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Blackboard FAQ

 

This list is maintained by the CASE Blackboard System Administrators. For additional questions, email blackboard@case.edu.

Instructors' Manual

Students' Manual

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For Instructors

For Students

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How do I log into Blackboard for the first time?

You must be a current student, faculty, or staff member of CASE, and have activated your CASE network User-ID. If you are not sure whether your CASE network User-ID is active, run a search of your last name in the CASE Directory. If there is an asterisk (*) by your email address, then your account was not activated. To activate your account, visit the User ID Registration site. You must then wait 24-48 hours after activating your CASE network ID before logging into Blackboard for the first time.

If you cannot remember your password or would like to reset it for another reason, go to the Password Reset Page

Once you have a CASE network User-ID, you can log into Blackboard using your network ID and password (the same one that you use to check your CASE email.)

If you have problems or questions about logging in, please email blackboard@case.edu.

For Instructors

Where are my course sites?

In the current Blackboard system, course sites are not automatically created. Instead, we have made a tool available that allows you to create and manage the course sites for only those courses that you wish. This tool, the Blackboard Course Wizard, can create a new site and can populate a site with the current roster from one or more University course/section listings. The site can also be reused in future semesters.

To access the Course Wizard, visit the CASE Blackboard Instructors organization, the link for which can be found under the My Organizations module on the My Blackboard page. In this organization, click on the Resources button. The first link on this page is the Course Wizard.

How do I add students to my course?

You can add students to your course by either using the Blackboard Course Wizard or by adding students one at a time within the Control Panel of your course, under User Management -> Add Users -> Enroll Existing User.

The wizard (see the previous answer) will let you add all the students from one or more course listings (CRNs) in the Registrar's database. Go to the Wizard; follow the "Add Users to a Site" link at the left; choose the site you're working with; choose "Course Sections"; and choose the course listing that will be using this Blackboard site. All the students registered in the course will now be added to the Blackboard course site. Any students who register for the course in the future will also be added to Blackboard automatically. You can repeat the process for any cross-listings/additional sections that will share this site.

How do I remove the previous semester's students from my course?

If you have not yet added the current students and you want to remove all the students currently in your site (this will also remove all student-specific data, particularly grades), you can use the Course Recycler. Go to the Blackboard site's Control Panel, under Course Options -> Recycle Course, and check the box for "Users".

If you already have added the new students and you want to remove only the previous semester's students, you can go to the Blackboard Course Wizard; follow the "Remove Users from a Site" link at the left; choose the site you're working with; and choose "Individuals". The students listed here will not include those who are enrolled in the course listings using this Blackboard site. So the listed students are probably all from past semesters and can be removed.

Why can't my students see my course?

For students to be able to access your Blackboard course web site, you need to make your site "available". To change this setting, enter the Control Panel of the course you wish to make available. Under Course Options, click on Settings. Now click on Course Availability. Select the Yes radio button and click the Submit button.

Next, check your site's date-based availability. From the same Settings page in the Control Panel, follow the Course Duration link. Select "Continuous", or select a date range that includes all the time that students should be able to access the site, and click the Submit button.

What does "unavailable" mean?

This means that your course site is invisible to your students. It will not appear on their My Blackboard page and they will not be able to access it throught the Blackboard Course Catalog. This does not mean that the site is inaccessible to you. See the above answer to make your site accessible to students.

How do I delete courses I no longer need?

To delete courses from the Blackboard system, visit the CASE Blackboard Instructors organization, the link to which can be found in the My Organizations module of your My Blackboard page. Click on the Resources button. The ninth link on this page is Course Site Deletion Request Form. Course sites may also be removed by using the Blackboard Course Wizard

How do I remove another instructor from my site?

Removing another instructor in Blackboard is a two-step process: first, you must go to “List/Modify Users” in the site's Control Panel to change the user's role to something other than Instructor. Then you can go to “Remove Users” to remove them from the site entirely.

Alternatively, you can remove them via the Blackboard Course Wizard: follow the “Remove Users from a Site” link at the left; choose the site you're working with; and choose "Individuals". There you can remove an instructor without having to change their role first.

For Students

Where are my current semester's courses?

Your instructors may not be using Blackboard. In that case, you won't have all your courses listed. If the instructor doesn't tell you that the class will be using Blackboard, then it's normal for you to be unable to access it. If an instructor tells you that the class will be using Blackboard but you don't see it listed, then the instructor may have forgotten to mark the site as "available", or may have not yet added you to the site, or may have forgotten to include all the cross-listings/sections. Contact your instructor regarding this.

How do I remove course sites I am not enrolled in?

This may happen because you were enrolled in the site in a previous semester, or the instructor may have added you to the site by mistake. Inform the instructors that the site is visible to you. They should mark it as "unavailable" or remove the students to make the site inaccessible to you.

If you are unable to get ahold of the instructors, you can also hide the site from your listing: on the My Institution page, click on the pencil icon at the upper-right corner of the My Courses box. There you can uncheck the “Display Course” option for any sites that you want to hide.