Q. WHY DO I
KEEP TIMING
OUT WHILE
I'M IN
BLACKBOARD?
A.
Important
message for
AOL,
PRODIGY, AND
COMPUSERVE
Users:
AOL,
Prodigy, and
CompuServe
are Internet
Service
Providers.
As part of
their
software
they each
provide a
customized
internal web
browser that
may not
allow you to
use all the
features
with
Blackboard.
You may have
trouble
altering
settings. It
may be
necessary
for you to
download and
configure
the latest
version of
your
preferred
browser
(Netscape or
IE) and
launch it
for
Blackboard
access in
lieu of the
preconfigured
browser in
AOL,
Prodigy, or
CompuServe.
NOTE:
When the
AOL,
Prodigy, or
CompuServe
(ISP’s)
internal
browser is
not in use,
the ISP will
consider the
user
inactive and
may
disconnect
you after a
period of
time. To
remain
active, you
may want to
return to
the main
page of the
ISP every
half hour or
so and click
on a link or
check your
email. This
will reset
the ISP’s
“inactivity
timer”. Then
minimize the
screen again
and go back
to work on
your online
course.
Q. HELP! I
CAN'T SEE MY
BLACKBOARD
PAGES. HOW
DO I SET MY
BROWSER?
A.
VERY
IMPORTANT
settings
that you
should have
in the
browser that
YOU are
using to
view Bb web
pages.
Netscape and
Internet
Explorer,
the two most
popular
browsers
used by our
students, by
default each
stores on
your hard
drive
(called
cache) the
web pages
that you
have
visited.
These pages
are erased
either after
a number of
days (can be
set by you)
or after the
stored pages
reaches the
maximum file
size (can be
set by you).
This is a
very nice
feature if
you visit
web sites
that do NOT
change on a
regular
basis. THIS
IS NOT THE
CASE for
BlackBoard
courses!
Instructors
are
constantly
updating
their pages
and without
the settings
below it
might be
several days
after
changes are
made before
you see them
in YOUR
browser.
Also, if you
log into
BlackBoard
and get a
"page cannot
be found"
error, your
browser will
store this
"page cannot
be found"
web page in
its memory.
The real
problem
takes place
the next
time your
try to go to
the same web
page in
BlackBoard,
your browser
might return
the"page
cannot be
found"
message
WITHOUT even
checking the
BlackBoard
web site
unless you
make the
settings
below.
If
you
are
using
Netscape
-click
on
EDIT
(at
the
top
of
Netscape)
-click
on
PREFERENCES
-click
on
the
+
besides
ADVANCED
-click
on
CACHE
-click
on
CLEAR
MEMORY
CACHE
-click
on
CLEAR
DISK
CACHE
Also
in
this
same
menu,
where
it
says
"Document
in
cache...................................."
change
it
to
EVERY
TIME
If
you
are
using
Internet
Explorer
(version
5 or
higher)
-click
on
TOOLS
-click
on
INTERNET
OPTIONS
-click
on
DELETE
FILES
(in
the
middle
of
that
screen)
-click
on
OK
Now
click
on
SETTINGS
(it
is
to
the
right
of
the
"delete
files)
-have
the
dot
beside
"Every
visit
to
the
page"
Q:
Sometimes
after I
logon I
cannot add a
message to a
discussion
board or
upload a
file, what
is the
problem? A:
Depending on
the type of
Internet
connection
used to
access
Blackboard,
these
problems can
be caused by
a variety of
issues.
Connection
Type:
DSL
or
Cable
Modem
-
A
session
can
be
established,
but
user
is
unable
to
submit
A
condition
exists
that
requires
adjustment
of
the
MTU
(Maximum
Transmission
Unit)
Solution
-
Tools
are
available
for
this
from
http://broadbandreports.com
-
This
problem
can
affect
different
versions
of
Windows
and
the
Mac
OS.
Tools
are
available
for
both
Mac
OS
and
Windows
-
If a
broadband
router
is
used,
it
may
be
necessary
to
adjust
the
MTU
setting
for
the
router
AOL
and
other
Custom
Browsers
-
AOL
and
other
ISPs
provide
customized
version
of
browsers.
