CTDLC: Blackboard Help

How do I use the digital drop box?
The digital drop box is used as a means to send files directly to the instructor.
From within your course, click the "Tools" button and select "Digital Drop Box"
Click on the "Send File" button, type in the title, click on "Browse", and locate your file that you want to upload
NOTE: The "Add File" button will only save the file in the drop box but will not send it to the instructor.
To send a file that you have previously added, click on the "Send File" button and then select the previously uploaded file from the "Select file:" dropdown menu.
Click on the "Submit".
Click on the file once to highlight it, and then click on "Open".
The file name and path should appear in the "Browse" field, and then click on "Submit".

NOTE: A student cannot remove a file once it has been sent to the instructor.

Only the instructor can remove that file. This is to prevent a student from removing and altering any sensitive materials such as a test or assignment sent to the instructor. This assures that the instructor has a chance to view and grade the file.

Once an instructor grades or reviews the file and returns it to the student, then and only then will the "Remove" button reappear and allow the student to delete that file from the digital drop box.

I forgot my password. How can I retrieve it?
Users may click the Forgot Password link on the login screen to retrieve their password via email.

I'm receiving a "Could not login. You have not provided valid authentication credentials." error message. Why?
Blackboard login is case-sensitive. Please verify that you are entering your login credentials in the correct case. If the error persists, you may try clearing your browser's temporary Internet files (cache), including cookies. Then, refresh the login screen and try again. Please contact you institution to verify that the login credentials you are using are correct if the error is still encountered.

Why can't I access the Virtual Classroom?
The Virtual Classroom operates via a Java applet. If the applet is not loaded on your machine, the Blackboard server will provide you with a link to download the Java Runtime Environment. Please note that this is a large file.
If Java is installed on your machine, it may have to be enabled in your browser. Our Java page details how this is done. If you are running a personal firewall program, ports 7755 and 8081 must be open to access the Virtual Classroom.

How do I reply to a discussion board question?
To reply to a discussion board:
1. Click on the discussion question's link (in red) that you wish to respond to
2. The right of the discussion question click on the grey "reply" button
3. Type your response in the text box and then choose the grey "submit" button in the bottom right hand corner

I’m having difficulties using the Text Box Editor. How can I fix it?
If you are having problems with Text Box Editor we suggest that you do the following steps, which will enable the standard text entry box.

Note: this will allow you to use the right click option; this option is not available in Text Box Editor.

Click on the Communication button in the left column navigator/left panel.
At the top of the screen, click on "Send Email". From the Mail link/icon.
You should see the following options: "All Users", "All Groups", "All Teaching Assistants", "All Instructors", "All Users", and "Select Group".
To send mail to your instructor, click on "All Instructors".
Type a subject in the subject field.
Type a message in the message field.
Click Submit to send the message.

NOTES:
If you want to have a copy of the message, select the option under "Set Message Options" to "send copy of message to self".

To include an attachment with your message, under "Add Attachments", click on "Add". Click Browse to find the file. From the "Choose File" popup window, select the file you want to attach. Click Open. From the "All Instructors" screen, click Submit.

How can I change the size of the text displaying in my Blackboard course?
To change the size of the text you are trying to view in Internet Explorer:
1. Click on the "View" menu
2. Select "Text Size"
3. Select the desired font size

How do I print documents from my Blackboard course?
These instructions apply to printing problems with Internet Explorer only:

1. Click on "Tools"
2. Select "Internet Options"
3. Select "Advanced"
4. Scroll down to "Printing", check the box next to "Print background colors and images"
5. Click on "Apply", then click on "OK"; next please close (shutdown) your browser in order for these new options to take effect

NOTE: If the solution above does not solve your printing problem, please contact the vendor of your printer and request configuration specifications for printing from the Internet using your specific platform

I have to login twice to access Blackboard. How can I fix it?
Users that are experiencing the problem of having to login twice are encountering this issue because the Gateway page is bypassed, usually through a bookmark. The solution to this problem is to bookmark the Welcome page http://bb.ctdlc.org and delete any other bookmarks for Blackboard.