BLACKBOARD TIPS FOR STUDENTS

Tips for Students (PDF)

Login Procedure | Discussion Boards | Digital Drop Box
Is the timer not showing when taking a timed exam on Blackboard?
How do I remove links to courses from previous semesters?

Blackboard :: Login Procedure

• In order to enter the Blackboard environment, you must have access to the Internet.
• From your Internet Browser enter the URL: http://blackboard.caldwell.edu
• Next, press Enter on your keyboard and the following screen will appear

• Click on the Login button in the upper left hand corner of the screen. A username and password screen appears.

Be sure to read this section carefully!

Are you new to Caldwell College? Your User Name is your first initial followed by your last name then the last two digits of your graduation year. If you are an external degree, continuing education or graduate student then use the initials ed, ce or gr instead of the graduation year. Use all lowercase. For example, jsmithgr.

After you have entered a valid User Name and Password and clicked the Login button, a new screen will appear as follows:

NOTE: The courses that you are enrolled in will be listed under the My Courses palette. Click on the hyperlink to access the course homepage. This page varies from instructor to instructor. Contact your instructor if you have questions regarding course navigation.

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Blackboard :: Discussion Boards

What is a discussion board?
The discussion board allows you to participate in course-related discussions. Your conversations are logged and organized by forums set by your instructor that contain threads of all related replies.

Is this how I will communicate with my instructor?
This is one way you will communicate with your instructor and your classmates. While the Blackboard email tool is ideal for private communication with you and your instructor the discussion boards are much more then a one-to-one method of communication. In fact, most of your class discussions with your instructor and your classmates will be conducted via the discussion board.

Will I be graded on my discussion board posts?
Instructors often require participation in a discussion board and, depending on your instructor, the quality and the frequency of your posts are factored into your grade. You really should confer with your instructor to verify these requirements.

How do I use the discussion board?
Follow the steps below to guide you through the process of reading and posting messages.

Using the Discussion Board Tool
Click on the Communication or Discussion Board button from the navigation menu	Note: A Discussion Board button might replace the Communicatio button depending on the design of your course.
Click on the Discussion Boards hyperlink
Click the title (Assignment 1) to open the discussion thread.
To read a message click on its title.
Click on the reply button to reply/post your own message.
Type in your message in the text box. You might consider composing your message in a text editor such as MS Word to take advantage of the spell check and grammar tools.. Click the submit button to complete the process.

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Blackboard :: Digital Drop Box

What is a digital drop box?
The Digital Drop Box is a tool that allows you to exchange files electronically with your instructor. With the Digital Drop Box, you can submit homework and your instructor can later return graded work with comments.

How will my instructor know when I have submitted an assignment?
When your instructor checks the drop box they will see all student submissions. Files sent to your instructor via the digital drop box include a time and date stamp.

My professor cannot open the files I submitted via the Digital Dropbox:
1. A student may not have software needed to open files posted by an instructor; the student should check to see if the instructor has specified the software required to access files posted to the course site.

2. Because Macintosh computers do not require file extensions, the Mac OS does not automatically add extensions to file names. Since all Windows machines require extensions to recognize file types, Mac users need to add proper extensions prior to submitting or uploading files.

What's the difference between adding a file and sending a file?
When you add a file to the drop box, it is uploaded to a temporary location on the Blackboard server that only you can access - it is not sent to your instructor. You might want to use the Add File feature in order to access a document later from the web.

The Send File feature is just as it sounds: you use it to submit your assignment file. When you use , the file is both added to your server space and sent to your professor at the same time.

How do I use the digital drop box?
Follow the steps below to guide you through the drop box process.

Using the Digital Drop Box
Click on the Tools button from the navigation menu
Click on the Digital Drop Box hyperlink
Click on the Send File button
Enter a title for your file. This is the hyperlink that your instructor will see as a hyperlinked title in their drop box.* Click the Browse button to find the file you want to add Add any necessary comments for your instructor. Finally, click the Submit button.
A Drop box receipt page will appear confirming your file was sent successfully. Click the ok button to complete the process
Your Digital Drop box page will retain a record of the file you posted (added) with both a time and date stamp

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Is the timer not showing when taking a timed exam on Blackboard?

Blackboard Test Timer Not Appearing in FireFox and Internet Explorer 7.0 by default. Timer will show up by changing the following settings.

FireFox

Go into Tools -> Options -> Content -> select the Advanced box and check the box ON for "Change status bar text", the timer will then appear.

Internet Explorer

Go to Tools -> Internet Options -> Security tab -> Internet -> Custom Levels, scroll down (near the bottom) and enable "Allow status bar updates via script."

Note: You may need to restart your browser after you change its settings.

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How do I remove links to courses from previous semesters?

On the "My Bb@Caldwell" page under "My Courses" section click on the pencil icon on the right of the words "My Courses" to edit your links. On the "Customize my Courses" page, click on the check marks to uncheck and remove the courses that you do not want to display on your welcome page. Once you are done, click on "Submit" button at the bottom.