Effective Date: December 1, 2008
Date of Latest Revision: November 3, 2009
Contact: Information Technology Services (ITS), Director, Academic Technology Services
STATEMENT OF TERMS OF USE
The Blackboard Learning Management System ("Blackboard") is a web-based course management system designed to supplement New York University ("NYU") courses. The primary mission is to enhance teaching and learning for academic courses by providing a course site which instructors and students can access. Only secondarily does Blackboard support administrative groups an extracurricular activities. Blackboard has been in use by NYU since 2001 and is for use by NYU Schools, divisions, or departments. Access is limited to authorized persons, is for approved purposes only, and requires an active NYU ID.
Each Blackboard user, as a user of NYU's computing services, must comply with all federal, New York State, local, and other applicable law; all University rules and policies, including the Policy on Responsible Use of NYU Computers and Data, the Responsibilities of All NYU Computer, Data, and Network Users, and the World Wide Web Policies and Procedures, found at http://www.NYU.edu/its/policies, and the Statement of Policy on Intellectual Property; all applicable contracts and licenses; and these Terms of Use. NYU reserves the right to change, at any time, at its sole discretion, the provisions of the Blackboard system and these Terms of Use.
Features
Blackboard Academic Suite Release 8.0 currently is being run. For a full list of tools and features included in the Blackboard system, see the following Ask ITS article (http://www.nyu.edu/cgi-bin/its/askits/bbkbasedetail.pl?doc=2266).
Support and Availability
The ITS Blackboard Implementation Team is primarily responsible for the system as a whole. Individual Schools, divisions, or departments may provide support for technical or pedagogic purposes, and sometimes may be granted certain system privileges.
Support for NYU's Blackboard implementation is maintained by ITS and is available online at http://www.NYU.edu/its/blackboard. ITS also provides support and training through a variety of means, including phone, e-mail, and in-person.
Content Ownership
Content posted on Blackboard by a member of the faculty or a student belongs to that individual subject to the normative rights and obligations in the academic community as these are expressed in University rules and regulations.
All materials posted on Blackboard or other courseware must comply with federal copyright law and NYU's Policy on Photocopying Copyrighted Materials. For example, content which would require the copyright owner's permission and remission of royalties when used in a printed coursepack would also require permission and remission of royalties when posted on Blackboard. Thus, the posting of a coursepack on Blackboard violates copyright law, but durable links to library journals would comply. For further information on Blackboard use and copyright, see http://www.NYU.edu/about/copyright.html .
Archive and Retention
Blackboard sites will be retained on the system for a specific length of time to be determined by the ITS Implementation Team. For academic sites, the current time is four (4) semesters; for non-academic sites, the current time is one calendar year with review each January. After this period, Blackboard sites will be archived. Blackboard Instructors may request restoration of their archived Blackboard site. See the Course Retention and Retrieval sections below.
Access
Access to Blackboard is limited to authorized persons, is for approved purposes only, and requires an active NYU ID. However, links to tools outside of Blackboard, such as blogs, wikis, and other services intended to make content available in the public domain, may result in material and personal identifiers displayed in the public domain.
Only faculty, administrative or staff members or their designees may request initiation of a Blackboard site. Initiation of a Blackboard site usually entails designation of specific roles that govern access levels in individual Blackboard sites, as detailed.
- Blackboard Instructor
Blackboard Instructors have full authority over their Blackboard site and can control availability of the site and, therefore, access to the site by other members. - Blackboard Student
The Blackboard Student role is limited to viewing course material and submitting their own work as enabled by their Blackboard course site Instructor.
Blackboard sites for academic courses with course ID numbers recognized by the University Registrar are activated through the online Course Request Form (http://www.NYU.edu/blackboard/request/).
ITS will work to make the upcoming semester available as an option on the Course Request Form's semester pull-down list within approximately one week from the beginning of general registration, as listed on the University Registrar's Academic Calendar. (see: http://www.nyu.edu/registrar/calendars/academic-calendar.html)
"General registration," refers to the registration date listed for "Undergraduates, and the rest of the Graduate and Diploma students."
