| Question |
Answer |
| What is Blackboard? |
Blackboard
is a web-based course management system (that means that you can access
it on any computer with internet access) that provides a private learning
environment for online teaching and learning. Instructors are able to
put the course syllabus, lectures, assignments, and presentations and
more in Blackboard. Students are able to connect to the online classroom
anytime and anywhere with an Internet connection, and no typically additional
software is necessary. |
| How do I find books for my online class? |
Your instructor will let you
know what textbooks to use (if any) by contacting you before the course
officially begins or once the course begins - usually via the syllabus.
You will only be able to find your textbook for a class at Chabot in
the Chabot College store. You can order most books and supplies online.
For more info, you should contact the Chabot Bookstore
http://www.chabotbookstore.com/home.aspx
If you have online classes from another college (particularly Las
Positas which is part of this school district) you should know that
Chabot and Las Positas Bookstores operate independently. |
Is my computer
compatible with Blackboard? (hardware, software, and browser requirements)
|
|
|
PC Users |
Mac Users |
|
Operating System: |
Microsoft
Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista |
OS 9.2, OSX.1,
or OS X.2 |
|
Processor: |
Pentium III or
higher with a Processor speed of 400 MHz or higher |
G3 or higher
with a Processor speed of 400 MHz or higher |
|
Memory/ RAM: |
Minimum of 64MB
RAM, 256 MB or higher is preferred |
Minimum of 64MB
RAM, 256 MB or higher is preferred |
|
Storage/ Hard Drive space: |
At least 6 GB
on your hard disk |
At least 6 GB
on your hard disk |
|
Internet Connection: |
56K Modem
(minimum). A broadband connection is recommended (DSL, cable,
etc.) |
56K Modem
(minimum). A broadband connection is recommended (DSL, cable,
etc.) |
|
Web
Browser and Software: |
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or Mozilla Firefox are the
recommended browsers for use with Blackboard.
JavaScript must be enabled
Cookies must be enabled
Allow pop-up windows
Please note: It may be wise to have more than one browser
installed on your computer.
Microsoft Word 97 or later,
or another Word Processing program;
PowerPoint (you
can get PowerPoint Viewers here):
For 2003 -
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/CD010798701033.aspx
For 2007 -
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/CD102070641033.aspx |
Mozilla Firefox or Safari are the recommended browsers for use
with Blackboard.
JavaScript must be enabled
Cookies must be enabled
Allow pop-up windows
Please note: It may be wise to have more than one browser
installed on your computer.
Microsoft Word 97 or later, or another Word Processing program
PowerPoint (you
can get PowerPoint Viewers here):
For 2003 -
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/CD010798701033.aspx
For 2007 -
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/CD102070641033.aspx
|
|
Email Address: |
A current,
valid email address is required |
A current,
valid email address is required |
|
Also, Las Positas
College Online Learning has a very good explanation of
technical requirements for Blackboard. If you are a PC user, please
pay special attention to the section under "Web Browser" where
it explains that it may be wise to have more than one browser installed
on your computer. |
|
| How do I find my operating system? |
- Windows: Right-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop.
Select Properties from the pop-up menu. In the System Properties
window, on the General tab, look for System information.
- Macintosh: Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner. Select
About This Mac .
|
| How do I find my browser type? |
- PC/Windows: Click on Help, then "About"
- Macintosh: Click on the browser name in the upper left. Select
"About"
|
How do I enable Java within my web
browser so I can access Lightweight Chat and the Virtual Classroom?
|
Enabling
Java on Internet Explorer:
- Click on "View" or "Tools" (depending on which
version you have).
- Select "Internet Options"
- Click on the "Advanced" tab. Scroll down to where it
says "Microsoft VM", and make sure that everything is
checked.
- Click "OK".
Note: If this does not work, you will need to upgrade your
browser. |
| Will Blackboard work with AOL? |
Yes. However,
there are a few issues you may encounter if you decide to use AOL. Here
are some tips for the best results:
- Connect to the Internet using AOL version 4.0 or higher
- Open a private chat within AOL (this allows the AOL client to
remain open, without asking if you wish to disconnect while minimized)
- Minimize AOL
- Launch a recommended browser, such as Internet Explorer
|
Are there special instructions for Mac users?
|
If you are
using Blackboard with a Macintosh, be sure to add the extensions
(.doc, .xls, .ppt,) to the name of your files when sending an assignment
to your instructor in the Digital Drop Box, attaching files to the discussion
board, assignments and/or email messages. |
How should
I name my files/documents before uploading them to Blackboard?
|
Make sure to name your documents properly. Filenames
should be reasonably short, generally not longer than about 20-25
characters, and should not contain spaces or special characters (especially
problematic are !:$#/&\,*?;%=). Stick to letters, digits, dashes
and underscores and you will have no problems.
