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Blackboard
and AOL
AOL is a popular internet service provider
because AOL is able to make connecting to the internet and using
the web simpler and easier. Unfortunately, AOL accomplished this
goal by using special versions of Internet Explorer that do not
function as well with Blackboard. If you encounter problems using
Blackboard with AOL, try using a non-AOL version of Internet Explorer.
Missing Text Box in Discussion
Board
Symptoms:
When using the the Discussion Board in the Blackboard
Learning System, users are unable to reply to a message.
When clicking on the thread, and then clicking on reply a user
will be be prompted with a reply screen. However, the
area in which you would type the message is missing from the screen.
Unexpected Behavior is that the text area is missing. If the student
hits send (even though he is not sending anything since there's
a message), the error message appears: "You must supply a message".
Resolution:
This means that the student has disabled ActiveX controls
and thus cannot use the "Text Box Editor" control (also known as
the WYSIWYG editor). Several possibilities are available to solve
this problem:
- In Internet Explorer's security settings, make sure the setting
for "Run ActiveX Controls and Plugins" is set to enable for the
Internet zone.
- Alternatively, add the Blackboard site to the "Trusted Sites"
zone. The trusted site configuration should have ActiveX enabled
by default, and would allow you to enable this for only the Blackboard
site.
- If you do not wish to use the Text box editor, you can disable
it through Personal Information from the My Institution page (the
page seen after logging in). This will use the smart text entry
box that was used in previous Blackboard versions.
"Insert Microsoft Office
CD" Error Message
User is prompted to install a Microsoft Office feature by inserting
the Microsoft Office CD.
Symptoms:
When accessing areas within the the Blackboard Learning System
the user is prompted to install a Microsoft Office feature
by inserting the Microsoft Office CD. One area where this may arise
is within the Text Box Editor.
Resolution:
The user is asked to insert the Microsoft Office CD
so he or she may access the Dynamic HTML Edit control. This issue
is related to the options selected when MS Office was installed
on the computer. During an installation of Office 2000, the HTML
Source Editing feature is set to Install on First Use . If the user
browses to a Web page that uses the DHTML Edit control, or runs
a program that uses the DHTML Edit control (such as a custom Microsoft
Visual Basic for Applications program), the Windows Installer starts
to install the HTML Source Editing feature. This is because the
DHTML Edit control uses the Triedit.dll file, which is part of the
Office 2000 HTML Source Editing feature. When the program calls
the Triedit.dll file, the Windows Installer is started in order
to perform the "install on demand" installation for the HTML Source
Editing feature.
Microsoft has published the following article detailing this issue
and the resolution:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304107
How Do I Grant Guest
Access To My Course?
To grant guest access to your course, verify that the course is
available to guest access:
- Open your course.
- Go to the Control Panel.
- Click Settings.
- Click Guest Access and verify that Yes
is checked.
You may also need to grant Guest Access to specific areas in your
course. To grant Guest Access to the content areas:
- Open your course.
- Go to the Control Panel.
- Click Manage Tools.
- Click Tool Availability.
- Find the Guest Access column and place a check mark
next to any item that you wish to share with guests. (If there
is no check box, then you cannot share that part of Blackboard.)
- Click Submit.
How
Does an Instructor Register Students in a Blackboard Course?
To
enroll students in NVCC Blackboard Courses, do the following:
- Go
to http://bb.nvcc.edu/bbrolls/
and select a semester. Click on the prefix which contains courses
in your discipline. Some disciplines have separate lists and some
are grouped alphabetically with courses in other disciplines.
- Search
through the list for your course, the courses are listed alphabetically.
You will find the course prefix, course number, a three-digit
section number, and a campus letter.
. For example, English 111,
section 01A (Alexandria) would be listed
as ENG111001A.
. Biology 101, section 12W
(Woodbridge) would be BIO101012W.
- Highlight
all the student usernames for your course; copy and paste them
into a word or notepad file. They will consist of the student's
first initial, last name, and assigned numbers generated by VCCS.
Those numbers are important for enrolling your students, as they
distinguish among students with the same first initial and last
name.
- For
your convenience, print the file as a reference for entering students.
- In
your Blackboard course control panel.
- Copy
or type the username from the list you got from bbrolls and click
on Username beneath the box- not Last
Name.
