Question: I am a first time Bb user. How do I access my courses?Answer: Students must go to http://blackboard.garrettcollege.edu. Once there, click on the login button. Type in your username and password to access your registered courses.
Question: What is my username? Answer: Your username consists of your first name.lastname (in most cases) For example, if David Barnaby were enrolled in a class, his user name would be: david.barnaby
Question: What is my password? Answer: Initially, your password will be mailed to you prior to class. You can then change it to whatever password you like. For security reasons, it is very important that you change your password when you first login to Blackboard. (see How do I change my password?)
Question: How do I change my password?Answer:
Question: What email address will my instructor use to contact me? Answer: You must use your Garrett College student email address. This is the main method of communication between the instructor and students so it is important to set up your email early and check it often. Your initial password will be mailed to your home address. Go to http://mail.student.garrettcollege.edu. There is also a link to it on the college home page.
If you have not recieved your initial email password, stop by TC 310 to pick it up. You must present a photo ID.
Question: Why doesn’t my new courses appear in Blackboard?Answer: Course are not usually opened until 24-48 hours prior to the start day of the class. If it is an online course, you should be able to access your courses by the course start date. It takes 24 hours from the time your enrollment is official for you to be enrolled in the course. Not all of your face-to-face courses use Blackboard. This may be why you see some but not all your classes listed when you log into Blackboard. The best thing to do if you do not see a class is to ask you instructor or professor if they plan to use Blackboard for the class.
Question: Why can’t I access audio files from Bb? Answer: You must first have the proper audio player on your computer. Real player, Window's Media Player or Quicktime may be required. Check the downloads and plugins section.
Question: Where can I find the Blackboard student user’s manual? Answer: You can find a searchable manual under “Course Tools”, provided the instructor hasn't’t disabled that featured.
Question: My instructor says I haven’t turned in my assignment even though I submitted it to my digital drop box? Answer: When submitting assignments through Blackboard, there are two options. One option, “Add File” allows you to put the item into the box but does not automatically get sent to the instructor. This can be helpful if you do assignments ahead of schedule and want to wait to submit them. This option also allows you to remove the item if you wish. When you are ready to send the file you must choose “send File” then select the item you wish to send from the drop down menu. Selecting “Send File” when you want to submit an assignment simultaneously adds it to your drop box and sends it to your instructor.
Question: Why can't my instructor open the files I submitted? Answer: You may not have named the files properly or file format their computer cannot read. Check the plug-ins and filing naming page for more information.
Question: I don’t see an announcement my instructor posted last week. Answer: You should see tabs above the announcements to view today, the last 7 days, last 30 days, and all. Searching these tabs should help you find the announcement you are looking for.
Question: When I click on the link for a test or a web site nothing happens. What's the problem? Answer: Instructors can set tests, external web links, and other files to open in a new window so students do not loose their place in Blackboard. If the student has their Internet browser set to block pop-ups, these new windows will not open. To access these features of Blackboard, the student needs to change the settings on their browser to allow pop-ups or disable their pop-up blocker. This document explains the settings for various browsers.
Question: Why don't I have a timer showing when I take a test in Blackboard? Answer: In order for the timer to display properly you must have the status bar enabled and have allowed status bar changes to be made via javascript. See this document to change these and other settings on your browser. Pay particular attention to "Enable Status Bar," "Enable Javascript" and "Advanced Javascript Settings".
Question: When I try to open a file with a .pdf extension I get a blank window. What's wrong? Answer: You need to update your version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Go to Useful Software and Player Plug-Ins and download the latest version.
Question: I
am unable to access certain areas of the Blackboard system, what can I do? Answer: You
need to ensure your current browser is supported by Blackboard. Check
for Browser
Compatibility.
OR You may need to clear your browser's
cache. Follow this Guide for
instructions on clearing the cache.
OR
Your browser may not be configured properly
for use with Blackboard. Follow
this Guide to
configure your respective browser.
OR You may need to download files from the textbook publisher.
Submit a question to be listed on the Bb Student FAQ's page.