UB Online logo

Blackboard User Guide - For Students

 

Blackboard is UB’s “online classroom”.  Students automatically receive access to Blackboard after setting up their UBNet account and registering for classes.  Whether you are taking an online course or a campus course you can use Blackboard to interact with your instructors and classmates, access course materials, and complete your coursework (although not all instructors use Blackboard so students may not see all their courses listed on Blackboard).  Here are further instructions for using Blackboard at UB:

 

 

1)  Getting Started

 

 

2)  Blackboard at UB

 

 

3)  Using Blackboard

 

4)  Blackboard Help

 

 

 

 

What Is Blackboard?

 

 

Blackboard is UB’s “online classroom” where instructors can create online course materials that support your learning.  Blackboard is also simple for you to use - you can access your Blackboard courses from any computer with Internet access, anywhere and anytime!

 

 

 

How To Login To Blackboard

 

 

·       Set up your UBNet account:

A UBNet account is required for obtaining access to courses on Blackboard (and also allows you to access a yourname@bridgeport.edu email account, access the UB online library databases, and register online through myUB).

 

To set up your UBNet account:

http://www.bridgeport.edu/ubnet/ then click on New UBNET Account on the left

 

If you already have a UBNet account but don’t know your username or password, go to https://www.bridgeport.edu/ubnet/cgi-bin/resetpass.cgi

 

·       Login to Blackboard:

Once a UBNet account has been set up, students can access Blackboard through myUB within 24 hours.  If a student can login to Blackboard, but do not see their current courses listed, they should contact their instructors to make sure Blackboard has been made available to students for that course.

 

To login to Blackboard: go to myUB and click on Blackboard in the middle, or Academics--Blackboard on the top.

 

NOTE: You MUST also check your UB email through myUB to send and receive emails from your instructors (click on My Email on the left while in myUB).

 

 

 

How To Find Your Courses On Blackboard

 

 

After you login to Blackboard, all of your courses will appear under your list of My Courses or by clicking on the My Courses tab along the top.  You then need to click on the course title for each course you wish to access.  If any of your courses do not appear, you should:

 

1)     Check with your advisor to confirm your enrollment;

2)     Contact your instructor to make sure the course has been made available to students on Blackboard.

 

 

 

If You Cannot Login To Blackboard

 

 

·         If you cannot login to myUB, please follow the instructions on the bottom for myUB help. You can then access Blackboard in the middle of the page, or by clicking on Academics--Blackboard on the top.

·         If you can login to myUB but cannot login or access Blackboard, contact the Distance Learning office at ubonline@bridgeport.edu

 

 

 

How To Get Access To Blackboard

 

 

All registered students will automatically get access to Blackboard (please read “How To Login to Blackboard” above).  However, it is up to each individual instructor to decide whether or not to use Blackboard, so you may not have Blackboard access for all of your courses.

 

 

 

Using UB Email With Blackboard

 

 

You must check your UB email regularly while taking courses on Blackboard, as all email sent through Blackboard will go to your yourname@bridgeport.edu email account. To check your UB email, login to myUB and click on email on the left.

 

 

 

How Instructors Can Use Blackboard To Enhance Learning

 

 

A Blackboard course can include any of the sections listed below, depending on how the instructor structures the course.  To access each section, click on the appropriate link on the left while in your course, or contact your instructor for more information.

 

 

 

 

After You Login To Blackboard

 

 

After you login to Blackboard, select your course user the list of “My Courses”.  The list will show all the courses your instructors have made available for the semester.  You may also see courses from previous semesters.  To remove these courses, click on the small pencil icon on the top right of the “My Courses” box, and un-select those courses which you do not want to see.

 

 

 

If Your Courses Are Not Listed On Blackboard

 

 

Not all instructors will use Blackboard so only those courses that instructors make available to students will appear on Blackboard.  If your courses do not appear on Blackboard:

 

·         Contact the instructor to find out if Blackboard will be used.

·         Ask the instructor if the course has been made available (this is something the instructor must do before you can see the class on your list.)

·         Have the instructor check (or contact your advisor) to make sure you are actually registered for the class.

·         After completing the above steps, contact the Distance Learning Office at ubonline@bridgeport.edu or 800-470-7307.