- Click
in the Add box to the left of the name; then click Submit.
- When
you see the Success message, click on the Enroll Users
link near the top of the page to select your next student.
- All
necessary student information will be added to your roster along
with the student's name automatically.
- Note
that if you search for a student who is already enrolled in your
course, Blackboard will return the message “None found,”
or display a list which does not include your student if you use
only the first initial and last name as your search criterion.
- You
cannot change the student's password.
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How
Can You Batch Enroll Students?
As of April 2003, the
NVCC Blackboard Administrator, Michelle Gee, can automatically enroll
your students for you, based on the students in the BBRolls lists.
Please provide the following information to Michelle Gee at mgee@nvcc.edu:
- List of Blackboard
course IDs (the 16-character unique identifier for a Bb course
- ex. NVENG111CS1NFA02)
- Corresponding course#/section#
for each Bb course
- Your name and email
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How
Do You Create Paragraph or Line Breaks?
In
Blackboard 6.2, it is easier to format the text in text boxes. In
previous versions of Blackboard, instructors had to type in html
tags to format the text they entered into descriptions and instructions.
In Blackboard 6.2, the text boxes have been transformed into mini-web
editors. You can use the formatting toolbar above the text box to
bold, italicize, or align or number the text, and Blackboard generates
the necessary html code for you.
One
of the quirks of html, however, is that there is a difference between
a paragraph and a break. Using the Enter key inserts a paragraph
break, which appears on the screen as a double-space between two
lines. To enter a single-line space, hold down the Shift key while
you tap the Enter key. This will insert a single-line break instead
of a new paragraph.
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Can
You Insert HTML Code to Create Tables and Lists?
It is
no longer necessary to type in your own html code. The new and improved
text boxes include buttons on the toolbar that allow you to create
both tables and lists. Note: There is a known bug affecting tables
in Announcements. Tables do not display correctly in the Announcements
section. Tables do work in all other sections.
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How Do You Create a List of
Folder Titles from which the Detailed Descriptions are Linked?
1. Click on the
Control Panel and select any of the Content Area Choices.
2. Click on Add Folder
3. Name your folder and choose a color for the name, click Submit,
then click OK
4. Click on the title of the folder you just created.
5. Click on Add Document.
6. Enter your information for that folder in the Enter Information
Below box and scroll down to click on Submit.
7. Return to the Course and click on the button in which you were
working to see if your list of folder titles is there with its links
to the information under each folder title.
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How
Can You Add Graphics to Course Documents, Course Information, or
Assignments?
In
Blackboard 6.2, it is easier to format information entered into
text boxes. In previous versions of Blackboard, instructors had
to type in html tags to format the text and images they entered
into descriptions and instructions. In Blackboard 6.2, the text
boxes have been transformed into mini-web editors. You can use the
formatting toolbar above the text box to format text, insert tables
and insert images. It is no longer necessary to type in your own
html code. The new and improved text boxes include buttons on the
toolbar that allow you to insert images. To insert an image,
click on the picture button.
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How Can You Add Graphics
to Announcements and Discussions?
You
can insert HTML code to add images into any text box, and as long
as you have SMART Mode or HTML Mode on, it will read the code. NOTE:
If you paste HTML code into a text box, use only the HTML that would
appear between the Body tags in a normal HTML document. Do include
Header, Footer, and Body start/close tags. The following is an example
of the code used to add a graphic to the Announcements in the BlackBoard
Training course. You will need to know the server that stores the
graphic, the folder name, and the name of the gif or jpeg to write
the code. Here is an example:
<IMG
SRC="http://tac.nvcc.edu/Graphics/graphics/Nu_TAC_NVCC_Logo.gif"
ALIGN="Bottom">
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How
Can You Link from an Assignment Page to a Forum?
To make
a link to a forum, go to the Control Panel. Open the area where
you would like to place the link and click Add Course Link. Enter
in the necessary information and click the Browse button to navigate
to the forum you wish to link to. For more information on linking
to other items in a course, go to the Add
Item page.
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How
Can You Turn On and Off Communication Features?
In the
Control Panel, under Course Options, click Manage
Tools. Next, click Tool Availability. Scroll down
to Enable/Disable Communication Areas to select your choice.
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How
Can You Enter Text into Discussion Forums & Chat?
