Creating and editing announcements
Learn how to write and edit announcements as part of your course communication.
Written by Liam Squires
Updated at June 5th, 2024
Table of Contents
Introduction
As course instructors, there are often times when we need to communicate important and often time-sensitive information related to their course.
For example:
- Due date changes
- Changes to your syllabus
- Corrections to previously shared information
- Test or exam schedules
Announcements are an effective way to accomplish this and offer flexibility in how they can be used.
🖥️ Video Tutorial
🗺️ Text Instructions
Process:
- Create
- Set options
- Finish (save, edit, and post)
1. Create
To create a new announcement, follow these four steps.
- Navigate to the Announcements area under the Details and Actions Menu (on the Content Screen)
- Click the plus (+) icon in the top-right corner.
- Give your announcement a title. This should be succinct and informative.
- Write the message. Use the text area to create the content you want to share.
2. Set options.
Depending on the nature of what you are wanting to share, you may choose to adjust the options available to you. To better understand these options, please review the following:
| Setting | How it's posted | When it appears for students | Where it is visible to students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default | Click “Post Now” manually | Once “Post Now” is clicked |
Activity Stream Overlay Daily notification email |
| Send an email copy to recipients selected (checked) | Automatically | Immediately |
Activity Stream Overlay Immediate email |
| Schedule announcement selected (checked) | Automatically | According to the date selected |
Activity Stream Overlay Daily notification email |
3. Finishing your announcement.
Saving as draft.
When your announcement is complete, or if you need to save the changes you’ve made so far without publishing yet, click save. This will save the announcement as a draft where you can make further edits or publish.
Editing and posting drafts.
Once saved, your course will be listed in your Announcements area. From here, you can do multiple tasks.
- Preview the announcement. Click on the announcement name to view it as it will appear to students.
- Post Now. Click the Post Now button to publish the announcement for students.
- Check view statistics. see how many students have viewed the announcement.
- Edit/Copy/Delete. Click the kebab (three dots) menu to access these options and further modify the announcement.
FAQs
When should I use the email feature?
It’s a good idea to limit the email announcement feature to when announcements are time-sensitive. Class cancellations or changes to assessment scheduling would be good examples of when emailed copies would make sense.
📄 Additional Resources
https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Ultra/Interact/Announcements
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