Answers to Students' Most Frequently Asked Questions About Blackboard

How do I log in?

1. Go to https://blackboard.sau.edu

2. Click "Login"

3. Type in your "Username" and "Password".

If you don't know these, call the Help Desk X6368.

4. Your course name will appear on the "My Blackboard" page (the first page that appears upon logging in) under "Courses in which you are participating". 

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What email account does Blackboard send my email to?

For all undergraduates, and for graduate students who haven't arranged otherwise with their professor, all email sent through Blackboard currently goes to your SAU email account (accessible at http://webmail.sau.edu). If you need access to this account, you should contact Brandi Ahlers in Ambrose Hall room 300 to get set up, or call her at 563-333-6368.

***Note: Commercially-run email services such as "Hotmail" don't always accept emails sent from with Blackboard, so we strongly recommend using your SAU account!!***

How big an email can I send before I get in trouble with IT?

You can send safely around 20-25 megs via email with a fast connection. 

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Why can't I attach a document to my discussion board posting?

Make sure the file name doesn't have any spaces in it.  If it still doesn't seem to want to attach, try saving the document with a different name, making sure there are no spaces in the name, then try it again. Also, do you have Norton Utilities or any other security system on your computer? This might prevent you from downloading or uploading documents with the net. Lowering the security settings on your browser to accept downloads from and send uploads to the internet, or doing this through the security software, will allow you to then use upload and download attachments.

Why can't others read my attachment?

It should have a ".doc" extension (sometimes Mac users have to add this because it's not automatically added). If you can't change the extension name, or that doesn't seem to work, simply "cut and paste" it into the "Message" section of your discussion posting. 

If you have WordPerfect, others may not be able to read your message because the ".wpd" extension is not universally readable. This support site: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb%3ben-us%3b211360 describes how to set Word to properly read WordPerfect files, and how to configure WordPerfect and other files so that they can be read in Word.

I've done everything you've said to do and I still can't open attachments!

This person may get one of two error messages when he/she tries to open a link:

1) A little gray box pops up (looks like an error message in Windows) and says something to the effect of “UserName and Password Required for the Blackboard.sau.edu server”; or 2) the Blackboard Login page re-appears within the frame of the course as if you have to log in again.

For either one of these error messages, try re-associating the file extension (the three characters inserted after the file name) with the correct program that should be opening it. To do this…

1.Open up Windows Explorer (achieved when you click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop.

2. Your version of Explorer might differ slightly from this explanation, but you should have an option at the top of the screen called "Tools". Click on this.

3. In that pull-down menu, you'll see "File Options". Click on this.

4. You'll see a tab called "File Types". Click on this.

5. You'll see a button called "New". Click on this.

6. Next to "File Extension" type the extension of the file you are trying to open (.ppt for a PowerPoint, .doc for Microsoft Word, .ram for Real Media, etc.).

7. Click the "Advanced" button.

8. You'll see an "Associate File Type" option. Use the pull-down menu to find the program you want to associate that file with.

9. Hit "OK" and "Close".

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What's the difference between "Add" and "Send" in the Digital Drop Box?

"Sending" a file adds it to your instructor's digital drop box. Once you've "Added" a file, you've basically just put it in your own digital drop box; useful if, for instance, you wanted to use a file on different computers that weren't networked to each other and you didn't have a disk to save it on. You'd just upload it to the digital drop-box, go to the other computer, download it there, and continue working on it. (Note that it needs to be saved again on the computer and then added again to the digital drop box to reflect the changes you make!)

When you "Send" a file, you both "Add" and "Send" it together. Thus, the digital drop box is a good place for students to keep a record of what they've sent the teacher, because once an item is sent it appears in the instructor's digital drop box as well as in the student's. Once one or more files have been added, when you hit the "Send" button, you are given the choice -- from a little "pull-down" menu -- to select from among those and send them to the teacher.

Why won’t my stuff post to the digital drop box?!?

Make sure the file name doesn't have any spaces in it.  If it still doesn't seem to upload, try saving the document with a different name, making sure there are no spaces in the name, then clear out the drop box and try it again. Also, do you have Norton Utilities or any other security system on your computer? This might prevent you from downloading or uploading documents from the net. Lowering the security settings on your browser to accept downloads from and send uploads to the internet, or doing this through the security software, will allow you to then use the drop-box.

Can I send more than one thing at a time using the digital drop box?

No.

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How do I correctly download RealOne Player? 

To download RealOne Player: Go to http://www.real.com. Make sure you are downloading the free version of RealOne Player unless you want to pay for a fancier version. You’ll find the free one in the upper right-hand corner of the main page. Click on that link, then on “Download the Free RealOne Player Only", found in the lower right-hand corner of the page you are brought to next (under the menu headed “Or get our basic player”). Follow the directions to download the player. The file size is around 7 megabytes, so be aware of the long download time if you have a slower connection speeds.