•
It
is
recommended
that
these
browsers
not
be
used.
•
Problems
with
submitting
can
arise
if
these
“custom”
browsers
are
used
Solution
-
Download
a
“standard”
version
of
either
Internet
Explorer
or
Netscape
Communicator
-
AOL
users
should
start
AOL
to
create
a
connection.
• The
AOL
window
should
be
“minimized.”
•
The
“standard”
version
of
the
browser
should
be
started
and
used
for
the
Blackboard
session.
Use of
proxy
for
broadband
connection
Some
broadband
ISPs
recommend
the
use
of
their
proxy
for
Internet
access.
-
Use
of
proxies
can
cause
problems
when
submitting
forms
Solution
-
Turn
off
the
proxy
when
using
Blackboard
Q:
I am having
difficulty
viewing or
opening
files or
documents my
instructor
has placed
in
Blackboard,
what do I
need to do? A:
In
order to
open or view
documents,
you must
have the
appropriate
viewer or
application
for the
document. It
is also
possible
that you may
need to
update your
software to
a recent
version to
view a file
or document.
There
may be
issues
related
to
specific
products.
Microsoft
Issues
-
Microsoft
releases
Service
Packs
and
Updates
for
both
the
Windows
operating
system
and
Office
applications.
These
updates
usually
help
with
compatibility
across
platforms
and
browsers.
It
is
recommended
that
they
be
applied.
Microsoft
has
changed
the
way
Office
files
have
been
viewed
in
Internet
Explorer
several
times.
Microsoft
PowerPoint
–
Uploading
and
Viewing
-
PowerPoint
files
can
be
uploaded
in
many
forms.
In
its
native
file
format,
a
student
will
be
required
to
have
the
application
or
viewer
(Viewer
may
be
downloaded
from
Microsoft).
-
PowerPoint
files
can
be
converted
to
HTML
so
that
any
user
with
a
browser
can
view
the
document.
PowerPoint
files
can
be
converted
to
Adobe
Acrobat
files
(PDF),
so
that
the
free
Adobe
Acrobat
reader
can
be
used
to
view
the
files.
-
Some
special
features
such
as
multimedia
and
animations
are
lost
when
converting
PowerPoint
files.
Microsoft
Office
All
Applications
Recent
versions
of
Internet
Explorer
will
attempt
to
open
a
file
within
Blackboard's
frame,
rather
than
opening
the
file
in a
new
window
that
shows
the
program's
own
menu
choices.
This
can
prevent
a
user
from
working
with
the
file
or
saving
it.
Solutions
to
this
problem
include:
If
Internet
Explorer
is
being
used,
Internet
Explorer
will
attempt
to
open
a
file
within
Blackboard's
frame,
rather
than
opening
the
file
in a
new
window
that
shows
the
program's
own
menu
choices.
-
Use
Netscape
rather
than
Internet
Explorer
to
access
attached
files.
Netscape
will
open
the
files
in a
separate
window.
-
Force
the
file
to
open
in a
new
window
by
right
clicking
on
the
link
to
the
file
(Mac
users:
click
and
hold
over
the
link),
and
then
choosing
"Open
in
new
window"
from
the
small
box
of
options.
-
Save
the
file
onto
your
computer
by
right
clicking
on
the
link
to
the
file
(Mac
users:
click
and
hold),
and
then
choosing
"Save
target…".
Once
the
file
is
saved
on
your
computer,
open
it,
as
you
would
normally
do.
Q:
What is
required to
listen to or
watch
multimedia
files, such
as audio and
video? A:
Each
media type
may require
a separate
player to
view
multimedia
content.
Sometimes
these
players will
compete with
each to be
the
“default”
player for a
certain type
of media
format. This
may require
that the
native
player
application
be
reinstalled
in order to
play media
properly.
Q:Why
don’t I
receive the
files that
are sent to
me through
the Digital
Drop Box?
Q:
I don’t seem
to be able
to send a
file with
the Digital
Drop Box,
what am I
doing wrong? A:
Some of the
causes of
these
problems
are:
One
reason
why you
would
not
receive
these
files is
because
the
students
might be
sending
them
incorrectly.