1.
Creating a discussion
forum can be done in the Control Panel or in the Course View. Go
to Communication on the navigation bar in course view, click the
Communication icon and click Discussion Board. Click on Add
Forum to create a Discussion Forum. Here is where you title the
Discussion Forum, add a Description, and select Forum Settings and
then click Submit. To enter the Discussion, click on the title
of the Discussion and click Add New Thread.
Copy what you wrote under the Discussion Forum Description into
the Add New Thread window. This will allow students to click on
the first item in the forum and read the teacher's directions without
having to return to the earlier description. Include directions
in your discussion topic that reminds students that they will need
to click on the title of the item to read what others wrote and
to be able to reply to what others wrote. After you enter your
New Thread, you may want to disable your student's ability to add
new threads to avoid confusion.
2. Creating
a chat session can be done in the Control Panel or Course View.
Then click on Enter Virtual Classroom. To control the Chat
and Whiteboard, click on the icon with the finger and check in the
lower part of the screen. Deselect and select the features you want.
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How
Can You Avoid Time-Out Errors While Taking Online Quizzes or Tests?
Three
work-arounds can be used:
1. Break large tests into smaller ones so they can be completed
faster.
2. If the test is open-book, create a document version of the test
elsewhere in the course. Tell students to print the document
and then go off-line to work on the answers. When they have
decided their answers, then log back on and take the test more quickly.
3. Tell students to open a second browser window and use it periodically
to view a new site. This will generate activity and reset the ISPs
timeout clock.
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How
Can You Avoid Cheating on Proctored Online Testing?
1. Blackboard
Course Info provides for proctored online testing enabling faculty
to protect tests with passwords. A faculty member wishing to have
a proctored exam on Blackboard would create the exam and require
a password, tell students to go to the Testing Center to take the
exam, and give the password to the Testing Center staff. The
only way for the student to take the test is to go to the testing
center, log into the course, select the test, and then have the
Testing Center proctor enter the password.
2.
Next, the faculty member should DISABLE Show Detailed Result
for the proctored online test. If show Detailed Result for the
exam is enabled, afterthe student clicks the SUBMIT button,
he or she is given the numeric results of the exam and shown the
questions, the student's answers, the correct answer, and feedback
from the instructor. This is a sound learning strategy, but does
create a problem. The students can later see the same thing from
outside the Testing Center by checking their grades on Blackboard.
Clicking on the pencil icon beside the exam results reveals the
numeric results, the questions, the student answers, the correct
answers, and instructor feedback. That student could easily copy
and distribute the text of the questions and answers to other students
who had not taken the test.
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How
Do You Update and Modify Online Tests?
Once
you have put a test online, you can only update or modify it if
you select Update first and change its status to unavailable. Answer
Yes to Make Assessment
Unavailable? Remember though, if you make an available test unavailable,
you will lose all the grades for any student who has already taken
the test.
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How
Do You Locate Survey Results?
Survey
results are anonymous. To locate the results of a survey, go to
the Control Panel and select Gradebook Views. In the Online Gradebook,
click Report by Item. Select the survey listed in the window by
clicking on the arrow to the right of the box. Select GO. Click
on View Item Analysis. This will give you the percentage who answered
each selection and allow you to View individual responses when you
click on View Responses.
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How
Do You Use the Email Function in Blackboard ?
The
email function in Blackboard 5.5 is not reliable. It does not let
you know when an email you sent to a student was not received. Instead,
we recommend that you use your campus Outlook email to message with
your students.
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How
Do You Locate a List of All the Students in my Course ?
To locate your students on the Course Roster, do the following:
- To
see all the students on the course roster in the Course View,
click Communication—>Roster and then click the
List All tab. Next, click List All again.
- To
find a student's ID or email address, in the Control Panel and
under User Management select List/Modify Users and
search by last name or user name, then click Properties for the
individual student. To see the entire roster select List All
and then click individual student properties
Note:
Be sure you enable the Communication button & the Roster button
in the control Panel.
Can
I disable the text box editor in my course?
In a
word, no. The Text Box Editor cannot be turned off for individual
courses at NVCC. It is possible for individuals to disable the Text
Box Editor by going to Personal Information—>Set
Text Box Editor Options. The Text Box Editor is not available on
a mac.
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