Open Learning Initiative
The Open Learning Initiative (OLI) provides dozens of college-level courses, and a platform that enables research and experimentation with any aspect of the learning experience. OLI combines interactive textbooks with learning activities, assessments, and rich simulations. The materials are organized into units and modules that are aligned to learning objectives, so you can select OLI content to match your needs for the rest of the semester.
Maintenance fees are typically $25-75 per semester for students to use. There are three types of courses:
Drop-In Content – Smaller modules that can be used as supplemental content or on their own.
Modular Courses – Full semester courses designed to be adapted as needed. They can stand on their own, and are easy to rearrange to suit your course coverage.
Integrated Courses – Full semester courses meant to be used as-is. Integrated courses are designed to be self-containing so isolating specific modules may be challenging.
When the instructor clicks this link in Blackboard, they will be asked to create a course on the OLI system OR link to an existing course the instructor previously created on the OLI site. When finished, the Blackboard link will point students directly to the instructor’s content.
Blackboard Ultra
Go to your course.
Click the purple (+) to Create
A side layer will open. Choose Teaching tools with LTI connection from the available menu.
Enter a name for the link (e.g., "OLI Course: Statistical Reasoning") to tell students what they are accessing.
For the URL, enter: https://oli.cmu.edu/jcourse/webui/basiclti.do
Check YES for Open in New Window.
Click SUBMIT to save.
UMBC does not provide support for using the OLI platform. Please review the OLI knowledge base for support documentation.
Blackboard Original
Go to your course.
Access a content area.
Click Build Content → Web Link.
Enter a name for the link (e.g., "OLI Course: Statistical Reasoning") to tell students what they are accessing.
For the URL, enter: https://oli.cmu.edu/jcourse/webui/basiclti.do
Check the box labeled “This link is to a Tool Provider.”
Check YES for Open in New Window.
Click SUBMIT to save.