Using the Text Editor | Blackboard Ultra | Seneca Polytechnic

The text editor is is a tool that allows you to manipulate and manage your text and multimedia. The text editor is consistent across Learn@Seneca, and is the same for both students and instructors.

Font Options

The first four tools from left to right are used to style your font.

1. Text Style: To visual readers, the text style changes the size of text. To screen readers and assistive technology, text style imparts valuable information about the role the text is playing. It will tell a screen reader that a certain phrase is a heading for the proceeding text, or a subheading in the previous heading. When creating documents, use text style instead of size to denote sections of text.
2. Font: Choose your font. The default Open Sans is an accessible font that is suitable for both print and screen reading.
3. Font Size: Change the size of text here. The default is 14pt.
4. Color: Change the colour of your text. Colours available all pass accessibility requirements.

Text Options

In the text options, you can alter the appearance of your text. 

1. Bold the selected text.

2. Italicize the selected text.

3. Underline the selected text.

4. Access additional text tools including:

   1. Strikethrough.

   2. Superscript.

   3. Subscript.

   4. Code snippet.

Tables, Alignment, and Lists

You can also alter how your text is arranged and sorted using tables, alignment and lists.

1. Create or edit table. Note: Cells cannot be merged, nor can the height or width or rows and columns be changed. This is meant for screen readers to have an easier time parsing the content and ensures that tables appear properly on both mobile and desktop screens.

2. Alignment: Align your text left-align, center, right-align. or justify.

3. Lists: Select this tool to create numbered or bulleted lists, or to change the direction of text and spacing options.

   1. Bulleted list.

   2. Numbered list.

   3. Height line option: single, 1.15, 1.5, double.

   4. Left-to-Right direction.

   5. Right-to-Left direction.

Clearing

The next two tools allow you to un-do actions, and to clear formatting respectively. Clearing formatting will revert text back to the default font, size, colour, and style.

1. Undo your previous actions.

2. Clear format to revert text back to the default font, size, colour, and style.

Attaching Content

The next three tools allow you to attach external items including links, files, and media.

1. Links: Link to an external site by entering the site's URL. The text editor does not recognize links unless you select this tool. Note: To ensure your link is accessible, you should input Link text that describes where the link will lead.

2. Attach Files: Attach files from your computer (i.e., documents, PDFs, PowerPoints, or images). Once uploaded, you can select whether items are available for download only, view only, or both. Allowing students to view files lets them read the files from the page, without needing to download them.

3. Add Media: Attach other learning assets. You will find the math formula editor here, alongside the ability to add online videos and images. There is a YouTube specific entry, which will allow you to search YouTube for videos. If you are adding a non-YouTube video (such as from Microsoft Stream), use the “Add Media” item. You can add images from online sources here, as well as connect to the Content Collection or your Cloud Storage.

   1. Insert math formulas using the Math formula editor.

   2. Attach Image.

   3. Attach Media (i.e., non-YouTube videos).

   4. Embed a YouTube video.

   5. Attach files from your Cloud storage.

   6. Attach Content Market or Institution Tools.

What’s Missing?

The text editor does not have some functions that you might be used to. One example is highlighting. You are not able to highlight text in your course. This change is made to keep all content accessible.

Another difference is how we use the HTML editor. You cannot create HTML items via the text editor. Instead, you will have to add HTML via a special HTML editing block.

Additional Resources

Watch this video on how to use the content editor in the Blackboard Ultra course view:

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