University of Calgary

FAQ

Blackboard: Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

Communication with Blackboard

Accessing Information

Quizzes

 

Known Issues

 

 

What is Blackboard?

Blackboard is the U of C course management system standard, offering a ‘virtual classroom’ for teaching and learning. With a Blackboard account, you can retrieve and submit assignments, participate in discussion groups, take tests online, and use optional features such as the calendar and address book. The features accessible to students within Blackboard will vary according to the instructor’s format.

 

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How do I log into Blackboard?

There are two methods that you can to use to access Blackboard:

Method 1: myUofC (requires an eID)

  1. Click on the * MY U OF C * icon located at the top right corner of every UofC page or visit my.ucalgary.ca

  2. Once you have logged in with your eID username and password, click the Blackboard link located below the Quick Links tab.

For more information on registering for your eID, click here.

Method 2: blackboard.ucalgary.ca (requires and IT Computing Account)

  1. If you do not have an IT Computing Account, go to www.ucalgary.ca/it/register

  2. Open your web browser and type in blackboard.ucalgary.ca

  3. Enter your IT username and password and click login .

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I forget my password. What do I do?

Either reset your password online or contact the IT Support Centre directly through: http://www.ucalgary.ca/it/contact-us.

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How do I change my password?

You can change your IT Computing Account password by going to www.ucalgary.ca/it/accounts, and clicking on " Passwords". You must know your present password in order to change it. If you have forgotten your password, see previous FAQ.

You can change your eID password by signing on to myUofC and choosing "Accounts" from the top left-hand corner of the page.

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When I log in, I don’t see my courses listed.

If you don’t see your course by the first day of class, and you are sure you have registered for the course, contact your instructor. It’s possible they haven’t made your course available to you. Some professors do not use Blackboard, or enable it for student viewing until the second week of classes. If your instructor has made the course avaliable to students, contact the IT Support Center at 220-5555 or blackboard [dot] help [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

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What browsers can I use with Blackboard?

The recommended browser versions for both Windows and Macintosh are Internet Explorer 8 (Windows only) or Mozilla 4.0+.

Blackboard requires that your browser is capable to run all of the applications within the program. To run a browser check-up, click here.

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What is the difference between the following Communication tools: Send Email, Messages, & Discussion Boards?

  • Send Email is a tool that will send e-mail to a personal e-mail account. Blackboard will send an e-mail message on your behalf to anyone registered in the course.
  • The Messages tool is like e-mail, but the messages sent are only available within the course, not through a personal e-mail account.
  • The Discussion tool is a public bulletin board, visible to everyone registered in your course. When you post messages on Discussion, everyone in the course can view your message. This on-line conversation happens asynchronously, meaning you don’t all have to be on-line at the same time to communicate.

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What e-mail address is used when someone sends me email from Blackboard?

Your preferred email address, as specified in the Peoplesoft Student Centre (accessible from http://my.ucalgary.ca), is used when someone sends you e-mail from Blackboard. To change the email address that Blackboard messages go to, change it in the Peoplesoft Student Centre (accessible from http://my.ucalgary.ca.

Instructors prefer that students use their ucalgary email accounts (asmith [at] ucalgary [dot] ca) as email sent from Blackboard to Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo accounts repeatedly show up as spam.

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I create a post in the Discussion Board, but it shows up blank. How do I fix that?

The visual text box editor conflicts with some web browsers (most reports of problems are from Safari). To work around it, the visual text box editor can be turned off:

  • Log on to Blackboard
  • From the left side of the screen, click Tools-->Personal Information
  • Click Set Visual Text Box Editor Options
  • Click "Unavailable" and then Submit.
  • Then, try going to the Discussion Board in the test course, and add a post

If you continue to have problems, contact the IT Support Centre (itsupport [at] ucalgary [dot] ca, or (403) 220-5555)

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I can’t open an attachment. What do I do?

The attachment may not be in .html (web) or txt (text) format, both of which can be viewed immediately in your web browser. If the attachment is in any other format such as Word (.doc), PowerPoint (.ppt), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) you will require either the specific program or viewer (i.e. Adobe Reader, Word viewer, PowerPoint viewer) in order to view the attached file.

To view a list of viewers, players, and plug-ins available for download, click here.

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How do I print 6 PowerPoint slides to a page?

If your instructor has posted a PowerPoint file (and you have PowerPoint), you can print several slides to a page. Right click on the link to the file, and choose "Open in New Window." With the slide show open, choose "File Print." From the "Print What" box, select "Handouts."

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I can’t open/print PDF files. What do I do?

First, make sure that you have the most current version of Adobe Reader by clicking here. Next, try using the icon to save the PDF file to your machine. Use the icon in Adobe Reader to send the file to the printer.

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Where do I find Group Pages?

Go to your Course. Click on "Communication" and then select "Group Pages." If your instructor is using groups, you will see a list of group names. You may enter any groups that are hyperlinked. If no groups are hyperlinked, contact your course instructor to enroll you in one.

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How do I get the quiz timer to show up?

 
To ensure that the timer displays in the bottom-left corner:

  • Firefox 1.5, go to Tools > Options > Content > Enable JavaScript > Advanced > Allow scripts to change status bar text.
  • In Mozilla , use Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Scripts & Plugins > Allow scripts to change status bar text
  • In IE 7, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level > "Allow status bar updates via script" (very near the bottom of the list), set to Enable.