Instructor FAQs
Blackboard Questions
Getting started with Blackboard is quite easy, however there are some things new instructors will have to do to get set up. The first thing you will need to do is obtain a OneTech ID. Usually an instructor gets the OneTech ID by filling out the general computer access paperwork during orientation; however, if you have missed orientation, you must contact Human Resources to fill out the appropriate paperwork. After the paperwork has been filled out, it generally takes 2-4 days to receive your new information. This information will be sent to your supervisor via email, and an email is subsequently sent to the Campus Support Center. An account is set up for you on Blackboard.
IMPORTANT: Your User ID is the same on OneTech as it is on Blackboard. Your password is the same also.
As of Spring 2008 semester, all course shells created will be set up with self-enrollment turned on for students. It is the responsibility of the instructor to give his or her students the enrollment pin. If an instructor elects to turn off self-enrollment, it will be his or her responsibility to enroll the students. Once you have your course shell created and your content added you are ready to start having your students access your information. Many instructors like to add their students by hand, especially for web courses because it allows them to become familiar with the people enrolled in their course.
To enroll the students by hand:
Locate the course on the Course Search screen. Click the Modify button over to the far right of the page. Click Enrollments. Click the Add Enrollment icon at the top. Put in the students OneTech ID. If the OneTech ID is unknown, click the Browse button to search by username. Choose the Student role for students. Click Submit to save it.
There are a couple of answers to this question. The answers are placed in order from 'most-likely' to 'least likely'.
- Search Errors. Search errors are when an instructor searches for a student incorrectly. The ONLY effective way to search for a student is by their OneTech ID. DO NOT search for a student by their last name, their old STU#, or any other parameter except their OneTech ID. At times last names change, first names change, many things will change; however, the OneTech ID is the ONLY thing we can rely on, and it is 98% accurate. If you cannot find a student's OneTech ID, you can look them up at this One Tech Find User page. If you are still having difficulties finding a student, please contact the Campus Support Center.
- The student is already in your course. When you navigate to the enrollment section in the Control Panel of your course shell, and type in the OneTech User ID of the student you would like to add, at times you will get 'no results'. This happens because all the students are placed into a pool of 'available enrollees'. When a student is placed in your course shell, they are taken out of this pool. Blackboard is 'smart' and looks at your course shell, if they are in your shell then Blackboard takes them out of this applicant pool. Blackboard knows you cannot enroll the same person twice. If you find you cannot find a certain student, double check to see if they are in your shell.
- The Student Doesn't Exist: At times students enroll a bit late, and it will take some time to get them set up on Banner and OneTech. Recommended action is to just be patient. Once a student has enrolled it should take about 3-4 days to get them processed completely. If it has been longer, you will want to contact the Campus Support Center at (479)968-0646 or via email at tech.support@atu.edu.
At times instructors and students have trouble uploading files into Blackboard. This is not a Blackboard error but rather one involving the use of creating meaningful, but legal filenames. In fact MOST systems have trouble with special characters or symbols in the filename, or exceptionally long filenames. Examples of illegal file names are as follows:
- periods.do.not.work.well.at.all.in.a.filename.doc
- This-doesNot-work_well-either.doc
- Some Systems Have trouble with spaces.doc
- Adding-creative-dates1-12-2007.doc
The best way to create a workable filename is to use this naming convention:
- MyWork.doc
- HomeworkI.xls
- QuizAnswersI.doc
The *.doc is a file extension, in this particular case *.doc is a Microsoft Word document, where *.xls is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, *.ppt is a MS Powerpoint, etc, etc.
Most likely what is happening here is the test has not been made available to the students. The steps to test/assessment creation are roughly:
- Navigate to the control panel in your course shell, and on the right hand side click on 'Test Manager'. Here you can create a test.
- Once your test is created, you need to distribute the test. Go to a 'content' area such as 'Documents' or 'Assignments' and click the 'add test' button toward the top. A page will load containing the tests you have available to distribute. NOTE: If you already have the test in distribution in the content area Blackboard will not give you that particular assessment as a viable option.
- Once your test is placed in a content area you will need to go into the 'Modify Test Options' and make the test available. There are some other options in there as well.
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