Welcome
Blackboard

FAQ's (Miscellaneous)

What Is Blackboard?
Blackboard is an online course platform that provides an easy to access, consistent online learning environment. All courses on Blackboard are laid out similarly and navigation is very straightforward. You must have a Blackboard user account to gain access to the site and your course. If you do not have a Blackboard user account, click here to request one.

How Do I Get a Blackboard Account?
You may request a Blackboard account by clicking here and completing the online form which will send your request directly to the Distance and Online Learning Center for processing. You will be notified via e-mail when your Blackboard account it processed and will be provided directions to access your course.

How Do I Know I'm Enrolled in my Course?
You will know when you have been enrolled in the course for which you registered when you log into Blackboard and see the course name listed under the heading "Courses In Which You Are Participating." If you do not see your course listed within the first two days the semester, contact your instructor.

When Should I Hear From My Instructor?
If you are taking an online course, you can expect to hear from your instructor a few days prior to or the first week of the semester via e-mail. They will welcome you to the course and provide you with any specific instructions necessary to get started.

Do I have to come to Campus?
Typically, you will not be required to come to campus if you are enrolled in an online course. However, there are some courses which require a lab or one face-to-face meeting on campus. Also, some instructors require students to complete exams on campus or at an off-campus site. It is best to immediately check the syllabus or course requirements upon accessing the course for the first time.

How Do I Update My E-Mail Address and Why is this Important?
When you log into Blackboard, you are immediately taken to the "My Institution" page. In the lower left corner of this page under "Tools" is a link entitled "Personal Information." Click on this link and click on "Edit Personal Information" to edit or change your e-mail address. This is VERY important because this is the e-mail your instructor will be using throughout the duration of the course to communicate important course information.

How Are Tests Administered in Online Courses?
Tests are either administered online through Blackboard, another online testing software, or the instructor may require that exams be completed on campus or at an off-campus site under the direction of a proctor.

What if my Internet Connection Goes Down or I Cannot Receive E-mail?
Notify your instructor IMMEDIATELY and contact your Internet Service Provider (i.e. Earthlink, AOL, etc.) to troubleshoot the problem.

How Do I Register for a Course?
Click on the link labeled "Course Registration" below under Student Support Services section. This will provide a registration form and specific directions as to how the form should be completed and where it must be sent.

Where Can I Get Help with Blackboard?
Either the Distance and Online Learning Center (909) 593-3511 for technical difficulties with Blackboard. Or you may send an e-mail with your request to bbhelp@ulv.edu.

Please make sure that you are using Internet Explorer to log in. Netscape users often have trouble logging on. If you are an AOL user, once logged on to AOL, minimize the screen and start Internet Explorer to navigate to the Blackboard web site. If you are still unable to log into Blackboard, contact either the Distance Learning Center at (909) 593-3511 X4089 or send an e-mail to bbhelp@ulv.edu. Please include your full name in the body of the email.

Where do I Get Textbooks?
You may either order your textbooks online at the bookstore online or obtain them from the main campus bookstore.

What if I'm unable to log into Blackboard?
Keep in mind that your assigned username and password are case-sensitive. Make sure that you are entering this information in the proper case. Ensure that the CAPS lock on your keyboard is turned off. Make sure that you are at the correct site that is http://bb.ulv.edu/

Please make sure that you are using Internet Explorer to log in. Netscape users often have trouble logging on. If you are an AOL user, once logged on to AOL, minimize the screen and start Internet Explorer to navigate to the Blackboard web site. If you are still unable to log into Blackboard, contact either the Distance Learning Center at (909) 593-3511 X4065 or the Instructional Technology Center at (909) 593-3511 X4059 or send an e-mail to bbhelp@ulv.edu. Please include your full name in the body of the email.

Whom do I contact for technical support?
If you require assistance with course creation and/or design, please contact the Distance Learning Center at (909) 593-3511 X4089. If you require technical assistance with Blackboard, you may contact the Distance Learning Center at the number provided above. You may also send an e-mail request to bbhelp@ulv.edu. This e-mail is checked several times per day. If you require assistance with your Internet or network connectivity, please contact the Office of Information Technology (OIT) help desk at (909) 593-3511 X4130.

