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Need Help with Blackboard?

Click the Students or Faculty link and try "First Time Users." If you need further assistance, contact ITAC at 677-3045, or stop by Library Room 20 with your ID.

Topics

Username & Password Problems
Gradebook Entries
Uploading & Linking
Email Problems
Students Problems
General Troubleshooting

Username & Password Problems

Gradebook Entries

Uploading & Linking

Email Problems

Students Problems

General Troubleshooting

  • How do I create a Blackboard course site?

Go to Course Request Page from the "Faculty Help" main page and follow the instructions to create a course site.

  • How can my students locate my course?

Your students can access the Blackboard course listing at http://blackboard.bradley.edu, login and access your course by selecting it from the listing on their "My Bradley" page.

  • What do my students need to access my course?

Your students' username for the Blackboard is the same as their Bradley username and use the password mailed to them at the beginning of the school year. They can access the course through "My Bradley" page once they login.(Note: your students will be able to change their password later).

  • Can I enter letter grades in the gradebook spreadsheet?

Yes. You can define parameters for grades.

  • How can I upload an HTML file that contains graphics to Blackboard?

In the "Optional File Upload" area, browse to the HTML file then click "Submit." When prompted for the location of the individual graphic files, browse your local disk, specify the location, and then click "Submit."

  • How do I make a link from Blackboard to other sites?

There are two methods for you to do this.

    1. To create the link in any other sections of Blackboard click "Manage Course menu" under the instructor control panel, click course link which enables the instructor to add a link to another area within the course website.
    2. Click on manage course menu in the control panel and click "External Links" to create a link to your Bradley website by filling in the description and URL.
  • What do I need to use Blackboard?

All you need to use Blackboard is a computer that is connected to the Internet and a Java ebabled browser. This can be a BU Ethernet connection or a modem connection through an Internet Service Provider. The computers in the Residence Halls and in the Reserves area of Cullom Davis Library are configured to give you all the applications and plug-ins you need to participate in a Blackboard course.

  • What browser do I need to use Blackboard?

Blackboard requires that you have a Java-enabled Web browser. Version 6.0 or higher of Netscape or Version 5.0 or higher of Microsoft Internet Explorer will work. You can download the latest version of Netscape by going to the Netscape Download Site and following the on-screen instructions. If you have trouble downloading a new browser or need help determining if your browser is Java-enabled, go to the Technology Help Desk at the Cullom Davis Library.

  • Do I need to change my browser settings?

For Blackboard's features to work correctly, your browser should be "Java-enabled," and you should make sure you are always looking at the latest version of the Blackboard page. Follow the instructions below to check your browser settings:

From Netscape (4.7 or greater):

    1. Click on the EDIT menu and choose PREFERENCES.
    2. Under the Category panel on the left, click on ADVANCED.
    3. Place a checkmark in front of ENABLE JAVA and ENABLE JavaScript.
    4. Under the Category panel, under Advanced, click on CACHE.
    5. Under "Compare the page in the cache to the page on the network:" choose EVERY TIME.

From Internet Explorer (5.0 or greater):

  1. Click on the TOOLS menu and choose INTERNET OPTIONS...then choose GENERAL.
  2. In the section titled 'Temporary Files', press the SETTINGS button.
  3. Under "Check for newer versions of stored pages:" check EVERY VISIT TO THE PAGE
  • I'm using America Online (AOL) with Windows 95/98. The built-in AOL browser does not work with certain Blackboard components. Can I use Netscape as my browser when I'm connecting through AOL?

Yes. Visit the following page for further instructions: http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19970331-2.html

  • Do I have to receive my Blackboard e-mail at my bradley e-mail address?

Yes. When your Blackboard account is created, the default e-mail address is your bradley e-mail address, if you have one.

  • People have sent me e-mail from inside Blackboard, but I don't seem to be receiving it. What happened?

Contact the Instructional Technology Assistance Center at 677-3045, or stop by Library Room 20 with your student ID.

  • How do I get started?

First, submit course request . You'll receive a site for your course. Any time you need to add content after the initial setup you can login to Blackboard and create link; you'll need to know your Blackboard user name and password. When the course appears on your screen, you'll notice "Control Panel" at the bottom left. Press it, then choose the aspect of the course you want to change. If you have problems getting into your course, send email to brk@bradley.edu or crabe@bradley.edu. When you're adding material in a text box, you can type the information or cut and paste from a word processor. If you want to make a whole word processor document available, you can also upload it intact to the Blackboard server. Once you've added material, you can go back and change or remove it. Changes are implemented as soon as you click the "submit" button for the information you are updating.

