Q: How do I access Blackboard?
	Q: Help! I want to set up my Blackboard site. What do I do? How do I do it? Can you help!?
	Q: How do I add content to Blackboard?
	Q: What browsers are supported by Blackboard and with what constraints?
	Q: Is it possible to copy an entire Blackboard course (or even just a portion) from a previous semester to this semester? If so, how?
	Q: I have two sections of a course with two separate Blackboard sites, which means I am posting all content twice. Do I have any alternatives to this approach?
	Q: When will my Blackboard course Web sites for next semester appear on My Babson page?
	Q: My students tell me they can not see my Blackboard course site on their My Babson page, but I know it is there. What's wrong?
	Q: How do I make my previous semester Blackboard courses unavailable?
	Q: I want to add a user to my Blackboard course site. How do I do that?
	Q: I don't use all the areas of my Blackboard course Web site. Is it possible to hide or "turn off" the unused buttons on the left?
	Q: How do I ensure that the documents I post to Blackboard maintain their original properties?
	Q: How do I use Blackboard's Virtual Classroom?
	Q: I created an anonymous survey in Blackboard. Where do I go to see the results?
	Q: My students have requested a Group space on Blackboard where teams can communicate and share documents. How do I do this?
	Q: Why can't my students see the Discussion Board button on my Blackboard course Web site?
	Q: Is it possible for students to edit or delete their own postings on a Blackboard discussion board?
	Q: How do I create an online assessment in Blackboard?
	Q: How can I provide my students with grades for non-Blackboard administered assessments?
	Q: I use Blackboard's Online Gradebook. Can you describe the different views?
	Q: How do I edit a student's grade using Blackboard's Online Gradebook feature?
	Q: Where can I get more information about Blackboard?

Q: How do I access Blackboard?

A: It's easy!

1. Go to http://blackboard.babson.edu
2. Click Login
3. Type in your Babson username and password
4. Click Login

Q: Help! I want to set up my Blackboard site. What do I do? How do I do it? Can you help!?

A: No problem!

• CITG is offering a series of face-to-face trainings this fall on how to use Blackboard
• We also host Blackboard elearning
• And you can always contact us with a Blackboard question

Q: How do I add content to Blackboard?

1. Go to Control Panel | Content Areas | Course Documents.
2. Select type of document to add:
• Item
• Folder
• Learning Unit
3. Follow steps to add document
4. Submit

Q: What browsers are supported by Blackboard and with what constraints?

A: Babson College has standardized on Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) version 4.0 or greater on a PC platform for all Web-based applications. Blackboard does not support Netscape Communicator or the Macintosh platform. There may be display issues with a non-IE browser.

Blackboard requires the browser to support both JavaScript and Cookies. If you are unsure for the settings for your browser, please contact the ITSD Support Center at support@babson.edu  or x4357.

Q: Is it possible to copy an entire Blackboard course (or even just a portion) from a previous semester to this semester? If so, how?

A: Yes, it is possible to copy part or all of a Bb course from a previous semester into a current semester. However, this process requires ITSD resources to complete. Here is what you need to do:

1. Contact the Support Center at x4357.
2. Provide the following information:
• the source Bb course ID (including year, semester, and section)
• the destination Bb course ID (including year, semester, and section)
• exactly what you need copied
3. Review your new Bb course to update any dates or time-sensitive information.

Q: I have two sections of a course with two separate Blackboard sites, which means I am posting all content twice. Do I have any alternatives to this approach?

A: Yes. There are actually four ways to tackle this "multiple section" issue. Click here to learn more, but briefly, you can:

1. Populate each site independently
2. Roll all sections up into something called a master course
3. Populate one section then copy that populated section out
4. Link your Blackboard sites with a Web site that houses the bulk of your course content

Q: When will my Blackboard course Web sites for next semester appear on My Babson page?

A: Blackboard course Web sites for the new semester will appear in your My Babson page a few weeks before the start of the semester. If you would like to access them earlier, go to the My Courses page; here all past, present, and future semester Blackboard course sites are listed.

Q: My students tell me they can not see my Blackboard course site on their My Babson page, but I know it is there. What's wrong?