Make
sure
that the
students
are
aware of
the
requirement
that to
correctly
send
something
through
the
Digital
Drop
Box,
they
MUST
click on
the
“Send
File”
button.
The
primary
reason
of why
files
are not
transferred
to the
instructor
is
because
students
click on
“Add
File”
instead
of “Send
File.”
It is
very
important
to make
this
clear to
your
students.
They
should
understand
this
feature
before
requiring
them to
use the
Digital
Drop
Box.
Long
directory
paths
One
common
problem
with
using
uploaded
files is
the
naming
of your
document.
An
attachment
must
contain
ONLY
alphanumeric
characters
and
cannot
contain
spaces
or
symbols.
You may
use
underscores,
but no
spaces
or
symbols
(i.e. #,
?, /,
etc…).
NOTE:
This is
different
from how
you can
name
your
files in
Windows
or
Macintosh
applications.
Appending
extensions
- If
you are
using a
Macintosh,
please
be sure
to
“force”
an
extension
in the
name of
the
document
(i.e.
“.doc”,
“.rtf”
etc…) so
that all
computers
will
recognize
the file
type.
Trying
to
upload a
file
that is
still
open in
another
application
(ie,
Word)
will
result
in an
error
when
trying
to view
the
document
in
Blackboard.
Q:
I get an
error
relating to
JAVA and am
unable to
access parts
of my
Blackboard
course, what
is wrong?
A:
Some
components
of a course
(Virtual
Chat) may
require that
JAVA be
installed
and enabled.
This is a
separate
software
installation
for some
systems. It
is best to
update the
version
installed on
your system
to alleviate
any
problems. It
is available
from Apple
for the
Macintosh
system and
from Sun for
Windows.
Some
versions
of
Windows
have
Java
built-in
or
may
have
had
it
installed
with
a
Microsoft
Service
Pack.
If
you
still
experience
problems,
make
sure
that
Java
is
enabled.
For
Microsoft
Internet
Explorer:
Click on "Tools".
Select "Internet Options".
Click on the "Security" tab.
Select "Internet".
Select "Custom Level". Scroll down to "Microsoft VM", and ensure that "Java permissions" is set to either "Medium safety" or "High safety" (not disabled).
If "Java permissions" is set to "Disable Java", click on the "Advanced" tab, and select all Java options under "Microsoft VM".
Enabling
Java
in
Netscape
Click on "Edit" and then "Preferences".
Then click on "Advanced".
Make sure that everything that says "Java" is checked.
Q:
My students
are having
trouble
completing
my quizzes,
what should
they do? A:
Online
assessments
have several
potential
problem
areas.
Blackboard
asks the
question,
"Are you
sure you
want to
take
this
quiz
now?"
dialog,
the
expectation
is that
the
student
will
complete
the quiz
at that
time. If
they
leave
the quiz
or log
off,
they
will not
be able
to come
back and
finish
it.
Certain
browser
actions
can
cause
the
student
to
unintentionally
exit the
quiz.
Students
taking
quizzes
should
not:
Click
the
Back,
Forward,
Home,
or
Refresh/Reload
buttons
in
their
browser
Enter
new
URLs
in
the
Address
or
Location
fields
of
the
browser
Select
any
pages
from
their
Favorites/Bookmarks
list
in
the
assessment's
browser
window
In
Netscape,
students
should
also
not
re-size,
maximize,
or
minimize
the
assessment's
browser
window
after
beginning
the
quiz.
In
Netscape,
this
causes
a
Refresh,
clearing
the
form’s
contents.
Students
should
also
not
attempt
to
print
the
assessment
while
using
Netscape.
Screen
savers,
pop-up
messengers
and
other
memory
resident
programs
should
be
turned
off.
Internet
Connection
Issues
Students
are
required
to be
online
to begin
and to
submit a
Blackboard
assessment.
If the
student
loses an
Internet
connection
while
taking a
Blackboard
assessment,
this can
prevent
the
successful
submission
of a
Blackboard
assessment.
Reasons
that a
student's
connection
may be
interrupted
might
include:
The
student's
ISP
timing
their
connection
out
after
a
certain
amount
of
inactivity.