  • How can I have an announcement that is always displayed, regardless of how the student filters the announcements?

When you post your new announcement, you will see a group of radio buttons to the right of the "Submit" button. Simply make sure that the "Yes" radio button next to the "Always Show" label is selected before you submit the announcement. The announcement will always be shown regardless of how the student filters the display. Want to change an existing announcement to always be displayed? No problem - just choose to modify it in the Control Panel and set the "Always Show" to "Yes", then submit it.

  • How do I incorporate several graphics within the same document?

The "Add Document" link in Control Panel page editors allows you to add a single image with associated text to a folder (specify the GIF or JPEG image under "Optional File Upload" and select a "special action" of "display this file within the page"). The easiest way to incorporate multiple graphics within a single document is to create an HTML formatted document with the graphics embedded (linked) in it. You can then upload that HTML file with the graphics.

  • How do I put HTML into my pages?

If you want to just include a bit of markup in the text of an item in a folder, you can type the HTML codes into the box in the page editor. Click "add document" then include the HTML markup in the "Enter Information Below" area, and check "HTML" button. That's good only for very simple things like boldface, and you have to be careful not to foul up the page (e.g. by having a beginning tag but no ending tag. If you don't know HTML, you can copy the tags from your HTML editor. In some HTML editors when you use the COPY command (command-C) it stores the codes on the clipboard.  

More commonly, you'll want to have a complete page that you've written in HTML included in your Blackboard, linked from an entry in a folder.

    1. In the Control Panel for your Blackboard course, choose Course Documents. (You could put information into the Course Information or Announcements pages in the same manner by choosing those areas from the Control Panel.), and click the "Add Document" button.
    2. Give the new document title and perhaps a bit of descriptive information in the "Enter information" box.
    3. In the "Select Options->Optional File Upload" area, use the Browse button to find the HTML page on your PC or Mac.
    4. In the "Name of Link" field, enter the text for the link that students would click on to view this document.
    5. In the "Special Actions" field, select "Create a link to this file".
    6. Click the "Submit" button to send the information to the Blackboard server.
    7. Blackboard will send a receipt to confirm the process and will ask you to locate (on your hard disk) and upload any images (IMG tags) that are used in your HTML file. If you want to have a set of related HTML documents all linked to from your Blackboard, you'll usually package them as a ZIP archive, then follow the instructions above, but will select a special action of "Unpackage these files".
  • What's a ZIP archive?

It's a single compressed file that contains several files inside it. You need a program to create and unpack such files. For unpacking ZIP archives, Aladdin Expander works great. For creating them, we recommend the free Winzip for Windows users; Mac users can use the free MacZip. Current versions of most of the software can be downloaded from the site Bradley University Software Repository at http://www.bradley.edu/software or from the Internet.

  • How do I put a PowerPoint presentation on my course site?

The best way is to save your PowerPoint presentation using the "save as HTML" option. This creates a large set of html documents that you can package as a ZIP file and transfer as above. Zip the files from PowerPoint into one zipped (compressed) file and upload the zipped file to Blackboard. When you're asked to choose an entry point for the presentation, you'll probably want to choose either "index.htm" or "sld001.htm"

  • What about students with "Directory Access Restricted"?

You need to ensure that other people can't obtain information about such students from your Blackboard. Until one "enrolls in the course, he/she can't see most of the Blackboard, and in particular can't see the Communication or Student Tools sections. You can and should use Control Panel->Course Options to turn on "security" for Course Documents and Assignments, since you probably don't want random visitors from other institutions seeing those materials. For "directory restricted" students, you should also use Control Panel->Modify User to change a particular user and mark his/her as not "available". When you do so, then even other people in the course won't see his/her name on the student roster or the list of individual email addresses. However, if she posts a message to a discussion board, that message will show up as being sent by his/her, and will show his/her name and email address. Although she can change his/her name in the account information (using Student Tools->Change your Information) that means that you the instructor will also see the changed information, not his/her real name.

  • My browser hangs for a long time and does not load the navigation buttons on the left.

A problem has occurred where even after waiting a long time, the buttons on the left may not appear. The image for Blackboard's "Search" button is not being found. Hit the "Stop" button on your browser and the other images should be displayed. This will not inhibit functionality.

  • I can't get into Blackboard from work/home. What can I do?

You may be behind a firewall at work or at home which may not allow you to connect to the nonstandard port: 80 which is used by Blackboard. You may wish to speak to your System Administrator or your Internet Service Provider to resolve this issue until the Blackboard Administrators find a workaround.

  • How can I get training for Blackboard?

