(Please read PCC's
Computer Network Acceptable Use Policy)
Blackboard Student FAQs
How do I log into
my Blackboard course?
What
is my Blackboard user name?
What is my password?
What should I do
if my user name and/or password does not work?
What
should I do if I don't see my class listed after I log in?
What is Blackboard?
Do I have to install
special software to use Blackboard?
What things must
I know before taking an Internet course?
I've determined
that I have the skills and equipment necessary to take an Internet
class - now how do I register?
I'm
registered for an Internet course, now what do I do?
OK,
I'm in - where
do I start?
How do I communicate
with my instructor?
How do I communicate
with my classmates?
How do I use the
Discussion Board?
How do I use the
Virtual Classroom?
How do I send my
assignments to my instructor?
Where can I go
to see my grades?
What browser(s)
should I use and how should I configure them?
The PCC Blackboard
site is located at http://blackboard.pittcc.edu.
From this page click the Login button. Each student has a unique User
ID and Password with which to access their Blackboard courses. It is
normal for it to take 2 or 3 days after classes begin for your login
to be activated.
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Always be sure to use lowercase letters
when typing your user name into Blackboard. Your Blackboard user name
will consist of your first name, an underscore (_) and your last name.
For example: John Doe's user name would be john_doe.
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Your Blackboard password will be your birth
date as a 6 digit number. For example: John Doe was born March 12,
1983. His password would be 031283. Notice that you're only using the
last 2 digits of the year you were born, not all four.
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Blackboard is an
innovative course development and instructional package. Blackboard
provides a central location for all data related to your online course.
As far as the student is concerned, Blackboard is simply a web site
that you access and log into. Within Blackboard you can take tests
online and receive immediate feedback, participate in chat rooms and
discussion boards with your classmates & instructor,
read course notes, receive assignments and turn in your assignments.
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You do not need any special software to
use Blackboard except a recent version of either Internet Explorer
or Netscape Navigator. Depending on the course you are taking special
software may be required to complete the course. For example, CIS110
requires that you have Office 2003 installed. You should check with
your instructor or the head of the department offering the course prior
to the beginning of class to determine any software requirements.
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Before you sign up for an Internet course
it is important that you:
· Are familiar
with general computer terms & use. For example, if you don't
know what it means to reboot your computer you should take an introductory
computer class onsite before signing up for an Internet course.
· Are comfortable surfing the web and
using search engines. Remember that this entire course will be
taught over the Internet. Your instructor will assume (rightly so)
that you know how to use the Internet when you sign up for this class.
You will probably be asked to do research on the Web in addition
to accessing the course site.
· Have access to a reliable computer
with sufficient memory and processor speed. The actual specs
your computer will need depend on the course you are taking and your
patience. For example - some courses will require that you install
additional software to complete the course. Obviously, your computer
will have to be capable of running that software. If you have a Pentium
class machine with at least 16 MB of RAM you'll probably be ok for
most classes. Of course the slower your PC the longer it's going
to take you to complete your work and view the course site. If you
don't mind the wait you can probably make due with a slower computer.
An ideal range for the typical user is a computer that is less than
3 or 4 years old. Be sure your computer has a recent version of Internet
Explorer or Netscape Navigator installed and working correctly. To
check your version click on the Help Menu and click About. You should
see a version number on this screen. Your version should be at least
5.0 or higher. If your version is lower than this you will need to
upgrade your browser before signing up for an Internet course.
· Have a reliable Internet connection. Although
we do have some students who complete Internet courses using the computer
labs or LRC computers we highly recommend that Internet students have
their own computer at home.
· Know how to send and receive email,
including file attachments. The majority of contact with your
instructor will be through email. Blackboard does offer an email
feature but you will also need to be able to use your Campus Cruiser email account
to send and receive email. Additionally, you may need to send your
instructor file attachments using email. If you don't already know
how to do these things, learn before you sign up for an Internet
course.
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Registration for
an Internet class works exactly the same as any other course on campus.
If you are not a current PCC student you will need to complete a PCC
application. If you need more information on applying go to Pitt's
home page at http://www.pittcc.edu and
follow the Admissions link under the Students heading. If you are already
a current PCC student your advisor will help you decide if the class
if right for you. You can register for an Internet class at the same
time you register for your other classes by using either Campus Cruiser, TAP or walk-in
registration. Internet classes are indicated on the printed schedule
by the Instructor's email address directly below the course. You can
also find a list of Internet courses on PCC's web site under the Course
Schedule link.
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When you register
for an Internet course your first step should be to email your instructor.
Send your email from your CampusCruiser
email address and
advise your instructor of the course name, number and section you are
registered for. Include your full name and your contact information
as well.