A: By default, all Blackboard course sites are set to "Unavailable" and will not appear in a student's My Babson Page. Students can not access "Unavailable" courses. However, the instructor may access an "Unavailable" course to develop the course content prior to making it "Available" to students.

To make a course "Available":

1. Go to Control Panel | Course Settings | Course Availability.
2. Select "Yes" to the question "Do you want to make this course available to users?"

If you have any questions or problems, please contact the ITSD Support Center x4357 or support@babson.edu .

Q: How do I make my previous semester Blackboard courses unavailable?

A: Previous semester courses in Blackboard will remain visible to enrolled students until the faculty member makes the course unavailable. To set a course to unavailable:

• Go to course Control Panel | Course Settings | Course Availability.
• Select "No" to the question "Do you want to make this course available to users?"

If you have any questions or problems, please contact the ITSD Support Center x4357 or support@babson.edu .

Q: I want to add a user to my Blackboard course site. How do I do that?

A: If you want to add a Babson student, faculty, or staff member, go to Control Panel | Add Users | Enroll Existing User then follow on-screen directions.

IMPORTANT: If you know the person you are trying to enroll is a part of the Babson community but you can not find the name, go to Control Panel | List/Modify Users and see if the person is already enrolled. If so, the name will not also appear when you attempt to Enroll Existing User.

If you want to add a non-Babson user, go Control Panel | Add Users | Create User then follow on-screen directions.

IMPORTANT: If you add a new user, please follow the following username convention: firstinitialfirstname_lastname (i.e. j_jones).

If you have any questions, please contact ITSD Support Center .

Q: I don't use all the areas of my Blackboard course Web site. Is it possible to hide or "turn off" the unused buttons on the left?

A: Having too many buttons viewable can be confusing to your students. It is a great idea to hide or "turn off" the buttons that link to areas you are not using. Just follow these steps:

1. Go to Control Panel | Course Options | Course Settings.
2. Click Area Availability.
3. Click the "disable" radio button to the right of the areas you want to "turn off." (Note that you can also change the names of some of the buttons via the dropdown menu in the Areas column.)
4. Click Submit, then click OK. Your new menu buttons will be visible immediately.

Q: How do I ensure that the documents I post to Blackboard maintain their original properties?

A: Users can post almost any type of document to a Blackboard course Web site. However, the formatting of the document sometimes changes during the upload process. Features such as indents, bullets, lists, lines, and drawings may lose the original properties and appear differently when viewed in Blackboard.

One way to maintain the visual integrity of your posted document is to convert the document into an Adobe .pdf then post to the Blackboard course site. The .pdf will maintain your original formatting properties.

Q: How do I use Blackboard's Virtual Classroom?

1. Go to Control Panel | Course Tools | Virtual Chat.
2. Select Enter Virtual Classroom to launch or join a real-time online chat/classroom.

All virtual chat activity is saved and archived. Select Browse Classroom Archives to review previous sessions.

Q: I created an anonymous survey in Blackboard. Where do I go to see the results?

1. Go to your course Control Panel.
2. Click on Online Gradebook (in the Assessment section).
3. Click on Report by Item, then click on Search. Your survey should appear.
4. Click on the Grades button (at right).
5. To see who took the survey, scroll down to the Scores section.
6. To see the actual results of the survey, click on the Detailed Analysis hyperlink (above the Scores section). This link should bring you to your survey results.

Q: My students have requested a Group space on Blackboard where teams can communicate and share documents. How do I do this?

Step 1: Create the Group

1. Go to Control Panel and click on Manage Groups (upper right).
2. Click on Add Group.
3. Give the group a name and a description.
4. Select the four options (discussion board, virtual classroom, file exchange, and email).
5. Click Submit.  

Step 2: Add Users to Group

1. Go to Control Panel and click on Manage Groups (upper right).
2. Click on the Modify button to the right of the group name you just created.
3. Click on Add Users to Group link.
4. Click on Search to view user list, then select each person you want to enroll in the group.
5. Click Submit.

Step 3: Add Groups Button to Site

1. Go to Control Panel and click on Course Settings (lower left).
2. Click on Area Availability.
3. Scroll down to Groups and select the Enable radio button.
4. Click Submit.
5. Note: Students can also access Group pages via the Communication button.

