Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Blackboard Access

Your professors may choose to use Blackboard for your courses. If your professor chooses to use Blackboard, you will need to access your account by doing the following:

1. Open your web browser
2. Type the following web address: http://blackboard.bloomu.edu
3. Enter your username and password.

Username: Your username begins with 10 then your campus network email ID (you can look up your username in STINF). This is usually your first initial, middle initial, and the first six letters of your last name. Example: Robert T. Mahoney's username is 10rtmahone.

Password: If this is your first time logging into Blackboard, you will use the following configuration for your password:

Your password is the first four characters of your last name with the last name capitalized as it normally would be and your date of birth with full year/month/day. Example: Robert T. Mahoney's birthday is August 3, 1982 making his password Maho19820803.

Example: Anita F. McNaus was born on November 8, 1985.

Username: 10afmcnaus

Password: McNa19851108.

If you forget your password, you may use the Forgot Your Password? link to have a new password emailed to you. You may also call the 24/7 Blackboard Help Desk toll-free at 866-434-8874.

Note: For security reasons, the Blackboard Help Desk cannot give passwords over the phone and they can only send the password to your Bloomsburg University email account.

1. Click Login
2. Change Password
3. Once you have logged into Blackboard, you can change your password:
4. Click Personal Information in the Tools box
5. Click Change Password
6. Enter your new password and verify the new password
7. Click Submit
8. Click OK
9. Click OK

Registration

Once you register for a course at the University, you will be automatically enrolled in that course within Blackboard. If you register before the semester begins, your course will show a few days before the semester officially starts. If you register once the semester has started, the course should appear within a day or two. You should contact your professor if your information does not show up within one week.

Note: You cannot register yourself into a Blackboard course site.

For more information, view the Quick Start Guide (pdf, 523k).

Blackboard Student FAQ's

How do I login to Blackboard?

The campus URL is http://blackboard.bloomu.edu .

Username: Your campus network email ID (usually your first initial, middle initial, and the first 6 letters of last name) preceded by 10.

Password: The first 4 letters of your last name (first letter of last name capitalized) and your date of birth by full year month day.

Example: John L. Smith was born on April 1, 1978.

Username: 10jlsmith

Password: Smit19780401

How do I change my password?

Login to Blackboard

• Click Personal Information in the Tools box
• Click Change Password
• Enter your new password and verify the new password
• Click Submit
• Click OK
• Click OK

I forgot my password. How do I get it?

If you forgot your password, you may call the Blackboard Help Desk at 866-434-8874 or click the Forgot Your Password link below the login fields. Note: The password is sent to your Bloomsburg University email account.

How can I prevent from having to login twice into Blackboard?

The double login problem can be caused by accessing your Blackboard site from your Favorites menu in Internet Explorer. You will need to modify the address appearing in your favorites:

• Open Internet Explorer
• Click Favorites on the menu bar
• Right click on Blackboard in your favorites list and select Properties
• Select the Web Document tab
• Enter http://blackboard.bloomu.edu in the URL field
• Click Apply
• Click OK

If you still have this problem after following the above steps, please contact the Blackboard Help Desk at 866-434-8874 .

How do I hide past courses in My Courses box?

You can hide past courses from the My Courses box. To do this:

• Login to Blackboard
• Click the pencil icon in the top right corner of My Courses box In the Modify Courses List you may select the courses you would like to display on the My Institution page (a checkmark means the item is being displayed)
• Click Submit
• Click OK

How do I change the My Institution page?

You have the option to add information to the My Institution page of your Blackboard site. After you login to Blackboard, click the Contents button on the far right of the screen. Select the modules you would like to appear on the My Institution page (you cannot change any of the modules with a red checkmark). Click Submit. Click OK.

Once you select the modules you would like on your My Institution page, you can alter the layout by clicking the Layout button. On this page, you can change the location of your modules and the color of the page. Click Submit. Click OK.

How do I check my grades?

1. Login to Blackboard

2. Click the Tools button or link on your Course Menu.

3. Click the View Grades link.

How do I submit assignments?

SPECIAL NOTE: The instructions below assume that you previously downloaded and completed your assignment.

NOTE: Files that are "Assignments" and have the options that are commonly associated with an "Assignment" file are identified with a "clipboard" icon with a green checkmark.

1. Click the Assignment button or link on your Course Menu, or the Content Area where your instructor has directed you to access your assignment.

2. To access the files attached to an Assignment, click on the link associated with that file in that Content Area (links will normally be directly below the title) .

3. In Section 2, please type any comments in the "Comments:" field.

4. To the right of the "File to Attach:" field, click the Browse button, locate your assignment on your hard drive, click it once to highlight it, and then click Open .

5. The path to your file will appear in the "File to Attach:" field, if you would like to add an additional file click the Add Another File button next to the Browse button.

6. The file you just uploaded will now appear in the "Currently Attached Files:".

7. To upload an additional file, click the Browse button again, locate the additional file on your hard drive, click it once to highlight it, and then click Open. Repeat this process beginning with Step 5 until you have uploaded all the files associated with this assignment.

