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The default My Sites box on your NILE homepage is an unhelpful, alphabetical mess. We attempted to alleviate a little bit of the ridiculousness by prefixing site titles with ’12/13′ last year so at least all your 12/13 sites will appear at the top of the box, but we have come up with a better solution! It’s called ‘Group by Term’ and you can enable it on your own NILE homepage by following these instructions.
Hover your mouse over the My Sites box and click on the cog icon at the top right:
In section 1 of that screen, tick the box next to ‘Group by Term‘:
So far, we have two Terms set up on NILE, one for the 12/13 academic year, and one for 13/14. You can specify which one(s) you would like to be displayed in your My Sites box (Show Term), and also whether you would like see the Term, by default, in its expanded or collapsed state (Expand Term) – click on the image to zoom in.
Choose whichever options you require, click Submit and you will see a better organised My Sites box:
Between July 21st 3pm BST and July 22nd 3am BST , NILE was upgraded to the latest version.
Northampton was previously on Blackboard 9.1 service pack 9 and is now on service pack 13.
Whilst during the academic year mainly security fixes are applied, annually we need to ensure that NILE is at the most stable version with the latest features to benefit staff and students. Our hosting contract provides us with at least 99.9% availability for NILE 365 days a year providing we ensure that we maintain our version.
The new version contains new functionality which will be of use to staff and students and ensure that NILE is maintained as an advanced virtual learning environment to maximise the student experience.
For more details on the main changes then please follow the links below. Major new features were included in service packs 10 and 12. Service pack 11 just included a number of minor improvements.
*SP 11 and 13 are maintenance service packs that included fixes and improvements to features introduced in Service Packs 10 and 12 respectively.
A list is available for those that wish to check browser compatibility with SP12.
A staff and student focus group were consulted on the changes which were introduced. If you would like to join this group then please contact Rob.Howe@northampton.ac.uk.
From the 8-10 April, 2013, three members of the LearnTech team presented papers at the European Blackboard Teaching and Learning conference. The annual conference allowed the team to network with teams from other institutions who also use Blackboard and ensure that Northampton was making best use of the technology available.
As with most large conferences, there were often multiple stands covering different areas available at the same time. These covered subjects such as the increasing use of mobile devices; Analytics; benchmarking of courses; quality of courses; product roadmaps; e-submission and marking techniques; and integration tips.
Adel Gordon teamed up with Pepijn Kalis of Blackboard to present a session on using rubrics to enhance and augment the marking process – their presentation, hosted on Slideshare, demonstrated a number of different approaches to the use of this tool.
Rob Howe presented a session which explained the audit process which was used to inform the development of NILE site templates. The Powerpoint (also on Slideshare) used an analogy of students finding content being similar to the problem of finding Wally in the “Where’s Wally” books.
During the final session of the conference, Rachel Maxwell was joined by Kardi Somerfield from Northampton Business School to present a session on how to develop engaging / sticky NILE sites which encourage students to return. The presentation built on the research conducted during an URB@N project to identify what students wanted from NILE areas.
All of the Northampton sessions were well attended and the feedback very positive. Subsequent requests for further follow up discussions with many of the European institutions which attended based on our presentations show the relevance of our work. For further details on any aspect of the conference please contact LTSupport@northampton.ac.uk
The LearnTech team have added a widget in the top right corner of the NILE screen to display the current time and date in the UK. This is to help overseas students to determine the correct deadlines to work to for online submission.
We have also added a box on the login page to notify users that the NILE and Turnitin services are (or are not) working normally. We will change the image to a red cross if there are any problems with either of the systems. At all other times a green tick will be displayed.
Released this week!
The new ‘My Library Account’ box embeds live library account information onto your NILE homepage. This information is updated in real time and will let you know what books you have borrowed, if you have any reservations waiting for collection and if you currently owe any fines. It will also let you link directly to your full Library account so that you can complete any further online transactions. We hope that this integration will help users keep up-to-date with their library borrowing and avoid any unnecessary fines or account problems.
Check it out next time you log into NILE.
On the 1st April the new module and programme / course NILE sites were created for the 2013/14 academic year.
These were based on the templates which have been discussed at the February and March University and School Student Experience Committees (SSECs).