Ask your instructor any important questions you may have regarding
the course. A good question to ask is if this class will be offered
through Blackboard. Most classes here at PCC are offered through Blackboard
but a few are not. It may be several days before you receive a response
and if you didn't have
any questions you may not receive a response at all. You also need
to send a similar email on the first day of class or as soon as possible
after the first day.
The first email your instructor receives from
you on or after the first day of class is your first official entry
into class for auditing & roll keeping reasons and is very important.
Sometime on or after the first day of class you should receive an email
from your instructor with instructions on logging into your course.
Keep in mind that the rolls are not finalized until several days into
the semester. Expect to wait several days to a week to hear from your
instructor.
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· First Login Attempt: If it is the
beginning of the semester and your first login attempt fails your instructor
may not have populated the Blackboard course yet. You should send your
initial email and then WAIT for your instructor to contact you
and let you know it is ok to log into the course. You should hear from
your instructor within the first week of class. If, after a week has
passed you still haven't heard from the instructor and you can't log
into the course email your instructor again. If you get no response
from the instructor email or call the head of the department offering
the course. You can also contact the Distance Learning Division for
help at 252-493-7256.
· Any other Time:
If your password does not seem to work try typing it very slowly while
looking at the keys. Also be sure your Caps Lock is not turned on.
Your password is in all lowercase letters. 99% of the time when students
call us with password problems they are just making a typing mistake.
Be sure to check your user name. You could have made a mistake typing
it as well. Sometimes just shutting down and restarting your computer
will allow you to log in if you've been having problems. If you've tried all of
that and still can't get in then you can contact PCC's Blackboard Support
at: email - bbadmin@email.pittcc.edu or
phone - 252-493-7539.
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When you log into
Blackboard you will see a list of all classes you are registered for.
If you don't see your
class it is possible that your instructor hasn't populated the course
site yet. Try to give your instructor several days to populate the
course. If, after several days, you still don't see your course listed
try letting your instructor know by email. If you don't get a response
from your instructor you can contact Distance Learning at (252) 493-7256.
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When you first log into Blackboard you will
see a page that contains a list of all courses you are registered for
as well as current announcements, tasks, weather and news. Click on
the title of your course to enter the course site. Once in the course
site start by reading the announcements posted on the right. Your instructor
may post an announcement with specific instructions for you. Otherwise
start with Course Information and look around the course site.
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The preferred way
of communication with your online instructor is email. Your instructor's email address is
listed on the course
schedule. Keep in mind that many instructors are
only part-time and are not at their computers except a couple of hours
a day. Don't expect immediate feedback. Some instructors will post
their phone numbers under Staff Information but may request that you
only call them for emergencies. If you have problems contacting your
instructor be sure to give them ample time to reply (several days).
If you still can't get in touch with them your next step should be
to contact the head of the department under which the course is taught.
Additionally you can contact Distance Learning at (252) 493-7256 for
assistance.
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Once you enter Blackboard you have several
options to communicate with your classmates. Click on the Communication
button on the left and you will see the Send Email option. By using
this option you can send email quickly to a select group of your classmates,
your instructor, or all users. From the Communication page you also
have the option of viewing the Student Roster. This shows you the names
and email addresses of all students in the class. In addition, your
instructor will most likely ask you to communicate with your classmates
by using the Discussion board and/or the Virtual Classroom (chat).
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The Discussion Board is located in the Communication
section of Blackboard. The discussion board is limited to the people
in your particular class. Your instructor will probably have already
started a forum, which will appear as a link.
When you click
on the link, you'll
probably see a message, perhaps many messages, which you can click
on to view. Notice that the subject is to the left and the author is
to the right. You can reply to the messages, create a new message,
or you can start a new topic altogether by pressing the Start New Threadbutton.
Be sure to make your Subject clear and short so the other students
can see if they're interested in the topic. Please check your spelling
before you Submit your message. If you Preview your message, you'll
be able to look at it and Edit it if necessary. Be sure to press the
Submit button so either your message or your reply become part of the
discussion. When you click on the message link you'll see the full
message and you can reply if you press the Reply button.
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The Virtual Classroom
is a real-time chat room that can be accessed by your instructor and
your classmates. Your instructor normally schedules chat sessions for
a certain date and time. From the Communication page of your Blackboard
course click the Virtual Chat icon. Click the Enter Virtual Classroom
link. The chat window may take several minutes to load, just be patient.
Once the Chat windows loads you will see a large "whiteboard" area at the top
of the screen. Below the whiteboard is a smaller white box containing
the messages that have been typed. The very bottom white box is the
area where you type your message. Once you've typed your message press
the Enter key and your message will be displayed.
