Blackboard FAQs

How do I connect to Blackboard?

Click the Login button on the previous page. Alternatively, you can click the Blackboard link on the UT Health Science Center home page (http://www.utmem.edu) or type http://courses.utmem.edu into your browser’s address bar.

Why do I have to enter my username and password twice every time I log on to Blackboard?

If you have to log in twice, it's because you are trying to enter Blackboard directly through the page where you type in your username and password. Instead, you should enter Blackboard via http://courses.utmem.edu. If you go to this page, click the Login button, and then enter your user name and password on the next page, it will be accepted the first time. Using the Blackboard quick link on the UTHSC home page will yield the same results. If you have Blackboard bookmarked, make sure that your bookmark is set to http://courses.utmem.edu, NOT http://courses.utmem.edu/webapps/login. You can either make a new bookmark or edit the one you already have.

What do I need to do if I’ve forgotten my password?

On the Blackboard login page, click the “Forgot your password?” link. Follow the instructions for having your password sent to you (the first and last name fields are case-sensitive, so type them exactly as they appear in Blackboard in terms of upper- and lowercase lettering). Note: Your account must have a valid email account associated with it. Or, you can call the helpdesk at 8-2222 to have it reset.

How do I change my password (if I already know the existing one)?

Log in to Blackboard and choose the “Personal Information” Link in the Tools box on the left side of your “welcome” page. Then choose Change Password and enter a new password twice. Click Submit to change the password.

How can I get my Blackboard user name changed?

If your Blackboard user name matches your NetID, it cannot be changed. Similarly, if your user name does not match your NetID but your existing account is enrolled in courses where you have taken assessments, it cannot be changed, as this would erase all of your grades. If your NetID changes, please contact Keisha Z. Houston at 8-1927 to have your user name changed.

I’m having problems with the chat and virtual classroom tools. What should I do?

If you cannot access the lightweight chat or virtual classroom tools or cannot maintain a connection, please make sure that 1) you have the correct version of the Java Runtime Environment (see “What version of Java should be installed on my computer?”), 2) you have only ONE version of Java installed, and 3) any popup blockers on your computer are either disabled or “trained” to allow popups for Blackboard. If you have multiple versions of Java installed, uninstall all versions and then re-install the correct one.

What version of Java should be installed on my computer?

All Windows users should install version 1.4.x of the Java 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition. The most recent version is 1.4.2. Mac OS X users do not need to install the plug-in. Mac OS 8 and 9 users need MRJ 2.2.5. Go to http://www.java.com and click Manual Download in the green box in the top right corner of the page to find the download and instructions that match your operating system. (Windows users also can click the Get It Now button to start an automatic download. If this does not work, use the Manual Download.)

Why am I getting a “not found (404)” or “bad request” error when I try to open a document attached to a discussion board posting?

Check the document’s title for a pound sign (#) or percentage sign (%). While you can attach these documents to a discussion board posting with no problem, Blackboard will not be able to locate them for downloading or viewing. Ask the poster to remove these signs from the title and re-post it to the discussion board.

I can’t open PDF files. What should I do?

Go to http://www.adobe.com and download Adobe Reader. There is a “Get Adobe Reader” icon on Adobe’s home page that will take you to the download page.

Can I use my Mac to access Blackboard?

Yes, you can access Blackboard from Apple/Macintosh computers.

I’m having problems uploading and/or downloading Word documents in Blackboard. What should I do?

Windows users: Check for updates for your operating system and your Office suite of software. To do so, choose the Windows Update icon in your Start Menu (or go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com). This site will scan your computer and provide a list of updates, including critical security updates and the latest Service Packs. Click “Office Update” at the top of the Windows Update home page to perform the same process for your Office suite.
Mac OS users: Go to http://www.microsoft.com/mac to check for updates for your Office suite.

Who should I contact for help if my problem is not addressed in the FAQs?

Instructors: First, check the online documentation on the previous page and the Online Manual. If you still have questions, contact your college's Blackboard “liaison” or , if you don’t have one, Keisha Z. Houston at bb@utmem.edu or 8-1927. Please include your NetID/Blackboard username and the title of the Blackboard course in question in any email correspondence.
Students: If you have a course-specific question (ex., “Where is the class syllabus located?”), contact your instructor. If you have a usage question (ex., “How do I reply to a thread in a discussion board forum?”), check the Blackboard student manual located in each Blackboard course in the Tools Section. If you are experiencing access problems or have other questions, contact Keisha Z. Houston at bb@utmem.edu or 8-1927. Please include your NetID/Blackboard username and the title of the Blackboard course in question in any email correspondence.

Why am I having problems accessing Blackboard off-campus?

There are a number of things that could be causing trouble. The tips below will help you to prevent or stop the most common problems.

