NOTE: This article covers adding attendance in Blackboard Original. If your course is in Ultra, see Adding Attendance in an Ultra Course.


Adding Attendance Tool Link in Blackboard Course - Blackboard Original

  1. Login to Blackboard, and go to the course in which you wish to add attendance.
  2. Make sure your Edit Mode is ON(button located in far upper right-hand corner of Blackboard course):Screensnip demonstrating the Edit Mode being ON
  3. Click the Add Menu Item button (plus sign icon located in the upper right-hand corner of the Course Menu):Screensnip demonstrating the "Add Menu Item" button, or plus sign icon
  4. Click the Tool Link button on the drop-down menu that appears:
    Screensnip pointing to the "Tool Link" button in the dropdown menu
  5. A pop-up window appears. In the window do the following.
    1. Name the link (the example uses "Attendance")
    2. Select Q Attendance for the "Type" using the dropdown menu selection
    3. Decide whether or not to make the Attendance Tool available to users/students
      Screensnip showing pop-up window and different fields
  6. Click Submit.
  7. The tool link will be created at the bottom of your Course Menu:

Setting Up Attendance

  1. Once the Tool Link has been created, click the Attendance link you created:
    Screensnip pointing to the Attendance link created in earlier steps
  2. Click the Begin Set-Up button that appears in the middle of the screen:
    Screensnip pointing to the "Begin Set-Up" button
  3. The next screen appears:
    Screensnip showing settings
  4. Select the current Semester from the dropdown list.
  5. Set your Default Style for taking attendance.
  6. Choose whether or not to include a Grade Center Integration.
    Caution: Do not select to both put points in for attendance and create a column for absences. It does something weird in the grade center calculations
  7. Choose whether or not to have students checkin and include a pin/timer (you must have the link available to students for this option) in the Check In section.

  8. Choose your settings for Absence Email.
  9. Scroll to the bottom of the window when done, and click the Save Settings button.