As part of the preparations for populating the new NILE sites, module leaders are being contacted to provide details on any NILE sites which may be merged together to allow for easier administration. Support is also available to staff with regards to copying materials from previously used sites and setting up submission areas for students. A dedicated NILE Administrator is in post to assist with these tasks. Staff will still be required to be responsible for ensuring that material on the sites is current and correctly structured prior to their cohorts starting.
This case study talks about a Wiki in NILE which was used to help podiatry students select their undergraduate dissertation project.
The main aims of this pilot were to see if there was a more efficient way to allocate dissertation topics.
“Easiest thing I have ever used ! Didn’t even have to think twice about how to use it” Student Comment
Full Case study detail (case study, PDF 495KB)
All Student Comments (case study, PDF 324KB)
This blog posting has relevance for all iNorthampton users (Apple, Android and Blackberry)
iNorthampton has been updated on Apple devices to ensure that it is compatible with the iPhone 5 and IOS 6. This update has made a fundamental change to the way in which NILE is accessed through the app.
Following the update, when you click onto the springboard link for Bb NILE you will be directed to a second app called Blackboard Mobile Learn (if you do not already have this app then you will be prompted to download it). This is an updated version of the tool which was previously embedded in iNorthampton.
The benefits of using Blackboard Mobile Learn means that:
- NILE will format correctly on iPads
- There is an enhanced link to notifications and announcements on your device
- Ability for mobile formatted tests where appropriate
This change (in linking to Bb Mobile Learn) will be subsequently rolled out to Android users later in the year.
Changes to the way in which Blackberry users are supported
From April 30th, 2013 iNorthampton will cease to be supported as a Blackberry application. For more details on the reason for this – please see the Mobile Central Update. The advice for Blackberry users is to add a shortcut to iNorthampton from the home screen of your BlackBerry (add shortcut to home screen feature for Blackberry OS 6+). This will allow you to access Maps, Courses, News, Events, Library, Directory, Timetables and Get Help. In order to access NILE you should download Blackboard Mobile Learn for Blackberry
How do I add a shortcut to iNorthampton on BlackBerry?
- Visit m.northampton.ac.uk in your BlackBerry’s browser.
- From the BlackBerry Menu, select “Add to Homescreen”.
NILE is now integrated into the learning and teaching process at The University of Northampton and we need to ensure that it is being used effectively by staff in order to provide a quality student experience.
In January 2012, a framework was produced which covers the minimum standards which are expected on a NILE site. This was taken to University SEC on 1st March, 2012 and subsequently used as the basis for the new NILE templates which were developed for the 2012/13 academic year. As indicated by the communication sent out on 11th September, 2012, NILE sites will be reviewed against the checklist in the first instance to identify the range of content available to students.
The review, based on a series of standard questions, will feedback information to the module leaders regarding content which should be added to the site along with any action which is required to remove old material; duplicated menu buttons; or other items which may cause confusion to students.
The outputs of the review of NILE sites will be used to inform further planning regarding the use of modules guides and whether they are still required.
Initially the quality team will focus on a sample of modules from each School in discussion with the associate deans. However it is anticipated that all sites will eventually be checked. If there are any items which need clarification (such as which site is currently being used) then tutors may be contacted. A 5 minute rule has been implemented in that if material is not found within 5 minutes of looking for it then it will be classed as not present on the site.
This review will ensure that sites are meeting the foundation level of quality in the first instance. Further discussions are in progress to refine the content required to meet higher levels of standard.
The developmental work around the quality of NILE sites will enable the University to ‘develop systematic approaches to the use of the virtual learning environment across the University in the interests of parity of student learning opportunities’, a recommendation from the last QAA Institutional Audit in June 2009.
Should you require further information on this work then please contact either Lee Jones (x3001) or Rob Howe (x2483)
As previously described in the blog posting on linking NILE to the Student Record System, new NILE sites have been created for the 12/13 academic year and are ready to be used. You should now move content from your old sites to the newly coded areas. Please refer to the guidance or alternatively watch the DidiVid support video on our YouTube channel to assist you with the steps below:
- Find the “Manage Your NILE Sites” box on your NILE homepage following the above guidance [NOTE: From Spring 2014 the ‘Manage your NILE Sites’ box moved to the ‘Sites & Organisations’ tab]. If you are unable to see this box then please mail LTSupport@northampton.ac.uk
- Find the modules which you will be involved in during 12/13. Ensure you select the correct module which should have a course ID which describes the module, the session, and the year of activity (e.g. DRA1018-STD-1213). The name of the module will be prefixed with the year of activity (e.g. 12/13 Technologies for Performance)
- Add yourself to the module using this guidance or alternatively watch the DidiVid support video on our YouTube channel.
