Blackboard Help @ UofL
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the computer requirements for using Blackboard?
How and When can I access my Blackboard course?
I see courses listed I've already taken.
All of my courses aren't showing up in Blackboard.
My courses don't have content in them.
I was able to login to Blackboard before but now I can't.
I am having trouble with my email account or other general computing issues.
How do I upload an assignment?
Where can I find other Blackboard resources?
Who do I contact when I have questions about Blackboard?
Assessment Suggestions
What should I do to my computer before taking an assessment?
What are the best practices for taking an assessment?
Do assessments in Blackboard all look and act the same?
What are assessment settings and what do they mean?
How many times can an assessment be taken?
My test is timed but how do I know how much time I have left?
What should I do in the event of a problem during an assessment?
What should I do at the completion of an assessment?
I get an error message when I try to submit my assessment, saying I've already completed the assessment or it is still in progress can I take it again?
What is Respondus Lock Down Browser?
Answers
Q: What are the computer requirements for taking a Blackboard course?
A: You will need to have an internet connection or use a computer in a University of Louisville computer lab. You should have a basic knowledge of computer operations including uploading and downloading files, email, and word processing software among others. Additional information available for general computer information and browser information.
Q: How and When can I access my Blackboard course?
A: Login into Blackboard, http://blackboard.louisville.edu using your UserID and password. Courses you are registered for will appear under "My Courses". Courses are generally available to students two weeks prior to the first day of class, however some instructors and departments request courses be opened earlier so they may be accessed by students. Some courses may be made unavailable by faculty until after the term begins. It is up to the individual departments/instructors to communicate schedule variations to students. If you have just registered for a course, you will not be added to the Blackboard roster until the next day.
Q: I see courses listed I've already taken.
A: Courses remain on the Blackboard Server for a minimum of two terms. If you would like to hide the viewing of these courses, click on the pencil in the upper right hand corner of the "My Courses" module and you can choose to not display courses not currently active in the term. The following PDF explains the process: Hide the viewing of courses .
Q: All of my courses aren't showing up in Blackboard.
A: There are two possibilities for this problem. This is likely a registration issue. Check your enrollment through ULink and make sure you are actually enrolled in the appropriate course and section. If there is a registration issue, contact the Registrars Office at 502.852.6522. Alternatively, it is also possible that your instructor has made the course unavailable until a later time.
Q: My courses don't have content in them.
A. Although a Blackboard shell is created for all courses at the University of Louisville, not all instructors use Blackboard. It is possible that your course does not use Blackboard. It is also possible that your instructor has not yet posted materials to the course shell. Contact the course instructor.
Q: I was able to login to Blackboard before but now I can't.
A: There are several possibilities.
- If you receive an error notification when attempting to login, it is possible you have mistyped your User ID and/or password or your password has expired. Try re-entering the information.
- If you were unable to log into ULink, or other network services, you may need to reset your password, contact the Help Desk for assistance.
- If you are able to log into other areas of the network but not Blackboard then there is likely a problem with your record. There could be a problem with your registration status. Check your record through ULink to make sure you are enrolled and if you have any financial holds. If you have a financial hold placed on your account for any reason you may be removed from the Blackboard system until there is resolution of your situation. Contact the Registrar's Office directly to inquire about holds on your account and other registration issues. Their phone number is 502.852.6522.
Q: I am having trouble with my email account or other general computing issues.
A: Please contact the Help Desk for assistance with all computing support issues. Their phone number is 502.852.7997.
Q: How do I upload an assignment?
A: The following video will walk you through the process of submitting an assignment through Blackboard. You must have the Flash Player loaded on your computer to view the video: Uploading an Assignment
- Go to the Assignments area of the course (your instructor may use other terms such as "Tests" or "Quizzes" but Assignments is the most common
- Click on the name of the assignment
- Enter any comments you want to send to your instructor. For some of the simplest assignments your instructor may just require you leave a one or two sentence in the comments
-
If your instructor requires you to upload a file as part of the assignment . .
