Your textbook installs into Blackboard through the Blended Teaching (iFrame) tool, using Deep Linking. There are two parts: you bond your Blackboard course to your Blended Teaching textbook, then add your chapters, quizzes, and assignments straight into the course. The same flow works any time you want to add more content later — installing and adding content are one and the same.
Follow the steps below depending on whether your course uses Blackboard Classic or Blackboard Ultra.
Note: The Blended Teaching (iFrame) LTI tool must already be installed and configured in your Blackboard instance by your institution's LMS administrator before you can follow these steps. If it isn't yet, point your administrator to Adding Blended Teaching to Blackboard. Once installed at the admin level, no additional installation is required by you (instructors) at the course level.
1. Check for the Blended Teaching App in Blackboard
You can verify the app is installed by checking for Blended Teaching (iFrame) in the Build Content menu for Classic or Content Market for Ultra within the course. (For Classic, see Section 2 - Steps 1 & 2 and for Ultra, see Section 3 - Steps 1 & 2 below). If it appears as an available option, the app has been successfully installed. No further installation is needed at the course level.
All types of content (video, assignments, quizzes, etc.) are added from Blended Teaching into Blackboard in the same way. Instructions are provided in two separate sections below, depending on whether your course uses Blackboard Classic or Blackboard Ultra.
2. Installing Your Textbook in Blackboard Classic via Deep Linking
Step 1: Open your Course and Navigate to the Content Area
Log into Blackboard and find the course where you want your textbook.
From the left-hand menu, click Content to open the main area where Blended Teaching content will be placed.
Step 2: Launch Blended Teaching from Build Content Menu
Select the Build Content menu and choose Blended Teaching (iFrame).
Step 3: Select Your Blended Course
If this is your first time using Deep Linking, you'll be prompted to choose a Blended Course to connect to your Blackboard course. All modules, quizzes, and materials will be pulled from the course you select.
After choosing the course, save your selection. This completes the link between your Blended Course and your Blackboard course. Once saved, you can return to Blackboard.
Note, this step is permanent. It bonds your Blended Teaching textbook to this Blackboard Course. Like swans, they stay together forever. So just make sure you choose the right swan. I mean, textbook.
Step 4: Choose and Add your Modules
With your Blended Course linked, click the + Add Content button again. You'll be redirected to the Blended Teaching content page.
Select the content you'd like to add — for a full install, that's every chapter, quiz, and assignment in your course — and then press the purple Add x Chapters button.
Step 5: Review your Added Content
Your selected content will then appear in Blackboard!
3. Installing Your Textbook in Blackboard Ultra via Deep Linking
Step 1: Open Your Course and Access the Course Content Panel
Log into Blackboard and find the course where you want your textbook.
Click on the + Add Content button at the bottom of your Course Content.
Step 2: Launch Blended Teaching from the Content Market
Choose Content Market and then select Blended Teaching (iFrame) from the list of available tools.
Step 3: Select Your Blended Course
If this is your first time using Deep Linking, you'll be prompted to choose a Blended Course to connect to your Blackboard course. All modules, quizzes, and materials will be pulled from the course you select.
After choosing the course, save your selection. This completes the link between your Blended Course and your Blackboard course. Once saved, you can return to Blackboard.
Note, this step is permanent. It bonds your Blended Teaching textbook to this Blackboard Course. Like swans, they stay together forever. So just make sure you choose the right swan. I mean, textbook.
Step 4: Select Modules and Add Them
With your Blended Course linked, click the + Add Content button again. You'll be redirected to the Blended Teaching content page.
Select the content you'd like to add — for a full install, that's every chapter, quiz, and assignment in your course — and then press the purple Add x Chapters button.
Step 5: Review your Added Content
Your selected content will then appear in Blackboard!
4. Organize and Publish your Content
Now that the content is in Blackboard, you can test it out, move it around to the location you want, add any settings that are helpful, and when you're ready, make it available to your students.
5. Other Setup Steps
A few more things you may want to do:
Set your assessment dates in your Control Center — see How to set Dates & Points for Assessments.
Turn on grade syncing. Because Blackboard is integrated with Blended Teaching, grades can flow automatically into your Blackboard gradebook — see How To Sync Grades with your LMS.
Planning proctored exams? Proctoring of Blended-hosted quizzes runs through our Canvas integration, so on Blackboard the recommended path is exporting those exams and running them natively in Blackboard, where your institution's proctoring tools work as normal. Our team will walk you through it — just ask Blended AI to connect you.
Help your students get access — share Getting Started with Your Blended Teaching Textbook so they know what to do.
See the full setup flow — New Class Launch Guide for Instructors, or if you're reusing a textbook from a previous semester, A Guide to Launching Your Class Using An Existing Textbook.