If you experience
error messages while trying to load the chat be sure your browser is
either Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator version 5 or higher.
If the problem isn't with your
browser version try rebooting your pc. If, after logging back in you
still get error messages write the messages down and contact PCC's
Blackboard support at: email - bbadmin@email.pittcc.edu or
phone - 252-493-7539.
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Instructor preferences may vary but typically
you will be asked to turn in your assignments via the Student Drop
Box or submit the assignment directly on the assignment item by clicking on the Veiw/Complete link. You will first need to complete your assignment and save it in
a file, probably in a word processing program such as Word. Again,
this may vary depending on your instructor. You should ask to determine
what program to use to complete your assignments. Please note that
instructors at PCC typically cannot open filed done in Microsoft WORKS.
Once your assignments are completed and saved you are ready to send
them.
To enter your Digital Drop Box:
- Login to Blackboard and enter your course.
- Click on the Tools button to the left.
- Click on the Digital Drop Box link on
the right.
- From within the Digital Drop Box click
the Send File button.
- Skip the "Select File" box and start
with the "Title Box".
- Give the file a descriptive title. It
should be something like Assignment 1, your instructor may specify
what title to use.
- Click the Browse button to the right
of the File box to locate your file on your computer. Your file is
most likely saved in My Documents on your C:\ drive.
- Once you locate your file click on it
to select it and click the Open button.
- The comments box is optional and can
be used if you would like to add comments to your file.
- Click the Submit button. You will see
a verification screen letting you know that the file was successfully
uploaded. Click OK and you will be taken back to your Dropbox.
- Your file should now appear at the top
of the list of files. If your file appears here with the word Submitted
and a date and time below it then you know the send was successful.
The file remains in your Dropbox until your instructor deletes it.
For a more thorough explanation please see
the Digital
Drop Box Tutorial.
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Blackboard allows for immediate feedback
from tests and quizzes. To see your grades go into the Tools section
and click the link to Check Your Grade. Any test or quiz that you have
taken through Blackboard will appear here as well as any other grades
your instructor has entered for assignments. Not all instructors use
this Online Gradebook feature. You may want to ask your instructor
to be sure.
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Technically you can use any Java enabled
browser to participate in a Blackboard course. However we do make several
recommendations:
· Users of AOL and
CompuServe tend to experience more problems with disconnects and viewing
out of date pages than the typical user. Successful use of AOL and
CompuServe with Blackboard is possible. Nevertheless, it is our recommendation
here at PCC that AOL and CompuServe users consider switching to a generic
Internet Service Provider, especially if you begin to have problems.
· Blackboard is optimized
for use with either Netscape Navigator 7 or Internet Explorer version
6 or higher. We recommend that you check your version prior
to the start of classes and upgrade as necessary.
Update: 1/17/07
WARNING: A security setting issue has been identified with MS Internet Explorer 7 and its interaction with Blackboard.
Help for students having problems testing in Blackboard
Note: these steps are only necessary if you have experienced problems when testing in Blackboard and you are using the Internet Explorer 7 browser. If you’re unsure which version you’re using, open Internet Explorer and press Alt + H, then select About. If the steps below do not solve the problem then we recommend using Firefox as your browser instead of Internet Explorer. You can download Firefox for free from http://www.mozilla.com.
Using Blackboard with IE 7 on Windows XP
The Symptoms:
- Visual Text Box Editor is not allowing you to type
- tests are taking a very long time to load
- loss of connection during the test
- pop-up security notification alerts you too an Active X control problem
If you are using IE 7, the steps below will set your preferences in IE7 so that the Visual Text Box Editor in Blackboard will always work.
- Open MS Internet Explorer 7
- Go to Tools on the menu bar
- Select Internet Options
- Go to the Security tab
- Click "Trusted Sites"
- Click the "Sites" button
- Add http://blackboard.pittcc.edu to the "Add this website to the zone" text box
- Uncheck "Require server verification..." at the bottom of the current dialog box
- Click the "Add" button
- Click the "Close" button and then the "OK" button
- Restart MS Internet Explorer 7
Using Blackboard with IE 7 on Windows Vista
If you are using the Microsoft Vista operating system the Visual Text Box Editor must be turned off to type. The steps below will set your preferences in Blackboard so that the Text Box Editor is disabled.
- Log into Blackboard.
- On the My Blackboard page click Tools on the left.
- Select Personal Information.
- Select Set Visual Text Box Editor Options.
- Click the Unavailable radio button.
If this does not fix the please Contact the Help Desk at 493-7487.
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