Blackboard and SoftChalk™ Cloud Integration Guide Updated October 8, 2021 Contents
Introduction
Links to SoftChalk FAQs, System Specs and Guides
SoftChalk Cloud
Volume Purchase or Purchase Order
Enterprise SoftChalk Cloud
Individual Purchase on the SoftChalk Cloud Website
Trial SoftChalk Cloud Account
SoftChalk Lessons in Blackboard
Blackboard and SoftChalk Cloud Integration Guide Web Link
SoftChalk Cloud Users
Scored Lessons (Cloud Users)
ScoreCenter Overview
Class Average
Basic Procedures
Select the LTI link for a lesson using the SoftChalk Link Selector
Copy and Paste the LTI Link into Blackboard
Paste the LTI Link into Blackboard Ultra
Set the Scoring Method and Maximum Attempts
Preview the Lesson
View or Change Scores
Complete All Attempts for All Students for a Lesson
Essays
View Grades from LTI Lessons in the Blackboard Gradebook
Print or Email Scores
Non Scored Lessons (Cloud Users)
Select the Hyperlink for a lesson using the SoftChalk Link Selector
Paste the Hyperlink into Blackboard
Non Scored Lessons in Blackboard Ultra
View the Non-Scored Lesson
Edit a SoftChalk Cloud Lesson
Collaborate with Other Instructors on SoftChalk Lessons
Link to a Discussion Forum within a Lesson
In Blackboard: LTI Links and Course Copy
Blackboard Administrator
LTI 1.3 Tool Provider setup
Add a new LTI 1.3 tool provider
Manage placements
LTI 1.0/1.1 Tool Provider Setup
Troubleshooting
Help
Copyright Information
Introduction
This guide is for instructors who have SoftChalk Cloud accounts and covers linking to or uploading your SoftChalk lessons into the Blackboard learning management system.
Links to SoftChalk FAQs, System Specs and Guides
For your instructors, you may want to post the URLs for our guides (see below). As we update the guides, the URLs will remain the same.
Item |
Description and URL |
Search our FAQs |
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This web page lists the system specifications for instructors and students. |
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This FAQ provides steps for the Blackboard administrator to quickly set up LTI 1.3. |
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This FAQ provides steps for the Blackboard administrator to quickly set up LTI 1.1/1.0. |
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This Student Guide includes a Troubleshooting section. |
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SoftChalk Create is SoftChalk's content authoring program. It is available in both a web launch version (as part of a SoftChalk Cloud Account - see the section SoftChalk Cloud) and in a desktop version. |
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SoftChalk Cloud is an award-winning, multi-function platform that combines a learning object repository, content authoring, hosting and management features. https://softchalk.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/129404604/cloudguide.pdf?api=v2 |
SoftChalk Cloud
As mentioned in the previous table, SoftChal k C loud is an award-winning, multi-function platform that combines a learning object repository, content authoring and hosting and management features.
With a SoftCh alk C loud account, you can:
- Create and update your content in one place by logging into your SoftChalk Cloud account whether you are at work or at home. (SoftChal k Create is part of your Cloud account.)
- Link to your content in many places.
- Search for content in SoftChalk Share (SoftChalk Cloud's public content repository) and add it directly to your lessons. You can modify the content you find with a SoftChalk Cloud account.
- Collaborate with other instructors on SoftChalk lessons. For more details, see the section Collaborate with Other Instructors on SoftChalk Lessons in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.
- Collect scores using the SoftChalk ScoreCenter Feature. Grades from your SoftChalk lessons can appear within the gradebook of your learning management system.
Volume Purchase or Purchase Order
To take advantage of volume purchasing (or if you plan to purchase a SoftChalk Cloud account with a purchase order), please contact sal es@softchalk.com.
Enterprise SoftChalk Cloud
Your institution also has the option to purchase an Enterprise SoftChalk Cloud. Please contact sales@s oftchalk.com
Individual Purchase on the SoftChalk Cloud Website
A SoftChalk Cloud account is available as a yearly subscription. You can purchase a SoftChalk Cloud account on our Buy Now page. Fill out the information and submit your credit card information.
Trial SoftChalk Cloud Account
Try out a SoftChalk Cloud account for 30 days. Click the Free Trial button (see below) and fill out the information.
SoftChalk Lessons in Blackboard
If you are a SoftChalk Cloud user, please see the section SoftChalk Cloud Users.
