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 Discussion Board?
  8. How do I send an e-mail in Blackboard?
  9. How do I check my grades?
  10. I'm having problems reading/downloading PowerPoint files from my Blackboard course. What should I do?
  11. I forgot/lost my Password. How can I get it reset?
  12. What if I'm having problems logging in, accessing a course, etc.?
  13. How do I read the file that my Professor has posted?
  14. Is there a recommended browser?
  15. Where can I find additional information?

 

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.

See Login Information page for more details.



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 button.

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 your Eaglemail account.


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.

Blackboard courses are taught during the beginning of the semester for both Faculty/Staff and Students through the ITC Department.


6. How do I use the Assignment Tool?

Assignments list the name, description, and attachments for class work. Students complete the Assignment in a separate file and send it back to the Instructor. They can include comments for the Instructor if they choose. Assignments may be individual or given to every member of a Course Group.

Submitting an Assignment

On the Upload Assignment page, Students can add comments and specify files to attach. Follow the steps below to submit an Assignment:

  1. Select the Content Area from the Course Menu that holds the Assignment. For example, the Course Documents area.
  2. Click the name of the Assignment. The Upload Assignment page appears.
  3. Complete the Submission field if necessary.
  4. Click Browse for Local File or Browse for Content Collection Item and select a file to attach.
  5. Enter a Name of link to file. If the field is left blank, then the file name becomes the link.
  6. Click Attach File.
  7. Complete the Comments field if necessary.
  8. Click Submit when the page is complete.

Instructors may create Assignments where Students do not need to attach files to complete them; Students can submit an Assignment without attaching a file. If Submit is selected, and no files are listed to attach, the Assignment is submitted and is no longer available to the Student to complete.

If the same file is attached to an Assignment more than once, the file name of the duplicate will automatically include a numeric suffix. For example, History_assignment1.doc.

Saving an Assignment

The Upload Assignment page has a Save as Draft option available. This option allows the user to save the Assignment and continue working on it later. Once the Assignment is complete the user can submit it.


7. How do I use the Discussion Board?

The Discussion Board is a tool for sharing thoughts and ideas about class materials. The Discussion Board is made up of Forums that may appear anywhere in the Course but are also all centrally located in the Discussion Board tool. Course Groups can have their own Discussion Boards.

Start a Thread

Follow these steps to start a thread.

  1. Open a Discussion Board Forum.
  2. Click Create Thread in the action bar. The Create Thread page appears.
  3. Enter a Subject and a Message. It is also possible to attach files to the post.
  4. Click Save Draft to store a draft of the post. Click Submit to create the thread.

Reply to a Post

Follow these steps to reply to a post.

  1. Open a thread in a Forum.
  2. Find a post.
  3. Click Reply for that post.
  4. Enter a Subject (if different than the default) and a Message. It is also possible to attach files to the post. Only one file can be added using the Attachment function below the text box. When using the Text Editor, multiple files may be added.
  5. Click Save Draft to store a draft of the post. Click Submit to create the thread.
  6. The post appears in the thread underneath the original post.


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

You can email member of a class through the Tools button on your Blackboard tool bar. Click on Tools 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 Instructor Users, 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 . Click Submit to send your e-mail. A receipt will appear after the message has been sent.



9. 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. Select My 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.

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?



10. 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.



11. 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.



12. 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 he/she 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.



13. 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 website of the software manufacturer to download the viewer.



14. 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 7.

Here are the recommended browsers:

Windows

Mac

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.)



15. 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.

Log on to Blackboard and click Help link at the top right under My Blackboard page.