1. DO set your pop-up blocker or firewall program to allow access to Blackboard (http://courses.utmem.edu).
2. DO check your firewall's cookie control method if you can access certain parts of Blackboard but not others (consult your firewall program's documentation or customer service for help if necessary).
3. DO NOT use the browser that is included with AOL. Instead, log on to AOL to get your internet connection and then use the Internet Explorer or the Netscape Navigator that is installed on the computer separately from AOL. You may have an icon for these programs on your computer's desktop. If so, just double-click the icon, and this will open a browser window for you. If there is no icon for these programs on the desktop and you are on a Windows computer, then check the Start Menu (bottom left corner of screen) or the Programs folder, which is also located on the Start Menu. They may be listed there.
4. DO NOT store your AOL password. We have seen this cause problems with Blackboard.
5. DO check your broswer if you suddenly cannot access Blackboard or any other web pages but could previously. Clear your browser’s cache and set your browser to update web pages every time you visit them (see steps below). After making these changes, close ALL browser windows and try accessing Blackboard again.
1. In Internet Explorer (Windows): Go to the Tools menu and choose Internet Options. Click the Delete Files button in the “Temporary Internet Files" section. Then click the Settings button in the same section and choose the “Every visit to the page” option for “Check for newer version of the stored pages.” Close all IE windows in order for the changes to take effect.
2. In Internet Explorer (Macintosh): Go to the Edit (or Explorer menu in Mac OS X) menu and choose Preferences. Highlight “Advanced” under the “Web Browser” section. In the Cache section of that page, choose the “Always” option for “Update pages” and click the Empty Now button to delete the cached files. Close all IE windows in order for the changes to take effect.
3. In Netscape Navigator (Windows and Macintosh): Go to the Edit menu (or Explorer menu in Mac OS X) and choose Preferences. Highlight “Cache” under the “Advanced” section. Choose the “Every time I view the page” option for “Compare the page in the cache to the page on the network” and click the Clear Cache button to delete the cached files. Close all Netscape windows in order for the changes to take effect.
4. In Safari: Go to the Safari menu and choose Empty Cache. (I have not found a page update option in Safari.)
5. In Firefox: Go to the Tools menu and choose Options. In the left frame, choose Privacy, and then highlight the Cache option in the right frame. Click its Clear button. (I have not found a page update option in Firefox.)

Why am I having problems accessing web pages, even those I've accessed recently?

Check your broswer if you suddenly cannot access Blackboard or any other web pages but could previously. Clear your browser’s cache and set your browser to update web pages every time you visit them (see steps below). After making these changes, close ALL browser windows and try accessing Blackboard again.

1. In Internet Explorer (Windows): Go to the Tools menu and choose Internet Options. Click the Delete Files button in the “Temporary Internet Files" section. Then click the Settings button in the same section and choose the “Every visit to the page” option for “Check for newer version of the stored pages.” Close all IE windows in order for the changes to take effect.
2. In Internet Explorer (Macintosh): Go to the Edit (or Explorer menu in Mac OS X) menu and choose Preferences. Highlight “Advanced” under the “Web Browser” section. In the Cache section of that page, choose the “Always” option for “Update pages” and click the Empty Now button to delete the cached files. Close all IE windows in order for the changes to take effect.
3. In Netscape Navigator (Windows and Macintosh): Go to the Edit menu (or Explorer menu in Mac OS X) and choose Preferences. Highlight “Cache” under the “Advanced” section. Choose the “Every time I view the page” option for “Compare the page in the cache to the page on the network” and click the Clear Cache button to delete the cached files. Close all Netscape windows in order for the changes to take effect.
4. In Safari: Go to the Safari menu and choose Empty Cache. (I have not found a page update option in Safari.)
5. In Firefox: Go to the Tools menu and choose Options. In the left frame, choose Privacy, and then highlight the Cache option in the right frame. Click its Clear button. (I have not found a page update option in Firefox.)

STUDENT FAQS

How do I enroll in a course?

For most of your courses, the instructors will take care of enrolling you. If your instructor allows self-enrolling in a course, you can do a search for the course in the course catalog (located under the Courses tab), click the Enroll button all the way to the right of the course's title, and then click Submit on the next page. Contact your instructor if there is no Enroll button.

Can other students see my grades?

No, other students cannot see your grades in Blackboard. Within each course, only you, your instructor, and your instructor’s assistants with the role of either Teacher’s Assistant or Grader can view your grades.

Why can’t I see a grade or document that my professor has posted?

Make sure that you are scrolling all the way across or down a page and seeing all documents in that area. If you still do not see it, contact your instructor to make sure the content or grade is available to students now.

If I click to take an exam that is set to open in an external window, why is the external window blank?

You need to clear your browser’s cache and set your browser to update web pages every time you visit them. After making these changes, close all browser windows and try taking the exam again.