(If you only have the desktop version of SoftChalk Create, please see our Blackboard and SoftChalk Desktop Integration Guide.)
If you are a Blackboard administrator, see the section Blackboard Administrator for instructions on enabling your LTI feature to work with SoftChalk Cloud. (The LTI feature allows an instructor to copy and paste an LTI link for his/her SoftChalk Cloud lesson and have the student scores for that lesson go directly into the Blackboard gradebook.)
Blackboard and SoftChalk Cloud Integration Guide Web Link
Please note the URL below for this guide. As we update this guide, this URL will remain the same. https://softchalk.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/121929729/lms_blackboardcloud.pdf?api=v2
SoftChalk Cloud Users
Use a SoftChalk C loud account to save your lesson in the Cloud (see the section SoftChalk Cloud). Then you will paste a link to this lesson in Blackboard. You can update your content in SoftChalk Cloud and all your link(s) will reflect your changes. (You can link to the same lesson in multiple sections or courses.)
Before pasting a link to your lesson into Blackboard, you will want to decide if you want to collect scores from your students or if you want your lessons to be "practice" lessons and you don't need to collect scores. (For each lesson you can decide whether or not to collect scores. Many instructors use both "scored" and "practice" lessons within a course.) For details on:
- Scored lessons, see the section Scored Lessons. (While your preferred method would probably be to collect student scores in the Blackboard gradebook, you can also collect emails from students and have students print certificates. See the section Print or Email Scores.)
- If you plan to copy a course with LTI links, see the section In Blackboard: LTI Links and Course Copy.
- Non scored lessons, see the section Non Scored Lessons.
Scored Lessons (Cloud Users)
ScoreCenter Overview
When you view your SoftChalk lesson scores within the Blackboard gradebook, you are using a SoftChalk feature called the ScoreCenter. In other words, you click on the name for your lesson in the assignments area of Blackboard and you see the SoftChalk ScoreCenter interface but all the scores are also "plugged into" the Blackboard gradebook. (In Blackboard, students will also see their grades from SoftChalk lessons as well.)
IMPORTANT: To use the ScoreCenter feature, your Blackboard administrator needs to configure your system to use this feature. See the section Blackboard Administrator.
With the ScoreCenter feature, you can:
- Determine which score is the grade for the student (i.e. first, highest, most recent or average score). (Attempts for all scores are viewable.)
- Determine how many times a student can go into a lesson (unlimited times or a specific number of times).
- Get detailed scoring information for individual students (i.e. what a student did on an activity and or quiz items).
- Change scores.
- Update your lesson in one place (SoftChalk Cloud) and link to it in multiple sections or courses.
Class Average
At the top of the ScoreCenter, you will see a 'Class average' summary of all learners attempts on the lesson. This summary will include:
- the total number of Learners
- a visual representation of scores obtained
- the overall lesson high and low scores obtained
- total score possible
- Scoring Method and Max Attempts settings for the lesson
The next section will display the total number of attempts that have been made on the lesson. This section will also list Average Score and Class Percentage for the overall lesson and for each scored Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group in the lesson.
At the top, click to identify which Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group was scored in the column. The tooltip will also display the 'Question' and 'Possible Answers' for Quiz Poppers and Quiz Group questions. Each interactive will display the average score and class percentage of correct responses as well as if the 'Allow Retry' option was enabled, offering Learners another chance at the interactive to improve the score.
Learners that have accessed the lesson will display listed at the bottom of ScoreCenter. Quickly see the number of attempts the Learner made, attempt score, and details of their attempt.
An asterisk next to score helps to easily identify scores made on a previous version of the lesson.
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The Learner made the correct answer choice and obtained full credit for the Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group. |
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The Learner made the incorrect answer choice and did not obtain any score for the Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group. |
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The Learner obtained a partial score for the Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group by making correct and incorrect answer selections. |
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The Learner did not make or 'Complete' an attempt on the Activity, Quiz Popper, or Quiz Group. |
Basic Procedures
IMPORTANT: Within your lesson in SoftChalk Create, be sure to assign points to each QuizPopper and Activity. (In the main editing window of your SoftChalk lesson, right-click on the QuizPopper or Activity and choose Modify QuizPopper or Modify Activity to assign points.)
