Frequently Asked Questions: Student Questions

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
  • Then click the Enroll button all the way to the right of the course's title
  • 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 Safari: Go to the Safari menu and choose Empty Cache. (I have not found a page update option in Safari.)
  3. 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.

Do

  • Make sure to click the Submit button after completing your assessment. Clicking Save or Cancel does not submit your answers.
  • Set your pop-up blocker or firewall program to allow access to Blackboard (http://courses.utmem.edu).
  • 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).
  • Take assessments on campus if you continuously have problems from home.
  • Follow the steps to ensure best access to Blackboard from off-campus.

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.
  • Resize the Blackboard window or the frames within the window after an assessment has been opened. Again, this could corrupt your test attempt.
  • Wait until the last minute to attempt an assessment.
  • Go over the assessment time limit (if one is set).
  • Panic if you have technological problems. Call your instructor and explain the situation.

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
  4. 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.)