For staff working at partner institutions in the UK and overseas, please see the page 'NILE support for UK & international partner staff'.
There is a great deal of help, support and training for University of Northampton staff who want to find out how to get the best from NILE.
UON staff can access support in the following ways:
Also available is Blackboard's Lecturer Webinar Series, a set of seven webinars which look at teaching using Blackboard Original and Ultra courses.
If you are a member of University of Northampton staff having problems with NILE and need to get in touch with someone, you can do so in one of the following ways:
Contact your Learning Technologist directly. If you don't know who this is, see Who is my Learning Technologist
Email the LearnTech Support at LearnTech@northampton.ac.uk
Complete the NILE Enquiry Form
If you are having problems with PebblePad, you can complete the PebblePad Contact Form
All new members of academic staff will need to meet with their learning technologist in order to complete the Essential Teaching Technology for Academics part of their mandatory training. Essential Teaching Technology for Academics is, for the most part, an introduction to the NILE, the University's virtual learning environment, and is delivered 1:1 at a time and location (either online or at the Waterside campus) to suit.
If you don't know who your learning technologist is, you can find out who they are and how to contact them at: Who is my learning technologist?
Do you want to create engaging, accessible, student-friendly Ultra courses that meet the NILE Design Standards? Then our Ultra Course Development Workshop is just what you need!
During an Ultra Course Development Workshop your learning technologist will help you take your Ultra course design to the next level. The workshop is designed to be flexible and tailored to your needs, whether your course is in the early stages of development or already well-established.
The workshop will normally last for an hour, can be carried out in person or online, and will focus on developing a single Ultra course. During the workshop your learning technologist will explain the principles and practices of good Ultra course design, which you can then apply to other Ultra courses.
The exact content of each workshop will vary, depending upon the extent to which your course meets the NILE Design Standards, but during the workshop, we'll work with you on some or all of the following:
For courses which do not meet the NILE Design Standards:
For courses which already meet the minimum NILE Design Standards:
To book an Ultra Course Development Workshop, please contact your learning technologist.
The Learning Technology Team provide bespoke, on-demand NILE training either in-person or online for individual members of staff, and for groups of staff. To book a NILE training session, simply contact your learning technologist.
Your learning technologist can provide training on any aspect of NILE, including:
The following scheduled training courses are available to book at: Staff Development - Learning Technology Training
Between November 2021 and June 2022, Blackboard are offering a series of seven free webinars to understand how Blackboard Learn Original and Learn Ultra can support your teaching, your subject and your students’ learning. You can sign up for one, some, or all the webinars. Even if you can’t make the live webinars, by signing up you will receive the recordings of the sessions that you signed up to.
The full series of webinars is as follows:
How do you to create and effectively use discussion forums in Learn Original and in Learn Ultra?
Thursday, November 4 at 10:00am GMT
>> View Recording
How do you create and upload content in Learn Original and in Learn Ultra?
Thursday, December 2 at 10:00am GMT
>> View Recording
How does Adaptive Release work in Original and Conditional Availability in Ultra?
Thursday, February 10 at 10:00am GMT
>> View Recording
How do you design and manage assessment items in Learn Original and in Learn Ultra?
Thursday, March 10 at 10:00am GMT
>> View Recording
How do you create a marking structure and provide feedback using rubrics, audio and video in Learn Original and in Learn Ultra?
Thursday, April 7 at 11:00am BST
>> View Recording
How do you use the Grade Centre in Learn Original and the Gradebook in Learn Ultra?
Thursday, May 12 at 11:00am BST
>> View Recording
How to use data and key tools to monitor and support student progress and personalised learning in Learn Original and in Learn Ultra?
Thursday, June 9 11:00am BST
>>View Recording
If you require assistance with NILE, please contact LearnTech Support using the NILE Enquiry Form
If you require assistance with PebblePad, please contact PebblePad Support using the PebblePad Contact Form