Although Smart Penguin provides the solutions to, or the prevention of, most technical issues that Clark College Blackboard users may experience, things may still go awry. To help students and faculty get back to their online coursework more quickly, the tech support team in the eLearning Department now provides a new system, called Tech Ticket, which can be used to submit the details of a technical issue. In a series of short questions about their computing environment, online users can quickly convey some of the important keys needed for an accurate diagnosis. Tech Ticket then allows direct communication with eLearning tech support for improved collaboration and information exchange to aid a swift resolution. You can find the link to file a Tech Ticket in the sidebar here on Smart Penguin’s main post page, among our links at the bottom of the page, or just click below.
Clark College will no longer be communicating with students via paper mail, but will be using Google Gmail for correspondence instead. So that you don’t miss out on important registration notices and other information, be sure to sign up for your free Clark student email account using the link below. If you prefer to get your email at another address, just go ahead and activate your Clark Gmail account (which will look like: username@students.clark.edu) and set it to forward your student gmail to your preferred address. Take The Next Step with us right away and have a great 2010 winter quarter!
GO GREEN WITH GMAIL
Our returning visitors will notice that Smart Penguin has undergone a molt! Take a look around and feel free to use our new feedback form to let us know if there are any problems, as we continue to preen and tweak our new look… Happy New Year to all of our fellow Smart Penguins!
A low-tech penciled test can be stressful enough, but when you add technology to the mix, it’s even more important to be well prepared. Check out our Blackboard Test Taking Tips page to make sure technology is a neutral force when you show what you know!
There are many students new to Blackboard who are augmenting their education by developing important computer skills. Knowing how to create and submit appropriate file types for various documents can be a marketable asset worth learning. Instructors will usually specify what file types they can accept, which you must adhere to when submitting your work. Some common file examples for documents would be .doc or .docx, .pdf, and .rtf.
Using the right program is the first key to achieving the correct file type… The second key is clicking File and Save As (not Save) and selecting the specified file type before naming your file. View Full Article »
Blackboard uses pop-up windows as an essential part of its operation such as quiz or test windows, discussion board postings, download links, and more. Therefore, it is important that pop-up windows be allowed for Blackboard to function correctly.
You can manage this by turning off the pop-up blocker in your browser and all pop-up blockers on any additional Yahoo, Google, or other third party toolbars that you may have added. However, if you find pop-up ads too annoying to allow, you might choose instead to make an exception for Clark’s Blackboard site. Directions for the certified Blackboard browsers are below. Select your browser from the list and either turn off the pop-up blocker or allow an exception for Blackboard. View Full Article »
This issue won’t be a problem if you’re a student, but faculty might come across it when trying to download a zipped file of submitted assignments from the Gradebook using “Item Download.” The error is triggered by spaces in the assignment title, such as “Project 6″ or “Research Paper.” The workaround seems to be removing the space(s) in the assignment name in the content area where the links are. You can use an underscore, hyphen, or just remove the space and then try the item collect routine again. A report from an English professor advises Mac users to remove the spaces and not use an underscore or hyphen – theallonewordapproach worked best for her Mac.
The issue is still being studied by Blackboard, so check back here for updates on this case. Below are the step-by-step instructions to perform the workaround:
- Open the Control Panel
- Open the content area where the assignment link is posted
- Click [Modify] next to the assignment link that needs to be renamed
- Change the title so there are no spaces
- Submit
For the more technically intrepid, one could alternatively, copy the link which downloads the assignment package to the clipboard, paste it into notepad, and manually replace all of the plus signs (which Blackboard is erroneously inserting in lieu of spaces) with %20 in the URL. Then copy and paste the modified URL into a browser address bar and the package download should complete, without having to change the item name in your course.
*Update 1-16-10: Blackboard reports that they will not be repairing this issue for our current version, however it may be addressed in a future upgrade.
Getting the right browser set-up and running is very critical to your success with Blackboard. If you’re using AOL or NetZero as your ISP, you’ll find that Blackboard does not support their web browsers. When trying to view various pages or content, you may get error messages such as “Navigation Cancelled” or “Page Not Found,” due to this incompatibility. Quest also has a specialized version of Internet Explorer which can cause certain items or tables to not display. To remedy the situation, you’ll need to download and install Firefox (for PC or Mac). After you’ve installed the new browser, you’ll need to connect to your ISP using the AOL or NetZero browser as you normally would, then minimize that browser and open Firefox to access Blackboard and your courses.