1. In Internet Explorer (Windows): Go to the Tools menu and choose Internet Options. Click the Delete Files button in the “Temporary Internet Files" section. Then click the Settings button in the same section and choose the “Every visit to the page” option for “Check for newer version of the stored pages.” Close all IE windows in order for the changes to take effect.
2. In Internet Explorer (Macintosh): Go to the Edit (or Explorer menu in Mac OS X) menu and choose Preferences. Highlight “Advanced” under the “Web Browser” section. In the Cache section of that page, choose the “Always” option for “Update pages” and click the Empty Now button to delete the cached files. Close all IE windows in order for the changes to take effect.
3. In Netscape Navigator (Windows and Macintosh): Go to the Edit menu (or Explorer menu in Mac OS X) and choose Preferences. Highlight “Cache” under the “Advanced” section. Choose the “Every time I view the page” option for “Compare the page in the cache to the page on the network” and click the Clear Cache button to delete the cached files. Close all Netscape windows in order for the changes to take effect.
4. In Safari: Go to the Safari menu and choose Empty Cache. (I have not found a page update option in Safari.)
5. In Firefox: Go to the Tools menu and choose Options. In the left frame, choose Privacy, and then highlight the Cache option in the right frame. Click its Clear button. (I have not found a page update option in Firefox.)

You may also need to disable your pop-up blocker.

Why is my discussion board posting and/or attachment not showing up after I click the Submit button?

Make sure the attached document's name does not contain a space, an apostrophe ('), a pound sign (#), or a percentage sign (%). If it does, rename the document (for instance, change "Joe's assignment #1" to "Joes_assignment_1") and re-do your posting. To rename a document, find it on your computer and either click it once to highlight the name (Mac) or right-click it and choose Rename (Windows) and place your cursor in the name where you want to make changes.

Why am I having problems submitting my test or survey?

There are a number of things that could be causing trouble. The tips below will help you to prevent or stop the most common problems.

1. DO make sure to click the Submit button after completing your assessment. Clicking Save or Cancel does not submit your answers.
2. DO set your pop-up blocker or firewall program to allow access to Blackboard (http://courses.utmem.edu).
3. DO check your firewall's cookie control method if you can access certain parts of Blackboard but not others (consult your firewall program's documentation or customer service for help if necessary).
4. DO NOT double-click to open or submit a test or survey. This could corrupt your attempt and lock you out of the assessment, even if multiple attempts are allowed.
5. DO NOT resize the Blackboard window or the frames within the window after an assessment has been opened. Again, this could corrupt your test attempt.
6. DO NOT wait until the last minute to attempt an assessment.
7. DO NOT go over the assessment time limit (if one is set).
8. D0 NOT panic if you have technological problems. Call your instructor and explain the situation.
9. Take assessments on campus if you continuously have problems from home.
10. Follow the steps to ensure best access to Blackboard from off-campus.

How do I "hide" a course in my course list that I no longer need to use?

1. Log on to Blackboard.
2. On your welcome page (the first page you see after logging on), click the pencil icon to the right of the words "My Courses".
3. Uncheck the "Show Course" checkbox for any courses you do not want to see and click Submit at the bottom of the page. (Please remember that should you ever need to get back into hidden courses, you have to go back into the pencil icon and recheck the "Show Course" box.)

INSTRUCTOR FAQS

How do I enroll a user in my course?

In the Control Panel click Enroll User. Search for the user by either last name, user name, or email address (choose the appropriate radio button below the field). Click the checkbox beside the user’s name and click Submit. Caution: DO NOT use the “Create a User” function to enroll a user in your course! If the user cannot be found via a search, please ask the user to contact Keisha Z. Houston at bb@utmem.edu or 8-1927 to request an account. Tell the user to include her/his NetID in any email requests.

How do I change a user’s role (to instructor, teacher’s assistant, etc.)?

If the user is not enrolled in the course: Enroll the user (See "How do I enroll a user in my course?") and then follow the steps below.
If the user is already enrolled in the course: Click List/Modify Users in the Control Panel. Search for the user by either last name, user name, or email address (choose the appropriate radio button below the field). Then click the Properties box for the user, scroll down to the “Role and Availability” section and change the user’s role, and click Submit. This changes the user’s role for that course only. (This is how you would make someone an instructor in your course.)

Why are my students unable to see a document or assessment that I’ve posted?

Make sure the content is set to be visible (available) to students and, if you used specific dates of availability, that they comprise the correct days. This is especially important with assessments, which are set to be invisible by default.

How do I upload a PowerPoint presentation to Blackboard?

Go to Manage Files (Creating PDFs and Uploading PowerPoints).

What is the best way to handle streaming media content in Blackboard?

