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INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN TIPS: Adding Content
Formatting and Saving - What format is best?
Many file formats are supported by Blackboard. Depending on the nature
of your material, you may want to use different types of files. Here is
an overview of the types of files you may want to use:
For Reading Materials:
Generally, you will want to use one of three formats for reading materials,
such as articles or lecture notes. These are RTF (rich text format), PDF,
or HTML. See the RTF/PDF/HTML
comparison sheet.
RTF files can be created from your word processor, such as Microsoft Word,
Word Perfect, or Wordpad. On a Mac, you could use SimpleText.
PDF for printing and online viewing
One advantage of PDFs is they preserve all document formatting. Another
advantage is the text becomes searchable and the viewer can zoom in/out.
This is helpful for people with seeing disabilities.
One disadvantage is that PDF files require special software called Adobe
Acrobat. To create these files, the author must have purchase the full version.
To read the files, there is a free
Acrobat Reader that is on most computers.
For very large PDF files, submit the file to the Library E-Reserves and
link to it. Large PDFs will slow down the Blackboard server for everyone.
The library has this dedicated resource for these files. The library will
also get copyright clearance for you, saving you the extra step. To request
an E-Reserve, go to the Library
E-Reserves Request Page
HTML for online viewing
HTML files are best for online viewing. They are also best for interactive
displays because they allow linking to other files. HTML files can be created
with an editor such as Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft FrontPage.
These allow you to create files with knowing little or no HTML code. HTML files
can also be hand-coded using a text editor. HTML files require no software
other than the browser.
Blackboard
basic HTML tip sheet
Importing
websites into Blackboard
For Spreadsheets:
Microsoft Excel files (.XLS) are fine if your students all have access to this program. If you are not sure that your students use this
particular spreadsheet program, it is better to use a universal format. The .CSV file can be opened in any spreadsheet program.
For Video/Audio:
The most common files types for video are Quicktime (.MOV), Real Media (.RM) and Windows Media format (.WMV) For audio, they are MPEG3 (.MP3),
Real Media (.RM), Wav (.WAV) or (.AIFF) for Macs. The differences in these file types are in size and quality.
There are many file types for video and audio and very little standardization. Try to be consistent in which file types you use for your video
or audio. Your students will need special players for all of these. The less software they need, the better.
The ITD Faculty Labs have current versions of video/audio editing and capturing
software. Make sure you have copyright clearance for the materials, or you
are following the Fair
Use guidelines. For more information, please email us.
For online tutorials on multimedia, visit http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/multimedia/index.html
For Images:
The two file types that are suitable for web presentation are .GIF and .JPEG
If you are using an image that is already created, make sure it is saved
in one of these formats. If you are scanning an image, make sure you save
in this format. ITD has the appropriate hardware and software for scanning
images in our faculty
labs.
Try the image library at DePaul for free images, tailored for academic use,
visit DePaul Libraries Image Collection.
For Presentations(PowerPoint):
Students will not want to print out a 60-page powerpoint presentation, but they may
want to look at it on screen. It's best to save PowerPoints both as full presentations
and printable handouts. One will allow the student to read comfortably on the screen.
The other will let them print out several screens on one page, conserving paper.
If you use PowerPoint, your students will need to download the free PowerPoint viewer
if they do not own the full program. The free viewer for PowerPoint can be found here:
PowerPoint
Viewer
PowerPoint Tutorial
Microsoft
Beginners Guide to PowerPoint
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Formatting and saving content
