Learning analytics in Blackboard

Posted on 19/05/202521/05/2025 by digitaleducation

Learning analytics examples of use
Student Activity Analytics

Assessment Analytics
Student’s experience
References

Learning analytics introduction

As described by Dietz-Uhler and Hurn (2016, p. 21,22): ‘Learning analytics can provide insights into what is happening with the learner in nearly real-time. Armed with this information, faculty can make suggestions to students that will help them succeed (Long & Siemens, 2011). For example, if a student has not read a discussion board post for a certain period of time, this may suggest to an instructor that the student needs an intervention or a nudge. Similarly, if a typically successful student suddenly performs poorly on an assignment, the instructor can intervene and seek to determine why the student performed poorly. Or, if a student repeatedly asks questions about the material or about course procedures, an instructor can examine usage data in an LMS and determine if, when, and how often the student has accessed the relevant LMS tools.’

Learning analytics can be a useful tool in supporting student engagement and retention. There are however some ethical considerations related to the use of learning analytics which include discussions around transparency, consent, choice, accountability, privacy and security (see, e.g., Slade and Prinsloo 2013; Pardo and Siemens 2014).

It is important to highlight that the analytics offered by Blackboard (as well as other tools) are purely indicative of the very specific metrics they report on and should not be used to make assumptions about the student. In line with The Open University’s policy on ethical use of learning analytics: ‘Students should not be wholly defined by their visible data or our interpretation of that data.’ (Open University Sep 2014, p. 8).

Blackboard Ultra offers a range of learning analytics which can be broadly categorised into Student Activity Analytics and Assessment Analytics.

Student Activity Analytics

Course Activity

The Course Activity is accessible via the Analytics tab and provide a high-level overview of the student engagement on the course which includes Missed Due Dates, Hours in Course and Days Since Last Access.

You can set Alerts to notify you when a student does not meet minimum criteria for online engagement.

Alert settings including 1) overall grade below or equal 2) number of missed due dates above or equal 3) days since last access above or equal.

Student Activity

If you click on the Analytics tab and then on a student’s name you will be able to access an overview of their individual activity on the course which includes their Marks, Progress and Activity log. You can also click on the Student Activity button in the top right corner to access more detailed analytics regarding the student’s activity per week (this is also accessible via Gradebook by clicking on a student’s name).

Student Progress

If Progress Tracking is enabled on your course, you can also see student engagement with it. To view progress of an individual, go to the Analytics tab, click on a student and go to the Progress tab. To see an overview of the entire cohort’s progression with individual items and sections, click on the three dots next to them and select Student Progress (this does not include assignments, tests, discussions and forms).

Assessment Analytics

Question Analysis

Go to the Analytics tab to find the Question Analysis functionality which provides analytics on Blackboard Assignments and Tests including statistics on overall performance, assessment quality and individual questions (this is also accessible via Gradebook by going to Markable Items and clicking on the three dots next to an item).

Question Analysis can also be accessed through the content area by clicking on the three dots next to a relevant item.

Screenshot of a test with the three dots menu open and the Question Analysis option highlighted.

Items Statistics

Go to Gradebook and access the Markable Items view, click on the three dots next to an item and choose Statistics to access Mark Statistics, Marking Status and Grade Distribution.

A view of the gradable items in Gradebook with the three dots More options menu open, showing the Statistics option.

Student Activity (with Assessment)

You can also access Student Activity overview for a specific assessment or test through the content area by clicking on the three dots next to a relevant item.

Screenshot of a test with the three dots menu open and the Student Activity button highlighted.

Students’ experience

As argued by Slade and Prinsloo (2013, p.1519), as opposed to students being producers or sources of data, ‘learning analytics should engage students as collaborators and not as mere recipients of interventions and services (Buchanan, 2011; Kruse & Pongsajapan, 2012)’.

Even though the analytics offered by Ultra are not visible to students, it is worth to consider how to involve students as co-interpreters of their own data which could promote its transparent use and support student self-regulation by helping them to monitor their own progress. We would like to encourage you to have an open discussion with your students on how you use analytics to support their learning.

Along with the Student Developers, working on the Blackboard Ultra transition project, we developed an infographic for students which explains what analytics are and how they can be used. The infographic is included in Student Guide to Blackboard accessible from each Blackboard unit.

References

Dietz, B.,. & Hurn, J.E.(2013). Using learning analytics to predict (and improve) student success: A faculty perspective. Journal of Interactive Online Learning. 12, 17-26.

Long, P., & Siemens, G. (2011, September/October). Penetrating the fog: Analytics in learning and education. EDUCAUSE Review, 46(5), 31-40.