-
Because
filling
in
forms
does
not
generate
traffic
back
and
forth
across
the
Internet
connection,
it
is
not
viewed
as
"activity"
for
the
purpose
of
automatic
time-outs.
Blackboard
timing
their
connection
out
after
three
hours
of
inactivity.
-
After
three
hours,
Blackboard
will
end
the
user's
session
automatically.
Modem
problems
or
interruptions
(such
as
call
waiting).
Power
failures
System
crashes
To
minimize
the risk
of
connection
interruption,
instructors
can
break a
single
long
assessments
into
multiple,
shorter
assessments
To
minimize
the risk
of
connection
interruption,
students
can:
Disable
call-waiting
or
other
services
that
may
cause
interruption.
Open
a
second
browser
window
and
use
it
to
generate
some
traffic
every
few
minutes
to
keep
the
connection
active.
If the
connection
is
terminated,
a
student
should
not
close
the
assessment
browser
window,
if
possible,
an
attempt
to
re-connect
should
be made
immediately,
if a
connection
can be
re-established,
the
student
may be
able to
successfully
submit
the
quiz.
Email:
Q:
I use
Hotmail (or
other email
providers or
ISPs) and my
email is not
getting sent
through
Blackboard.
What's
wrong? A:
Hotmail
assumes that
email
without
anything in
the "To:"
field is
junk mail.
Blackboard
puts email
addresses in
the "BCC:"
(blind
carbon copy)
field, not
the "To:"
field, in
order to
protect the
privacy of
e-mail
addresses.
So Hotmail
thinks that
all email
sent from
the
Blackboard
system is
junk mail.
Hotmail and
other ISPs
may filter
for junk
mail and
either place
the messages
into a
folder
called "Junk
Mail" or
delete it
immediately.
The email
recipient
needs to
reconfigure
Hotmail to
turn off
junk mail
filtering
and delay
the deletion
of junk
mail.
Turning off
junk mail
filtering
means that
all mail
will be
delivered to
your Inbox.
You will
receive
email from
the
Blackboard
system and
be able to
manually
delete the
real junk
mail that
appears.
Delaying the
deletion of
junk mail
means that
anything
placed in
the "Junk
Mail" folder
will remain
there for 14
days before
being
automatically
deleted.
Setting this
to "Delayed"
if filtering
is turned
off is not
needed. If
filtering is
turned off,
nothing will
be going
into the
"Junk Mail"
folder.
MyTncc:
Q.
HELP I STILL
CAN'T FIND
MY LOGIN!!!
A.
There
are several
possibilities:
IF...You've
used a
different
name at
some
point
(marriage,
divorce,
name
change,
etc.)... DO
THIS...Email
helpdesk@tncc.edu.
Include
in the
message:
Your
current
name,
any
names
you use
to have,
your
emplid,
ssn, and
birth
date.
IF...You
are a
TNCC
employee
who is
also a
student... DO
THIS...The
System
Administrator
(825-2807).
Be sure
to tell
her you
are a
TNCC
employee
and also
a
student
, who
you work
for, and
where
you
work.
IF...You
recently
registered
or you
registered
late... DO
THIS...Wait
48 hours
and the
look for
it
again.
IF...
None of
these
apply to
you DO
THIS...Email
helpdesk@tncc.edu
Include
in the
message:
Your
current
name,
any
names
you use
to have,
your
emplid,
ssn, and
birth
date.
Q:
What if I
have trouble
logging on
and cannot
get past the
initial
logon page?
A:
Some of the
possible
causes of
this type of
problem are:
Older
version
of
browser
(no Java
or
JavaScript
support
available)
-
Upgrade
to a
version
that
supports
Java and
JavaScript
Newer
version
of
browser
without
Java
support
-
Install
Sun Java
or
Windows
Virtual
Machine
Ad
blocking
software
installed
-
Reduce
security
level to
enable
JavaScript
and
pop-ups
“Common
Name”
program
installed
(This
program
maybe
installed
unintentionally)
-
Remove
program
Cookies
not
enabled
-
Enable
cookies
-
Reduce
level of
“privacy
control”
Firewall
installed
-
Allow
access
to
server
-
Reduce
level of
“privacy
protection”
