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BLACKBOARD Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty |
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Q1: Why can I not log into Bb? A: The same system that controls login to NEIUport also controls login to Bb. The Center for Teaching and Learning no longer controls Bb login. Many new instructors and some students seem to be unaware that they need to use their Net ID and NEIUport password to log into Blackboard (even if they access Bb from the NEIU home page). Anyone who has not yet established a password in NEIUport should go to http://neiuport.neiu.edu and click the link titled “First Time Users Getting Started with NEIUport”. Problems logging into Bb or NEIUport should be directed to NEIUport Help at ext. 4230. Q2: Why can I see my Bb course but my students cannot? A: You may notice that the links to some of your Bb courses are followed by (Unavailable). This means that your course is invisible to students--although you can see it. This allows you to work on your course and then make it available to students when you are ready for them to see it. To make the course available go to the course Control Panel and select:
A narrated tutorial walking you through the process is available at http://www.neiu.edu/~ctl/blackboard.html. Until you make your course available, your students will not be able to see it. Q3: How do my students get enrolled into my Bb courses? A: Enrollment of students in Bb courses is managed by CARS. Students who are registered for a course in CARS will be registered automatically into the corresponding Bb course. There is no student self-enrollment into Bb courses, nor do faculty have to enroll their students manually into courses. Students who withdraw from a course or who are dropped due to non-payment of fees or other reasons are “disabled” from the Bb course. This means that their information remains in the course’s database; however, they will disappear from your Bb course roster and grade book and will be unable to see your course in Bb until they are reinstated. Student work and grades completed prior to being dropped will reappear when they are reinstated in the course. Q4: When will my Bb courses for next semester be available? A: Blackboard courses are created automatically from the courses that are listed in CARS. The first set of courses are created approximately two months prior to the beginning of the next semester or term. New courses are created daily as they are added to CARS. Faculty who are assigned in CARS to teach the course will see it in their list of "Courses you are teaching" in Bb. Courses listed as "TBA" are created without an instructor (see Q6 below). Q5: How do I copy content from my previous semester's course to my new course? A: Content (including tests) from previous semesters’ Bb courses can be copied into your current semester courses. This is done by going into the previous course’s Control Panel and using the Course Copy feature in the previous course to copy the desired content into your course. A narrated tutorial walking you through the process is available at http://www.neiu.edu/~ctl/blackboard.html. Q6: I am assigned to teach a course, but why can't I see it in Bb? A: Enrollment of instructors into Bb courses is managed my CARS. If a course that you are planning to teach this semester is not showing up in your Blackboard list of courses that you are teaching, it is because the course is listed in CARS as taught by “TBA” or by another instructor. Contact your department to make sure that you are assigned as the course instructor in CARS. After you are assigned as the instructor in CARS, you should be able to see your course in Bb by the next day. Q7: How do I combine the student enrollments of multiple sections into one Bb course? A: Some instructors teach multiple sections of the same course and wish to combine the enrollments of all sections into a single Bb course. If you wish to have multiple sections combined, send an e-mail request to etlt@neiu.edu with the subject “Combine Blackboard Sections” and include the information below. Requests for combining Bb course sections must be received by the tenth.
Q8: What if my students have technology problems or questions that I cannot answer? A: If your students have questions or issues regarding Blackboard, please contact CTL on their behalf with the issue or concern so that we may determine the best available solution. For non-Blackboard related technology questions, have them contact Student Computing Services at (773) 442-4390 or at scs@neiu.edu
Q9: How do I learn more about Bb? If you have questions regarding these or any other Blackboard-related items or wish to receive training in the use of Bb, please send an e-mail message to etlt@neiu.edu or contact the Center for Teaching and Learning at ext. 4467. |