This date will also mark the beginning of student enrollment and roster information from Albert and SIS becoming available in Blackboard course sites that have been activated through completing the Course Request Form.
In general, requests to activate academic course sites in Blackboard ahead of this date cannot be accommodated.
Course Retention and Retrieval
- Duration for maintaining live course sites
ITS will retain four semesters including the current semester of Blackboard course sites live on the system. For example, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Summer 2010, and Fall 2010 count as four semesters. The two Summer sessions will count as one semester. After four semesters, course sites will be removed from the live system. - Accessing live course sites
Course sites for the current and upcoming semesters will appear under 'Current' in the Blackboard Courses channel under the Academic tab of NYUHome. All other course sites will appear under 'Past'. Courses will move to 'Past' approximately two weeks after the "Final Grades Deadline" listed for that semester on the University Calendar (see: http://www.NYU.edu/registrar/calendars/university-calendar.html). - Removal of course sites from the live system
Two weeks after the Final Grades Deadline for the current semester, ITS will attempt to make a FULL ARCHIVE of all course sites that are four or more semesters old. A Full Archive preserves that site AS IT EXISTS AT THE TIME OF ARCHIVE with all content and user associated data including student submissions and grades.
In rare cases, the full course site can not be archived successfully in which case ITS will attempt to make a CONTENT ONLY archive. A Content Only archive preserves all content AS IT EXISTS AT THE TIME OF ARCHIVE without any user-associated data such as student submissions and grades. Once the course has been archived successfully by either of these two methods, the course will be REMOVED from the live system.
NOTE: While it is not possible to anticipate when a FULL ARCHIVE will or will not be successful, use of the "Course Health Check" tool on an individual basis by course instructors, may increase the likelihood of a successful FULL ARCHIVE. The Course Health Check tool is available in each course site's Control Panel. Instructions for using the Course health Check tool are available online: (see: http://www.NYU.edu/cgi-bin/its/askits/bbkbasedetail.pl?doc=2264) - Course site removal schedule
The conclusion of the semester is two weeks after the "Final Grades Deadline" listed for that semester on the University Calendar. For example, two weeks after grades are due for the Fall 2010 semester, course content from the Fall 2009 semester and earlier will be archived and the sites will be removed from the system. - Retrieving removed course site archives
After a course has been archived and removed, those with the Instructor role in that particular course may request that an archive be retrieved and that they be provided access. Retrieval requests made by Students and TAs cannot be accommodated. Archive retrieval requests can be made on the Blackboard Ask ITS Contact Form by selecting the 'Restore Archived Course Site' option in the "Type of Help Required" menu (see: http://www.NYU.edu/its/askits/contactus/ ). Please be sure to include the course id number for the course being retrieved. Requests may take up to five business days to process.
In the case of a full course archive, the course will be restored to the live system and accessed in NYUHome through the 'Past' tab. When a full course archive was not possible, the content-only archive will be delivered as an 'archive' or .zip package with instructions on how to open the package and upload the content into a live course. - Investigations
In rare instances, ITS can perform investigations into user-submitted data for current and/or past courses. These requests require written authorization from the Dean's office of the requesting school. ITS CANNOT make guarantees as to the potential success or time frame of any investigation. - Student and faculty individual responsibilities
As a reminder, Blackboard is not the University's system of record for student grades or submissions. Students are individually responsible for maintaining their own submissions and records outside of Blackboard. Faculty also may want to maintain records outside of Blackboard for safekeeping of important material, such as grades on students’ individual assignments that might be found in the Blackboard Grade Center.
Use of NYU Blackboard for Administrative, Extracurricular, or Organizational Purposes
While the primary mission of NYU Blackboard is to enhance teaching and learning for academic courses, NYU Blackboard also can be used in support of organizational purposes, such as administrative groups, extracurricular functions, or course supplementation activities, for members of the NYU Community.