Open University Oct. (2014). Ethics use of student data for learning analytics policy FAQs. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/students/charter/sites/www.open.ac.uk.students.charter/files/files/ecms/web-content/ethical-student-data-faq.pdf

Pardo, A., & Siemens, G. (2014). Ethical and privacy principles for learning analytics. British Journal of Educational Technology. 45 (3), 438-450. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12152

Slade, Sharon & Prinsloo, Paul. (2013). Learning Analytics Ethical Issues and Dilemmas. American Behavioral Scientist. 57. 1510-1529. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764213479366

Add interactivity to your Blackboard course

Posted on 09/05/202513/05/2025 by digitaleducation

Blackboard offers a variety of ways to add interactivity to your course. For example, you can add:

Blackboard activity types, such as Knowledge checks, Tests, Journals, Forms, Discussions, Conversations.
Activities and interactive resources from other recommended tools, such as H5P, Mentimeter, Padlet, Xerte.

Please ensure the activities you add are accessible.

Blackboard activity types

Knowledge check: a multiple choice question in a Document that can help students prepare for, or check their understanding of the content.
Test: a set of questions of various types, such as multiple choice or calculation questions. You can also create Question banks, to easily reuse questions. Tests can help students remember and practice content and help you identify misunderstandings or questions students may have or understand whether they have achieved some of the learning objectives. Tests can also be used for summative assessment.
Journal: a private space for students to reflect on the course, a project or their learning, either periodically or when an activity ends.
Form: a survey which can contain multiple choice, open ended and other types of questions. It can help you learn students’ questions about a topic, get feedback on sections of the course or see how students’ confidence develops.
Discussion: a space where students can discuss with each other a topic you suggest.
Conversation: a space where students can discuss or ask questions about a specific resource or activity.

Activities and interactive resources from other recommended tools

You can add activities and interactive resources from other recommended tools too. Examples include:

H5P enables you to easily create a variety of interactive resources, such as short quizzes for students to practice what they learned or branching scenarios to help them develop their critical and decision-making skills.
Padlet offers a colourful online board for posting comments, images, links, polls and recordings. It can be used for brainstorming, organising and sharing resources, as well as providing a first point of social contact for students or space for them to ask questions about a topic. It also allows instructors to create breakout links for groupwork so that each group can only access one portion of the Padlet.
Mentimeter is polling software that can be used to create live or asynchronous polls, quizzes, word clouds and activities. These can be embedded in Blackboard.

The recommended ways to add interactivity depend on the type, tool and location within the course.

Learning modules and Folders

You can add resources to Learning modules and Folders by opening them, going to the location you would like to add an activity and:

For Blackboard tools, such as Journals, Tests, and Forms, click + > Create then select the name of the tool.
For external tools integrated with Blackboard, such as H5P and Padlet, click + > Course Tools. You don’t have to know which tools are included in this category, you can browse them in the Course Tools list that appears when you select.
For other external publicly available resources, click + > Create > Web Link, add the URL and a meaningful Display Name and Description.

Blackboard course plus menu with the Create and Course Tools options highlighted.

Documents

You can add resources to a Document by opening it, going to the location you would like to add an activity and:

Add knowledge checks guidance.
To link to publicly available resources, copy the link, write descriptive text within a Content block in your Document, select it, click the Link icon, paste the link you copied and Save. Please ensure the websites the link goes to is secure.
Embed publicly available resources guidance.
You may be able to include resources from external tools integrated with Blackboard via + > Course Tools within the text editor, but please note that this doesn’t work well for all tools, so you may need to add them in a different way described above.

Learn more about interactive learning materials and tools that can help you add specific ABC learning types to your Blackboard course.

Start of Term Blackboard Course Checklist

Posted on 14/04/202513/05/2025 by digitaleducation

This checklist outlines good practices and practical steps that can help you ensure your Blackboard unit course is ready for the start of term. You can click on each item to see the rationale and, where needed, links to relevant resources and instructions.

Course Structure

The structure of my course follows the faculty template.

Why? This ensures that all units include the minimum required content, and that their layouts are easy to navigate and consistent across all the units that a student is taking.

See the template information included in the Guidance and Support for Staff section of your unit.

I populated the placeholder items in the different sections of my course and provided students with all essential information.

In Unit Introduction and Resources, students should be able to find:

Unit aims and learning outcomes.
Links to relevant programme/school information.
Key contacts and ways of communicating.
Guidance on how they are expected to engage with the Ultra course.