- Follow the guidance inside the module template to copy material from other sites as needed. The template should be used where possible to assist you to structure material and provide students with a consistent experience.
- Create additional material and links within the new module as needed
- Ensure that you remove the old / copied Turnitin links within the “Submit your work” areas and create new Turnitin areas.
- When you are satisfied that all content is in place then make the site live to students
- Students will be automatically added to the site as they are confirmed as enrolled (ENR status on the Student Record System – Provisional students are NOT automatically enrolled). If a student changes modules during the year then they will be added to the new site within 15 minutes of the change being made on QLS (Currently they will also remain on the old module until removed by the tutor).
Sites have also been created for courses/programmes in addition to the session specific modules, and you will see these when conducting the search in point 1 (above). If you wish to use course sites you have the choice of using either those which are broken down by the session (in the same way as the modules. e.g. CBDDRAMA-1FT-1213). Alternatively you may wish to only have one course site for the whole year regardless of the session variation (e.g. CBADRAMA-1213). Both types have been created and regardless of the option you choose, students will still be automatically added but will only see the site you are using once you have made it available to them. For the dual coded sites these will normally only contain the students who enrolled in that year. Hence CBADRAMA-1112 will only have the students who were enrolled in 2011 [Note: from Spring 2014 a new ‘Quick Actions’ widget on the ‘Sites and organisations’ tab allows you to release sites to students without having to go to the site itself].
You should be aware that due to differences in coding on the Student Record System it is possible the enrollment of students onto the dual coded course sites may not cover 100% of those actually taking the course. The way in which the script works is as follows :
If a student was enrolled onto a module which has a ‘1’ prefix in the session code in 2010 then they will be added to the 10/11 version of the dual coded course (eg CBAAACFIN-1011)
If a student was enrolled onto a module which has a ‘1’ prefix in the session code in 2011 then they will be added to the 11/12 version of the dual coded course. (eg CBAAACFIN-1112)
If a student was enrolled onto a module which has a ‘1’ prefix in the session code in 2012 then they will be added to the 12/13 version of the dual coded course (CBAAACFIN-1213)
If there is is a whole cluster of students who were previously on a module which did not have a ‘1’ prefix (e.g. DLMD) then please mail LTSupport@northampton.ac.uk and we can investigate for you.
This work complements some of the other changes happening over the summer and into the autumn. For an update on changes and updates then here’s the link
Frequently Asked Questions:
1) I seem to now have many variations of sites when I only had one last year – do I need all of these ?
NILE has now created one module site for each session which is stored on the Student Record system (QLS). Sessions have been used in many different ways on QLS – sometimes they signify different start dates and at other times they signify a module which runs in different locations or a different mode of delivery.
If you have sessions where the content AND assessment timescales are identical (perhaps where it is just the location which varies) then the Module Leader may opt to combine these on NILE by emailing LTSupport. They should remember that when combined – all communications will go to all of the students on the module unless otherwise specified.
If the session content is the same but the start dates / assessment timescales are different (e.g. Some students start in September and others start in February) then the sessions should be kept separate since the students will need different communications at different times and need separate assignment submission areas. You can copy material between modules if it is important to share updated material – email LTSupport if you need assistance on this.
2) The new template which are provided on the Course and Module areas are restrictive – Can I add to these or change the wording ?
The wording which now appears on the left side of the module templates was agreed by the Learning and Teaching Committee prior to the PSR and then re validated by the University Student Experience Committee (SEC) more recently. It is based on a clear module layout and wording which students have been requesting on feedback to NSS and ISS. The material which is proposed on the template forms the minimum standards for a NILE module and this will be quality checked later in 2012. Some staff may already be exceeding the content and layout which has been proposed and we would wish this continue……and ideally form the basis of exemplary sites to showcase to other staff. Any reduction in module content or significant change of wording from the basic template should be agreed by the SEC prior to student delivery. Many of the menu items such as “Submit your work” or “Reading List” must remain due to consistency throughout NILE.
If you need to clarify any of the above points then please mail LTSupport@northampton.ac.uk