- Click the Browse button to attach a local file
- Locate the file on your computer
- Once you have found and added the file from your computer click "Add Another File" to attach it
- You should see an icon and your file name on the "Currently Attached Files:" line
- Click Submit. Clicking Save will NOT send your work to your instructor
Assessment Suggestions
Q: What should I do before taking an assessment?
A: It is recommended to follow these procedures prior to taking an assessment:
- Before taking an assessment check your browser settings.
- Close down all other programs you may have running on your computer. Having multiple programs open may cause problems with your assessment, including loss of data.
- Make sure your computer is free of spyware and/or viruses.
- If you have a pop-up blocker, make sure it is turned off.
- If you are using a dial-up modem, disable call waiting. If you use the same line for voice calls, make sure no one picks of the phone and disconnects you from the Internet.
- If you are using a dial-up modem, make sure your ISP time-out settings are set to the maximum time allowed. The student's ISP may time their connection out after a certain amount of inactivity. Many ISPs have an 'idle time-out' on their dialup connections. Filling in forms does not generate traffic back and forth across the Internet connection, and it is not viewed as "activity" for the purpose of automatic time-outs. This means if you're online but not actually using the connection they will kick you off for being idle after a set amount of time.
- If you are taking the exam from a location of a private company or another institution, firewall settings can potentially interfere with the exam.
- Blackboard will automatically end your session after three hours of inactivity. Inactivity means not interacting with program functions. Typing in a text box editor does not count as activity in the system. Don't start an assessment and then leave the computer without interacting with Blackboard, you will get kicked out after the 3 hour limit resulting in an incomplete attempt.
- Make sure your browser window is the size you want it before entering the assessment. Most browsers refresh the window when you resize the screen. When the browser refreshes, it will want to reload the page -- which may prohibit you from taking the assessment.
- Know what policies and procedures you instructor has in place if you experience problems during the assessment.
Q: What are the best practices for taking an assessment?
A: There are several best practices:
- Recommended to login into Blackboard directly. It is not recommended to login via Ulink
- Do not use the back, forward, home or the refresh buttons on your browsers tool bar
- Do not double click on any links or buttons
- Do not enter any URLs in the address or locations fields of the browser
- Do not select any pages from favorites/bookmarks
- Do not click the backspace keyboard button
- Do not have multiple programs or windows open
- If using the text box editor to type in a short answer or essay question, do not click outside of the field except to save or submit
- When using a mouse with a scroll wheel, be careful with scrolling. Always click a blank area on the assessment before using the scroll wheel. This will insure you do not inadvertently change an answer on the assessment
- Be certain to save your answers often to record your answers to the grade book and ensure you remain connected to the Internet
- Check over your answer before confirming submission. If your assessment allows, check your answers before submitting your assessment -- to make sure you did not change an answer accidentally.
Q: Do assessments in Blackboard all look and act the same?
A: No. Read the assessment instructions carefully. Course Instructors have many options when setting up assessments. Here are some examples:
- Some assessments may be taken more than once, while others can only be taken once. Your instructor will inform you if the assessment can be taken more than one time.
- Some assessments may require that they be completed in one sitting (forced completion), while some assessments may allow you to complete one section, and then return to finish additional sections. Your instructor will give you directions as to whether you must complete the entire assessment before exiting.
- Some assessments may be timed. Your instructor will tell you if the assessment is timed and the time allotted. While Blackboard will not stop the assessment after the allotted time has elapsed, it will record the time spent on the assessment. Your instructor may penalize you if more time was taken than allotted for the assessment.
- Some assessments are all-at-once assessments, allowing you access to the entire assessment and move freely item to item (permits backtracking). Some assessments are one-at-a-time assessments, showing only one question at a time; you may not return to a previous question. Your instructor will tell you if your assessment will permit backtracking or not. Do not click anywhere outside the assessment.
Q: What are assessment settings and what do they mean?
A: There are many assessment settings:
- Force Completion: If the Instructor selects the Force Completion setting, Students must complete the Assessment the first time it is launched . Students may not exit the Assessment and continue working on it at a later date. The Save button is available for Students to save the Assessment as they work through it, but they may not exit and re-enter the Assessment.
