Well, there goes my nice, easy to use class site.

I have been "promoted" from instructor to grader in my own courses.  The new site has buttons down the left side, one for each week, numbered one through 16, and filled with busy work.  They're assigned to use the site for social networking, for God's sake.  And it's for points. 

And I'm going to have to assign the points.  I think everyone's going to get full credit for that one, whether they've been "participating" or not.  Because I don't want to go through and check to see if they've been doing the minimum.

I'm going to be going over this thing with a fine toothed comb over the week before the students have access, and writing up a critique for my department head.

This reads as much as a justification for the costs of the wonder that is Blackboard more than an actual, valuable class like my students told me mine was.