Navigating Drexel Learn: A Comprehensive Guide to Drexel University's Learning Management System

Blackboard Learn is an integral part of the Drexel University experience, serving as the primary communication and content delivery hub between professors and students. Students and professors alike must be able to proficiently navigate this site in order to submit homework and stay updated on the latest course news and additions. Drexel Learn is the university's fully-supported learning management system (LMS). Learn is managed by Drexel University Information Technology and is fully integrated with the DrexelOne portal and the Banner Student Information System (SIS). All course sections are created in Drexel Learn each term and are freely available for faculty to activate and use. While Drexel would not fall apart with the lack of Blackboard, it could do a lot better with the addition of a new platform. This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide to Drexel Learn, addressing common challenges and highlighting essential features.

Accessing Drexel Learn

To access the system, go to the Drexel Learn sign-in page at: learn.drexel.edu. Understanding Drexel’s on demand online resources is a great first step to success while at Drexel. Most things you will need in your career as a college student can be accessed on the web through one of Drexel’s many online services. One is the hub that connects all other services, and is a lot like the directory of a company. The go-to platform for everything related to classes or coursework is Blackboard Learn, which most people refer to as Drexel Learn, BB Learn or just Learn. As the fall quarter begins, you may find yourself adjusting to unfamiliar systems required for coursework, such as Blackboard Learn .

Browser Compatibility

There can be differences in the ways that individual browsers behave and render content, so it is recommended to have at least two browsers available in case issues arise.

Drexel Learn Features and Functionality

Blackboard Learn is designed to facilitate communication, content delivery, and assessment. Its main goal is to allow for communication between professors and students, deliver messages, upload content and give assignments. Faculty use BBL to deliver course material, assignments, and readings. Here's a breakdown of its key features:

Course Content

Professors use Drexel Learn to upload course materials, including lecture notes, readings, and multimedia content.

Assignments

One of the main uses of Blackboard Learn is to submit assignments. Students can submit assignments electronically through the platform. However, if the assignment is not a simple document or text submission, the assignment can take many minutes or never end up submitting. This could be due to glitches or the file being too big and needing to be compressed which is additional time that students do not want to take when submitting an assignment. Another issue is that it needs to sync with other external storage systems like Onedrive or Google Drive which can be an additional worry when a student is trying to submit a time-constrained assignment.

Communication Tools

Blackboard Learn offers various communication tools, including announcements, discussion boards, and email integration, to facilitate interaction between students and instructors. The site’s main goal is to allow for communication between professors and students, deliver messages.

Grade Center

The site has a place to check grades. Grades are usually inaccurate due to the professors not wanting to/not knowing how to calibrate the grades to every class they are teaching. The inaccuracy causes unneeded stress and additional calculation in order to figure out an accurate student grade. The Grade Center can be one of the most confusing and stressful parts of managing your online course - but it doesn't have to be!

Calendar

There is also a calendar feature which is supposed to compile a list of the student assignments and due dates to see them on one page. This feature usually goes unused by many because professors tend not to upload the due dates resulting in an incomplete list of due dates and assignments.

Tests

Tests in Learn gauge student knowledge and progress.

Read also: Drexel University Scholarships

Addressing Common Challenges

While Drexel Learn offers numerous benefits, users may encounter certain challenges:

Navigation Difficulties

The organization of Blackboard itself is confusing as professors do not usually add every aspect of their course in the beginning of the quarter, so the site will look different between courses and between professors. This can prove difficult for a student to follow as there is no clear assignments tab with dates to show when homework is due.

Submission Issues

If the assignment is not a simple document or text submission, the assignment can take many minutes or never end up submitting. This could be due to glitches or the file being too big and needing to be compressed which is additional time that students do not want to take when submitting an assignment. Another issue is that it needs to sync with other external storage systems like Onedrive or Google Drive which can be an additional worry when a student is trying to submit a time-constrained assignment.

Grade Inaccuracies

The site has a place to check grades, but they are usually inaccurate due to the professors not wanting to/not knowing how to calibrate the grades to every class they are teaching. The inaccuracy causes unneeded stress and additional calculation in order to figure out an accurate student grade.

