College of
Southern Idaho

STUDENTS

 

FACULTY

Tips and FAQs - Students

  1. What is Blackboard?
  2. How do I access Blackboard?
  3. How do I change my password?
  4. What e-mail address does my Blackboard e-mail go to?
  5. How do I use Blackboard?
  6. How do I use the Assignment Tool?
  7. How do I use the Digital Drop Box?
  8. How do I use the Discussion Board?
  9. How do I send an e-mail in Blackboard?
  10. How do I check my grades?
  11. I'm having problems reading/downloading PowerPoint files from my Blackboard course. What should I do?
  12. I forgot/lost my Password. How can I get it reset?
  13. What if I'm having problems logging in, accessing a course, etc.?
  14. How do I read the file that my Professor has posted?
  15. Is there a recommended browser?
  16. Where can I find additional information?

Answers

1. What is Blackboard?

Blackboard is a Course Management System, a type of software that allows faculty to share content and communicate with their students over the Internet. It is used to teach distance education courses, as well as to enhance courses taught in the classroom.

CSI's Blackboard service is managed and supported by the Instructional Technology Center Staff.

2. How do I login to Blackboard?

 

First, make sure you are attempting to login at the right web address: http://blackboard.csi.edu.

USERNAME: first three letters of first name, full last name (including hyphenates), birth month, and birth day with leading zeros.

  • No spaces anywhere. If you did not register a birthdate with CSI, your birthday will be 0101.

PASSWORD: First name initial (ALL CAPS), Last name initial (ALL CAPS), and CSI Student ID with leading zeros

Example 1: John Doe who was born May 16th. CSI ID#: 201111

  • username: johdoe0516 password: JD201111
  • John Doe's CSI e-mail address: johdoe0516@students.csi.edu

Example 2: John Q. Public, born September 15th. CSI ID#: 837549

  • username: johpublic0915 password: JP837549
  • email: johpublic@students.csi.edu

Example 3: Mary Hernandez-Garcia, born May 1st. CSI ID#: 8372

  • username: marhernandez-garcia0501 password: MH008372
  • email: marhernandez-gar0501@students.csi.edu

Example 4: Paul McCartney, no birth date or middle name specified when he registered. CSI ID#: 93829

  • username: paumccartney0101 password: PM093829
  • email: paumccartney0101@students.csi.edu

3. How do I change my password?

After logging in to Blackboard, click on Personal Information, under Tools on the left side of your screen. Select Change Password. Enter your new password twice and click Submit.

A couple of words about passwords:
Whether you are creating a password for Blackboard or your e-mail account, always try to create a password that is easy for you to remember, but difficult for others to guess. A few suggested rules for creating a password:

  1. Always make your password at least 6 characters.
  2. Mix characters and numbers (e.g., blue12berry, h0bbit, 0c3an).
  3. Mix capital and lower case letters (e.g., r3dw00d, bAtMaN21).
  4. Don't use the same password for every account.
  5. NEVER use your ATM Card Pin as your password.
  6. Avoid using your birth date, name, parents' or child's name, or their birth dates. In general, any easily accessible information available to others are considered bad practice.

Note:
If you have difficulties creating passwords, we suggest using tools such as Automated Password Generator (APG).

4. What e-mail address does my Blackboard e-mail go to?

By default, all Blackboard accounts are set up to send e-mail to the e-mail account created during registration. See How do I Login to Blackboard for additional Information.

5. How do I use Blackboard?

This website is designed to be a learning resource tool for you in learning how to use Blackboard. It will be updated on a regular basis with additional tips and resources. You may also Preview (you'll be logged in as guest) for hands-on experience with the interface and learn about what types of content you may encounter. In addition, Blackboard courses are taught during the beginning of the semester for both Faculty/Staff and Students through the ITC Department.

If you learn better by reading and/or hands-on exploration, you can download the Getting Started with Blackboard Guide (PDF) created by Blackboard. A Online Student Manual is also available for detailed instructions on how to use Blackboard.