8. When you have uploaded all the files you need to upload; click Submit to send your completed assignment (files) and the comments to your instructor.

How do I download files the professor has posted?

• Locate the file(s) you wish to download from the course that the professor has posted.
• Right click over the link where the files are located and then select "Save Target As".
• Now find a spot where you would like the file(s) saved to and then click save.

How do I take a test?

Tests can be located in the Content Areas, Content Area folders, or Learning Units of your course; they will normally be in one of the following areas: Course Information , Course Documents , or Assignments . Instructors will usually announce the location of an assessment in the "Announcements" area. If you are unable to locate an assessment, please contact your instructor.

How do I use the discussion board?

Posting a New Thread:

1. Go to the Discussion forum that you would like to post in.

2. Click the "Add New Thread" button.

3. Enter the text into the message field.

4. Click "Submit" .

NOTE: If there is no "Add New Thread" button at the top of the page the instructor may have chosen to not allow students to post new threads in that particular forum. In this instance you have the option to reply to an existing thread or posting.

Adding an attachment to the discussion board:

1. Click on the Communication button, then click Discussion Board .

2. Click on the link to the forum your instructor posted; then click on the thread to which you wish to respond (if one exists).

3. If a thread does not exist, then click the Add New Thread button.

4. Type in the subject and message

5. If you wish to add an attachment, look at the Options section, then click the Browse button, locate the file, click the file once to highlight it, and then click on Open . The file will appear in the Attachment field; Click on Submit .

NOTE: Users may remove an attachment they have added to a thread by modifying the message in the Discussion Board. Click the Modify button next to the Thread and the Edit Your Message page will appear. Users may make changes, including removing the attachment, and re-submit the message. Instructors may make this option to modify messages unavailable.

NOTE: Users may respond directly to a message by clicking on the title of an existing message, selecting Reply , and then following the instructions beginning with Step 4.

How do I edit My Homepage?

• Login to Blackboard
• Click Contents or Layout in the upper right of your screen

How do I send email?

You can send email through Blackboard to other participants in the course.

Note: This email only goes to Bloomsburg University accounts.

1. Click Control Panel
2. Click Send Email in the Course Tools box
3. Select from the following
4. Complete Recipients if selecting single users
5. Complete Email Information
6. Add Attachments , if any
7. Click Submit
8. Click OK

How do I submit a document to the digital dropbox?

• From within your course, click the Tools button
• Click the Digital Drop Box link.
• Click on the Send File button
• Next, complete the "Title:" field, and then click on the "Browse" button in the "File:" field.
• Go to the folder (e.g. desktop) where you saved the file you wish to send, click the file once to highlight the file and then click the Open button, click on the Submit button.

NOTE: The file name (file path) should appear in the "File:" field, to the left of the "Browse" button.

NOTE: A student cannot remove a file once it has been sent to the Instructor. Only the instructor of that Course site can remove that file. This prevents a student from removing or altering sensitive materials such as tests or assignments. Once an instructor grades or reviews the file (test or assignment) and returns it to the student, the "Remove" button will reappear and allow the Student to delete that file from the Digital Drop Box.

NOTE: The "Add File" button will only save the file in the Student Drop box but will not send it to the Instructor. If you would like to send a file that you have previously added using the "Add File" button, click on the Send File button and then select the previously uploaded file from the "Select file:" dropdown menu.

Can I use my home email address with Blackboard?

Blackboard only uses Bloomsburg University email addresses. This cannot be changed.

How do I see an announcement my professor posted last week?

Login to Blackboard.

• Select the course that contains your Announcements.
• Click Announcements
• Click View All

When I click on the link for a test or web site nothing happens. What is the problem?

Look for a pop-up blocker bar in your web browser

• Now right click the yellow pop-up blocker bar and select Always Allow Pop-ups from This Site
• Now click Yes to confirm your choice

How do I use lightweight chat or the virtual classroom?

1. Go to your Course and click on the Communication button from the Course Menu.

2. Click the Collaboration link.

3. Click Join next to the session you would like to enter.

Why does the chat not work?

Blackboard chat requires that the most current version of Java is loaded on your machine. If you do not have it, please go to the URL below and install the latest version. If you have an older version, please uninstall that version first, and then install the latest version.

http://www.java.com/en/download/windows_automatic.jsp .

Depending on your security level for the Internet, you may need to add http://*.ship.edu to your Trusted Site list.

• Open Internet Explorer
• Click Tools
• Click Internet Options
• Click Security tab
• Click Trusted Sites icon
• Click Sites
• Type http://*.ship.edu in the field Add this Web site to the zone
• Click Add
• Click OK
• Click OK

I don't see my course(s) listed in Blackboard. What can I do?

Your course(s) may not be listed in Blackboard for one of the following reasons:

• You did not officially register for the course
• You registered today - please wait 24 hours for Blackboard to update
• You have a hold on your record, please contact the Office of the Registrar at (570) 389-4263
• You changed your social security number recently, please contact Tina Barnes
• The professor has made the course unavailable

Blackboard Help Desk 866-434-8874