 

 

 

Contacting Instructors By Email Through Blackboard

 

 

To send an email to your instructor through Blackboard, follow the steps below:

 

·         Enter your course

·         Click on Communication on the left

·         Select “send email” then “select users”

·         Select the name of your instructor and click on the right arrow

·         Type in your subject and message and click on “submit” on the bottom right

 

 

 

Using The Discussion Board

 

 

To use the discussion board to interact with other students and your instructor:

 

 

 

 

Online Test-Taking Tips For Students

 

 

Learn how to get the best results when taking an online test in Blackboard:

 

Blackboard Test-Taking Tips

 

 

 

Checking Grades In Blackboard

 

 

To check your grades in Blackboard there are two options listed below. Contact your instructor if there are any missing grades or if you have any questions about your grades or the status of your assignments:

 

A)    Login to Blackboard

Enter your course

Select “Course Tools” from the gray box on the bottom left

Select “My Grades”

 

B)    Login to Blackboard

Click on “View Grades” on the left under Tools

Select your course

 

 

 

How To Remove Old Courses

 

 

To remove courses from your list of My Courses so your old courses are not visible, follow these steps:

 

·         Login to Bb

Click on the small pencil icon on the top right border of the My Courses box on the right

Uncheck any courses that you don’t want to appear on your list of courses (this will not delete the courses but will hide them from view)

Click Submit on the bottom right

 

·         Then click on the My Courses Tab along the top

Click on the small pencil icon on the top right border of the Course List

Uncheck any courses that you don’t want to appear on your list of courses (this will not delete the courses but will hide them from view)

Click Submit on the bottom right

 

To edit your homepage in Blackboard, click on Modify Content or Modify Layout when you first login.  You can then choose from various options to customize your Blackboard homepage.

 

 

 

Using the Digital Drop Box

 

 

The Digital Drop Box page allows students to exchange files with the instructor.  To Use the Digital Drop Box:

 

   1. Click on Tools

   2. Click on Digital Drop Box

   3. To ADD a File (NOTE: Only use this option to save the file as a draft):

         1. Click Add File

         2. Enter the Title of the File

         3. Click Browse to Locate a File (This is Just Like Adding an Attachment to Email)

         4. Enter any Comments Related to the File

   4. To SEND a File (You MUST use this option to send the file to your instructor):

         1. Click Send File

         2. Click on the Drop Down Arrow to Select a File to Send

         3. Enter the Title of the File

         4. Or you can Browse to Locate a File (This is Just Like Adding an Attachment to Email)

         5. Enter any Comments Related to the File.

 

Tips:

- You do not have to ADD a file before you SEND a file.  You can skip the first part and send the file to the instructor without first adding the file in your Drop Box area.

- Be sure that you send any Drop Box files in the format specified by the instructor, such as .doc (Word), .xls (Excel), .pdf (Adobe Acrobat), etc.

- Be careful to avoid using special characters when naming your files (such as #, *, %).  Files with special characters in their file names will not open in Blackboard.

 

 

 

Using Groups

 

 

To use the group function, your instructor must first enable the use of groups.  Then follow these instructions:

 

·         Click on communication on the left

·         Group pages

·         Click on name of group

·         Click on appropriate function (discussion board, email, virtual classroom, file exchange)

 

 

 

Blackboard Tutorial For Students

 

 

Students can practice using Blackboard through UB’s Online Tutorial.  To access the Online Tutorial follow the instructions below:

 

Go to http://www.ctdlc.org/Sample/index.cfm

Follow the instructions for Blackboard

 

 

 

Blackboard Help

 

 

Students needing help with Blackboard should use the following resources:

 

·         Need help with your login or have questions about Blackboard at UB?

            Contact the Distance Learning Office at ubonline@bridgeport.edu or 800-470-7307

 

·         Need technical help using Blackboard or resolving a Blackboard issue?

            Click on Technical Support on the top while in Blackboard, or visit our technical support site: http://www.bridgeport.edu/academics/online/support/blackboard.aspx

 

·         Need help with email or other services at UB?

     For more resources available to UB faculty & students, visit our Help Desk page: http://www.bridgeport.edu/academics/online/support