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The PolyLearn user interface
is considerably different from Blackboard’s,
but it’s more intuitive and requires less clicking.
Blackboard’s interface relied solely
on the main course menu content areas for access to materials.
Course content could only be organized with folders,
and most content areas were unorganized
and confusing for students.
PolyLearn uses an interface designed
around the course topics or weekly lessons
covered through the duration of the course
to provide for better organization of the content.
Students will know exactly what course material
is required for reading or submitting
by locating the current or upcoming week or topic.
Blackboard used the Control Panel for access to editing features.
The few features that were actually used
were hidden amongst those that weren’t.
PolyLearn uses the Settings block for editing.
It’s a slimmed-down version of the Blackboard Control Panel
with only the most useful tools such as Grades,
a unified Users page,
and general course settings.
Blackboard required a back-door login
and a fake user account to see a course as a student would see it.
PolyLearn incorporates a
“Switch role to...” feature in the Settings block
that allows an instructor to instantly view
their course as a student would view it.
Editing in PolyLearn is also simpler than in Blackboard.
Where Blackboard required the instructor to enter an area
through the Control Panel or to click on the Edit View link
in each area,
PolyLearn only requires the instructor to click
the Turn editing on button
to edit any feature of the main course page.
In Blackboard,
material was added using the buttons and menu
on the action bar in each content area.
Blackboard used the Modify button
to change an item’s settings in the Edit View of a section.
In PolyLearn,
a more diverse array of content
can be added to each topic or week section
by using the Resource and Activity menus
at the bottom of each section.
When editing is turned on,
instructors can move, edit, delete,
hide, or duplicate content
right within the content area.
In Blackboard,
moving items within a content area or folder
was a time-consuming task requiring the use
of a ranking drop-down menu
within Blackboard’s Edit View.
In PolyLearn,
one can simply click on the Move icon
next to each item or block,
and then click on a new location
anywhere in the main course area to place it there.
You may have noticed that PolyLearn contains
several blocks on the right side of the screen -
some of which
have already been turned on by the PolyLearn administrator.
You can include additional blocks,
by clicking on the Add block pull-down menu
and selecting a block of your choice from the list.
Whereas in Blackboard, the Announcements page
was a good way to communicate course changes
and events to students,
such announcements were only viewable
on the actual Announcements page.
In PolyLearn,
the Latest news block appears to the right side
of almost every course page,
keeping students up-to-date
no matter where they are located in the course.
The Latest new block is also connected to the News Forum
that appears by default in every course shell.
Anything posted to this forum
will be visible to students
in the Latest news block as well.
Unlike Blackboard,
the course calendar is a central feature of PolyLearn
and appears as a block on the right side of the screen.
Activity due dates are automatically updated
on the course calendar,
giving students a clearer indication
of what’s coming due next in the course.
Activities like assignments, quizzes,
discussion forums, and surveys
were spread out in Blackboard and sometimes hard to find,
especially in courses that contained a lot of content.
PolyLearn simplifies the process of
locating all the Activities of a certain type
by organizing them within the Activities block.
In Blackboard,
email was sent from one of these pages,
and the email text box didn’t include an HTML editor.
The Quickmail block in PolyLearn
makes emailing class participants much easier
and includes an HTML editor.
The pages are more unified
and allow the instructor to quickly choose email
recipients and segregate them, if desired,
by role, groups, or individual users.
Additionally, instructors can view drafts
and email history, and even add large files as attachments.
In Blackboard,
the Glossary tool could only be updated by the instructor
and was seldom used.
The PolyLearn Glossary
can be updated by both instructors and students,
and can also serve as a mini database,
allowing students to add information to the course, if desired.
Glossary entries in PolyLearn
can be accompanied by pictures and video,
and can also be rated and commented upon.
Both Blackboard tests and surveys
were able to use questions from the Pool Manager
within Blackboard’s Control Panel.
PolyLearn uses a similar
feature called the Question bank.
Both PolyLearn Quizzes and Questionnaires
(PolyLearn’s name for Surveys)
can use questions that reside in the Question bank.
Another advantage to PolyLearn
is that an instructor can create
and edit questions much easier than in Blackboard,
and an instructor can preview
each question individually as a student would see it.
We hope that you will grow to appreciate the new features
that PolyLearn has to offer
and that you and your students will benefit from them.
For more information on PolyLearn’s features,
click on the Need Help? link on the PolyLearn course page
to view the PolyLean Support page.
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