Introduction

This page is essential in finding your course modules and materials for each week. Successfully accessing course modules and materials is critical to your success in the course.

Difference Between Course Modules and Course Materials

Throughout your experience with the School of Social Work, you will see two terms (and possibly more) for this item. Those are Course Modules and Course Materials. The reason for the difference is that Instructors have the academic freedom to teach the course they are teaching in a manner they see fit, as long as CSWE Course Objectives and the Syllabus are followed. When the IDEA Team Prepares a Course Template for an Instructor, we use the term Course Modules. Our definition is as follows: This section contains the content for every week, session, or module of your course. The folder for each week or module contains learning outcomes, activities, and information about any discussions, application assignments, exams etc. that are due. Some instructors prefer to use Course Materials because they may not follow a traditional week or module approach to teaching. Often some instructors might use the term Course Content, Reading Materials, or Course Resources. For the avoidance of any doubt, in this exercise, we will exclusively use the term Course Modules. Whatever they are called, this set of content folders is essentially just that: folders full of files, powerpoint slides, PDFs, links, assignments, exams, or whatever your instructor wishes to put in them. This typically represents the heart of the content of your course. 

What is NOT in Course Modules or Materials? The Gradebook/Grade Center, Discussion Boards, links to resources for Tech Help or the HSHSL library, and usually the Syllabus are not in these folders, as they are located elsewhere in the left navigation bar. 

Locating Course Modules or Course Materials

To locate the Course Modules or Course Materials, navigate to the the Core Components group  section in the left navigation bar, then click  Course Modules (or Course Materials). 

Once Course Modules is clicked, you will likely see a week-by-week or module-by-module breakdown of the course requirements for that particular time period.

Once you click on a Module link, you will be given the steps and instructions for what to complete that week.

Blackboard Ally: Alternative Formats for Accessibility

All courses  have Blackboard Ally enabled by default, which means students have access to several different formats for most content items. Please review  the Blackboard Ally for Students page to see how you can use and benefit from Ally. 

Also of note: please review our Accessibility page  that discusses 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. 

Page Summary

On this page, you were guided on how to locate Course Modules within the Blackboard interface, ensuring you can easily navigate through weekly or module-based course requirements. Additionally, the page highlighted the accessibility features offered through Blackboard Ally, empowering you to access content in alternative formats to suit your needs. Lastly, you were informed about accessing course readings through Library Reserves, ensuring you have access to essential materials to support your learning journey.