Create Domains
Blackboard recommends using Institutional Hierarchy features in place of Domains in most cases. Institutional Hierarchy enables fuller utilization of other Learn functions and doesn’t require logic based on custom rules.
Creating a domain adds a new domain to the system. After creation, the domain must be populated with collections and domain administrators must be assigned.
Domains are visible only on the Administrator Panel. Even then, only the administrator can see the list of domains. Domains are invisible to users within the system because they are an administrative management tool. Administrators within the domain are also unaware of the domain. Administrators within the domain simply access features and functions on the Administrator Panel. The domain controls what data can be managed by the domain administrator.
It is important to understand the difference between the Domain Name and the Domain ID. The Domain ID is a unique identifier within the system. The Domain Name is the name of the domain as it appears to the administrator.
Create a domain
- On the Administrator Panel, in the Communities section, select Domains.
- Select Create Domain.
- Provide a Domain Name and a Domain ID. The domain name is the readable name that appears in the user interface. The domain ID is a permanent, unique identifier assigned to the domain in the database. Once set, the domain ID cannot be changed.
- Provide a Description for the domain.
- Select Submit. The domain now appears in the list of domains on the Domains page.
Manage Domain Administrators
Blackboard recommends using Institutional Hierarchy features in place of Domains in most cases. Institutional Hierarchy enables fuller utilization of other Learn functions and doesn’t require logic based on custom rules.
Domain administrators are created by combining a user with system roles within the domain. System roles are roles that define administrative privileges. A user can have several system roles applied within a domain. When a user has several system roles, all the privileges in each role are applied. If one system role allows an action, but another system role does not allow the same action, the user will be able to perform the action.
System roles attached to user records in the default domain apply to all domains. The default domain is the entire set of data in the system. System roles may be attached to users on the Edit User page or when users are created. System roles added in this way apply to the default domain.
Add administrators to domains
- On the Administrator Panel, in the Communities section, select Domains. A list of domains should appear. If no domains exist, see Creating Domains.
- Open a domain's menu and select Manage Administrators. The Manage Administrators page lists out all the domain administrators and their system roles. Select a role to open the Manage Privileges page for that specific role. Be careful when editing privileges; the changes will be applied system wide to any user who has that system role in any domain.
- Select Administrator.
- Provide the Username for the new domain administrator.
- Assign the System Roles that will apply in the domain.
- Select Submit.
Manage Domain Collections
Blackboard recommends using Institutional Hierarchy features in place of Domains in most cases. Institutional Hierarchy enables fuller utilization of other Learn functions and doesn’t require logic based on custom rules.
Collections are sets of data. Domains may include one or many of the following collections:
- Courses
- Organizations
- Users
- Tabs
- Modules
Each domain may include one or many collections.
After a collection is defined, newly created items in the system will be added to the domain if they match the collection criteria. For example, if a course is created with the LANG category, that course will appear in a collection that includes all courses with the LANG category.
It is possible to create collections that are closed to new items. Either select each item individually for inclusion in the domain using the controls on the Edit Criteria page or use Snapshot to add the data to the system with a unique data source and then define the collection to include only those items with that data source.
Populate a collection
- On the Administrator Panel, in the Communities section, select Domains. A list of domains appears. If there are no domains, select Create Domain to create one before defining the collections within the domain.
- Open a domain's menu and select Manage Collections.
- Open a collection's menu and select Edit.
- Set the criteria to define a collection. The table in the following section describes the available options for each collection.
- Select Submit.
Collection criteria
The following table describes the variables used to define each collection. The criteria all work in concert to determine which items are included in the domain. If the criteria for the course collection includes Category LANG and is set to available, only those courses that have the LANG category and are available to users will be included in the collection. The option for selecting specific items is independent of the other criteria. Thus, a course that does not have the LANG category and/or is not available may be added to the collection by specifically identifying it as part of the collection. Remember that specifying more criteria makes the domain narrower in scope.
Criteria | Description |
---|---|
General Collection Options | |
Define the collection of items that will be managed in this domain: All Items, No Items, or Items according to the criteria below. | |
Users | |
Institution Role | Choose to include users that are assigned specific institution roles. |
Availability | Choose to include Available or Unavailable users. If Ignore is selected, the availability of the user will not be considered as a criterion for inclusion in the collection. |
Enabled | Choose to include Enabled or Disabled users. This refers to the status of the user record in the database. Snapshot makes it possible to disable records but continue to store them in the database. If Ignore is selected, the status of the course will not be considered. |
Privacy Options | Choose to include users based on their privacy settings. Users that elect not to appear in the User Directory can be included or excluded from the collection. |
Data Source | Choose to include users based on the data source key. Data source keys are applied to any data that is added to the system using Snapshot. |
Specific Users | Select individual users to appear in the collection. |
Courses and Organizations | |
Availability Criteria | Choose to include Available or Unavailable courses. If Ignore is selected, the availability of the course will not be considered as a criterion for inclusion in the collection. |
Disabled Status Criteria | Choose to include Enabled or Disabled courses. This refers to the status of the course record in the database. Snapshot makes it possible to disable records but continue to store them in the database. If Ignore is selected, the status of the course will not be considered. |
Enrollment Criteria | Choose to include courses based on the method of enrollment. |
Course Catalog Categories Criteria | Choose to include courses that fall into certain categories. Categories are assigned to describe and group like courses. Courses appear in the course catalog based on category. If course categories are organized and applied consistently, Category is a logical and useful means for determining which courses belong in a collection. |
Data Source Criteria | Choose to include courses based on the data source key. Data source keys are applied to any data that is added to the system using Snapshot. |
Specific Courses | Select Browse to select individual courses to appear in the collection. |
Tabs | |
Availability Criteria | Choose to include Available or Unavailable tabs. If Ignore is selected, the availability of the tab will not be considered as a criterion for inclusion in the collection. |
Specific Tabs | Select individual tabs to appear in the collection. |
Modules | |
Availability Criteria | Choose to include Available or Unavailable modules. If Ignore is selected, the Availability of the module will not be considered as a criterion for inclusion in the collection. |
Specific Modules | Select individual modules to appear in the collection. |