open. Open a lesson (File/Open) or start a new lesson (File/New) and save this lesson.
- IMPORTANT: Create scored quiz questions and/or activities within your SoftChalk lesson and assign points via the Options tab for each quiz question or activity.
- Choose File/Save to LMS (SoftChalk Create) or File/Publish Lesson (SoftChalk 7 or SoftChalk 6). For SoftChalk 7 or SoftChalk 6 users, the Publish tab at the top should be selected if you have entered server information. If you have more than one server, you may need to select your server from the dropdown menu at the top. Then click Connect (see below).
IMPORTANT: If you cannot connect, then you may need to check your access code. See the section Enter the Server Information.
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- At the left, select the ScoreCenter option (see below). Enter your item name, select your maximum number of attempts and your grading method. Then click Save (see below). Click Publish if you are a SoftChalk 6 and SoftChalk 7 user. IMPORTANT: If the ScoreCenter option is disabled, then please contact your Blackboard Administrator rather than SoftChalk. (A disabled ScoreCenter option indicates that the latest building block has not been installed or this building block has not been enabled), so the ScoreCenter feature is unavailable.
If your Save or Publish button is disabled, you have not selected a correct folder (eligible folder) for saving. For instance, you cannot save into a course folder such as Anatomy below, but you can save to the Content folder within the Anatomy course.
Notice the options for collecting scores:
Option | Description |
Visible | Determines whether the lesson is visible to the students. |
Maximum Attempts | Determines how many times the student can access the lesson. |
Scoring Option | Determines what score is recorded in the Blackboard Results Center. First – first scoreMost Recent – the last scoreAverage – average of all the scoresHighest – highest scoreIf you change your mind what score you want to see, you can make that change within Blackboard. See the section In Blackboard: Edit the Options for a ScoreCenter Lesson. |
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If you have SoftChalk 7 or SoftChalk Create, you can make text edits and replace a ScoreCenter lesson that you saved into Blackboard. See the steps below for replacing a lesson. IMPORTANT: We recommend that you only make text changes; if you make point changes for your activities or QuizPoppers, you may run into trouble with inconsistent scores or corrupt grades.
(If you have SoftChalk 6, you cannot replace a ScoreCenter lesson. You can delete the ScoreCenter lesson within Blackboard. Within Blackboard you can also the delete the gradebook column for the lesson if you need to start fresh.)
STEPS for SoftChalk Create and SoftChalk 7
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- Log into Blackboard and select your course.
- At the left under the Control Panel, click Results Center. Click Full Results Center.
- Scroll to the right to see the column for your lesson (see below).
- IMPORTANT: To view the scoring details (or change a score manually), move your cursor over a score and then click the dropdown arrow. Select an attempt to view (see below). Do NOT click on View Grade Details.
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- Make any edits you need within the ScoreCenter Grade Details window (see below). The Complete status indicates that the student clicked the Finish button on the last page of the lesson.
Notice that you can:
- Change the Score for the attempt
- Clear the Attempt
- Complete an Attempt - If a student neglects to click the Finish button at the end of the lesson, you can make the attempt complete so that it is calculated in the grading. (For example, your scoring option may be average or highest and completing an attempt may affect the grade for the lesson.)
- Complete All Attempts - Completing all attempts will mark every attempt for all learners as Complete and allow for the editing of grades.
- Feedback - Type feedback on the lesson that the student will see when viewing the grade for the lesson
Also notice that you can view the student's answer or score for each Activity, QuizPopper and Quiz Group in the lesson. To view just the Activities, click on the Activities tab. To view just the QuizPoppers, click on the QuizPoppers tab. To view just the Quiz Groups, click on the Quiz Groups tab.
To see responses for Essay questions see the next page.
- If you put an Essay QuizPopper in your lesson, you can view the response in the ScoreCenter as well (see below). IMPORTANT: Please note that you may want to change the score for the attempt based on the points that you assigned to an essay. In other words, you'll need to read and evaluate the essay to give the appropriate points. By default, a student receives 0 points for an essay with assigned points even if he or she completes the essay.
