Instructor FAQs

I'd like to have a course in Blackboard. What do I do?

How will my course be displayed in Blackboard?

What is the web address for my Blackboard course?

How will students be added to my Blackboard course?

What login IDs will my students have?

I am enrolling students in my class, and when I try to "add users" to my course, it says they don't have a Blackboard account.

I am enrolling students in my class, and one of my students has two accounts. Which account should I enroll?

I would like to have just one account for all of my students to use to log into my Blackboard course.

I would like to create accounts for non-NPS students that don't currently exist in Blackboard. How do I do that?

My students are enrolled in my course, but they are all still unable to access it. Why?

How can I give another NPS instructor full access to my course?

How can I give someone guest access to my course?

What happens to my course after a semester ends?

How can I back up my course?

How do I put files into my course site?

How do I distribute handouts to all of my students?

What type of software can I use to create electronic documents for my course?

What kind of files can Blackboard handle?

If I create a survey, will it really be anonymous?

Can I make changes to my quiz once it's been published??

Do I have to comply with Section 508 Guidelines?

How can I change the course number of my Blackboard course?

My course has two sections. Can you create a new version of the course for the second section?

I can't click on the "Edit Homepage" link. How can I make it so I can click on it?

How can I allow students to check their grades?

How can I copy a quiz from one course to another?

How can I change a student's email address in Blackboard?

I am linking to to content on a CD. When I click on the link, nothing happens. What's wrong?

When I upload a new version of a Word document that has the same name as the old version, I can't see the new version. My students, however, can see it. What's going on?

When I click on the "NPS Library" tab in Blackboard, and then go to the ProQuest database, I get a login screen rather than going straight into the ProQuest database.
or
When I open a ProQuest database article from inside a course site in Blackboard, I get a login screen instead of the article.

How can I recycle "delete" old students from my course?

How do I remove a person from my Blackboard course?

How do I manually enroll students in my Blackboard course?

When do new NPS students get Blackboard accounts?

How do I send a file to specific students in my course?

When are Blackboard accounts deleted?

I'd like to have a course in Blackboard. What do I do?
Use the link on the left side of the page titled "Request New Course", or go to https://www.nps.edu/Technology/Blackboard/BatchRequests.

How will my course be displayed in Blackboard?
Course naming for Blackboard follows the convention "CourseID_Quarter_InstructorInitials", CourseID as defined in Python, an underscore and the quarter it is being taught, an underscore and the instructor's initials (e.g., SS3011_WI08_Ww is the courseID for SS3011 Space Systems Technology and Applications taught Winter 2008 by an instructor with initials WW). If an instructor plans to reuse their course over several quarters, the quarter indicator is not used.

What is the web address for my Blackboard course?
All NPS Blackboard courses can be found at https://nps.blackboard.com. One must have an account to NPS's Blackboard system to view your course. Once logged in, click on the "Courses" tab to view NPS's Blackboard Course Catalog.

How will students be added to my Blackboard course?
Instructors using Blackboard have a choice of enrolling their students into their own Blackboard courses themselves, or they may use the request form at https://www.nps.edu/Technology/Blackboard/BatchRequests at least one week before a new quarter. If this is done, the students who are on the Python roster for that course will be automatically enrolled the week before classes. Once the quarter begins, the instructor is responsible for all adds and drops and for ensuring that their student roster in blackboard is accurate. To manually add a person to your course, see this FAQ.

What login IDs will my students have?
Student login IDs will always be the same as their NPS login. This is everything before the @nps.edu part of the email address. If students do not know their NPS e-mail ID, they can look it up on the NPS intranet at http://intranet.nps.edu/Phonebook.htm from on base only.

I am enrolling students in my class, and when I try to "add users" to my course, it says they don't have a Blackboard account.
First, check to make sure the student(s) are not already enrolled in your course. If you try to find a student that is already enrolled in your course, Blackboard will not be able to find their account. If the student is not already enrolled and you still can't find their user account, this may be because they are a new NPS student and the Blackboard administrators have not yet created an account for them. If an NPS student does not have a Blackboard account, see this FAQ.

