[BB] Changes to our BB help page

BB Users,

 

We recently made some changes to our “Help” page on Blackboard to make it easier to use and to provide greater access to Blackboard documentation. 

 

Please take a moment to review the changes by clicking on the "Help" icon on the top of any Blackboard page.  We would appreciate any feedback.

 

The "Help" icon continues to provide access to our ticketing system, with the "Create Blackboard Help Desk Ticket" link.  This is always the best way to contact us and request service of any kind.

 

Thank you for your interest,

 

Rick Ramos

Blackboard Help Desk Supervisor

305-284-3949

 

 

 

[BB] Tip of the Week

Hello BB Users

 

Did you know you can download you grade center and open it with Excel, make the necessary changes and upload it back to Blackboard?

 

Here is how you do it:

 

How to download the Grade Center to Excel

 

1.       Go to the control panel

 

1.       Go to the Grade Center

 

2.       Click on “Manage”

 

3.       Click on “Download”

 

4.       Select what you want to download

 

5.       Click on “submit”

 

6.       Click on “Download”

 

7.       Save File on your computer as a txt file (default).

8.       You can now open it with Excel and start working with it.

 

How to upload the Grade Center from Excel

 

In order to download the grade center, you have to keep the same format in which you downloaded it. You can add columns and grades but cannot change the original format.

Columns Username, Last Name, First Name have to be exactly as they appear in your grade center.

 

9.       Go to the control panel

 

10.   Go to the Grade Center

 

11.   Click on “Manage”

 

12.   Click on “Upload”

 

13.   Browse for your grade center

 

14.   Click on “submit”

 

15.   Upload Grades confirmation page

 

16.   Calculated columns will not be updated, only grade columns.

17.   Click on “submit”

 

Your Grade Center is now updated with the new data.

 

**Your file needs to be a TXT file in order for the upload to work. The best way is to keep the original format in which you downloaded it **

 

For more detailed instructions go to:

 

https://www.courses.miami.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_160_1

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

Rick Ramos

Blackboard Help Desk Supervisor

305-284-3949

 

 

 

[BB] Tip of the Week

Hello BB users,

 

Time flies when you are having fun. This will be already the third Tip of the week and today we continue with the Grade Center.

 

If you haven’t checked our training page yet, we have three more training remaining for this month, you can view them here.

 

If you have suggestions or would like to contribute on a specific subject, please do not hesitate to contact us at 305-284-3949 or email me at r.ramos3@miami.edu.

 

Today’s Tip is:

 

How to create a new category in the Grade Center

 

Categories are specially helpful when you have many columns in your grade center and you need to weight them quickly. For example, items in the Exam Category may have a greater weight than items in the Assignment category.

When you create a new column you don’t have to modify you weighted column to add it. Just make sure when you create the column you select the category it belongs to.

 

1.       Go to the control panel

 

1.       Go to the Grade Center

 

2.       Click on “Manage”

 

3.       Click on “Categories”

 

4.       Click on “Add Category”

 

5.       Enter Name of the new category

 

6.       Click on “submit”

 

I hope you have enjoyed this tip and make good use of it. Don’t forget to check on our events by clicking here.

 

Thank you for your interest in Blackboard.

 

 

Rick Ramos

Blackboard Help Desk Supervisor

305-284-3949

 

 

 

[BB] Safe Assign Server RESTORED

Bb Users,

 

Blackboard just posted this bulletin:

 

SafeAssign Service Interruption Restored

Engineers have resolved the issue and restored the SafeAssign Service. Blackboard regrets any inconvenience this may have caused.

 

 

___________________________

JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard System Manager
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

---

From: UM Blackboard Announcements [mailto:BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] On Behalf Of Clister, Jennifer R
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 4:47 PM
To: BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [BB] SAFE ASSIGN SERVER DOWN

 

Bb Users,

 

The Safe Assign server is currently down. Blackboard is aware of the problem (because it affects all schools who uses Safe Assign) and working to get it corrected.

 

I know the timing is very bad, and I sincerely apologize for the problems this is causing. I will send out another update when I have more information.

 

-Jennifer

_____________________________________

JENNIFER CLISTER Blackboard System Manager University of Miami IAC 305-284-3949

 

[BB] SAFE ASSIGN SERVER DOWN

Bb Users,

 

The Safe Assign server is currently down. Blackboard is aware of the problem (because it affects all schools who uses Safe Assign) and working to get it corrected.

 

I know the timing is very bad, and I sincerely apologize for the problems this is causing. I will send out another update when I have more information.

 

-Jennifer

_____________________________________

JENNIFER CLISTER Blackboard System Manager University of Miami IAC 305-284-3949

 

[BB] Tip of the Week

Hello BB users

 

I hope you all had a wonderful week end and enjoyed your time with family and friends.

