Select your vertical to see the appropriate video and to-do list:
Higher Ed Clients
Watch the video and then complete the to-do list.
The following narrated video provides a visual and auditory representation of some of the information included on this page. For a detailed description of what is portrayed in the video, open the video on YouTube, navigate to More actions, and select Open transcript.
Video: Connect 5 Account Structure and Users for Higher Ed Clients describes the account structure options and who should be using the system.
Account Structure
You can structure your Blackboard Connect account several ways, and which one you choose depends on how you want to control your users.
- The first option involves having multiple sites, with users at each site only able to access contacts at that site.
- The other option has all contacts and users in a single site, but allows you to assign certain groups to certain users, thereby controlling who they can send messages to.
Sites
A site is typically a building or campus. For a college or university with 2 campuses, you would have the central office at the top, and two campus sites. If you look at it as a hierarchy, at Level 1 you have the parent account, and at Level 2 you have the child accounts.
A user at the top can send messages to all contacts at all sites or can filter based on site to only call students at one campus. Meanwhile, a user at the campus level can only send messages to the contacts at his own site. For colleges with just one campus, there is no need to have multiple accounts.
Groups
An alternate way to control who can access what is via groups. Groups are sets of contacts. Examples include the Dean's List, the Crisis Response Team, etc. A standard Connect 5 user can see all the groups at their site, and can send a message to any or all groups. However, it is possible to restrict a user so they only have access to certain groups.
The user account administrator (likely YOU!) allocates which group or groups a restricted user can access. For instance, the football coach may only be allocated to the football group. When he logs in, the only contacts he sees, and the only contacts he can send messages to, are members of the football team.
Next Steps
There is no right or wrong way to structure your account. It is a matter of preference. Once you've decided how you wish to structure your account, let your Customer Success Advocate or Customer Support know. If you've decided on multiple sites, you will need to fill out a spreadsheet indicating the name of each campus, the address, and the phone number.
Once your account or accounts have been created, you will receive a Welcome Email. It will contain your username and a unique link that will take you to select your password and answer 3 security questions. Once you're logged in, you can set up your users.
Account Access
Who should have access to the system? Usually, the safety coordinator, public relations officer, communications director, and technology director use the system. There are three classes of users you need to consider:
- People who will send messages
- People who will manage data and users
- People who monitor results and activity
For some clients, the same people will do all three jobs. There is no limit to the number of users, but you do want to manage usage wisely to avoid over-communication. If you are not sure who to give access to, start out with a handful of individuals. You can always add more later.
The To-do List
- Decide whether you want your account structured by sites or by groups. If you want multiple sites, complete the account information spreadsheet and email it to [email protected]. If you want to use groups, you can create them later.
- Decide who will be sending message from Connect 5 and then log into the system to create their user accounts. The User Management Quick Start Guide will show you how to do this.
Government and Corporate Clients
Watch the video and then complete the to-do list.
The following narrated video provides a visual and auditory representation of some of the information included on this page. For a detailed description of what is portrayed in the video, open the video on YouTube, navigate to More actions, and select Open transcript.
Video: Connect 5 Account Structure and Users for ProEd Clients describes the account structure options and who should be using the system.
Account Structure
There are several ways your account can be structured in Blackboard Connect, and which one you choose depends on how you want to control your users.
- The first option involves having multiple sites, with users at each site only able to access contacts at that site.
- The other option has all contacts and users in a single site, but allows you to assign certain groups to certain users, thereby controlling who they can send messages to.
Sites
A site is typically a building or agency. If you look at it as a hierarchy, at Level 1 you have the parent account, and at Level 2 you have the child accounts. A user at the top can send messages to all contacts at all sites, or can filter based on site to only call contacts at one site. Meanwhile a user at the lower level can only send messages to the contacts at their own site.
Groups
For businesses, cities, or government agencies, having multiple accounts may not be the most effective way to manage who can access what. An alternate way to control that is via groups. Groups are sets of contacts. A standard Connect 5 user can see all the groups at their site and can send a message to any or all groups. However, it is possible to restrict a user so they only have access to certain groups.
The user account administrator (likely YOU!) allocates which group or groups a restricted user can access. For instance, the health department director may only be allocated to the health department employee group. When he logs in, the only contacts he sees, and the only contacts he can send messages to, are members of the health department.
Next Steps
There is no right or wrong way to structure your account. It is a matter of preference. Once you have decided how you wish to structure your account, let your Customer Success Advocate know. If you have decided on multiple sites, you will need to fill out a spreadsheet indicating the name of each site and their corresponding address and phone number.
Once your sites have been created, you will receive a Welcome Email. It will contain your username and a unique link that will take you to select your password and answer 3 security questions. Once you are logged in, you can set up your other users.
Account Access
Who should have access to the system? In the government sector, users can include the mayor, fire chief, police chief, city manager, health department director, IT director, communications manager, and so on. In the business sector, HR managers, safety and security managers, operations managers, and IT directors are among those who use the system. There are three classes of users you need to consider:
- People who will send messages
- People who will manage data and users
- People who monitor results and activity
For some clients, the same people will do all three jobs. There is no limit to the number of users, but you do want to manage usage wisely to avoid over-communication. If you are not sure who to give access to, start out with a handful of individuals, as you can always add more later.
The To-do List
- Decide whether you want your account structured by sites or by groups. If you want multiple sites, complete the account information spreadsheet and email it to [email protected]. If you want to use groups, you can create them later.
- Decide who will be sending message from Connect 5 and then log into the system to create their user accounts. The User Management Quick Start Guide will show you how to do this.
K-12 Clients
Watch the video and then complete the to-do list.
The following narrated video provides a visual and auditory representation of some of the information included on this page. For a detailed description of what is portrayed in the video, open the video on YouTube, navigate to More actions, and select Open transcript.
Video: Connect 5 Account Structure and Users for K-12 Clients describes the account structure options and who should be using the system.
Account Structure
In Blackboard Connect, accounts are structured in a top-down hierarchy. For a K-12 school district, you have the central office at the top level and all the schools at the second level.
For a district with an elementary school, middle school, and high school, it would look like this: at Level 1 you have the parent account, and at Level 2 you have the child accounts.
A district user at the top can send messages to all contacts at all schools, but a user at a Level 2 site can only access contacts from their own school.
Account Information
To get your sites set up, you will need to fill out an account info spreadsheet indicating the name of each school/campus, the address, and the phone number. It also helps to provide the Student Information System code for each site so that can be ready to go when it's time to set up automated data transfers into Connect 5.
After your sites have been created, you will receive a Welcome Email. It will contain your username and a unique link that will take you to select your password and answer 3 security questions. Once you're logged in, you can set up your users.
Account Access
Who should have access to the system? For K-12 schools, it's typically administrators such as the superintendent, principals, assistant principals, and deans, as well as personnel such as the technology coordinator, public relations or safety coordinator, transportation director, counselors, and attendance secretaries.
You need to consider three classes of users:
- People who will send messages
- People who will manage data and users
- People who monitor results and activity
For some clients, the same people will do all three jobs. There is no limit to the number of users, but you do want to manage usage wisely to avoid over-communication. If you are not sure who to give access to, start out with a handful of individuals. You can always add more later.
The To-do List
- Complete the account information spreadsheet and email it to [email protected].
- Decide who will be sending message from Connect 5 and then log into the system to create their user accounts. The User Management Quick Start Guide will show you how to do this.