To have your student scores appear within the Blackboard gradebook area (i.e. ScoreCenter interface), you need to:
- Save your lesson into your SoftChalk Cloud account (see the section Save a Lesson or Course to the Cloud in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide).
- If the SoftChalk Link Selector has been enabled, you can use the SoftChalk Link Selector tool to quickly select your lesson directly from your SoftChalk Cloud account.
See the section Select the LTI link for a lesson using the SoftChalk Link Selector below)
If the SoftChalk Link Selector has not been enabled, then you will need to
-
- Copy the LTI Link for this lesson (see the section Copy the LTI Link for Your Lesson in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide). IMPORTANT: Be sure to copy the LTI Link and NOT the Hyperlink for the lesson.
- Paste this LTI Link into the Content area in Blackboard (see the section Paste the LTI Link into Blackboard).
- Set the Scoring Method and Maximum Attempts for each lesson (see the section Set the Scoring Method and Maximum Attempts).
- View or change your students' scores (see the section View or Change Scores).
- If you plan to collect and/or score essays, see the section Essays.
Select the LTI link for a lesson using the SoftChalk Link Selector
- Log into your Blackboard account. At the top of your screen, click the Courses tab.
- Within the Course List, click on your course to select it.
- Under the Build Content menu, select SoftChalk Cloud Link Selector (see below).
- Expand the lesson folders of your SoftChalk Cloud account and select your lesson.
- Then choose LTI Link and Select.
- The lesson is then inserted within the Course as a new assignment.
- Click on the arrow icon next to the assignment title to adjust the assignment point value to match the points available within the lesson.
- Scroll down and click Submit.
Copy and Paste the LTI Link into Blackboard
- After copying the LTI Link for your lesson (see the section Copy the LTI Link for Your Lesson in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.), log into your Blackboard account. At the top of your screen, click the Courses tab.
IMPORTANT: As mentioned previously, be sure to copy the LTI Link and NOT the Hyperlink for the lesson.
- Within the Course List, click on your course to select it.
- At the top left, select Content (see below).
- Under the Build Content menu, select Web Link (see below). (If you don't see the menu below, be sure to turn on your Edit Mode in the upper right hand corner of your screen.)
- Enter a name for your lesson and for the URL paste the LTI hyperlink (see below). (Notice that lti is included in the path that you pasted.)
IMPORTANT: Be sure to select This link is to a Tool Provider. Leave the Tool Provider XML field blank.
- For Enable Evaluation, select Yes. Enter the points possible for your SoftChalk lesson. (The value does not have to be 100, but it should match the number of points for your lesson.) For Visible to Students, select Yes (see below).
- Under Description, you can enter a description if you like.
IMPORTANT: We have identified a few Blackboard errors that occur with certain formatting in the description area. Please click on a link below to see the FAQ explaining the error:
- Under Standard Options, for Permit Users to View this Content, leave Yes selected.
- Scroll to the bottom and click Submit (see below).
Paste the LTI Link into Blackboard Ultra
- After copying the LTI Link for your lesson (see the section Copy the LTI Link for Your Lesson in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.), log into your Blackboard account. At the top of your screen, click the Courses tab.
- Within the Course List, click on your course to select it.
- In the Blackboard Ultra course, click the icon to add a new item and then select Create from the list of options.
- Select Teaching tools with LTI connection.
- Enter a name for your lesson.
- Use the drop-down menu to make the lesson Visible to students.
- For Configuration URL, paste the LTI hyperlink (see below). (Notice that scorecenter/lti is included in the path that you pasted.)
- Select Create gradebook entry for this item.
IMPORTANT: A 24-hour default Due date will automatically appear. You can remove or edit the default date/time.
- For Grade using, select Points. At Maximum points, enter the points possible for your SoftChalk lesson. (The value does not have to be 100, but it should match the number of points for your lesson.)
- Under Description, you can enter a description if you like.
IMPORTANT: We have identified a few Blackboard errors that occur with certain formatting in the description area. Please click on a link below to see the FAQ explaining the error:
- Scroll to the bottom and click Save (see below).
IMPORTANT: Be sure to see the next section Set the Scoring Method and Maximum Attempts
Set the Scoring Method and Maximum Attempts
You will need to set the scoring method (i.e. first attempt, most recent attempt, average attempt or highest attempt) and the maximum attempts allowed (unlimited or a specific number of attempts).