Content < 1 minute in length: You can either put it on the library’s QuickTime server and link to it in your Blackboard course OR upload it directly to Blackboard. We recommend the first option. Please contact John Silver (8-6817 or jsilver@utmem.edu) in the library’s multimedia lab to learn more about digitizing content and placing it on the server.
Content > 1 minute in length: Put it on the library’s QuickTime server and link to it in your Blackboard course. This will be much faster for those users with dial-up connections.

Why do my students keep timing out when they take an assessment?

This may happen with a long assessment, as it could be a while between when students open the test and click Submit. This gap may cause the browser to “time out”. A simple solution to this is to use the question-by-question presentation mode to deliver long assessments, where students submit each question one at a time. This prevents long idle periods. Presentation mode is set in the assessment options.

CAUTION! Please note that each script has been known to lead to at least one error for students. The errors are listed with the scripts, along with the circumstances under which they occurred. (We do not know if these errors will occur with every use of the scripts). Choose the script that will work best for your assessment. If they cause problems, remove them from your test and report the problems to bb@utmem.edu.

SCRIPT 1 (provided by Wytheville Community College): If you use this script, students may not be allowed to edit essay answers.

Example: A student types in an essay answer that is 12 lines long and then decides to make a change on line 2. He places his cursor on line 2 and then all the text to the right of the cursor and on all lines after line 2 starts to disappear character by character. Other essays below the one he is trying to edit may disappear as well.

DO NOT use this script in tests with essay questions. (It has not been found to create problems with other question types.)

1. In the last question of your test, copy and paste the following two lines of code (starting with <script ….) AFTER the question text. Start it on a separate line from the question text.
   
   <script language="Javascript"
   src="http://www.wcc.vccs.edu/services/Blackboard/nocopy.js"></script>
   
   
2. Leave the text setting at Smart Text (unless Plain Text or HTML is needed for some other reason), add any other information that is necessary to complete the question (such as answers and feedback), and click Submit.
   

SCRIPT 2 (provided by Boise State University): If you use this script, students will not be allowed to cancel a submission and return to the questions if necessary.

Example: A student clicks the Submit button to complete his test and is notified that he left question #3 blank. When he clicks the Cancel button to cancel the Submit action, Blackboard acts as if the student clicked OK to continue the submission. The test is "turned in" instead of returning the student to the test canvas to provide an answer for #3.

If you use this script, please warn students that they must answer all of their questions and absolutely be ready to submit the test when they click the Submit button. (I would recommend NOT using this script unless it is of the utmost importance to prevent copying and printing AND you have an essay question. If there is no essay question in your assessment, use the Wytheville script above.) Developers also warn that the script does not seem to work as well on Macintosh computers.

1. In the first question of the test, copy and paste the following three lines of code (starting with <SCRIPT ....) AFTER the question text. Start it on a separate line from the question text.
   
   <SCRIPT language=Javascript
   src="http://blackboard.boisestate.edu/noprintcopy.js"></script>
   <STYLE type=text/css>@media print {BODY {display:none}}</style>
   
   
2. Change the text setting to HTML, add any other information that is necessary to complete the question (such as answers and feedback), and click Submit.

What is the difference between Smart Text, Plain Text, and HTML?

Smart Text automatically recognizes a link entered in the text box. Smart text recognizes the ENTER key as a paragraph tag and accepts HTML tags as well. Smart Text will also prompt to load images if an image source tag appears. Web addresses entered as URLs are converted to links. The URL must begin with "http://" and there must be a space before the "http://" to distinguish it from the previous word. If an image tag, <IMG>, is entered in Smart Text, Blackboard will automatically prompt you to upload the image.

Plain Text displays text as it is written in the text area. It shows no formatting (bold, italics, etc.). Plain text also does not render HTML code. HTML code will appear as text. It does not even recognize paragraph breaks.

HTML displays text as coded by the user using Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML) tags.

How do I change an incorrect Course ID? (The course ID is the short abbreviation+number identifer. ex. ANAT000)

Unlike the course name, you cannot change the courseID. Instead, you must copy the course's content into a new course that has the correct Course ID. Use the following steps:

1. Go into the control panel of the course whose ID you want to change and choose Course Copy.
2. Choose Copy Course with Users (Exact Copy).
3. Type in the correct Course ID into the destination field and click Submit.
4. You will receive an email letting you know when the copy has completed successfully. (If the copy is not successful, repeat steps 1-3.)
5. Once the copy is complete, go into the new course and check to make sure your content, students, and grades (if there were any) are there.
6. Send an email to bb@utmem.edu requesting that the old course be removed.

How do I remove a course?

Only a system administrator can remove a course from the Blackboard server. If you are COMPLETELY done with a course and want it remove, first follow the end-of-course checklist and then send an email to bb@utmem.edu requesting that the course be removed. Please include the course name AND course ID (ex. ANAT000) in the email.