Blackboard: Frequently Asked Questions

Jacksonville University

1. What is Blackboard?
2. How do I log in?
3. How do I learn to use it?
4. What sort of hardware and software will I need?
5. Common log-in problems
6. When I log in to Blackboard, I don't see my class listed
7. I still see classes from past semesters. Can I get rid of them?
8. Common problems accessing online chat (Virtual Classroom)
9. Common Digital Drop Box problems
10. Problems taking tests/quizzes
11. Problems with text editing
12. I've posted a file, but no one can open it
13. How do I change the way my last name appears in Blackboard?
14. Why doesn't my email address appear in the class roster?
15. How do I change my Blackboard password?
16. Can I have my Blackboard email go to a different email address?
17. How do I print a document from within Blackboard?
18. I have a question that isn't listed

• post files for their students' use
• allow students to electronically submit assignments
• hold virtual recitations and office hours
• continue class discussions outside of class
• administer tests and quizzes
• support student workgroups

... as well as to perform many other functions analogous to those that would take place in a physical classroom. Some professors that use Blackboard are teaching their courses entirely online, but many others use it to support or supplement their "in person" class instruction.

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To log in to JU's Blackboard server, go to http://blackboard.ju.edu/ and click the "Login" button. Use your JU email username and click on the e-mail password link.

Students: If you do not know your username please call the Helpdesk at 904-256-7200.

Faculty/Staff: If you do not know your username please call the Helpdesk at 904-256-7200.

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Most students find Blackboard to be fairly intuitive to use. Once you are logged in, you will see a list of the courses you are taking that are using Blackboard. To enter a course's website, click on the name of the course in the list. Once in the course area, use the menu on the left-hand side of the page to navigate to different areas of the class site. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call or email the Information Services Call Center (904-256-7200 / helpdesk@ju.edu) for assistance.

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Your computer must have:

• Memory: Minimum 64 Mb RAM; 1 G of free disk space (more RAM is strongly recommended)
   
• Operating System: Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, XP, ME or Vista; MacOS X; Linux
   
• Processor Speed: 150 MHz or higher (400 MKz or faster is strongly recommended)
   
• Internet connection: 56K modem or faster (High-speed internet connection is strongly recommended.)
   
• Monitor: set at 800 X 600 resolution or greater
   
• Software: Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat Reader

Your browser must be:

PC Users: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 with Service Pack 2 or higher or Netscape Navigator 4.7 or higher. JavaScript and cookies must be enabled. Other browsers (Opera, HotJava, Firefox, Safari, etc.) may work, but we cannot guarantee their compatibility with all Blackboard functions and we will not be able to assist you with any problems you may encounter. To use the Virtual Classroom or Lightweight Chat feature, Java 2 Runtime Environment version 1.5.1 or higher must be installed.

Macintosh Users: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.2 or higher or Netscape Navigator 6.2 or higher. Macintosh Netscape users will need Java MJR 2.2.5 (http://www.apple.com/java) and the Mozilla MJR plug-in for Netscape (http://www.mozilla.org/oji/MRJPlugin.html).
 

Browser settings required:

Required browser settings for logging into Blackboard include the following:

1. Accept all cookies
    
2. Security Level set at Medium
    
3. Enable JavaScript
    
4. Enable Java
   
    

Other general hints for problem-free Blackboard use:

• Disable pop-up blocker software while using Blackboard
   
• Check firewall settings to make sure JU sites are not being blocked.
   
• In your browser settings, make sure that you have a program associated with mailto: hyperlinks and that the program is correctly set up; otherwise, email links in Blackboard may not work correctly.
   
• You may need to make sure your browser preferences are set up so that you load the latest version of a website each time you visit a URL.
   

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If you have problems getting logged in, please look below for the specific error message you are receiving. If the given solutions do not help or if you are getting an error message that is not listed, please call the Blackboard support staff at 816-235-6700.

• Error Message: "Error: Could not login. The specified user name does not exist in the system."
  
  Cause #1: You have recently enrolled at JU -- it takes up to 24 hours for you to get into the system.
  
  Cause #2: You are logging in with your complete email address as the username (abc123@ju.edu). The email system allows this, but Blackboard does not.
  
  Cause #3: The program that automatically enrolls students in the proper Blackboard course sites is not working. Please contact the Call Center (helpdesk@ju.edu or 904-256-7200.)
  
   
• Error Message: "An error occurred while the system was processing this login request."
  
  Cause #1: You are mistyping your username. Check your username and try again.
  
  
   
• Error Message: "An error occurred in the authentication module: Error occurred while trying to lookup the current session."
  
  Cause #1: ju.edu is listed as a restricted site in your IE security settings.
  
  Cause #2: Cookies are disabled entirely (under "privacy" in internet options in IE)
  
   

  To enable cookies: If you have one of the required browser versions, you can enable cookies with the following steps:

  Netscape Navigator 4.01 or higher:
  Select Edit->Preferences->Advanced
  Click on the checkbox next to the words "Accept all cookies that get sent back to the originating server", then click "OK." (see screen shot)

  Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher:
  Select Tools->Internet Options->Security->Custom Level
  Scroll down until you see the "Cookies" entry. Click the "Always accept cookies" selection, then click "OK."

  
   

• Error Message: "Could not login. You have not provided valid authentication credentials."
  
  Cause #1: Plain, old, bad password. Check that your "Caps Lock" key is not on and change your password by having it e-mailed to your from the front page.
  
  Cause #2: You've typed the wrong password three times in a row and your account is locked. Call the Call Center (904-256-7200) to have your account unlocked or wait 10 minutes for the account lock to time out.
   