If the Force Completion option is enabled, it is noted and explained to Students at the top of the Assessment. Students must be particularly cautious not to perform any prohibited functions in a Force Completion assessment. - Prohibit Backtracking: If a Student is taking an Assessment that does not allow backtracking, an error page will appear if they submit a question and then attempt to use the browser's Back button. The Student will be sent to the last unsaved questions from this page.
- Allow Multiple Attempts: If a user selects the Back button after submitting an Assessment a receipt page appears stating that the Assessment has already been taken. For multiple attempt Assessments they may choose to take the Assessment again; for single attempt Assessments they may review the results of the Assessment. Instructors can set up several different variations of Multiple Attempts
Q: How many times can an assessment be taken?
A: Unless an assessment has the option for students to "Allow multiple attempts" checked, an assessment can only be taken once. This feature has unfortunate consequences for some students who make an honest mistake. For example, a student loses the right to retake an exam if she accidentally closes the window or if the browser crashes or if the internet connection is lost for any reason. Consequently, students take quizzes carefully utilizing the tips and suggestions in this document.
Q: My test is timed but how do I know how much time I have left?
A: Timed tests should display the timer in the lower left corner of your browser. If you do not see the timer, follow these steps:
Internet Explorer 7.0
- Click Tools
- Select Internet Options
- Click the Security tab
- Select Internet Zone
- Click the Custom Level button
- Scroll down to the Scripting section and mark "Enable" below "Allow status bar updates via script" and click OK
- On the popup box select Yes
- Click OK
Firefox
- Click Tools
- Select Options
- Click the Content tab
- Select Advanced...
- Place a checkmark next to "Change status bar text" and click OK.
- Click OK
Q: What should I do in the event of a problem during an assessment?
A: If you receive an error message, write it down exactly. Also note the time and date the error occurred, along with the Web browser you were using, what you were doing when the error occurred, and any other relevant details you can think of. Contact your instructor and provide this information.
Q: What should I do at the completion of an assessment?
A: When finished with your assessment, click the Submit button one time. Submission may take some time. Don't click the submit button again. You must click the submit button, save does not submit the assessment.
When your assessment is completed Blackboard will confirm that the assessment was completed and successfully submitted. It will also be time stamped. You may print out this message to verify successful submission.
Q: I get an error message when I try to submit my assessment, saying I've already completed the assessment or it is still in progress can I take it again?
A: If your Internet connection or Blackboard connection was terminated or you have performed an incorrect or accidental function or keystroke as described earlier, this can result in an Incomplete Attempt, indicated by a lock symbol in the gradebook. You will need to contact your Instructor for directions/policy regarding Incomplete Attempts. Make sure you provide all details about what happened that may have caused the Incomplete Attempt. Only your instructor can clear the attempt or authorize the attempt to be cleared so you can take the assessment again.
Q: What is Respondus Lock Down Browser?
A: Respondus Lock Down Browser is a product your instructor may choose to use when giving assessments. This product is a protected browser that limits accessibility of external resources while taking assessments. Lock Down Browser must be loaded onto your computer before taking the assessment. The product is installed on the computers in most of the computer labs at the University of Louisville. If you are taking the exam on your own computer you will have to download it and install it to your computer. Instructions on how to do this are located here. When using Lock Down Browser you must exit out of all programs on the computer you are using. Then open the program and it will take you to the Blackboard Login Page. Only use Lock Down Browser if instructed to do so. Learn about Respondus Lock Down Browser Download Instructions. (Word Document.)
Q: Where can I find other Blackboard resources?
A: You may access the Student/User Manual (which is also located in the Tools area of your course) or you may access Blackboard Inc.'s Behind the Blackboard site for information on a broad range of topics.
Q: Who should I contact when I have questions about Blackboard?
A. 24/7 Blackboard assistance is available by calling the HelpDesk at 502.852.7997. Alternatively, walk-in assistance may be obtained at the Reach Office located in Strickler Hall Room 331. Their phone number is 502.852.8096.