6. How do I use the Assignment Tool?

The Assignment Tool is a modified version of the Digital Drop Box. When an Instructor adds an assignment to his/her Blackboard course, you will see a link to the the assignment description and a place to enter responses and/or to upload files. Once the Instructor has graded the assignment, you can return to this link to view not only the grade for your assignment, but also any comments that the Instructor may have included.

For a video tutorial on using the Assignment Tool, click here. (Courtesy of Blackboard)

7. How do I use the Digital Drop Box?

Many faculty are using the Digital Drop Box for assignment submission. Click here for instructions on using the Digital Drop Box.

The Digital Drop Box is outdated and has many bugs. We advise that you do not use the Digital Drop Box unless specifically instructed to do so by your instructor.

8. How do I use the Discussion Board?

Many faculty will supplement their class by extending discussions outside of the classroom. Blackboard's built-in Discussion Board is one of the more commonly used tools. Click here for a guide to understanding the Discussion Board layout and for learning how to add and respond to posts.

The Discussion Board also allows for you to share files with your classmates (e.g., peer reviews, group projects).

9. How do I send an e-mail in Blackboard?

You can email member of a class through the Communication button on your Blackboard tool bar. Click on Communication and then select Send E-mail . You will be given the option to select to whom you wish to send the message. Select All Users , to send to the entire class; All Instructors , to send to your instructor; Select Users , to send to individual users, students or faculty. Enter the Subject of your e-mail and then the Message . Once you have typed your message, click the Send Copy of Message to Self , so that you will have a record of the e-mail you sent. Click Submit to send your e-mail. A receipt will appear after the message has been sent.

10. How do I check my grades?

If your instructor is using the gradebook to keep track of your grades, you can easily check your progress. Begin by clicking on the Tools button (in some courses this button may read Student Tools or User Tools ). Select View Grades . A page will appear with each assignment listed down the left hand side of the screen and your grade listed down the right hand side of the screen. At the top of the screen you will see your average and other statistics. WARNING!: Averages are not accurate until the end of the semester due to the way Blackboard calculates them.

You can also check the grade on an individual assignment by returning to a given Assignment Tool link. Once you have submitted an assignment and it has been graded, the grade and any comments from your Instructor will appear. For more information, see How do I use the Assignment Tool?

11. I'm having problems reading/downloading PowerPoint files from my Blackboard course. What should I do?

If you are using a computer with Microsoft Office XP, you may need to upgrade your software. There is a known issue between the first release of Microsoft Office XP and Blackboard. This bug typically only affects PowerPoint files, but may affect other files as well. To fix this bug you will need to download the Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 2 . This is a free download from Microsoft that is available at the Microsoft Office Product Updates Site .

If you are experiencing other problems, or are using a different platform than mentioned here, please contact us for further assistance.

12. I forgot/lost my Password. How can I get it reset?

If you can't remember your Password or lost it, please contact us to have your password reset.

13. What if I have problems logging in, accessing a course, etc.?

If you can not access a course, please contact your professor to ensure that s/he is using Blackboard for that section and ask him/her to add you to Blackboard Course Roster.

If you are experiencing password-related issues, please contact us for further assistance.

14. How do I read the file that my Professor posted?

Some professors will post files other than Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Acrobat files. In some cases, you will need a specific piece of software to read these files (e.g., CAD software, Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Flash). If you do not have access to these programs on your personal computer, you will need to either download the file and take it to a computer lab or download the file in a computer lab where there are computers with this software.

In other cases, you can download a browser plugin or a viewer program from the software manufacturer. Following is a list of the most common plugins and viewers available. If you need a plugin or viewer that is missing from this list, you should go to the web site of the software manufacturer to download the viewer.

15. Is there a recommended browser?

Some of the features available in Blackboard are browser specific and odd characters may appear in mathematical formulas when using another browser besides Internet Explorer 6.

If you are experiencing unknown issues when using Internet Explorer, it could be related to Spyware or Viruses. We recommend Mozilla Firefox as a good web browsing alternative.

(The ITC Staff is unable to troubleshoot students personal computers.)

16. Where can I find additional information about Blackboard and its features?

Blackboard provides a comprehensive Online Student Manual that may help answer your questions or solve your Blackboard problems.