NOTE: The Office of Information and Technology does not officially support the Blackboard Mobile App, but we will provide as much assistance as we can. Because Blackboard Mobile is a third-party tool, we do not have the same level of administrative access that we have to many CMU systems.
This tutorial will assist instructors in installing and using the Blackboard Instructor mobile device app, which is currently available for iOS and Android devices. It should be noted the app does not provide the same Blackboard capabilities available when using a standard computer with monitor and standard web browser. Navigation on smaller mobile device screens can also be difficult to use. However, the app can be useful to send announcements, quickly check courses and/or monitor discussion forums. Announcements can be sent out via email to the class as well. If other features or functionality is necessary, you can launch your mobile devices web browser to provides additional Blackboard functionality.
Installing the Instructor App
1. Launch your devices appropriate store app by tapping the icon on the home screen.
2. Tap the Search button.
3. In the search box, enter: Blackboard Instructor.
4. When the results appear, tap Bb Instructor.
5. Tap the Install button at the bottom.
6. If prompted to allow access to Bb Instructor, select Accept.
7. Launch the Bb Instructor app by tapping the icon on the home screen.
8. When the app first loads, tap the Search For Your School field and enter: Central Michigan University.
9. When the results appear, tap Central Michigan University.
10. When the login screen appears, enter a valid CMU global ID and password into the appropriate fields and tap the Login button.
11. Utilize Settings on the left side of the screen to personalize user needs.
12. After logging in, all of the courses you are enrolled in as an Instructor, Teaching Assistant or Course Builder will appear in the course list.
13. Tap on a course to view the Course Overview. This displays a concise view of the course with these sections: Due Dates, Announcements, Course Content and Discussions.
Note: Using the the app, you can view the folders, documents, assessments, and other items you have added to the course, but you cannot add new content to the course with the Instructor app or access any grading functions. The app will allow you to create new announcements and start new discussion threads or reply to existing posts.