For instructors and their staff/assistants, we have seminars on using Blackboard for online instruction in our regular seminar series. You are also welcome to request a 90-minute introductory session in the Instructional Technology Assistance Center with one of our staff. Simply fill in the IRT seminar brochure on the Information Resources & Technology home page at http://www.bradley.edu/irt/seminars.html. Please supply both a preferred and an alternate time. If you already have course materials in electronic form, make sure to bring them along. There are also a limited number of seminars for students using Blackboard. You may want to advise your students to attend. Learn more about the free seminars offered by the ITAC.

  • What happens to my Blackboard site at the end of the semester?

Your site will be deactivated two weeks after the last week of classes. The course documents will be archived (albeit without any of the student information, discussion board messages etc.). Blackboard sites can easily be reused for later terms by simply copying the course's contents to a new site. We will do this upon your email-request to brk@bradley.edu.

  • My students are having problems. Can you help?

The Blackboard administrators provide support to faculty and developers working on Blackboard. Students should direct their questions to their instructors/TAs, who may contact the Blackboard administrators if they cannot solve the problem themselves. Problems of a general nature not directly related to Blackboard, such as dial-up issues, web browser problems etc., should be directed to the Technology Help Desk of Cullom Davis Library. If you need help with a student's problem, please get all relevant information from the student before contacting the Blackboard administrator @ x2332 for help.

That includes all of the following:

    1. Any error messages they got. Literally!
    2. What browser they were using, what version, and what operating system.
    3. How they were accessing the Internet (what ISP, and is it behind a firewall).
    4. What exactly they were trying to do when the error occurred.
    5. When exactly this occurred.
    6. Any other clues related to their problem.
    7. Most frequent cause for problems is the use of old browsers, such as the AOL internal browser. Students should use a modern browser with AOL.
  • How do I remove students from my course site?

Go to Control Panel, User Management, and Remove User from the course. You'll see a list of all enrolled students with checkboxes to the left of each name. Click in the checkbox next to any student you want to remove and then click the Remove Selected Users button.

  • How do I change my password?

Go to the My Bradley tab at the top of the page. In the box on the left, choose "Personal Information." Choose "Change Password." Type your new password in the password fields (you'll need to enter it twice), then click the "Submit" button for the new password to take effect. At this point, Blackboard may prompt you to log in to your site again using the new password.

  • What if I forget my password?

Passwords can be established by the user. Click the "Login" link or button on the Blackboard web site. To establish your password, click the "Forgot your password" link at the bottom of the Log In to Blackboard box. Put in your first and last name and username then click "submit." Blackboard will send an email message to your Bradley email address. This message will contain a link to a web page that will allow you to set your own Blackboard password. You then log in to Blackboard with this new password.

Note: Blackboard will not let you in after you have typed your username and password incorrectly more than three times. You will need to relaunch your browser.
 
If you need further assistance, please contact the Instructional Technology Assistance Center between 8 AM and 5 PM at 677-2332 in Library Room 20, or the Technology Help Desk (extended hours) at 677-2964 in the Library.

 

  • How can I restrict access so that only those enrolled in the class can see my site?

By default, anyone who has an account on the Blackboard system (all the Bradley students and many faculty and staff members) can view your course site, except for the Communication and Student Tools areas. These areas are always restricted to those enrolled in a particular site. However, individual faculty members have the option of restricting any or all areas of their sites to only those enrolled in the course. Go to Control Panel, Course Options, Manage course menu, and modify tools. You will see a listing of all the areas of your course site and radio buttons to Enable or Disable each area. You will also see a column of checkboxes for making each area secure. Click the checkboxes for each area that you want to make secure, then click the Submit button.

  • Is there any way I can add formatting (bold, Italics, etc.) to text that I enter into Blackboard's text boxes?

In most of Blackboard's text boxes, HTML tags can be used to format your text. You can include any tags that would appear between the <body> tags of a standard HTML document. A list of commonly used HTML tags can be found in HTML tutorials on the net.

  • I would like to put some of my documents into HTML format so those students don't have to launch extra software (e.g., MS Word, WordPerfect) to open my files. What are my options?

Recent office software suites (MS Office, Corel Office) now include the option to save as HTML. While this is an easy way to convert your documents, it doesn't always yield perfect results. Some formatting may be lost, spacing may be altered, etc. Some trial and error will probably be necessary. The IT Learning Team provides additional recommendations for creating HTML documents.

  • When I save my MS Word files as HTML, it works okay for simple documents, but much of my formatting is lost. What if I have something more complex, e.g., equations or non-Roman character sets?