Where do I refer my students for assistance?
Students may obtain Blackboard assistance by contacting the Instructional Technology Center at (909) 593-3511 X4089 or e-mailing a request to bbhelp@ulv.edu.

My instructor wants me to use the Blackboard Virtual Classroom, but it doesn't start after I click on the link.
There could be a couple of reasons for this problem.

First, if you are using some sort of "Popup Blocker" software on your computer that could be interfering with the virtual classroom. Disable that software for a few minutes and then try starting the virtual classroom again. If this works, check to see if your Popup Blocker software permits you to specify a Web site as "OK" and add the virtual classroom to that list. If your Popup Blocker does not permit an "OK" list then you'll have to disable it every time you want to access the Virtual Classroom.

Second, the Virtual Classroom relies on a recent version of Sun Microsystems Java Virtual Machine http://www.java.com/. You need to install that software on your computer before the Virtual Classroom will work.

I was trying to look at a PowerPoint slide show in my class. When I clicked on the link to the slide show, I saw the Blackboard login screen where the PowerPoint slide should have been. The login screen was not active and I could not enter my password. My classmates did not have any problems seeing the slides.
What am I doing wrong?
If you are using Office 2002 (sometimes called "Office XP"), you may experience difficulty opening certain Office documents (especially PowerPoint presentations) from Blackboard. You must install the Office XP Service Pack 2 available from Microsoft: http://office.microsoft.com/ProductUpdates/.

The font on my screen is tiny. What can I do to fix that?
Internet Explorer permits you to set the font size for your convenience. For some reason, yours got set to "Tiny." To reset your font to a legible size,
try one of these:

Hold the Control button and scroll up with the mouse wheel. This lets you adjust the displayed font size in both Internet Explorer and Mozilla.
Check the accessibility options to see if they have been set for tiny fonts.
Set the font size at View - Text Size - Medium (or larger).

My instructor said she updated one of the pages on her Blackboard course, but it still looks the same to me. What's happening?
Modern Web browsers will "cache" (or keep a local copy of) Web pages in order to make browsing faster. It is likely that you are looking at an old copy of the page that's actually on your computer rather than in Blackboard. You can force your browser to update the page from the Web by clicking the "Reload" or "Refresh" button at the top of the screen. You can also reload the page by holding down the Control key and tapping "R."

I have a lot of classes listed on my Blackboard home page. Most of them are old classes I finished last semester (or sooner). I do not need to see those classes listed every time I start Blackboard.
Is there any way to remove them?
Unfortunately, you cannot delete those classes from your home page. Blackboard Pencil Icon

However, you can at least hide old classes so they do not show up on your "My Institution" screen. Look for the pencil icon at the top-right corner of the "My Courses" box. Click that link to customize your screen so you can hide unused courses from view.

What are the differences between Export, Archive, Copy, and Recycle for a course?
The Instructor Control Panel offers Instructors options to archive, export, copy and recycle a course. The following offers a brief description of these functions:

Export: Export takes course content and puts it in a package that can be used in another course at a later date. Instructors can choose one or more course areas they would like to include in the package. Export packages are downloaded as compressed .ZIP files to the user's hard drive and can be imported into Blackboard Learning System in the same format. Do not unzip an Export package or remove files from the package, otherwise the package will not be imported correctly.
Copy: Course Copy enables Instructors to copy content between courses they are teaching. Instructors open the course they would like to copy content into and then select areas from another course to copy. Instructors can only copy course content for courses where they are the Instructor, Course Builder or Teaching Assistant.
Recycle: The Course Recycle is very useful to Instructors at the end of a course. It allows the Instructor to select information to be deleted from a course and saves the rest of the course areas for future use.
Archive: The Archive Course function enables the Instructor to make a record of a course, including all of the user information. The archive is saved in a .ZIP file that the Instructor can access in the future.

These FAQ's were compiled by George Self of Cochise College