NDSU Extension Service Competencies in Blackboard – Jan. 17, 2006

The NDSU Extension Service uses Blackboard, NDSU’s learning management system on the Web, to help staff assess their competencies and training needs, and to help develop organization-wide training opportunities.

Every competencies user must first have an NDSU Information Technology Services username and password. The username is typically firstname.lastname, not your ExtNet ID. In other words, I login with Becky.Koch, not bkoch, and my NDSU, not ExtNet, password. Also, this is not your new EMPLID.

Get this NDSU password if you don't have or remember it by calling the help desk at 231-8685, Option 1. Help desk staff will ask you several questions to confirm you're who you are before giving you a temporary password. The Web says you must visit your campus help desk, but that's obviously impossible for many of you.

It’s highly recommended that you change your temporary password to something you’ll better remember. Do this at http://enroll.nodak.edu. Login then click on Change Password in the right column.

To gain access to the Blackboard system, go to http://enroll.nodak.edu and enter your NDSU electronic ID and password. In the left column, click on Blackboard under Available Services.

Even though you’re in the Blackboard system, you must be enrolled in the Extension Competencies “class.” E-mail Kris Holt at Kris.Holt@ndsu.edu and she’ll enroll you.

After you’re notified that you have Blackboard access and you’ve e-mailed Kris that you need to be enrolled in competencies, go to https://bb.ndsu.nodak.edu/ . If you’re a clicker instead of a keyboarder, go to the NDSU home page at www.ndsu.edu, click on Faculty and Staff, and then click on the Blackboard Gateway in the upper center.

On the Blackboard home page, click on Login in the center of the top graphic or in the lower center box. Again, login with your NDSU username and password, not ExtNet username and password.

On the Welcome page on the right under My Courses, click on Extension Competencies.

Click on the blue Information page to learn more about competencies and to download the Professional Development Plan document.

To see the frameworks, quizzes, self-assessments and professional development opportunities for the competency areas, click on the blue Documents button in the left column.

Click on the name of any of the 16 competency areas: 10 subject matter; Communication; Information & Educational Technology; Personal & Organizational Management; Program Development & Educational Design; Agriculture & Natural Resources; and Family & Consumer Sciences. However, the general ANR and FCS competencies are not completed yet.

Click on the arrow to the right of Page 1 of 1 to go through the framework, quiz (if there is one), self-assessment(s) and professional development opportunities for a competency area. Click on the left arrow to move back. Or, click on Contents then any of the underlined sections. Review the framework, then do the quiz, then complete the self-assessment, then review the professional development opportunities.

When completing a self-assessment, check the one (and only one) of the three descriptors that best describes your level of competency. Even if you can teach, coach or mentor or have a working knowledge of this competency, you may want to learn more about it. But choose the third option only if you need to learn more to bring yourself to the working knowledge or teach/coach/mentor level.

Don’t panic when the self-assessment automatic tabulation shows you scored 0 points after you submit this self-assessment. You should score 0 points. These self-assessments are not tests. Print your self-assessment after you submit it on the Confirm Results page so you have a record for review. If Blackboard doesn’t want to let you print at this point, click down in the main frame again, and the Print icon should come back on.

However, you may also review or print later. Click on the blue Tools box in the left column, then on My Grades, and then select the competency results you want to print.

To download the Professional Development Plan document, go to Information in the left column then the Professional Development Plans folder. Click on Professional Development Plan in MS Word then on Save. Save this document on your hard drive or on a floppy disk so you can later go into the document to add your personal plans.

The Competencies site in Blackboard is a work in progress. That’s partly why this Web-based system was chosen – so it could be updated as necessary. If you have questions or suggestions, contact Becky Koch, Staff Development Specialist, at Becky.Koch@ndsu.edu or 231-7875.