When you adapt your existing syllabus (or create a new one) for your online discussions, be sure to include course polices and rules of conduct written for online discussions. In addition, you should consider how other elements of your syllabus can be modified to take advantage of the Discussion Board.

Blackboard 6.1 has a built-in editor, which allows you to easily format your syllabus. It works much like Microsoft Word. For example, you can use the familiar toolbar buttons in this editor to change the font size and color, align, indent, italicize, bold, underline, along with the ability to add tables, number steps, and bulleted items. In addition, you can highlight text and link it to a Web site using the Hyperlink button. You can also spell check your syllabus by clicking the ABC button. For for additional details about using this built-in editor, click the help ? icon.

If you want to perform more advanced formatting tasks, you will need to use an HTML editor, such as Microsoft FrontPage (or PageMill for the Mac). HTML editors provide an easy and rapid way to create HTML code that can be uploaded and displayed in Blackboard. The following two sections provide step-by-step instructions for using FrontPage 2002 or Word 2002 to create and upload Blackboard documents.

Note: You can also use a standard Word file to display content in your Blackboard classroom. However, there are several disadvantages to this approach. First, a Word file only appears as a link, which must be clicked before opening to display the document. Aside from aesthetic concerns, this involves an extra step from just simply viewing a standard document. Second, depending on the size of the Word file, download time for the file can become a major factor, especially for students with dial-up Internet accounts. Finally, student must have Word on their computers (or the free Word viewer) installed on them to display a Word document.

Follow these steps (you may want to print this page for easy reference):

1. Open FrontPage 2002, click the Create a new normal page button in Standard tool bar
2. Copy your existing course syllabus into the new page and modify it to include your online course policies and rules of conduct (--or create a new syllabus from scratch in a new page).
3. To save your work, click the File command in the menu bar and then click the Save As command. When the Save As dialog box opens, use the Save in list box to select where you want to save the file, type a name for syllabus into the File name text box, and then click the Save button.
4. When you're done, click the HTML tab at the bottom of FrontPage to display the document's raw HTML code.
5. Click Edit on the FrontPage menu bar and click Select All to highlight the entire document. (Alternatively, you can right click anywhere in the document code and then click the Select All command from the pop-up menu).
6. Click Edit on the menu bar (You can also right-click on the selected text) and then click Copy.
7. Log into Blackboard.
8. Enter your online course and click the Control Panel button in the Navigation bar.
9. Click the Course Information option under Content Areas, then click the Add Item button. The Add Content form appears, with options for naming, editing, and uploading a document.
10. Click the Name list box and select Syllabus from the drop-down menu.
11. Click the HTML button in the toolbar of the editor. The HTML View window opens.
12. Right click in the HTML View window and then click Paste. The raw HTML code you copied from FrontPage will appear in the HTML View window. Click the Submit button. The Add Content form appears.
13. Leave the other options in this form set to default, scroll down, and then click the Submit button.
14. Your syllabus should now be visible in Blackboard, complete with the formatting and enhancements you made in FrontPage. Scroll down and click the OK button. (Note: If something looks different than expected, switch back to FrontPage, click the Normal tab at the bottom, make any necessary changes to the syllabus, and then repeat Steps 3-13).
15. Click the OK button to return to the Control Panel, click your course section number in the Navigation path at the top of your screen, and then click the Course Information button to view your syllabus the way students will see it. (Note: To re-label the Course Information button the Syllabus button, click the Manage Course Menu option under Course Options in the Control Panel, click the Modify button to the right of the Course Information title, click the Area Name list box, click the Syllabus option, and then scroll down and click the Submit button.)
16. Logout of Blackboard.
17. After saving any changes to your syllabus, exit from FrontPage.

1. Open Word 2002, with blank document showing.
2. Copy your existing course syllabus into the blank document and modify it to include your online course policies and rules of conduct (--or create a new syllabus from scratch in the blank document).
3. Save your file.
4. Log into Blackboard.
5. Enter your online classroom and click the Control Panel button in the Navigation bar.
6. Click the Course Information option under Content Areas, then click the Add Item button. The Add Content form appears, with options for naming and uploading a document.
7. Click the Namelist box and select Syllabus from the drop-down menu.
8. Right click inside the Text box and then click the Paste button second toolbar. Your syllabus appears.
9. Leave the other options in this form set to default, and scroll down and click the Submit button.
10. Your syllabus should now be visible in Blackboard, complete with the formatting and enhancements you made in Word. Scroll down and click the OK button. (Note: If something looks different than expected, click the Modify button and make any necessary changes using the built-in editor in Blackboard. Click the Submit button, when you finish). Tip: You can add attach files, insert images, and add audio and video using Blackboard's built-in editor. For for instructions, click help ? icon in built-in editor.
11. Click the OK button to return to the Control Panel, click your course section number in the Navigation path at the top of your screen, and then click the Course Information button to view your syllabus the way students will see it. (Note: To re-label the Course Information button the Syllabus button, click the Manage Course Menu option under Course Options in the Control Panel, click the Modify button to the right of the Course Information title, click the Area Name list box, click the Syllabus option, and then scroll down and click the Submit button.)
12. Logout of Blackboard.
13. Exit from Word.