All the student attempts will be collected, and you can view all the attempts for each student for each lesson. You can change the scoring method and maximum attempts at any point. If you want to allow your students only one attempt for the lesson, you need to set that option right away.
- Log into your Blackboard account and choose your course from the Courses dropdown menu at the top. At the top left, select Content.
- Click on name of your lesson (see below).
- The SoftChalk ScoreCenter screen appears. Use the Actions drop-down menu to select Change Scoring Method.
- Select a scoring method from the drop-down menu and be sure to click Save changes (see below).
- At the SoftChalk ScoreCenter screen, use the Actions drop-down menu to select Change Maximum Attempts.
- Select the number of maximum attempts from the drop-down menu and be sure to click Save changes (see below).
Preview the Lesson
To test the lesson, you need to be logged into your course as an enrolled student or impersonate an enrolled student in the course.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to LOG OUT of your SoftCh alk Cloud account when you are taking your lesson as a student to test the ScoreCenter feature. If you are logged into your SoftChalk Cloud account while logged into Blackboard and taking a lesson, then the scores won't be recorded. Using the SoftChalk Link Selector to add your SoftChalk lessons to your course will automatically log you into your SoftChalk Cloud account. If you have exited your browser, you may still be logged into SoftChalk Cloud, so please go to SoftChalk Cloud and see if you are logged in.
View or Change Scores
- Log into your Blackboard account and choose your course from the Courses dropdown menu at the top. At the top left, select Content.
- Click on name of your lesson (see below).
- T he SoftChalk ScoreCenter screen appears. Click on a specific learner's name to display a dropdown menu of the student's attempts.
A quick check of the Status icons helps to identify learner attempts that successfully completed the attempt by clicking on the Finish button on the last page.
- Completed attempts have the Status icon. The learner successfully completed the lesson by clicking on the Finish button.
- An incomplete attempt displays an icon. This indicates the learner began an attempt, but did not 'Complete' the attempt by clicking the Finish button on the last page. IMPORTANT: Instructors can manually 'Complete' individual and/or all incomplete attempts using the Actions menu. See the section Complete All Attempts for All Students for a Lesson below.
- Click on an attempt to see additional attempt data (see below).
Notice you can use the attempt drop-down menu to switch views between the available learner attempts.
- Activity, QuizPopper, and Quiz Groups in the lesson will be listed at the bottom. The icons let instructors quickly know if the learner received full, partial, or no points for their attempt at each Activity, QuizPopper, and Quiz Group question.
- If you need to change the score for an attempt, use the Actions menu to select Change Score from the dropdown.
- Enter a new score and click Change Score (see below). IMPORTANT: An attempt has to be complete before you can change the score.
- Notice that you also have the option to Clear an attempt (see below). If you clear an attempt, it will not count as part of the grade calculation. If needed, you can also Restore the attempt.
- Notice that you also have the option to Complete an attempt (see below). If a student starts a lesson but neglects to click the Finish button at the end of the lesson, then that attempt is incomplete. An incomplete attempt does not count as part of the grade calculation. You can cause the attempt to be completed so that the score for the attempt is part of the grade calculation.
Be sure to click Complete Attempt.
Complete All Attempts for All Students for a Lesson
You have the option to complete all attempts for all students for a lesson. You may find that your students have neglected to complete their attempts (i.e. they have neglected to click Finish on the last page of the lesson – clicking Finish sends a completion status to the gradebook).
IMPORTANT: You may want to do this procedure after the availability of your lesson has expired.
IMPORTANT: This procedure cannot be undone. (You can change individual scores or re-open individual attempts if you need to.)
- Log into your Blackboard account and choose your course.
- Go to the area where you have your content or assignments.
- Click on the name of your lesson.
- Use the Actions drop-down menu to select Complete All Attempts.
Essays
If you use essays in your lesson, you can view the essays within the ScoreCenter area (see the previous section View or Change Scores). Please note the following important information.
- In SoftChalk C reate, insert an essay (Insert/QuizPopper/Essay) and assign points to the essay. (Assigning points is optional.)
- Remind your students to click Finish for each essay (see below).
You can modify the score for the lesson based on the points you decide to give to the essay. For example, you may have a lesson worth 100 points including one essay worth 10 points. (You assigned the points for the essay and other items.) Let's say a student completes everything correctly, completes the essay, clicks the Finish button for the essay and then clicks the Finish button on the last page of the lesson to submit his or her score. At this stage, the student has a score of 90 out of 100 because you will need to evaluate the essay and assign points.