Uploading problems may also stem from bandwidth limitations
from your ISP - don't click elsewhere while uploading a file, but
wait for the "content successfully added" receipt. |
| What do I need to know before I take a quiz
in Blackboard? |
While taking an assessment, do not click the Back button
on your web browser; this will kick you out of the assessment. In addition,
clicking on the Submit or Next button more than once can result in several
different unexpected outcomes. For example, when beginning a password-protected
assessment that does not allow multiple attempts, clicking Submit more
than once will lock the user out of the assessment. These errors also
can occur if the screen refresh function takes longer than expected
and the user clicks the Submit button again, in an effort to speed up
Blackboard.
Also, please disable your pop-up blocker; some assessments
are set to open up in a new window and cannot if you have pop-up blocker
on.
Once you click on an assessment that only allows one attempt,
it is considered an attempt, even if you do nothing more than look at
it. If you close the browser window and then try to open the assessment
again, you will see the message that you have already taken it.
Also, avoid clicking outside the test area (for example,
on the "Announcement" button). This will cause the system
to prematurely submit the test before you have finished.
Do not close or resize the window. Select a comfortable
window size prior to clicking on the test link.
For tests that present one question at a time, students
should click the Next button rather than hit Enter on the keyboard.
Finally, if a firewall is installed on a computer and/or
network system, an error message may be generated informing you that
your system was configured to deny access to this URL. The solution
is to take the test somewhere that does not have a firewall.
For additional tips, visit
Las Positas College Exam Test-Taking Tips |
| I'm trying to take a quiz but when I access it
I get a message that the quiz is already in progress.
What do I do now? |
Check for popup blockers on your computer. If your
instructor set up the quiz to open in a new web browser window, it
may be that Blackboard is trying to open the quiz but cannot since you
have a popup blocker on your computer. If this is the case, the
next time you click the quiz link Blackboard will report that the quiz
is in progress. You can ask your instructor to reset your quiz
and then disable your popup blocker in order to take the reset quiz.
Also, if you clicked on your "back" button for any
reason, Blackboard could think that you stopped taking the quiz.
Then when you go back to the quiz link, Blackboard thinks
you already took the quiz. You can ask your instructor
to reset your quiz so you can try again. |
| There is a red exclamation point in the
gradebook instead of a score, what does this mean? |
This could mean one of many things. First, you may not
have completed the quiz. If you do not click the Submit button after completing
the quiz or leave the quiz before finishing, your answers will not be
counted. Also, if you encounter technical problems during the quiz you
will also have an exclamation point recorded in the book. If your computer
crashes, or your Internet connection is disconnected, any questions you
have completed will not be counted. Finally, if your quiz was timed and
you went over the allotted time limit, you will also see an exclamation
point in the gradebook instead of a grade. In this case your instructor
will receive all your answers and information on how long it took you
to complete the quiz. They will have discretion on whether to accept all
or part of your quiz answers. |
| How do I hide outdated courses and those long
course IDs on the My Institution page? |
You can hide the display of course sites from the My Institution tab
(the page you see right after you logged in; they will still display on
the "Courses" tab):
- Login to Blackboard and make sure you are within the My
Institution tab.
- Click the pencil icon to the right of My
Courses.
- Uncheck the boxes under Show Course for the courses
you want to hide, and uncheck the boxes under Show Course ID for
the IDs you want to hide (they may already be unchecked -
hitting Submit will still hide the Course ID's).
- Click Submit. If a course continues to show after you
try to hide it, try unchecking the corresponding box under Show
Announcements, then click Submit.
|
| Where do I find a student manual or instructions
on how to use Blackboard? |
Once you have logged in to your Blackboard course, select
Tools and click on the Manual icon. You can also now look through
our "How
to Use Blackboard" section to get step by step instructions on all
the basics. |
| Quick reference tutorials from Liberty University |
See
http://www.liberty.edu/academics/cafe/bb/index.cfm?PID=8038 |