I am enrolling students in my class, and one of my students has two accounts. Which account should I enroll?
Enroll the account that matches that student's NPS username--that is, the account that is the same as what comes before the "@nps.navy.mil" in that student's email address. The other account is probably a remnant from when DL students were not input in Python and thus their Blackboard accounts did not have to fit any standard.

I would like to have just one account for all of my students to use to log into my Blackboard course.
Shared or group accounts are not allowed in Blackboard. NPS policy dictates that all students have their own individual login.

I would like to create accounts for non-NPS students that don't currently exist in Blackboard. How do I do that?
As an instructor, you can't do this yourself. In order to create new accounts, you must email tac@nps.edu and the NPS Blackboard Administrators will create them for you. In the email, you must include the following fields for each account in an Excel or Access document:

First Name, Last Name, Middle Initial, Email Address

Please contact tac@nps.edu if you have any questions about creating multiple accounts for students. For information about NPS student accounts, see this FAQ.

My students are enrolled in my course, but they are all still unable to access it. Why?
First check the course's availability (Control Panel → Settings (Below the heading Course Options) → Course Availability). Make sure that the course is "available" (check "Yes" next to "Make Course Available"). If the course is already available, check the course's duration settings (Control Panel → Settings (Below the heading Course Options) → Course Duration). Make sure that either "Continuous" is checked, or the current date is between the Starting Date and the Ending Date. If it is not, change the Starting Date, the Ending Date, or both.

How can I give another NPS instructor full access to my course?
Enroll their account in your course as an instructor. You can do this by going to the Control Panel, then clicking on "Add Users," and adding them to your course. Then click on "List/Modify Users". Once you list their name, click on the "Properties" button next to it, and then give them a "User Role" of "Instructor."

How can I give someone guest access to my course?
In order to access your course, a person must have an account in NPS's Blackboard system.

What happens to my course after a semester ends?
It is be the responsibility of the Instructor to archive and recycle their course and make it unavailable when the semester has terminated. Archiving is the process of making a backup copy, which the instructor will store on his or her local hard drive.

After you have successfully archived, you can then 'recycle' the course. Recycling is a process of flushing out students and discussions from the previous quarter and making the course ready for the next quarter. An instructor can recycle specific parts or his or her entire course.

How can I back up my course?
In order to archive (back up) the course, go to the course's control panel, under the heading "Course Options ", click "Archive Course" link, and click the "Submit" button. You should get notification via email when the process is complete which should be not more than an hour depending on the size of your course. Once you get the email, navigate back to that page, right mouse click on the link and select "Save As", this will begin the download of the archive file (zip file). This file will contain everything that is in your course. This file can only be viewed by re-importing it into Blackboard. If you would like to re-import a Blackboard archive file, email tac@nps.edu (with the archive file as an attatchment) and the NPS Blackboard Administrators will do it for you.

Archiving the course will not, however, back up the gradebook. In order to back up the gradebook, you'll need to go to the course's control panel, then click on "Online Gradebook". Click on the last option, "Export Gradebook". Following the instructions given will allow you to download a comma-delimited file with all of your gradebook data in it. This file can then be opened in Excel and viewed or modified on your computer.

How do I put files into my course site?
In the Blackboard Control Panel for that particular site, find the appropriate Page Editor (e.g. Course Documents) and navigate to the place where you want to add a document. (Hint: Decide on a hierarchy and organization for your documents before you start adding them). Click the "+ Item " button towards the top of the page. There are a couple different options to add your document.

• Complete the "Name" field
• Under the "Content" heading, next to the "Attach local file" area, select the "Browse" button
• Highlight the desired file on your local computer
• Select the "Open" button
• Optional items
  • If you would like a more detailed description of the file, complete the "Text" area
  • If you would like to unpackage a zip file to Blackboard, "Special Action" should be Unpackage this file.
  • If you would like this file to NOT be visible to students, change the "Make content available" or "Choose date and time restrictions" options.
• Select the "Submit" button in Blackboard at the bottom of the page.
• Select the "OK" button when Blackboard confirms that the file has been uploaded.