IMPORTANT: Essays that you have assigned points to must be manually scored for each student's attempt. Please read the important information below:
You can go into the gradebook (i.e. ScoreCenter), click on a Learner's name, and evaluate the essay. Then modify the score for the lesson using the Actions Change Score menu. You may want to provide feedback to the student on the essay by clicking the Give Feedback button within the Actions menu.
(You may want to explain the above process to your students; as mentioned, you also have the option to assign 0 points to an essay if you like.)
View Grades from LTI Lessons in the Blackboard Gradebook
If you go to the Gradebook area in Blackboard, you can see that the scores from your lessons (using the LTI Link and external tool – see the previous sections Paste the LTI Link into Blackboard and Set the Scoring Method and Maximum Attempts) appear in your Blackboard Gradebook. (If you want to view or change scores for individual student attempts, see the section View or Change Scores.)
IMPORTANT: As previously mentioned, be sure to LOG OUT of your Soft C halk Cloud account when you are taking your lesson as a student to test the ScoreCenter feature. (If you are logged into your SoftCha lk Cloud account while logged into Blackboard and taking a lesson, then the scores won't be recorded.)
- Log into your Blackboard account.
- At the top of your screen, click the Courses tab.
- Within the Course List, click on your course to select it.
- At the left of your screen under Course Management, select Results Center and Full Results Center (see below).
- View your students' results (see below). IMPORTANT: If you want to change the grade or change your scoring method (most recent score, first score, etc.), please see the section Set the Scoring Method and Maximum Number of Attempts.
Print or Email Scores
We recommend the use of the ScoreCenter feature mentioned previously (see the section ScoreCenter Overview) to collect scores but if you want to have students print certificates or email you their scores, please see the basic steps below:
- Create scored quiz questions and/or activities within your SoftChalk lesson and assign points for each quiz question or activity.
- Add the email feature within your SoftChalk lesson. For SoftChalk Create, choose Properties/Lesson Certificates.
- Make the appropriate selections under Properties/Lesson Certificates.
- On the last page of your lesson within the web browser (e.g. Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari), is an area for students to type their name or identifier and then click Email Score, Print Certificate and/or Print Score Summary. (You can preview your lesson on your local computer to see how this works.)
- For more details, please search on Options for Tracking Scores within the SoftChalk Create Guide.
With the email option, you will get an email from each student for each attempt the student made for the lesson. As mentioned previously, we recommend the use of the Scor eCenter feature as you won't have to manage individual emails.
Non Scored Lessons (Cloud Users)
This section explains how to have your students access "practice" SoftChalk lessons. In other words, you don't plan to collect student scores from these lessons. [You can have items that have points assigned to them within your lesson, but if you want to collect the scores, see the section Scored Lessons (Cloud Users).]
Select the Hyperlink for a lesson using the SoftChalk Link Selector
- Log into your Blackboard account. At the top of your screen, click the Courses tab.
- Within the Course List, click on your course to select it.
- Under the Build Content menu, select SoftChalk Cloud Link Selector (see below).
- Expand the lesson folders of your SoftChalk Cloud account and select your lesson.
- Then choose Hyperlink and Select.
- The lesson is then inserted within the Course as a new assignment.
- Click on the arrow icon next to the assignment title to adjust the assignment point value to match the points available within the lesson.
- Scroll down and click Submit.
Paste the Hyperlink into Blackboard
- Save your SoftChalk lesson to your SoftChalk Cloud account. See the section Save a Lesson to the Cloud in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.
- Copy the Hyperlink (NOT the LTI Link) for your lesson. See the section Copy the Hyperlink for Your Lesson in the SoftChalk Clou d Guide.
- Log into your Blackboard account.
- At the top of your screen, click the Courses tab.
- Within the Course List, click on your course to select it.
- At the top left, select Content (see below). In case you don't see the left panel below, click the expand arrow or at the left of the screen to see the panel.
- Under the Build Content menu, select Web Link or URL (older service packs) (see below). (If you don't see the menu below, be sure to turn on your Edit Mode in the upper right hand corner of your screen.)