• Error Message: "Alert! This client does not contain support for HTTPS URL's"
  
  Cause: Browser does not meet minimum requirements for Blackboard. Update to a more recent version of the Browser.
  
   
• Error Message: "No Authentication credentials were provided with the request"
  
  Cause: JavaScript is disabled in your browser or your security level is set too high. In IE, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Internet Zone. Click "Custom Level" and scroll down to the "Scripting" section (near the bottom.) Make sure "Active Scripting" is set to Enable.

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Blackboard is generally easy to use, but the Virtual Classroom tool is the one area where students may run into problems. The good news is, once you get access to the Virtual Classroom area for the first time, you should not have experience further problems.
 

If you can't get Virtual Classroom to load:

Most probable cause: Java is not enabled or needs to be updated. Check to be sure that Java is enabled. In Internet Explorer, click on Start > Settings > Control Panel and select Internet Properties. Click on the Advanced tab and scroll through the settings to make sure that JIT compiler for virtual machine enabled is checked. Under "Java" in the list, make sure JRE 1.4.1 or higher is installed and functioning.

Other possible causes:

• Browser doesn't meet minimum requirements. Solution: Update your browser.
   
• A firewall is preventing you from accessing online chat. For people who access Blackboard from the workplace, especially, this tends to be a problem. Many corporate and/or personal firewalls block ports required by Virtual Classroom. If the IT folks in charge of network security in the location from which you are accessing Blackboard are willing, unblocking the following ports may allow access: 80, 443, 1433, 1376, 8000, 8007, and 8443. Another possible solution is the use of a VPN connection.
   
• Windows needs to be updated. Go to Microsoft's site http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com . Download the "Critical Updates." You should also consider downloading the "Recommended Updates." This will help with the performance of your PC and also improve security issues.
  
   

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• I placed a file in the Digital Drop Box for my class, but the instructor never got it
  
  After you have added your file to the Digital Drop Box, it is necessary to click "send." Files that are added to the student's drop box but not sent will not be visible to the instructor.
   
• I submitted my file, but the instructor is unable to open it.
  
  If you are a Macintosh user, make sure that your filenames do not contain spaces or any non-alphanumeric characters other than periods (no ampersands, commas, quotes, slashes, colons, etc.) You must add a file extension to the file name so that your instructor's computer will "know" what program to use to open it.
  
  Common file extensions include:

.doc		Word documents
.xls		Excel spreadsheets
.txt		Text documents
.ppt		Powerpoint files
.html or .htm		HTML documents

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• Error message on submit:
  
  Cause #1: Make certain that you hit the "save" or "submit" button only once. Double-clicking may cause an error message and may also delay submission of your answers.
  
   
• You click on the quiz, but nothing happens:
  
  Cause #1: You may need to turn off your pop-up blocker software.
  
   
• Preventing problems with quizzes:
   
  • Depending on your PC and internet connection speed, it may take a little while to load a quiz. Make sure that, when accessing a quiz, you only click the link once. If you click a second time (on the keep-pushing-the-button-to-make-the-elevator-arrive-quicker principle) you may find yourself locked out.
     
  • Do not resize your screen after entering a quiz. Some browsers will refresh the screen when you resize the window.
     
  • Do not use your browser's "Back" button, the <Backspace> key, or <ALT> + Left Arrow to navigate to a previous page; use Blackboard's navigation tools instead.
     
  • Be cautious when using the <Backspace> key to correct errors in entered text. You need to to make certain that your cursor is within the text-entry field before hitting <Backspace> or the browser may attempt to return to the previously-displayed page.
     
  • Depending on the settings for the quiz, students who attempt to view material on another website or in another area of the Blackboard course site may find themselves unable to return to complete the quiz. If the instructions for taking the quiz are not clear, please check with your instructor.
    
    
     

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• Can't right-click and copy/paste text in the editing window
  
  Workaround: Use the keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste text. To copy text in the editing window, select it and use Ctrl-Insert or Ctrl-C. To paste text, use Shift-Insert or Ctrl-V.
  
   
• When accessing a page with a text editing window, you get a message prompting you to insert your Office 2000 CD
  
  This happens to some Blackboard users when they access anything that uses the DHTML Edit control (basically, any page with the fancy text editing window.) The problem is related to the way in which Office 2000 was installed on your PC. The quickest way to fix it is simply to insert the CD, if you have it to hand. Microsoft has a web page detailing the steps to fix the problem without the CD. If this is a JU computer (e.g. in your office or in a campus lab) you can call the Call Center at 235-2000 and they will arrange for someone to fix the problem for you.
   

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Make certain that the file name does not contain any characters other than the standard letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores. Other characters (apostrophes, etc.) in file names may cause people who try to access the posted file to get an error message "Requested file could not be found."

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Students are automatically enrolled in course sites based on information in the registration database. After a student registers for a class, she should be added to the Blackboard course site within about 24 hours.

If more than 24 hours have passed and a student is not showing up on the Blackboard roster, please contact the Blackboard support staff.

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Your email address will be kept private unless you specify that you want it to be shared with other students in your class. To make your email address visible, click "Personal Information" in the Tools area of your Blackboard "My JU" page. Click "Set Privacy Options," choose the information that you would like to have visible to others, and hit "Submit."

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It can take up to 24 hours between the time you enroll in a class and the time that the class shows up in Blackboard. If you know your course uses Blackboard and you don't see the class site listed after 24 hours, please speak to your instructor. He or she has the access to add you to the course.

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You should only see the current classes you are taking. However, if you do have this problem contact the instructor and they can take you out of the class.

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