Step 8: Course Materials
Introduction
This page is essential in finding your course materials for each week. Successfully accessing course materials is critical to your success in the course.
Locating Course Materials
To locate the Course Materials, click the Course Materials Link in the navigation, then click Course Materials in the Content Section.
In most classes at SSW, the Course Materials link will take you to the place where your instructor has placed slides, documents, readings, links, multimedia or other information for your class. Some instructors label these Course Content, rather than Course Materials.
The instructor has the ability to track what you access or do not access within your Blackboard course, so a best practice is to follow all directions and attend to all course learning directives carefully.
Blackboard Ally: Alternative Formats for Accessibility
As of Spring 2022, all SSW courses have Ally enabled by default, which means students have access to several different formats for most content items. Please review this page on Ally for Students to see how you can use and benefit from Ally. Note that Ally is enabled in the Blackboard course for this orientation, so you can see the functionality there.
Also of note: please review this page on Accessibility that discuss screen readers, including the latest versions of Mac OS and Windows that have built-in screen readers.
Library Reserves
Your instructor may have readings for you in HS/HSL Course Reserves. These are accessed after you first log in to Blackboard (on the Institution page) near the bottom under Helpful Links. Here is a direct link to Course Reserves (which requires a UMID login to access).
Reserves may not show up until after the first day or week of classes, as the library adds these on a first-come-first-served basis, and are often very busy processing these right up until classes start.
Exercise
Go into your Orientation course, and review the course material and practice exam. Also check out the Blackboard Ally logos and see how you can download alternative formats for content. You will see these next to not all content, but next to many content pieces, as an A with a downward arrow (see image below)
Once you have completed this exercise, please go to Step 9.