- Type a name for your Lesson. Paste the hyperlink you copied from your lesson in SoftChalk Cloud into the URL area. Leave the checkbox de-selected. (see below). (Again, be sure to copy and paste the hyperlink and NOT the LTI hyperlink.) (see below).
- Scroll to the bottom and click Submit (see below).
Non Scored Lessons in Blackboard Ultra
- Save your SoftChalk lesson to your SoftChalk Cloud account. See the section Save a Lesson to the Cloud in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.
- Copy the Hyperlink (NOT the LTI Link) for your lesson. See the section Copy the Hyperlink for Your Lesson in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.
- Log into your Blackboard account.
- At the top of your screen, click the Courses tab.
- Within the Course List, click on your course to select it.
- In the Blackboard Ultra course, click the icon to add a new item and then select Create from the list of options.
- Select Link.
- Enter a name for your lesson.
- Use the drop-down menu to make the lesson Visible to students.
- For Link URL, paste the hyperlink (see below).
- Under Description, you can enter a description if you like.
- Scroll to the bottom and click Save (see below).
IMPORTANT: Be sure to see the next section Set the Scoring Method and Maximum Attempts
View the Non-Scored Lesson
- If you are not already there, go into a course and select the Content area where you put your hyperlink to your SoftChalk lesson (see below).
- If necessary, turn editing off by clicking on the Edit Mode button in the upper right corner of your screen Then click on the link for your lesson (see above).
Edit a SoftChalk Cloud Lesson
If you used the LTI Link or Hyperlink to your SoftChalk Cloud lesson, then you can easily edit your lesson within your SoftChalk Cloud account. (You don't have to paste in a new LTI Link or Hyperlink; simply edit your current lesson in SoftChalk Cloud and the LTI Link or Hyperlink for this lesson will still work.)
IMPORTANT: If you edit a lesson that has scored items and you have pasted an LTI Link for this lesson into Blackboard, we recommend the scoring for your lesson remain the same if students have started taking this lesson.
- Log into your SoftChalk Cloud account.
- Click My Content/Lessons.
- Open the folder that contains your lesson. Click on the name of your lesson.
- Scroll down to the bottom right under Lesson Actions and click Edit Lesson/Edit Lesson in SoftChalk Create.
- Make changes and choose File/Save to SoftChalk Cloud. (If you click the Save icon, you are saving your lesson temporarily to your local computer.)
- Double-check that you lesson is selected in the file tree at the right. Click Save. Click OK at the screen saying your item will be replaced. Click OK at the screen saying your lesson was saved to SoftChalk Cloud. Click Close. Choose File/Quit if you want to quit SoftChalk Create. (For more details on editing, see the section Edit a Lesson in the SoftChalk Clo ud Guide.)
- Your lessons will be automatically updated with any changes in all linked instances within Blackboard.
Collaborate with Other Instructors on SoftChalk Lessons
You can collaborate with other instructors to create your SoftChalk lessons using a SoftChalk Cloud account (or a trial SoftChalk Cloud account). Within SoftChalk Create, you can publish your lesson to your SoftChalk Cloud account. Another instructor [also using SoftChalk Create and a SoftChalk Cloud account (or a trial SoftChalk Cloud account)] can access and edit the lesson you published.
IMPORTANT: Simultaneous work in the same lesson is not supported. In other words, one person should be working on the lesson at a time. (If two or more people are making changes to the same lesson at the same time and saving the lesson to the Cloud, they may end up overwriting each other's changes.)
For more details, see the section Collaborate with Other Instructors on SoftChalk Lessons in the SoftChalk Cloud Guide.
Link to a Discussion Forum within a Lesson
(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.
- 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).
- 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.)
- 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.
In Blackboard: LTI Links and Course Copy
When copying a course that has LTI links in Blackboard, be sure to select the Results Center Columns and Settings option (see below). (To copy a course in Blackboard, log into Blackboard and select the course you want to copy. At the left, choose Packages and Utilities/Course Copy.)
(Otherwise, there are no Blackboard gradebook columns for the LTI links. Scores from LTI lessons would not pass to the Blackboard gradebook unless the Results Center Columns and Settings option is selected before the course copy.)
Blackboard Administrator
The steps below are for your Blackboard administrator to enable the LTI/ScoreCenter feature for your Blackboard server. For details on the LTI/ScoreCenter feature, see the section Scored Lessons (Cloud Users).