One alternative is to obtain Adobe Acrobat Reader and save your documents as PDF (portable document format) files. Saving in this format keeps all of your formatting and special characters intact. The Acrobat Reader software, which is required to open PDF files, is free and comes pre-installed with most recent web browsers. Inquire with your departmental liaison regarding availability of the Acrobat writer software necessary for creating PDF files (it is not free). PDF files can be loaded into Blackboard just like any other file type.

  • I would like to include graphs made from Excel spreadsheets in my course site. Is there any way other than uploading the files in native Excel format?

An alternative is to use Excel's add-in that allows you to Save as HTML and create web images of your graphs (these instructions refer to Excel 97. If this feature is activated in your copy of Excel, your File menu will have an option called Save as HTML. If this option is not present, check the Tools menu, Add-Ins. If you have a choice called Internet publishing, select it and then check the File menu again. If you still don't see a Save as HTML option, you may need to install additional options from your Excel media or your version may not support it. Contact your departmental liaison or brk@bradley.edu for assistance. When you select the Save as HTML option, Excel's web publishing wizard will walk you through saving your spreadsheet or graph in web-ready format. An HTML file is created containing a GIF image of the graph. When Excel saves the HTML file it also saves the GIF image file separately. The HTML wizard will prompt you to name your HTML file, and will automatically save any embedded graphs with a similar file name. For example, any embedded graphs from the file chart.html would be called chart1.gif, chart2.gif, etc. and be saved in the same directory as the HTML file. When you upload the HTML file in Blackboard, it recognizes that this file should contain a GIF image and prompts you to browse for it. The advantage of using this method rather than uploading the file in native Excel format is that no special software, other than a web browser is required to view the file. You don't have to worry that your students might not have Excel installed on their machines.

  • When uploading a document, I have tried using the "Display this file within the page" option listed under Special Action. It always reverts back to "Create a link to this file." Why won't my file display in the page?

The "Display this file within the page" option is meant for uploading images (gif or jpg files), audio, video, or other multimedia files. It won't work with HTML files, word-processing documents, or other non-media file formats. However, there is another way to achieve the same effect for HTML files. View the source (HTML code) of your HTML document and copy everything between and including the BODY tags. In Blackboard's Add Document window, paste the source into the text box, click the "HTML" option underneath the text box, and then click Submit as usual.

  • What file types are supported in Blackboard?

Refer to Blackboard's Supported File Types document (in PDF format) from the instructor's online manual that you can access from the control panel of your course page or go to the link http://blackboard.bradley.edu/login/File_Types.html.

  • How do I add a description to my course?

Go to Control Panel and click settings in the course options. Scroll down towards the bottom of the window and you'll see an area called Course name and description. Enter your description in the text box and click the Submit button.

  • Is there any way to export discussion board messages into a text file?

Go to control panel and click export course in course option. Check discussion board and click submit.

  • How can I divide the class into groups?

Go to Control Panel, User Management, and Manage Group. Here you can name the group, give a description, and select which students should be included. Each group has its own communication tools and area for sharing files. The group area is available in the Communication section of your course site (not in the Control Panel). Click the Group Pages icon to see a listing of all groups. Each group name is an active link that you can click to enter the area for that particular group.

  • I have sorted my students into groups. I want to add myself to each group so that I will get all the e-mail that goes between them. How do I do this?

Instructors do not appear as possible users who can be added to a group. A workaround is to create a separate "student" account for you and then add your student account to each group.

  • Is there a quick way for me to log on and check if students have left any files for me to read in the group pages, or do I have to check the file transfer drop box in each group individually?

Unfortunately, there is currently no mechanism that will flag you when you have new documents waiting, but we have routed this feature request to Blackboard's developers.

  • Is there an easy way to manage a class that has a lecture section, lab sections, and problem sections?

One alternative is to use the group tools. Once all students have been added to the lecture section, they could then be divided into groups for each of the lab and problem set sections. Each section could be monitored by the appropriate instructors or T.A.s. Another approach would be to create a folder for each lab and problem set section in the Course Documents or other section of the course site. Each instructor could then post announcements, problem sets, etc. in their respective folders. A final option would be to have multiple course sites. A template course could be created containing all content relating to the lecture section and then copied for use by all the section instructors. Any later changes to the lecture portion would then need to be updated in each copied course site individually.

  • How can I see responses for each survey question?

To view a breakdown of responses for each question, go to the Online Gradebook and click on Report by Item. Choose the name of your survey from the dropdown list and click the Go! Button. On the right, you'll see a button called "View Item Analysis". Click here to see a percentage breakdown for each question.

