Frequently Asked Questions
The following are frequently asked questions about Blackboard @ F&M.
Contacting the Blackboard Administrator
Contact the F&M Blackboard Administrator at
- Who has access to Blackboard?
- Why use Blackboard?
- Is my Blackboard password Case Sensitive?
- Who can help me with my Blackboard username and password?
- How do I enroll students to Blackboard?
- How do I view student enrollments in Blackboard?
- How do I add an item to Blackboard?
- What web browser should I use?
- What types of files can be uploaded?
- Where are my files stored when I uploaded them to Blackboard?
- What are file extensions and do I need to use them?
- What is the Archive Policy?
- How can I re-list an existing Blackboard course in the current course catalog?
- How can I get my course Cross-Listed in several categories of the Blackboard Catalog?
Who has access to Blackboard?
Blackboard @ F&M is a web-based solution for online delivery of course-based instructional materials and is available to all Franklin & Marshall faculty and students.
Why use Blackboard?
Blackboard is a powerful course-authoring tool that allows you to extend the classroom to an online learning environment. Blackboard features include threaded discussion forums, digital drop box for submission of student assignments, online gradebook, document sharing and e-mail messaging.
Is my Blackboard password Case Sensitive?
Yes! Passwords for students and faculty are Case Sensitive in Blackboard. That means, UPPER CASE letters are different than lower case letters.
Who can help me with my Blackboard username and password?
A Blackboard Username is the same as a College e-mail Username and you can replace a lost password through the "Forgot your password?" option when logging into Blackboard.
Other questions regarding Blackboard usernames and passwords should be directed via e-mail to the Blackboard Administrator. Include your complete name, email address, and the name of a Blackboard course in which you are currently enrolled.
How do I enroll students to Blackboard?
Manually Enroll Students:
- From within the Control Panel of your Blackboard course, select Users and Groups, and then click on Users.
- Click on the Enroll User button, and select >Find Users to Enroll
- Now click the Browse button and search the existing Blackboard@F&M user index BY LAST NAME for each student you wish to enroll
- After locating the student you wish to enroll, select the student by clicking on the check box to the left of the student’s name, and then click Submit
- Confirm that Role is set to “Student”, and then click Submit.
You may also use the following QuickStart:
http://its.fandm.edu/quickstarts/Blackboard/EnrollmentOptions
How do I view student enrollments in Blackboard?
Search:
- Navigate to the Users and Groups section in the control panel
- Click on Users
- In the second drop down menu, select Not Blank and click Go.
- This will list all the students in the course.
or you may visit this QuickStart,
http://its.fandm.edu/quickstarts/Blackboard/ViewStudentEnrollments
How do I add an item to Blackboard?
Visit the following QuickStart:
http://its.fandm.edu/quickstarts/Blackboard/AttachFiletoItem
What web browser should I use?
The F&M college supports the use of Mozilla Frefox for web activities.
What types of files can be uploaded?
Some of the files formats that can be used with Blackboard are:
- HTML
- MS Word for MAC or PC
- MS Excel for MAC or PC
- MS Power Point for MAC or PC
- Acrobat PDF
- QuickTime Movies
- AIFF Audio Files
You CAN NOT use these file types in Blackboard:
- Appleworks/Claris Works
Where are my files stored when I uploaded them to Blackboard?
The files you want to share with your students start on your office computer. When you upload your files to Blackboard they are stored on the F&M Blackboard server.
Note: Even though the files are stored on an F&M server it is a good idea to keep the original copy.
What are file extensions and do I need to use them?
The FILE EXTENSION is a period followed by a 3 letter code added to the end of a file's name. This 3 letter code tells the computer what type of file it is. For example a word file would appear as: sylab.DOC the .DOC is the extension. It is important that nothing is typed after the file extension because it will be treated as part of the file extension and may prevent the file from being recognized by the computer. Yes, you will need FILE EXTENSIONS. Below are some standard document files and the FILE EXTENSION that should be added to the end of the document.
- HTML = home .HTML
- MS Word =syllabus .DOC
- MS Excel =myspreadsheet .XLS
- MS Power Point =PowerPointPresentation .PPT
- Acrobat PDF = Printed_As_Acrobat .PDF
- QuickTime Movies = my_Quick_time .MOV
- AIFF Audio Files = my_audio_file .AIF
What is the Archive Policy?
The College adopted the Blackboard learning management system (LMS) in 2000. ITS implemented a pilot archive process in 2008 to ?weed? old courses - five years or older - from the active system. Archiving old courses increases disk space for active courses and boosts performance while reducing clutter on faculty members? ?My Courses? section of the Blackboard homepage. This policy was approved as permanent by the Committee on Academic Technology (CAT) in March, 2009
Blackboard Course Archive Procedure: Inactive Blackboard courses will be retained on the Blackboard system for 4 years.
After the end of each spring semester, the Faculty will be notified of the scheduled batch archive maintenance. This batch archive maintenance will include archiving all courses and deletion of courses that have been inactive for 4 years.
If an instructor wishes to keep a course that has been inactive for 4 years, they may notify the Blackboard Administrator.
Faculty may ask the Blackboard Administrator to restore a deleted course back to the system.
Note: Faculty will be given advance notice of the course archive and deletion process via both email and Blackboard system announcements.
For more information on the Blackboard course archive policy, contact the Blackboard Administrator.
How can I re-list an existing Blackboard course in the current course catalog?
Current semester listings in the Blackboard course catalog are not automated. At the end of every semester, IET removes current listing from the Bb course catalog to make way for the next semester's courses. Generally, only current courses are listed in the Bb course catalog.
New course requests for the current semester are added to the Bb catalog when they are created. Existing Bb courses ( i.e., Bb courses previously taught which are being taught [used] again) can be added to the current catalog in one of two ways:
A. Make a request to the Blackboard Administrator tore-list an existing course.< /b> B. Re-list it yourself:
- Log-on to Blackboard @ F&M
- Select a course under '"Courses you are teaching:"
- Select CONTROL PANEL: CUSTOMIZATION: PROPERTIES
- Follow the on-screen instructions for making the course available.
How can I get my course Cross-Listed in several categories of the Blackboard Catalog?
If your Bb course is listed in more then one discipline, according to the college registrar, it can be cross-listed in the Blackboard course catalog.
The instructor will need to submit an email request to the Blackboard Administrator stating that his/her course is listed in several disciplines. The request should include the name and number associated with the course and all of the category areas where it should be listed.
When the course is cross-listed the course's unique ID number (associated with the course) will be assigned to each category where the course is listed.
Example:
The Course BIO240-01 needs to be listed under the following categories:
- Biology
- Biological Foundations of Behavior
- Psychology
New course ID numbers are only assigned to new courses not cross-listed courses.