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IMPORTANT: You can edit the options for your ScoreCenter lesson even after students start taking the lesson. For instance, you can decide you want the highest score for each student appearing in the Results Center rather than the first score for each student.
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- Scroll to find the gradebook column that you want to delete. Click the arrow beside the column name and select Delete (see below).
- IMPORTANT: Be sure that you do not have any grades in this column before you click OK. (If you do have grades that you want to save, then copy them somewhere to enter them manually later.)
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The steps below allow you to open a ScoreCenter lesson to edit or download a ScoreCenter lesson to your local computer for editing.
IMPORTANT: Please be aware that if you choose to open and edit the lesson rather than download it, the changes will NOT apply to any lessons on your local computer. (When you choose Open – see the steps below, the lesson downloads to a temporary folder but that folder is deleted when you close SoftChalk.)
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- SoftChalk 7 or SoftChalk 6 Users – Click the + icons to navigate to your lesson. Click on your lesson. Then click either Open or Download (see below).
- If you chose Open, be sure when you save your lesson back to Blackboard, that you choose the ScoreCenter format.
- If you chose Download, then click Save to save the .zip file to your local computer (see below).
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- If you have not already done so, please enter your server information into SoftChalk to authenticate you to your Blackboard server. See the section Enter the Server Information.
- Start SoftChalk if it is not already open. Open a lesson (File/Open) or start a new lesson (File/New) and save this lesson.
- Choose File/Save to LMS (SoftChalk Create) or File/Publish Lesson (SoftChalk 7 or SoftChalk 6). For SoftChalk 7 or SoftChalk 6 users, the Publish tab at the top should be selected if you have entered server information. If you have more than one server, you may need to select your server from the dropdown menu at the top. Then click Connect (see below).
IMPORTANT: If you cannot connect, then you may need to check your access code. See the section Enter the Server Information.
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The steps below allow you to open a lesson to edit or download a lesson to your local computer for editing.
IMPORTANT: Please be aware that if you choose to open and edit the lesson rather than download it, the changes will NOT apply to any lessons on your local computer. (When you choose Open – see the steps below, the lesson downloads to a temporary folder but that folder is deleted when you close SoftChalk.)
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- Start SoftChalk if it is not already open. Open a lesson (File/Open) or start a new lesson (File/New) and save this lesson.
- Within your lesson, choose File/Package Lesson. Under Package type, choose Standard Zip. Under Track score using choose None (see below).
Within your lesson in SoftChalk 6 or lower, choose File/Package Lesson/Zip Format. (If this option is disabled, then save your lesson or open a lesson.)
- Your packaged file has your lesson name with a .zip extension. (If your file extensions are not showing, you will not see the .zip at the end of the filename. Look for a folder with a zipper icon with your lesson name.) If you have SoftChalk Create, by default this zip file is in you're My Documents area or wherever you chose to save it. If you have SoftChalk 7 or lower, this zip file is located within your lesson folder. Notice the eye_anatomy.zip file in the image below.
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(The following instructions assume you already have a forum set up under the Discussion Board.)
- IMPORTANT: Log into your Blackboard account as a student (rather than as the instructor).
- At the top of your screen, click the Courses tab.
- Within the Course List, click on your course to select it.
- On the left sidebar, select Tools.
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- Within the Tools area, select Discussion Board (see below).
- Right-click on the name of your forum and choose Copy Link Location (Firefox) or Copy shortcut (Internet Explorer) (see below).
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- Start SoftChalk and open your lesson.
- Select some text in your lesson.
- Choose Insert/Hyperlink.
- In the URL or Selected file area, use Ctrl+V to paste the link (or right-click and choose Paste.)
- Select Open the link in a new window. Click OK.
- Save your lesson.
IMPORTANT: The link will only work when you're in Blackboard (not if you preview your lesson on your local computer).
If you get an Access Denied Error, then you may have neglected to log in as a student. See step #1 above.
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