  • Some of my students are reporting that their answers are not being recorded when taking my quizzes. Why is this happening?

Students using older browser software are likely to encounter problems with quizzes. For best results, your students should be using Netscape or Internet Explorer 5.0 or better. If they can't upgrade the software on their own machines, current versions of both browsers can be downloaded from the Bradley University Software Repository at http://www.bradley.edu/software.

  • In order to use Blackboard's on-line gradebook, do I have to type in all the student names or is there a way to copy this from the roster?

You don't have to enter any names. As soon as you add an entry in the gradebook, all of the names will be populated. It's easiest to add an entry working in spreadsheet view. You'll see a button called Add Entry. As soon as you add your first assignment, the students' names will appear in a table.

  • Is there a convenient way to save my site as a whole so that I could call it up in a web browser and show it to others without having to log into the Bradley Blackboard site to do so?

At this time there is no easy way to save your course site and open it outside of the Blackboard framework. However, your site can be exported and then imported onto another server where Blackboard is running.

  • What will I, as a Bradley faculty member, be able to do if I create a course?

Without any knowledge of HTML, blackboard will allow you to:

    1. Post your own syllabus and course information Post course documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other files)
    2. Post class announcements
    3. Create online quiz and practice sets
    4. Create and manage your own online discussion group
    5. Offer online grading
    6. Make your entire site publicly accessible or password protect areas that you want only your students to access
    7. Monitor traffic on your site
    8. Post links to any web resource
  • I'm having a hard time retaining my document's formatting when I'm cutting and pasting parts of it into Blackboard.

To solve this problem:

    1. In Word, highlight the text you would like to have copied onto Blackboard.
    2. Save the document as HTML by selecting the "save as html" option from the "file" menu
    3. From the "view" menu select "html source"
    4. Highlight all the source code and select "copy" from the "edit" menu
    5. Copy the code into the text box in Blackboard and select the "contains html" radio button.
  • I've given my students a quiz with Blackboard. It appears that some students have taken it, but when I access their results there isn't any data.

Your students have started to take the assessment, and then backed out of the page using the back button of their browser. So, although they have seen the test, they haven't taken it yet and they have not submitted answers to you. If you don't care if students take a test multiple times or if you want to allow students to look at an assessment and come back at a later time to do the assessment, you can "allow multiple attempts" when you create the quiz.

  • I'm an instructor and want to know if I can re-use my web site next semester and not have to start from scratch?

We can copy all your course material into a new course that you can use for the next semester. You can submit a course request and ask that your content from a previous semester be copied to your new course site. Go to http://blackboard.bradley.edu and click "Request a Course Site." Complete the form, including section 2 which asks you to indicate which section you would like to have copied.

  • Can I make a test unavailable to my students after a certain period of time without going to the assessment area to set the option to "unavailable" so I can still keep all the records and grades for that test?

Yes. You can remove the announcement, which has the link to the quiz from the announcement area. Also, go into the area where you have the link to the test created (Assignments, Course Information, or Course Documents) and make that link unavailable. In this case, your students won't have access to the quiz and you can keep the quiz available and the grades.

  • How do I remove a quiz, but not remove the grades for that quiz?
    1. Log into your course as the instructor.
    2. Go to the Control Panel.
    3. Go to the area where you posted the quiz (Course Info, Course Documents and Assignments).
    4. Click on the Quiz folder.
    5. Find the quiz in question.
    6. Click on the Remove button. Blackboard will prompt you with this message:

    Warning: Removing this content item will also remove all attempts for this Test. Retain the Gradebook item and scores for this Test by choosing Preserve scores below. These scores will no longer link to the Test attempts that produced the scores. This action cannot be undone. If the Test attempts should not be removed, hit Cancel below and make this content item unavailable rather than removing it.

    Make your choice and click "Submit."

  • How do I regenerate the quiz at another time?
    1. Log into your course as the instructor.
    2. Go to the Control Panel.
    3. Go to the Assignment area (or the area where you had the quiz posted before)
    4. Click on the "Quizzes" folder.
    5. Click on Add Test.
    6. Choose the Test you would like to use
    7. Click on the Submit button.
    8. Choose Modify Test Options. Set the options you would like to use, including "make test available."
  • Why don't I receive my student's email?

The students might be using their browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer) mail server for e-mail instead of sending e-mail through the "Communication" tools by clicking the "Send Email" icon. If your students are using the instructor's email link under "Staff Information", it requires the students to have their browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer) mail server and identity set up. If they want to use their browser mail and need help doing this, they can contact the Technology Help Desk at x2964.
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