LTI 1.3 Tool Provider setup
Add a new LTI 1.3 tool provider
- From the Administrator Panel, select LTI Tool Providers.
- Select Register LTI 1.3/Advantage Tool.
- In the Client ID field, enter the Application ID: 7b8a1975-96b9-4981-ac38-1c0dfe3e32eb
- Select Submit.
You're brought to a page that displays the application's configuration settings from the Developer Portal. These values are read-only and can't be changed within Blackboard Learn. The Institution Policies section pulls preferences from the Global Properties. You can manage settings for the individual provider here. Any choices you make for the individual provider override the Global Properties.
- Set the Tool Status to Approved.
- Institution Policies should be set to send the Role in Course and Name.
- Allow Grade Services should be set to Yes.
- Membership Services and User Acknowledgement Message can be set to No.
- Select Submit to register the tool.
- You'll receive a 'Deployment ID' for your LMS instance.
- Finally, send an email to help@softchalk.com with the subject line Blackboard LTI 1.3 Registration and provide the Blackboard system URL and the 'Deployment ID'; we will perform the final registration to enable the Tool Provider's connection with SoftChalk ScoreCenter.
Manage placements
- From the LTI Tool Providers page, open the SoftChalk Cloud – LTI 1.3 tool's menu and select Manage Placements.
- Select Create Placement.
- Type a Label. This is the name that appears to users in a course; we suggest using SoftChalk Cloud Link Selector.
- Type a Handle. Because this becomes the database entry, it must be unique and can only contain alphanumeric, underscore, or dash characters; we suggest SCLinkSelect.
- To make the placement available, select Yes.
- Set the Type as a Deep Linking content tool.
- Leave the option to Launch in New Window deselected.
- Fill in the Target Link URI with: https://www.softchalkcloud.com/lti/content
- Select Submit.
IMPORTANT: Once you have created the LTI 1.3 SoftChalk Tool Provider, you do not want to delete the tool provider.
If the LTI 1.3 Tool Provider is deleted and re-created in the LMS, a new key/secret is generated. Since the key/secret is different, all content published using the prior key/secret will break. Faculty will need to re-create the assignments.
LTI 1.0/1.1 Tool Provider Setup
As a Blackboard administrator to use the ScoreCenter feature, you need to register with SoftChalk and configure the ScoreCenter for your system.
If you have a test server that is a different physical server from your production server, you'll need to register each server separately.
- To register with SoftChalk for a consumer key and secret, if you have not registered with SoftChalk for a consumer key and secret (or you cannot find your previous key and secret), please contact help@softchalk.com and provide the following information to register with SoftChalk and receive authentication credentials (i.e. an OAuth Consumer Key and an OAuth Consumer Secret). If you have a test server and a production server, you may send us two LMS URLs and we will register both of them. (You will receive a separate email with a unique key and secret for each registered URL.)
- Your institution name
- LMS URL
- First Name (optional) of the person registering with us
- Last Name (optional) of the person registering with us
- Email for this registration (the email can be a specific person's email or a generic email such as lmsadmin@myinstitution.edu)
- It is okay to use a different key and secret for your LTI configuration from your SoftChalk Publish with ScoreCenter building block. IMPORTANT: Please keep the SAME key and secret once you have started collecting scores for your LTI configuration or SoftChalk Publish with ScoreCenter building block.
- After registering, you will receive an email from SoftChalk with information to enter into your Blackboard system (see the steps below).
- Log into Blackboard. Click System Admin tab. Under the Building Blocks area, click Building Blocks.
- Click LTI Tool Providers.
- Click Register Provider Domain (see below).
- For the Provider Domain, enter www.softchalkcloud.com (see below).
- For the Default Configuration, select Set globally (otherwise instructors would have to enter the key and secret information). Paste in the Key and Secret information that you received in an email when you registered with SoftChalk (see below).
- For the Organization Policies section, select Send user data only over SSL and choose the Constituency in Course and Name options for User Fields to Send (see below).
- Click Submit (see below).
- Select Manage Global Properties (see below).
- For Feature Availability, make the following selections including Allow configured tool providers to post grade (see below).
- Click Submit (see below). IMPORTANT: Be sure to see the next steps on setting the LTI tool to Always On.
- Click the Administrator Panel link at the top left of your screen (see below).
- Under Tools and Utilities, select Tools (see below).