To set up RealOne Player: Choose “Custom Install”. When prompted, unselect “Add a desktop shortcut to free offers from Real.com, AOL.com, etc. You can then select/deselect whether RealMedia will be your default player for other kinds of files (MP3s, CDs, DVDs, etc.).

Help! My RealOne Player keeps giving me "Time Out" errors!

For “Time Out” errors, go to your RealOne Player through the “Start” button and “Programs”.

From inside your RealOne Player, select “Tools”, “Preferences”, and the category “Playback Settings”.

How do I stop my RealOne Player or Windows Media Player from playing too fast?

Open up the program (either RealOne Player or Windows Media Player) and go to "Tools" > "Options" > "CD Audio". Change the selections to "Digital Audio Playback" and remove the "Error Correction" check mark.

How do I get Blackboard & RealOne Player to work on my Mac?

The RealOne player or RealPlayer 8 has worked fine for Mac users, provided of course they meet min sys/browser requirements and have a 56k or better connection. Mac-related links to the Real player download are provided below.

The current version of RealPlayer for Mac users is accessible at:

<http://forms.real.com/real/realone/mac.html?dc=128127126>

For those with older systems that may not meet system requirements for the current player version, older versions of RealPlayer such as RealPlayer 8 may be accessed at:

<http://forms.real.com/real/player/blackjack.html>

Re: Mac users accessing Blackboard in general, and tests specifically, I would remind them to check their browser settings re: java & javascript, newer versions of stored pages (cache settings), and privacy (cookies) settings. Depending on the version, these settings for Netscape may be located under the browser’s Edit/Preferences menu. For example, under a Windows-based version of Netscape 6.2.1, clicking on Edit/Preferences/Advanced accesses the java & javascript enabling settings; Edit/Preferences/Advanced/Cache brings up the option to compare the page in the cache to the page on the network “every time” it’s viewed; and cookies are located under Edit/Preferences/Privacy & Security/Cookies.

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I can’t open PowerPoint Files!

If the machine you are using does not have PowerPoint, you will need to download the free "PowerPoint Viewer" from the Microsoft website: http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2000/Ppview97.aspx  

Study Tips Using PowerPoint in Blackboard:

To see a presentation "Full Screen": By moving your mouse over the PowerPoint presentation and right-clicking, you can resize the PowerPoint to "Full Screen". 

To see the "Speaker Notes": When the presentation is in "Full Screen" view, right-click anywhere over the slide and select "Speaker Notes". This will bring up any notes for that slide. Press the "Escape" key to get back to the regular view of the presentation within Blackboard. 

To print a presentation: From the regular view of the presentation in Blackboard, move your mouse over the presentation and right-click to see the menu. Select "Print". Under "Print What", use the pull-down menu to select the print option you prefer: printing Slides will print out the presentation at one slide per page; printing Handouts shrinks the slides down, and allows you to select the number of slides you want to print per page; Notes Pages prints out one slide per page, along with the relevant notes for that slide; Outline View prints out just the content of the slides: main headings and sub headings. 

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What if the Virtual Classroom Won’t Open?

Make sure that your browser is set up to enable "java applets" such as the virtual classroom. To do so, make sure...
1) all "java" and "javascript" related settings are enabled,
2) the "Check for newer versions of stored pages" setting is set to "Every visit to the page,"
3) the "Privacy Settings" are set to "Low" or "Accept All Cookies"
To assist you with browser configuration, please refer to the explanation provided below, but do realize that different browser versions will often have different menu headings.

In Internet Explorer, click on the Tools menu, and then click on Internet Options.
Next, click on the Advanced tab, use the right side window scroll bar and scroll down to the Microsoft VM category heading. Check to ensure that all boxes regarding Java and JIT compiler are checked and if not, check them at this time. Next, click the Apply and OK buttons at the bottom of the window and restart your computer in order for these settings to take effect.

With Internet Explorer running, and after clicking again on Tools and Internet Options, click on the General tab and look for the section about the middle of the page entitled Temporary Internet Files.

Click on the Settings button and then check to make sure that the box "Every Visit to the Page" is checked. If it is not, please check this box at this time and then click the OK button at the window bottom to complete the sequence and close the window.

Lastly, and again with Internet Explorer running, and having clicked on Tools and Internet Options, click on the Privacy tab. If you do not see a slider bar as displayed in the second screen shot below, click on the Default tab as indicated.

Then when the slide bar appears, move the slider down to either the bottom "Accept All Cookies" setting or a "Low" privacy setting. 

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Email CIDT for further help at BlackboardSupport@sau.edu