Underutilized Features

There are many features that Blackboard has in order to be helpful, but the reality is that many people end up not using these features due to the lack of cohesiveness and comprehension with the software. For example, the site has a place to check grades, but they are usually inaccurate due to the professors not wanting to/not knowing how to calibrate the grades to every class they are teaching. The inaccuracy causes unneeded stress and additional calculation in order to figure out an accurate student grade. Additionally, there is also a calendar feature which is supposed to compile a list of the student assignments and due dates to see them on one page. This feature usually goes unused by many because professors tend not to upload the due dates resulting in an incomplete list of due dates and assignments.

Tips for Effective Use

To maximize your experience with Drexel Learn, consider the following tips:

Familiarize Yourself with the Interface: Take the time to explore the various sections and features of Drexel Learn.
Check Announcements Regularly: Stay updated on important announcements and updates from your professors.
Utilize the Calendar Feature: Keep track of assignment due dates and important events.
Participate in Discussions: Engage with your classmates and instructors in online discussions.
Seek Help When Needed: Don't hesitate to reach out to your professor or Drexel IT support for assistance.
Attend Training Sessions: The Instructional Technology Group offers multiple training sessions every month. This session is designed as an introduction to Blackboard Learn.
Explore Course Analytics: This six-week online workshop focuses on using Blackboard Analytics to understand how students are accessing your course in Blackboard Learn and how you can use this data to help your students succeed. Each week, faculty will learn about an aspect of course analytics, as well as have the opportunity to participate in discussions about the weekly topic. All of the information from the sessions can be applied immediately to both current and previous term courses in Learn.

Drexel's Online Resources

Need to find your course materials? Need to register for classes? Need to (despite how much it makes you gag) look at your university bill? Most things you will need in your career as a college student can be accessed on the web through one of Drexel’s many online services. You have used at least some of them already, but there are others you have not had to use yet or have not completely explored yet. One is the hub that connects all other services, and is a lot like the directory of a company.

Additional Platforms

Another important platform used in classes is Kaltura, Drexel’s video hosting platform. Most of the time it is used embedded directly into Drexel Learn (for lecture recordings, video materials, etc.) so you do not notice its presence. Occasionally professors link to Kaltura itself, or encourage you to use it for hosting your own videos. College of Computing and Informatics students also have access to Echo Video, a platform that stores full recordings of every class you take at CCI. All CCI classes link to their Echo Video page from their BB Learn page.

Planning and Registration

Once the time comes, you will need to plan out your schedule and register for the classes you need. You will want to have a plan prepared - for your long-term career as a college student as well as the current year and upcoming term. Drexel Degreeworks gives you an overview of your program and the classes that are required of you as well as the options you need to pick from. In Degreeworks you can make a plan of study that outlines which classes you want to take and in which order. Once you have a long-term plan, you can use Banner Web to plan out the exact sections to register for before your time ticket opens. The Plan Ahead features shows all available courses and sections, and what a potential schedule would look like.

Co-op Resources

SCDC or the Steinbright Career Development Center is the one stop shop for all things co-op at Drexel. As a first year there are a lot of questions that might exist around SCDC and co-op. The good news is that Drexel has thought of that. Drexel has a class called COOP 101 that you take at least one quarter before your co-op slot, and it will explain all about cooperative learning at Drexel. SCDC Online is the portal that you will learn to use to apply, manage and accept or rank co-op opportunities.

Drexel IT Support

Drexel is a large school, and it can easily feel overwhelming or confusing. As the fall quarter begins, you may find yourself adjusting to unfamiliar systems required for coursework, such as Blackboard Learn or Zoom. Drexel IT is available to assist new and returning students as they begin remote learning. Drexel provides a University-wide license for Zoom, the online meeting and video-conferencing service with built-in collaboration tools and team chat. In addition to HD video, Zoom offers telephone-only and reservations-less conferencing. The Zoom meeting service is available to students, faculty, and professional staff. Office 365 apps are also integrated with other Microsoft cloud services (e.g. SharePoint and OneDrive).

tags: #drexel #learn #blackboard #guide