Many Blackboard users have experienced problems when submitting and viewing text that has been pasted directly from Microsoft Word into Blackboard. The cause of this issue is the accompanying word processor formatting code that is included when using the copy/paste feature. These codes should be removed prior to pasting into a Blackboard text box.
One trick is to copy and paste your text from Word into NotePad first, which strips out the fancy formatting. Then copy and paste that more compatible NotePad text into the Blackboard text box editor and use the formatting tools available in Blackboard to style your text. Some will just attach a Word document to their post, however, there are many students that don’t have Word, and they will not be able to view your attachment. Some have reported success when saving the Word text as HTML (website) code, but that isn’t recommended for beginners.
A very smart move is to change your Blackboard password from the default first assigned to you, to something more secure and that you’ll remember. Also, when you’re using a public computer – such as in a campus computer lab or library, be sure to log yourself out of Blackboard, because it won’t do that for you automatically. Otherwise, your classes, contributions, and hard work will be left for the next person to ponder.
How Do I Change My Blackboard Password?
Going through your “Personal Information” profile in Blackboard and making sure that your email address is correct, is an important early step as a student. Even if you’re not signed up for an online course, that simple action might help you reset your Blackboard password if you forget it later.
For fully online classes, email can be a major form of communication between instructors and their students. To avoid missing something significant from your instructor, be sure that the email address field in your Blackboard profile is correct when classes begin.
You should know, the email account which is automatically entered for you in your Blackboard profile, does NOT work until you actually follow the steps and activate your free Clark Gmail account. If you would rather use your own email address in Blackboard, where you normally check and send email, just change the default to your preferred address. You can check out the site below for more details about how to do that.
Updating Email Address in Blackboard
A common complaint when visiting the Clark Blackboard site, is the warning screen some will see about the site’s security certificate. The best solution for browsers which display this nag screen is to add an exception for Clark.Blackboard.com when prompted. Clark’s Blackboard certificate is valid and good until 2011. For those geeks who are extra wary, here is a handy tool for diagnosing incidents like this:
Check on Security Certificate
Type in https://clark.blackboard.com and click Check Site for a full report
Successfully logging in to Blackboard is an important first step when taking an online course. The most common cause of login issues is an incorrectly entered username or password… The following may help:
- Try carefully re-entering your username and password, assuring that your Caps Lock control on your keyboard is not activated, because passwords are case sensitive.
- Your username consists of the first initial of your first name, the first four letters of your last name, and the last four digits of your SID (that’s Student ID number, not your Social Security number). For example: Jane Smith, SID# 940-23-4567 would have a username jsmit4567
- If you haven’t already changed your initial password, it is by default the last 5 digits of your SID number (Student ID number, not your Social Security number). Jane Smith’s password would be 34567
- If you have recently registered, there may a delay in processing your payment or other documents. Check back with registration to verify your enrollment status. You must be currently registered to log in to Blackboard.
Clark College Registration
- If you’re still having trouble logging in to Blackboard and are a currently registered returning student with a valid email address entered in your Blackboard profile, you may reset your password using the eLearning password reset utility link below. Your new password will be emailed to the address you had entered in your profile.
Reset Forgotten Password
- If you’re a new student and are still having trouble logging in to Blackboard and have verified your current registration status, contact our eLearning office to have your password manually reset.
Contact eLearning at Clark College
NOTE! Just as important as logging in, is logging out of Blackboard. This is especially important if you’re using a shared or public computer, to protect your work and keep your Blackboard account from being used by someone else after you walk away.
Just a quick shout-out to the Clark College Math Department… If you’ve signed up, or are thinking about signing up, for an online math class at Clark, be sure to check out their website at http://web.clark.edu/math/OL/index.htm for some information that’s essential for your success, as well as tips for writing math notation in Blackboard. You’ll always find their link in our Blogroll below.
How would you like to give a test instead of taking one? Even if you have blazing fast internet service, wouldn’t it be nice to know just how fast your connection is to our Blackboard servers in Washington, DC? The truth is, Blackboard can be troublesome for users on dial-up and nearly impossible for those with internet service via satellite provider. For those with satellite service, the latency created by the distance between the earth and your host’s satellite (~23,000 miles) causes the problem, and much like its issue with online gaming, there is no consistent solution. Dial-up can create an issue with Blackboard because of slow response time, as well. Some have reported success by waiting until off peak hours to access their class. Others might travel closer to town where they can find a faster connection, such as their local library, college computer lab, or other public locations. Whatever your resources, you may find this speed checker helpful…
Blackboard Speed Checker