Any site on NYU Blackboard that is not tied to a bona fide course ID number recognized by one of the university registrars, and therefore not created automatically on NYU Blackboard based on university semester course offerings, is thus considered an "Organizational Site" and is governed by different terms of use.
- Requesting an Organizational Site
Organizational site requests are available to university faculty, TA's, staff, and administrators only. Requests for organizational sites are not available to students. Students who would like to utilize an organizational site must have a faculty or staff sponsor. In order to be processed, each organizational site request must include a site name, and the names and NetIDs of both primary and secondary site owners. - Responsibilities of the Primary and Secondary Site Owners
In short, the responsibilities of the primary and secondary site owners are to complete all necessary site management tasks throughout the longevity of the site. These include: 2.1) Completing the original request through the Ask ITS Contact Us form; 2.2) Completing the yearly Organizational Site Renewal Process; 2.3) Managing all user enrollment and user removal; and 2.4) Providing general oversight for the use of the site.
2.1) Completing the original request through the "Ask ITS Contact Us" form
A separate request using the online Ask ITS Contact Us form (https://www.nyu.edu/its/askits/contactus/ ) must be completed for each organizational site. Each request must include the following information: - Sandbox Sites
Sandbox sites are available to individuals to use as practice sites - for training purposes or as staging sites to prepare for a live course site - and are treated as regular organizational sites. The sole difference is that sandbox sites are assigned to individuals and, therefore, require only a primary site owner. Sandbox sites also can be renewed indefinitely throughout the yearly organizational site renewal process. - Exceptions
Global on-boarding sites are technically organizational sites, but are handled differently through a special process established jointly by NYU Global Programs and ITS.
A. For Subject: select "NYU Blackboard"
B. For Role: select your role (Faculty, Teaching Assistant, or Administrator)
C. For Course ID: type "Other"
D. For Type of Help Required: select "Request Organizational Site"
In the other boxes that appear on the form please indicate:
E. Name of Organizational Site: Choose a name for the site that will be clear and descriptive. [Note: The site ID (similar to course ID) will be designated by the Blackboard Service Management Team with the format: three-letter school abbreviation; department abbreviation; title abbreviation. ex. CAS-Hist-FacultyInfo].
F. Primary Site Owner: Full Name; NetID; Email Address
G. Secondary Site Owner: Full Name; NetID; Email AddressAfter receiving the request, the organizational site will be created on the NYU Blackboard system generally within five business days with the Site Name specified in the request and the primary and secondary site owners enrolled as site "Instructors." Each organizational site is also assigned a unique site ID with the format: three-letter school abbreviation; department abbreviation; title abbreviation (ex. CAS.Hist.FacultyInfo). Please note the Blackboard Service Management Team maintains a record of site ID, site title, and the information provided for both primary and secondary site owners.
2.2) Completing the yearly Organizational Site Renewal Process Once a year, the Blackboard Service Management Team contacts the primary and secondary site owners to renew use of the site. The renewal process will give the primary and secondary site owners an opportunity to confirm that the site is still in use (or that it is no longer in use) and to amend the primary and secondary site owners.
The Organizational Site Renewal Process will begin each year during the Fall semester in the 4th week of November. The deadline for receiving all Organizational Site Renewal confirmations will be during the 4th week of January. ALL ORGANIZATIONAL SITE RENEWAL CONFIRMATIONS NOT RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE WILL BE CLASSIFIED AS INACTIVE AND, THEREFORE, CANDIDATES FOR ARCHIVE AND REMOVAL.
The Organizational Site Renewal Process will be conducted via email. Both the primary and secondary site owners will be contacted - ONLY ONE NEED REPLY. If replies are received from both the primary and secondary site owner, the information supplied by the primary site owner will take precedence. If a response is received only from the secondary site owner, the information supplied by the secondary site owner will be used.
Those sites for which a reply has been received indicating that the site is still in use will be maintained live on the NYU Blackboard system until the following year's renewal process. Organizational sites can remain on NYU Blackboard indefinitely, providing a timely response to the yearly renewal process is received.
