Vista Higher Learning (VHL) Central

Owned by Mariann Hawken
Last updated: Jul 21, 2023 by Josh Abrams
3 min read

Vista Higher Learning (VHL) Central is an online platform that supports introductory and intermediate foreign language studies. Students incorporate structures and vocabulary from a variety of sources including text, video, and live communication practice, with opportunities for skill-building in every lesson. The VHL Central Supersite offers assignments, audio, video, reference tools, and assessments.

The Blackboard integration allows faculty to link to the VHL course site or to individual activities and assessments within the publisher platform. You must have a VHL Central Supersite created with activities/assessments deployed before you begin to link VHL Central content to your Blackboard course.







Add VHL to Blackboard Ultra

Blackboard Ultra

  1. Log into your Blackboard course shell.

  2. Access the content folder or learning module where you want the link to reside.

  3. Click on the purple plus icon to add content.

  4. Select Content Market.

  5. When the Content Market panel opens, scroll down to select VHL Central.

  6. If you have not already signed into VHL Central, do so now.

    1. Select the VHL Central course you want to link to your Blackboard course site.

    2. At the next screen, select whether you want to:

      1. Create a link to the student dashboard, which provides easy access to upcoming assigned work. You can add this same link into multiple locations of your course, and it will always show the work relevant based on the current date.



      2. Choose a single activity to embed into your course. e.g. a video or other presentational material, or specific high-value quiz or exam.



    3. If you choose (b), you be presented with a list of activities and assessments in the VHL Central course. You can only select one activity at a time.




    4. Click LINK to select the activity. An overlay will next appear – click the blue button that says CREATE.

    5. Repeat this process for each individual activity.

    For Ultra Courses

    You can link VHL Central content within an Ultra Document, which allows you to create robust instructional materials for students.

    1. Create an Ultra document. 

    2. Click Add Content.

    3. Click on the Insert Media button on the far right of the content editor toolbar.

    4. Choose Insert / Edit LTI Item from the dropdown menu.



    5. When the Content Market panel opens, scroll down to select VHL Central.

    6. Repeat steps 2b - 5 to embed content. 



    7. Clicking the link in this Ultra document will open in the same way as a link in a folder.



Add VHL to Blackboard Original

Blackboard Original

  1. Log into your Blackboard course shell.

  2. Access the content folder or learning module where you want the link to reside.

  3. Click Build Content.

  4. Scroll down the list of available tools and select VHL Central.

  5. Linking the VHL Central Content in Your Original or Ultra Blackboard Course

    If you have not already signed into VHL Central, do so now.

    1. Select the VHL Central course you want to link to your Blackboard course site.

    2. At the next screen, select whether you want to:

      1. Create a link to the student dashboard, which provides easy access to upcoming assigned work. You can add this same link into multiple locations of your course, and it will always show the work relevant based on the current date.



      2. Choose a single activity to embed into your course. e.g. a video or other presentational material, or specific high-value quiz or exam.



    3. If you choose (b), you be presented with a list of activities and assessments in the VHL Central course. You can only select one activity at a time.




    4. Click LINK to select the activity. An overlay will next appear – click the blue button that says CREATE.

    5. Repeat this process for each individual activity.



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