How do I log in to Blackboard?

ANSWER:

1. Access the Blackboard login

2. Click the Login button.

3. Enter your Username and Password. Your default password is the first two letters of your first name, the first two letters of your last name, and the last four digits of your social security number (Example: John Doe = jodo9999). Your my>NTC login and campus computer logins all use the same password. If you change your my>NTC password you need to use that for your blackboard password as well.

4. Click Login.

5. You will be on Welcome Page. A link for the online course in which you are enrolled will appear in the "My Courses" area. Click on the link to access your course.

6. When you are finished working in your course, click Logout in the upper middle of the screen and then close your Internet browser.

NOTE: If you have problems accessing Blackboard, repeat the login process, taking special care to make sure you are entering the username and password correctly (the login process is case sensitive). If you have an issue with logging in, there is a facility on the Blackboard screen that will let you reset your password. This will generally let you login after the reset. If you continue to experience problems, e-mail the Help Desk at help_desk@ntc.edu or call 715.675.3331, Ext. 1160.

Why am I locked out of a test or survey and what should I do?

ANSWER:

Three reasons this might be happening are as follows:

ISP time-out – Many Internet Service Provider (ISP) connections are set up to automatically disconnect when no activity is detected for a particular length of time (15, 20 minutes or so). When you are doing tests/surveys in Blackboard, although you are clicking answers and maybe typing responses, this activity is not detected by the ISP. If it takes longer than the time-out period for the you to take the test, the Internet connection will be down when the you try to submit. The test won't submit, and the you will be locked out of the assessment.

You should be instructed to click the Save button at the bottom periodically while they take a test. Although this won't necessarily save their answers in case there is some other problem, it will establish some connection with the Blackboard server, so the ISP will detect activity and not time out. You will need to click Submit at the end of the test.

Clicking outside the test area – Once a test/survey is open within the Blackboard frame (not a new window), you should be instructed not to click anywhere outside of the test area or the test may lock up. You will also need to be careful if you are working with a mouse that has extra features such as a scroll wheel or buttons programmed for going back or forward on Internet pages. If they inadvertently hit one of those buttons, it will probably take them out of the assessment and cause it to lock up.

You can Email or call the Student Helpdesk and they will contact your instructor so that your test can be reset. You can also directly contact your instructor to get the reset.
Telephone : 715.675.3331, Ext. 1160, or 1.888.682.7144, Ext. 1160
Email: help_desk@ntc.edu

Why can't I access my course contents using AOL?

ANSWER:  Students using AOL's browser will have problems navigating Blackboard courses. To minimize difficulties, students should access the Internet using their AOL account, but then minimize that browser and use Internet Explorer instead.

How do I send RTF documents via email without any codes attached?

ANSWER: If students attach RTF documents in Yahoo and send them to instructors at NTC, they appear in the body of the email interspersed with other code and are difficult to read. Students should copy and paste the document into an email or save the document as a Word document and attach it.

Will closing the browser end my Blackboard session?

ANSWER: Select the Logout button to end a session. Do not close out the browser window without logging out.

Why can't I open a test/survey?

ANSWER:  Pop-up blockers – More home computer users are installing software to block pop-ups, and more programs are including pop-up blockers. If a test is set to open in a new window, it is looked at as a pop-up and will not open. Sometimes holding the Ctrl key and clicking the test link will allow the test to open. Other times, the student may have to disable the pop-up blocker first, take the test, and then enable the pop-up blocker again.

I cannot type anything in the Discussion box. Is there something that I can do?

ANSWER: Yes, you can try turning the Visual Text Box Editor (VTBE) off. The VTBE is what puts the rows of formatting icons above a text box for a discussion board entry (where you would normally change font, color, etc.). In some browsers, these icons overshadow the text box. To turn this option off, do the following:

• Login to Blackboard.
• Click on Personal Information in the Tools area on the left side.
• Click "Set Visual Text Box Editor Options."
• Click the button next to unavailable.
• Click Submit.
• Logout of Blackboard (click the icon in middle of the blue area at the top).
• Close the browser, open the browser again, and log back in.

The discussion box will look slightly different, but you should be able to type and enter your information.

Once you have made the VTBE unavailable, it will remain unavailable until you change the option again.

How do I configure my browser to run Blackboard courses?

ANSWER:

Follow these steps to configure your Internet Explorer Version 6 browser:

1. Open Microsoft Internet Explorer

2. Click Tools on the menu bar

3. Select Internet Options
Click the Settings button found under Temporary Internet Files
Select Every visit to the page option
Click OK

4. Click the Security tab
Select Internet
Click the Custom Level button
Scroll down to Microsoft VM and make sure Java permissions are set to Medium safety

5. Click the Advanced tab on the Internet Options dialog box
Scroll down to Microsoft VM
Place a check mark in all three options-- Java console enabled, Java logging enabled, and JIT compiler for virtual machine enabled
Click OK

To run Blackboard in Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer Version 7, Make sure that you add Blackboard as a trusted site, and you turn off all pop-up blockers.

What are the Technical requirements for using Blackboard?

ANSWER:

This depends on the course. However, the following is a general guideline:

• Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, ME, XP, Vista or Windows 7
• 166 MHz Intel Pentium or better
• 56Kpbs modem or higher
• 64 MB RAM or higher, 1 G of free space
• Connection to the Internet via an Internet Service Provider (ex. Charter)
• Cookies must be enabled.
• Web Browser:
  Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6.0
  Netscape Communicator version 7.0
  

  We recommend using Internet Explorer. To upgrade your computer, please go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.htm or http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

To enable cookies, follow these steps:

For Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher

1. Click "Tools"

2. Select "Internet Options"

3. Then select "Advanced"

4. Scroll down until you see the Cookies entry. Click the "Always accept cookies" selection, and then click "OK"

For Netscape Navigator 4.01 or higher

1. Click "Edit"

2. Select "Preferences"

3. Then select "Advanced"

4. Click on the checkbox next to the words "Accept all cookies that get sent back to the originating server," then click "OK"

You may need to close and restart your browser for the settings to take effect.

Macintosh Minimum Requirements:

Do "Internet Options - Settings" need to be set a certain way to refresh pages? 

ANSWER:

If Internet Options are not set to check for newer versions of stored pages, users will not see new content. Pages must be refreshed in order to view current, correct content.

The option to check for newer versions of pages in Internet Options should not be set to "Never". For example, in Internet Explorer :

• Click on "Tools"
• Go to "Internet Options".
• Under "Temporary Internet Files", select "Settings".
• Select "Every visit to the page" under Check for newer versions of stored pages .
• Click "OK"