How do I distribute handouts to all of my students?
To distribute electronic handouts to all students, add it as an item to one of your course areas. To send files to only specific students in your course, see this FAQ.

What type of software can I use to create electronic documents for my course?
In addition to HTML files (which can be created by hand in Notepad, or by programs such as Dreamweaver or Frontpage), you can also display your content in Blackboard using Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point. Please remember that your students will need the same software or a compatible viewer to access your course documents.

What kind of files can Blackboard handle?
If you can access it on the web, you can access it from Blackboard. Thus, any standard HTML file, any images of type .gif or .jpg are accessible to any user with a browser out there. You can also upload other file types such as Word (.doc), Powerpoint (.ppt), Excel (.xls), Acrobat (.pdf), or Flash (.swf). Keep in mind, these filetypes require plug-ins, make sure you tell your students what plug-ins are required.

If I create a survey, will it really be anonymous?
Yes, the responses are anonymous and cannot be traced back to an individual. However, you will be able to see which of your students have completed the survey, so in theory, you may be able to determine who submitted what if you keep close tabs on when people submit their surveys. To create a survey, you go to the "Assessment" section of the Control Panel, use the "Survey Manager".

Can I make changes to my quiz once it's been published?
You can make changes to a test in Blackboard if that test has been published, but keep in mind and some students may have already taken the test. Blackboard will warn you that the test has been published and recommend only minor changes.

Do I have to comply with Section 508 Guidelines?
Yes, Blackboard itself is fully compliant but the files posted may not be. Any files posted should be 508 compliant. For more information on how to make your files 508 compliant, please see http://www.nps.edu/DL/OCL/IDD/resources.html.

How can I change the course number of my Blackboard course?
This is the one part of your Blackboard course that you cannot change. In order to change it, the course must be copied over to a new course site with the new course number, and the old course site must be deleted. Only a Blackboard administrator can do this, so in order to "change" the course number, you must contact tac@nps.edu.

My course has two sections. Can you create a new version of the course for the second section?
Sure, however there is a better solution. Inside a single course site, you can create different "groups." Each group can have its own discussion board(s) that cannot be viewed by the other groups. In addition, the course site can have general, non-group-specific discussion boards in which all groups can participate. Groups can be set up by clicking on the "Manage Groups" link in the course's Control Panel.

I can't click on the "Edit Homepage" link. How can I make it so I can click on it?
Even if the "Edit Homepage" link is enabled (Control Panel → Settings → Area Availability → Section 3: Enable/Disable tools), it will still appear disabled (un-clickable) to an instructor of a course. However, to students of that course, the link is enabled and they will be able to edit their Blackboard homepages.

How can I allow students to check their grades?
Go to the Control Panel → Course Settings → Area Availability and make sure that the "Check Grade" tool (under Section 3) is enabled.

How can I copy a quiz from one course to another?
From within the "Test Manager" or "Pool Manager", use the "Export" button next to the test or pool you would like to export. In the new course you can import the test or pool by using the "Import" button located near the top of the page.

How can I change a student's email address in Blackboard?
In short, you can't. You can only change your own personal information. The NPS Blackboard administrators can do this, or the student can do it himself. If you would like to give the student instructions on how to change his email address, please refer to him/her to the student FAQ "How do I change my password or email address?".

I am linking to to content on a CD. When I click on the link, nothing happens. What's wrong?
First of all, you'll need to make sure that your CD drive setting is configured properly in Blackboard. This allows Blackboard to know what drive (D:\, E:\, F:\, etc.) to run the CD from. You can change this setting by clicking on the "Home" tab, then the "Personal Information" link (you'll see this link listed under "Tools"). Once you're there, click on "Set CD-ROM drive". When this page loads, it'll allow you to choose what drive to run your CD from.