In Unit Assessment, students should be able to find:

Instructions on how to submit (a link to instructions for standard submission types will be provided in all units but additional details may be needed if a different submission type is used).
Assessment briefs (due dates, requirements, marking criteria, learning outcomes).
Information on how and when students can access their feedback.

Why? By providing this information you not only minimise the administrative workload related to student queries but also support student competency, self-regulation and increase their chances of success.

See the template information included in the Guidance and Support for Staff section of your course.

There is no empty or outdated content in my course.

Why? This means students won’t be confused or misinformed by incorrect or missing information. This is usually an issue when content was copied over from last year’s unit course.

Each section and item has a clear and descriptive title and a helpful description (if applicable).

Why? Clearly labelling each item can help students navigate your course more easily and support them in understanding the purpose of the content shared. The course search uses item titles to help students locate content.

All content is within a Learning Module, Folder or Document

Why? To maintain consistency and ease of navigation, files and other resources should be organised in Blackboard’s containers, and not be available at the top level of the course.

Teaching and Learning materials

I have used Ally to ensure the learning content is accessible.

Why? It is now a legal requirement to meet accessibility standards in online course pages. Making your content accessible improves the learning experience for everyone.

See Improve your course’s accessibility using Blackboard Ally.

Learning materials are broken down into manageable sections.

Why? This supports students in gradual knowledge acquisition and fosters an inclusive self-paced learning experience.

I embedded engaging interactive activities using appropriate tools.

Why? Facilitating active learning in online courses can increase engagement and help students to meet the learning outcomes.

See the Adding interactivity section of the Ultra Ready course.

All activities in my course are well-scaffolded.

This includes providing students with:

A clearly stated rationale for the activity, consistent with the intended learning outcomes.
Instructions on how to engage in the activity and what level of engagement is expected.
Prompts and exemplars where required.

Why? This helps students to feel competent in engaging with the activities you set up, which means they are more likely to meet the activity’s intended learning outcomes.

See Discussions in the Encouraging discussion and collaboration section of the Ultra Ready course.

Where possible my course uses a variety of formats to represent and convey information.

Why? Representing information in different ways supports diverse preferences and needs of students, and optimises their learning.

See the Universal Design for Learning guidelines.

Course Admin

The appropriate assessment submission types and settings have been configured with or by my school admin team.

Why? The different submission types and settings available can support the pedagogical design of your assessment. Assessment configuration is often bespoke to individual faculty or school requirements.

See Assessment Planning, Assessment Workflows and Blackboard Tests Workflow.

I know how to access and use analytics in my course.

Why? Learning analytics can be a useful tool in supporting student engagement and retention.

See Supporting Student Progression in the Bringing it all together section of the Ultra Ready course.

Final checks

I updated my profile on Blackboard.

Why? Seeing your photo and learning how to pronounce your name can make the interactions (especially initial ones) easier.

See the Profile guide on Blackboard support webpages.

I did not delete, rename or otherwise modify the Assessment, submission and feedback folder.

Why? This folder is essential for the integration between SITS and Blackboard used for submission points creation and marks transfer. Any changes to the folder will result in the integration not working.

See the How to Use this folder document in the Assessment, submission and feedback folder in your course.

I checked the course using student preview.

Why? Some content will display differently to students, so we recommend checking using student preview to view the course as a student.

See Checking what the course looks like to a student.

The content students need to see is visible to them.

Why? Some content in your course may be hidden by default. Once you’ve populated, created and checked it, you will need to make the content students need to see visible to them.

See how to show or hide items in Blackboard.

My unit course is available to students.

Why? Once you are ready with your course being released to students, you will need to make it available or ‘open’ to them.

Click Course Settings top right and under Course status, select Open.

Progress tracking in Blackboard

Posted on 03/04/202513/05/2025 by digitaleducation

Progress Tracking can help your students monitor their progression through the course. Both you and the student can see what content they reviewed, which can help you with keeping track of engagement and them with developing competency as a self-directed learner.

By default, Progress Tracking is turned on in all the unit courses. You can check it on the right-hand Details & Actions menu.

Details and actions menu with Progress Tracking highlighted.

Students will be able to mark items as complete and see a progress bar for learning modules. Each resource and activity such as Documents, Discussions and Links will count as one item on the progress bar.

You can see analytics for Progress Tracking by clicking on the three dots More Options icon next to an item and choosing Student Progress.

More Options menu with Student Progress highlighted.

From there, you can also see an overview of each student’s progress with all the content in the course by clicking on a student’s name.

The same ‘Progress’ view can be accessed via the Gradebook by clicking on the Gradebook tab on the top menu, choosing a student and going to the Progress tab.