Those sites for which a reply is received indicating that the site is "no longer in use," and those sites for which no response is received, will be candidates for archive and removal. After completion of the Organizational Site Renewal Process, the Blackboard Service Management Team will attempt to make a full archive of the site and then remove it from the system. Archives of organizational sites will be maintained for a period of two years, after which they may be deleted at the discretion of the Blackboard Service Management Team. Primary and secondary site owners have sole authority to request that an archive be retrieved and restored to the system for access. Archive retrieval requests can be made on the Blackboard Ask ITS Contact Us Form by selecting the "Restore Archived Course Site" option in the "Type of Help Required" menu (see: http://www.NYU.edu/its/askits/contactus/ ). Please be sure to include the ID number of the site being retrieved. Requests may take up to five business days to process.2.3) Managing all user enrollment and user removal
Because organizational sites are created on an ad hoc basis, meaning that there is no pre-defined source of user or site information that is integrated into NYU Blackboard, ALL USER MANAGEMENT INCLUDING ENROLLMENTS AND REMOVALS ARE THE EXPRESSED RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SITE OWNERS. The Blackboard Service Management Team cannot participate in user management activities for individual organizational sites.
All user management for organizational sites can be accomplished through the "Control Panel" for the site. Adding multiple users at once through bulk or "batch" enrollment is possible based on user NetID using the 'Add Users by Role' tool. For more information on using the "Add Users by Role" tool see the following Ask ITS article: http://www.nyu.edu/cgi-bin/its/askits/bbkbasedetail.pl?doc=221
Additionally, setting users to "Unavailable" instead of removing them from a site is recommended. For more information on setting a user to "Unavailable" using Properties in "List/Modify Users," see the following Ask ITS article: http://www.nyu.edu/cgibin/its/askits/bbkbasedetail.pl?doc=205
For large user enrollment needs (1000+), site owners can contact the Blackboard Service Management Team for additional assistance.
2.4) Providing general oversight for the use of the site
The primary and secondary site owners must ensure that the intended use of the organizational site is in compliance with all federal, New York State, local, and other applicable law; all University rules and policies, including the Policy on Responsible Use of NYU Computers and Data, the Responsibilities of All NYU Computer, Data, and Network Users, and the World Wide Web Policies and Procedures, found at http://www.NYU.edu/its/policies.
It is also recommended that the primary and secondary site owners take chief responsibility for decisions of site design, tool use, and content display.
Requests for New Functionality in Blackboard
The Blackboard Service Management Team will process requests for changes to the NYU Blackboard system, such as bug fixes, service enhancements, and new functionality requests, that are submitted through the Ask ITS Contact Us form (https://www.nyu.edu/its/askits/contactus/ ). When submitting such requests, it is important to select "NYU Blackboard" from the 'Subject' menu, the appropriate service area from the 'Type of Help Required' menu, and enter the words "Change Request" in the text box.
ITS will accept requests for new functionality in Blackboard (via the AskITS Help Form - https://www.nyu.edu/its/askits/contactus/ ) during the year up until the middle of the Spring semester each year. All requests will be compiled and the list will be sent to various groups including the Blackboard Steering Committee, the office of the CITO and various groups in NYU schools for short-listing. When the short-list is created, research and evaluation of the final functionality will be undertaken through the rest of the Spring and Summer semesters in preparation for deploying the new functionality before the start of the Fall semester.
Vendor Released Service Updates include Version Upgrades, Service Pack Updates, individual bug fixes, Blackboard Known Issue resolutions, and other software changes that require installation of vendor updates. These changes will be made on a yearly basis and rolled out in preparation for either the Fall or the Spring semester.
NYU Blackboard Help
General Information: http://www.NYU.edu/blackboard/
Blackboard AskITS: http://www.NYU.edu/blackboard/help/
Help Request Form: http://www.NYU.edu/its/askits/contactus/
Phone: 212-998-3333 (Client Services Center; M-F: 8am-midnight, Sa-Su: noonmidnight)
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