If you have already done this, then the problem could be with your browser's security settings. To fix this in Internet Explorer, do the following:

• Go to Tools > Internet Options > Security Tab
• Click Trusted Sites
• Click the "Sites" button
• Uncheck the box that says "Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone
• Where it says "Add this Web site to the zone", type in "http://nps.blackboard.com" (without quotes)
• Click the "Add" button
• Click the "OK" button
• Click "OK" again, and you should be set.

When I upload a new version of a Word document that has the same name as the old version, I can't see the new version. My students, however, can see it. What's going on?
This is a very persistent caching problem that occurs in both Internet Explorer and Netscape. To see the new version of the file, you will need to clear your browser's cache. In Internet Explorer, you can do this by:

• Going to Tools > Internet Options
• Under "Temporary Internet Files" (on the "General" tab) click on the "Delete Cookies" button (this will delete all your cookies, so any sites that "remember" you will have to be logged into again)
• Click on the "Delete Files" button.
• Click on the "Settings" button
• To prevent this from happening again in the future, where it says "Check for newer versions of stored pages:" check "Every time you visit the page". This may slow down browsing a little, but it will ensure that the content you are viewing is always the most current.

In recent versions of Netscape you can clear the cache by doing the following:

• Go to Edit > Preferences
• Under Advanced > Cache, click on the "Clear Memory Cache" button
• Click on the "Clear Disk Cache" button
• To prevent this from happening again in the future, where it says "Compare the page in the cache to the page on the network:" check "Every time I view the page". This may slow down browsing a little, but it will ensure that the content you are viewing is always the most current.

When I click on the "NPS Library" tab in Blackboard, and then go to the ProQuest database, I get a login screen rather than going straight into the ProQuest database.
or
When I open a ProQuest database article from inside a course site in Blackboard, I get a login screen instead of the article.
This is a known conflict between Blackboard and ProQuest, and it appears to only happen on some computers. We have found that it can be circumvented by opening the ProQuest screen in a new window. You can do this by right-clicking on the link to the ProQuest database or article, and choosing "Open Link In New Window" or "Open In New Window" (depending on your browser). If this still does not work, please contact the Blackboard Helpdesk at tac@nps.edu.

How can I recycle (delete) old students from my course?

1. Click on your course control panel
2. Under the heading Course Options, choose "Recycle Course"
3. Place a check mark in the box Users (The will only erase all students from course)
4. Type "Remove" in the box "Type Remove to complete this request" (without quotes)

How do I remove a person from my Blackboard course?
In order to remove students in your course, go to the Control Panel, and then click on the "Remove Users from Course" link (under "User Management"). You can then search for the student by last name, username or Email address. When you find him/her, check the box next to his/her name, type the word "Yes" in the box to confirm removal and click the "Submit" button and confirm again the removal by clicking "OK" in the dialog box that pops-up.

How do I manually enroll students in my Blackboard course?
In order to enroll students in your course yourself, go to the Control Panel, then click on the "Add Users" link (under User Management). After that, click on "Enroll Existing User". You can then search for the student by last name or username. When you find him/her, check the box next to his/her name, and click the "Submit" button. Students already enrolled in your course will not be found in the search. if you are unable to find a student, please see this FAQ

When do new NPS students get Blackboard accounts?.
About a week before each quarter the Blackboard administrators create accounts for all new students. If one of your students does not have an account, please use the following guidelines below.

• If it is more than a week before the quarter starts please wait until the quarter begins.
• If you need to have them created more than a week before the quarter starts please email tac@nps.edu
• If it is less than a week before the quarter starts or it's during the quarter please email tac@nps.edu

When emailing the TAC, please include a list of the student's first names, middle initials, last names, and email addresses and when you need them created by. These requests may take up to 2 business days to be completed.

How do I send a file to specific students in my course?
If you would like to send a file to just specific students, use the digital dropbox. Just students that you specify will have access to this file.

When are Blackboard accounts deleted?
Blackboard accounts are that have not been utilized (a person has not logged into Blackboard with that account) in 18 months will be deleted on a periodic basis.