Q: Why can't my students see the Discussion Board button on my Blackboard course Web site?

A: The Discussion Board area is not available by default. Although faculty/instructors can populate the discussion board, the Discussion Board button will not be visible to students unless it is made available. To do this:

1. Go to Control Panel | Course Options | Course Settings.
2. Click on Area Availability.
3. Click on the "enable" radio button to the right of the Discussion Board line in section 1.
4. Click Submit, then OK. The Discussion Board button will be visible immediately to students.

Q: Is it possible for students to edit or delete their own postings on a Blackboard discussion board?

A: It is possible for students to edit or delete their own postings. However, in order for students to be able to do so, someone with privileges to create forums (such as an instructor, teaching assistant, or course builder) needs to do the following:

When creating a new forum:

• Go to Control Panel | Discussion Board OR click on the Discussion Board button in the left-hand navigation bar.
• Click on Add Forum.
• Fill out the information as you typically would when creating a forum. In Forum Settings, check the boxes for:
• Allow author to edit message after posting
• Allow author to remove own posted messages
• Click Submit.

When modifying an existing forum:

• Go to Control Panel | Discussion Board OR click on the Discussion Board button in the left-hand navigation bar.
• Click on the Modify button to the right of the forum you want to edit.
• In Forum Settings, check the boxes for:
• Allow author to edit message after posting
• Allow author to remove own posted messages
• Click Submit.

 Q: How do I create an online assessment in Blackboard?

1. Go to Control Panel | Assessment | Assessment Manager.
2. Select type of assessment to add:
1. Survey: questionnaire format without assigning points to each item
2. Quiz/Exam: test format assigning points to each item
3. Follow steps to add items.
4. Preview assessment to save.
5. Make assessment available.
6. Click Submit.

Warning! Once you have made your assessment available, making it unavailable will erase all data in that assessment. For more information, contact CITG.

Q: How can I provide my students with grades for non-Blackboard administered assessments?

A: To provide students with a grade for a non-Blackboard administered assessment, use the Online Gradebook Spreadsheet View tool. To use this feature:

• Go to Course Control Panel | Assessment | Online Gradebook.
• Select the Spreadsheet View option and follow the steps to Add an Item.
• Assign the number of points the item is worth.
• This could be based on the total course points or the numerical grade received for this item (i.e. out of 100).
• The default is to make the grade item Available.
• If you are not ready for the students to see their grades, select Unavailable.
• Submit
• Assign each student a unique grade.
• In the column depicting the item created, click on the dash next to each student's name.
• Enter the grade number.
• Submit.
• If you made the item unavailable, to make it available, access the Modify Item button on the top of the Spreadsheet View main page.
• Select the item to modify.
• Submit.
• Follow steps to make item available to viewer.

Q: I use Blackboard's Online Gradebook. Can you describe the different views?

• Go to Control Panel | Assessment | Online Gradebook.
• Select format to view grades:
• Report by User: categorizes grade information by user
• Report by Item: categorizes grade information by item
• Spreadsheet: displays grades in a sortable spreadsheet format
• Export Gradebook: allows current gradebook to be exported to MS Excel
• Follow steps to view grades.

Q: How do I edit a student's grade using Blackboard's Online Gradebook feature?

A: To adjust a student grade for an online assessment through Blackboard:

1. Go to Control Panel | Online Gradebook.
2. Select Report by Item link.
3. Search for item, or select SEARCH and a list of all items will appear.
4. Select GRADES button to the far right of the quiz.
5. Click on the actual score for the student you wish to adjust the grade for.
6. You will now be brought to a question by question listing where you can adjust points. This will let you re-grade the quiz and update the overall quiz grade for the student.
7. Click Submit | OK.

To update a score for an assessment not hosted via Blackboard but just an item tracked via Blackboard:

1. Go to Control Panel | Online Gradebook.
2. Select Report by Item link.
3. Search for item, or select SEARCH and a list of all items will appear.
4. Select GRADES button to the far right of the quiz.
5. Enter new grade for each student you wish to adjust.
6. Click Submit | OK.

Q: Where can I get more information about Blackboard?

A: You can access online help in Blackboard.
Go to Control Panel > Assistance > Online Support or Online Manual.