Faculty Tools

Tasks

The Task tool lets you organize tasks, define task priority, and track task status. You can also post personal tasks to your own page and post tasks for students participating in your course. Blackboard arranges task information in columns that display the priority, task name, status, and due date.

Adding a Personal Task

From the My Institution area:

1. Click on the Tasks in the Tools section.
2. Click on the Add Task button.
3. Type the title of the task in the Task Title field.
4. Type a description of the task in the Description field.
5. Choose a date from the Due Date drop-down menus.
6. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on the Submit button.

Task Options:

• Priority – Use this option if you want to set the task’s priority. You can arrange your tasks by priority to make them easier to find. The options are Low, Normal, and High.
• Status – Use this option if you want to set the task’s status. The options are Not Started, In Progress, and Completed.

Adding a Course Task

From the Control Panel:

1. Click on the Tasks link in the Course Tools section.
2. Click on the Add Task button.
3. Type the title of the task in the Task Title field.
4. Type a description of the task in the Description text field.
5. Choose a date from the Due Date drop-down menus.
6. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button.

Task Options:

• Priority – Use this option if you want to set the task’s priority. You can arrange your tasks by priority to make them easier to find. The options are Low, Normal, and High.
• Status – Use this option if you want to set the task’s status. The options are Not Started, In Progress, and Completed.

Sorting a Task

From the My Institution area:

1. Click on the Tasks link in the Tools section.
2. Click on a Sort link (PRIORITY, SUBJECT, STATUS, DUE DATE).

Sorting Options:

• PRIORITY – Use this option if you want to sort your tasks from High Priority to Low Priority to Normal Priority.
• SUBJECT – Use this option if you want to sort your tasks in alphabetical order by subject name.
• STATUS – Use this option if you want to sort your tasks from “Completed” to “In Progress” to “Not Started.”
• DUE DATE – Use this option if you want to sort your tasks from earliest to latest due date.

Filtering Tasks

From the My Institution area:

1. Click on the Tasks link in the Tools section.
2. Choose a Task filter by from the drop-down menu.

Filter Options:

• All Tasks – Use this option if you want to displays all tasks.
• My Tasks – Use this option if you want to display personal tasks.
• All Course Tasks – Use this option if you want to display tasks associated with this course.
• Tasks for a Specific Course – Use this option if you want to display tasks for a specific course.
• All Organization Tasks – Use this option if you want to display tasks associated with organizations.
• Tasks for a Specific Organization – Use this option if you want to display tasks for a specific organization.

More Information

Q: Why would I want to use the Tasks tool?
A: The Tasks tool helps when you are working on a large course project. It separates all the tasks needed to complete a project. You can assign individual tasks to students by listing them in the Description.

Q: Can I view the status of my students’ tasks?
A: Yes, you can view the status of tasks that you have created for your students. You can’t, however, view the status of tasks that your student has created themselves.