A document is a resource that allows you to create native content directly within the course, and it can have multiple parts:

• Content blocks created with the text editor
• HTML blocks
• Self-assessment questions
• Files
• Images
• Video

To do this, first add the element by clicking the + symbol in the course body and selecting Document from the panel, then assign a name. You can then start adding pieces.

After adding the first content block, to continue adding more, click the + button.

Adding content with the editor

This option will bring up a text editor with the most common functions to add paragraphs, lists, tables, links, headings, etc.

Simply type or paste the text and format it.

Adding HTML

This option allows you to add complete HTML blocks that you can create in an external application. Copy and paste. Clicking outside the box will display the content as participants will see it.

You can use this method to embed, for example, Vimeo videos or infographics/content developed in Genially and similar tools.

Adding a self-assessment question

When you click to add a self-assessment question, you can choose to create the question from scratch or use AI to generate a question.

Select Create question to build a question from scratch and fill in the fields that appear in the pop-up window.

You can add more options with Add option and add the feedback that the student will receive for correct and incorrect answers, as well as change the order of options and choose how many options the student can select.

If you prefer each option to have its own feedback, enable Option feedback. Click Save when finished.

If you decide to create these questions with the help of generative AI, click the Generate question automatically option on the initial screen. Then follow the same criteria as for other AI-generated elements to provide context and select the desired options. Once the questions are generated, select the one you want to add and click Add document.

If you do not select anything, the content added to the document you are working on will be used as context. For a detailed explanation of the AI generation options, you can access this article.

Uploading files

You can upload files from your local device, the cloud, or even from the content collection. Simply find and add it.

You will need to choose the display name and also whether it can be viewed, downloaded, or both. Click Save to finish.

Adding images

When you click to add an image, a pop-up window will appear where you can choose where to insert the image from: local device, Unsplash, or generate with AI (you can see the full process in this article).

Upload the image if local, or search Unsplash by typing a keyword. Then on the next screen, choose the part of the image to be displayed. Finally, add alternative text, a caption if desired, and save.

Adding video with Video Studio

If you have a Video Studio license, you can add a video directly to one of these documents. Simply click on the appropriate element and record.

If you want to see how to record with Video Studio, you can consult this article.

Converting a file

Instead of uploading a PDF or Word file, you can also convert its content into editable text with Blackboard’s native editor. This transforms everything in the file into text blocks, tables, lists, images, etc.

Moving and resizing blocks

Once all the pieces that make up our document are loaded, it’s time to reorganize them. To do this, we can move or resize them.

After clicking Edit content, you will see that a border appears for each piece when you hover the mouse over it. This allows you to edit, move, etc.

To edit, simply click inside the space occupied by the piece or click the pencil icon.

To move, you will see a "handle" appear; click on it and drag to the desired position.

To resize a block, click on the colored border, on one of the thicker points, and drag.

The paint palette will show you several options; with these, you can add a colored border with an icon to highlight certain parts, for example, if you present a question for reflection, a suggestion, or a key idea. Simply click on the option you want.

You can also delete any piece by clicking the trash icon.

When moving pieces, you can do it one by one, or lock everything in a column or row and move the pieces from one side to another in a single operation.

Enhancing the document with AI

We can use AI to improve the structure of our documents. This simple action can help us create more attractive documents with very little effort.

To do this, click the AI button (stars) and configure what you want it to do.

We will select whether to add images related to the text, either from Unsplash or generated. We will also select whether self-assessment questions should be created.

After finishing the configuration, click Generate and wait.

You will only need to apply the changes by clicking Apply layout.