Referenced Article
Aligning course content and assessment to standards and goals makes it easier to demonstrate how a course meets those standards and goals and how course performance measures up to them. The alignments can be either visible to students or hidden. Goal sets are based on TCSG’s KMS Standards and uploaded upon request to GVTC.
FAQs
Q: What are Goals and Standards in Blackboard Ultra, and how do faculty use it?
The Goals and Standards feature allows instructors to align course content, assignments, and assessments with specific learning objectives or educational standards. Faculty use this feature to create a coherent course structure where every task is linked to specific learning outcomes. It also enables them to track student progress and generate reports for accreditation or program reviews.
Q: How do Goals and Standards benefit students?
Students benefit from the transparency and clarity this feature provides. They can see how their assignments align with the course goals, track their progress towards these goals, and identify areas for improvement. This helps them focus their studies and stay motivated.
Q: How do Goals and Standards support institutional goals?
The feature ensures that courses across different programs are aligned with broader institutional objectives. It also provides valuable data for program assessment, accreditation processes, and resource allocation, supporting overall institutional goals.
Goals and Alignments in Ultra Course View
In the Ultra Course View, you can align goals to multiple items in your course:
- Assignments
- Discussions
- Rubrics (Students can’t view the goals you align with a rubric.)
- Tests, including individual questions
Adding Goals (Alignments) to Gradebook Items
After goals for a course are loaded into Blackboard, instructors can align any content item with a goal by clicking on the settings and Click Align with goals under Goals & standards.
Aligning course content and activities with goals provides instructors with:
- Clarity on content coverage of desired learning outcomes.
- Performance data on student progress against standards.
- Support remediation and retention efforts based on student performance.
To add an alignment to a Gradebook item:
- In the course, click Gradebook from the top menu.
- Find the Gradebook item, click on the icon heading, and click Edit
- Click on the Settings Cog to view Assignment Settings.
- Scroll down until you reach Additional Tools and select Align with goals under Goals & standards
- Browse to find the outcome or search using category or keywords.
- Toggle the radio button next to the outcome to align it with the Grade Center column.
- Click Submit.
- Alignments are automatically copied from the master course to the semester course.
Add alignment to test questions
To align goals with an individual test question, open the test. Open the menu next to the question and select Align with goal. A trophy button appears next to questions with aligned goals. Select the button to edit or remove goals from the question. Or, you can select Align with goal again to add, edit, or remove goals associated with the question.
Students can view information for the goals you align with tests, assignments, or discussions so they know your expectations.