Large files, uploaded videos, and years of copied content can slow things down for both you and your students. In this session, we’ll explore practical strategies to right-size your Blackboard course such as improving performance, simplifying course management, and enhancing the student experience. From quick fixes to smarter design choices, you’ll learn what contributes to large course sizes, what to avoid, and how to streamline your content without sacrificing quality. You’ll leave with simple, actionable steps you can apply right away to make your course more efficient and easier for students to navigate.
Date: Monday, September 14, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
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Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2027
Time: 11:00 am - 12:00pm
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Looking for simple ways to save time, engage students, improve accessibility, or enhance your Blackboard course? Join Youngstown State Online for Tech Speed Dating, a fast-paced virtual event featuring a series of 15-minute technology demonstrations.
During each "tech match", you will meet a different Blackboard feature or supported instructional technology, see a practical teaching example, and learn one simple way to try it in your course.
Attend the entire event or join only for the demonstrations that interest you most. Each event will be offered twice—once in the morning and again in the afternoon—so you can choose the time that works best for your schedule.
See a tool you would like to know better? Choose your "second date" at the end of the event!
Explore four practical ways to make your Blackboard course more engaging and interactive. During this session, you will learn how to add quick knowledge checks within course content, create video announcements that strengthen instructor presence, use AI Conversations to give students a safe space to practice, and transform traditional course materials into interactive learning experiences. Each demonstration will provide a practical teaching example and a simple idea you can use in your own course.
Date: September 23, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 11:20 pm
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Date: September 23, 2026
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:20 pm
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Explore practical tools that can help you create assessments more efficiently and provide students with clearer, more meaningful feedback. During this session, you will learn how to personalize feedback using audio and video, engage students in the feedback process through FeedbackFruits Peer Review, use Blackboard’s AI Design Assistant to jump-start the creation of assessments and grading rubrics, and use Padlet to collect student responses, reflections, and ideas in an interactive format. Each demonstration will include a practical teaching example and one simple idea you can apply in your own course.
Date: October 21, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 11:20 pm
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Date: October 21, 2026
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:20 pm
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Explore practical tools and strategies for creating courses that are more accessible, personalized, efficient, and visually engaging. During this session, you will learn how to identify and address accessibility barriers with Blackboard Ally, guide students through personalized learning paths using release conditions, jump-start course content with Copilot, and create more polished, engaging materials with Blackboard Enhanced Documents. Each demonstration will include a practical teaching example and one simple idea you can apply in your own course.
Date: November 4, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 11:20 pm
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Date: November 4, 2026
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:20 pm
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Providing timely, constructive, and supportive feedback is essential to student success in online learning environments. This training will equip instructors and facilitators with the skills and strategies needed to deliver feedback that motivates learners, fosters improvement, and builds a positive online learning community.
Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
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This session will guide you through setting up your overall grade as well as verifying and customizing your grading schema to ensure it accurately reflects your syllabus. Additionally, you'll become familiar with the newly implemented workflow for submitting final grades to Banner. We'll walk you through all the necessary steps, from preparing your gradebook in Blackboard to successfully transmitting grades to Banner.
Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
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Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am
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Date: Friday, December 11, 2026
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
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