- Scroll down to LTI and select Always on for every item (see below).
- Later service packs may have an On/Off feature. Be sure On is selected under Availability for each item (see below). (You want On to be set for new and existing classes, courses and organizations.)
- Scroll to the top or bottom of your page and click Submit (see below).
- Check that the LTI tool is available in all courses. Click your System Admin tab if it is not already selected. From the Administrator Panel, under Courses select Course Settings (see below).
- Click Course Tools (see below).
- Scroll down to view the LTI tool and make sure it is turned on and the lock appears as closed (see below).
- Scroll to the top or bottom of your page and click Submit (see below).
- Test the LTI integration by uploading a lesson and taking it as a student. See the section Scored Lessons.
IMPORTANT: If you get the error message Error Submitting to ScoreCenter and your test server is NOT available to the public, then you probably have a firewall issue. Please see our FAQ I think my institution has a firewall that is preventing me from saving content to SoftChalk Cloud. What should I do?
IMPORTANT: If multiple students will be using the same computer, please ask students to close their browser before logging into Blackboard. Otherwise, a score may be recorded to the wrong student.
- If individual students report that they do not see the Finish button at the end of their lesson or the Finish button is disabled, see the Troubleshooting section of the Student Guide to SoftChalk Lessons. Test an LTI Link to see that grades go into the Blackboard gradebook by following the steps in the section Scored Lessons (Cloud Users). IMPORTANT: As previously mentioned, be sure to LOG OUT of your SoftCha lk Cloud account when you are taking your lesson as a student to test the ScoreCenter feature. (If you are logged into your SoftCh alk Cloud account while logged into Blackboard and taking a lesson, then the scores won't be recorded.)
- If you plan to copy courses that have LTI links, be sure to see the section In Blackboard: LTI Links and Course Copy.
Troubleshooting
Issue |
Description/Resolution |
I am the Blackboard administrator. The SoftChalk Link Selector does NOT appear under the 'Build Content' menu. How can I enable the SoftChalk Link Selector? |
Please see the LTI 1.3 Tool Provider setup section of the Blackboard and SoftChalk Cloud Integration Guide and send the 'Deployment ID' and your LMS URL to help@softchalk.com. |
I am the Blackboard administrator. The SoftChalk Link Selector appears under the 'Build Content' menu. Once the SoftChalk Link Selector is clicked, I receive a 404 error. What could be wrong? |
SoftChalk may need to finalize the LTI 1.3 integration. Please send SoftChalk support the 'Deployment ID' and your LMS URL at help@softchalk.com. |
I am the Blackboard administrator. The SoftChalk Link Selector is not available in all courses. How do I enable the SoftChalk Link Selector for all courses? |
Confirm LTI settings apply to 'existing and new' courses.
|
I am the instructor. I used the SoftChalk Link Selector to add my lesson, but scores are not collected in ScoreCenter or Blackboard gradebook. What could be wrong? |
When using the SoftChalk Link Selector Submission Type, be sure to select LTI to add your SoftChalk lesson. Selecting the Hyperlink will not capture scores in ScoreCenter or the Blackboard gradebook. |
I am the instructor. I don't see a 'Finish' button on the last page. What should I do? |
When testing scored LTI linked lessons in an LMS to confirm the gradebook connectivity, there are a couple of things to be aware of as the Cloud account owner/course instructor:
|
Some students report they do not see a 'Finish' button on the last page. What can I do? |
If there is a record for a student's attempt in ScoreCenter, the course instructor can 'Complete' a student's attempt and push the score to the grade book. |
A student's name is not listed in ScoreCenter. What should I do? |
If a student is not showing in the ScoreCenter gradebook, their submissions to ScoreCenter did not come across and SoftChalk does not have a record of their work. |
Some students receive an Empty Attempt ID error when accessing the lesson. What should I do? |
This error is intended to display when there is an issue detected during the LTI launch, a missing Attempt ID value, which would prevent the student from successfully completing the ScoreCenter attempt and posting a score to the LMS gradebook.
|
I am an instructor. I receive an error message when accessing my SoftChalk assignment in Blackboard. What could be wrong? |
We have identified a few Blackboard errors that occur with certain formatting in the description area. Please click on a link below to see the FAQ explaining the error: |
Help
Please visit our SoftChalk Support webpage. For purchase information, please contact sales@softchalk.com.
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