 

The tip of the week today will help faculty with their grade center and I also want to remind everyone that we are regularly offering Grade Center and Blackboard training.

 

To find out when and to register click here.

 

If you have suggestions or would like to contribute on a specific subject, please do not hesitate to contact us at 305-284-3949 or email me at r.ramos3@miami.edu.

 

Today’s tips are:

A.    How to create a new grade column in your Grade Center

 

1.       Go to the control panel

 

2.       Go to the Grade Center

 

3.       Click on “Add Grade Column”

 

4.       Fill the column information

 

5.       Setup the column options

 

6.       Click on “submit”

B.    How to create a calculated grade column in your Grade Center

 

1.       Go to the Control Panel

 

2.       Click on Grade Center

 

3.       Click on “Add Calculated Column”

 

4.       Select the calculation you want the column to perform

 

5.       Fill the column information

 

6.       Weight the columns by Column or by Category

 

7.       Give a weight in percentage to your Columns or Categories

 

8.       Setup the column options

 

9.       Click on “submit”

 

**Once created, please remember that you cannot enter grades in a calculated grade column. To enter grades you need to create a grade column. **

 

I hope you have enjoyed these tips and that they will make a difference with your Blackboard experience. Don’t forget to check on our events by clicking here.

 

Thank you for your interest in Blackboard.

 

Rick Ramos

Blackboard Help Desk Supervisor

305-284-3949

 

 

 

[BB] REMINDER: Archiving & Removing '06-'07 Bb Courses

Bb Users,

 

This is just a reminder that I will begin disabling the courses from Fall 2006 through Summer 2007 (-070, -071, -072, -073, -074) so that they can be archived and removed on Tuesday, December 1.

 

You can find your old courses in Blackboard by going to the Courses tab.

 

You can archive and save your own courses to your computer so that you can access the content outside of Blackboard by following these instructions: Archiving and Saving Course Content

 

Thank you,

Jennifer

 

---

From: UM Blackboard Announcements [mailto:BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] On Behalf Of Clister, Jennifer R
Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 3:40 PM
To: BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [BB] Archiving & Removing '06-'07 Bb Courses

 

Bb Users,

 

It is time to start the annual archival/removal of old courses from Blackboard.

 

Every year we archive and remove old courses. This time we will be removing the 2006-2007 (Fall 2006 – Summer 2007) courses from the Blackboard system (ending with -070, -071, -072, -073, -074). Courses from the 2007-2008 school year will be made unavailable to students, but will still be accessible to faculty for another year. You can find your old courses in Blackboard by going to the Courses tab.

 

I will begin disabling these courses so that they can be archived and removed on Tuesday, December 1.

 

I have attached a document that explains how to archive and save your courses to your computer or disk if you would like to maintain your own archive. (We maintain an archive at the Instructional Advancement Center.)

 

QUESTIONS:

1. WHAT IS ARCHIVING?
   Archiving means we take your entire course and save it to a disk. Then we remove it from the Blackboard system. If we ever need to restore the course, we can, but it may take a while for me to dig it out of the archive since we maintain over 100,000 courses.
2. CAN YOU ARCHIVE AND SAVE YOUR OWN COURSE?
   Yes, you can! Attached is a document that explains how to archive your course and how to download a great tool that will make navigating archived courses easier. You can also access these instructions through the Support tab in Blackboard.

 

If you need any more information, please let me know or open a ticket: Blackboard Help Desk.

 

Best wishes for a smooth end-of-the-semester/year,

Jennifer

 

 

_____________________________________

JENNIFER CLISTER Blackboard System Manager University of Miami IAC 305-284-3949

 

[BB] REMINDER: Archiving & Removing '06-'07 Bb Courses

Bb Users,

 

This is just a reminder that I

 

 

___________________________

JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard System Manager
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

---

From: UM Blackboard Announcements [mailto:BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] On Behalf Of Clister, Jennifer R
Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 3:40 PM
To: BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [BB] Archiving & Removing '06-'07 Bb Courses

 

Bb Users,

 

It is time to start the annual archival/removal of old courses from Blackboard.

 

Every year we archive and remove old courses. This time we will be removing the 2006-2007 (Fall 2006 – Summer 2007) courses from the Blackboard system (ending with -070, -071, -072, -073, -074). Courses from the 2007-2008 school year will be made unavailable to students, but will still be accessible to faculty for another year. You can find your old courses in Blackboard by going to the Courses tab.

 

I will begin disabling these courses so that they can be archived and removed on Tuesday, December 1.

 

I have attached a document that explains how to archive and save your courses to your computer or disk if you would like to maintain your own archive. (We maintain an archive at the Instructional Advancement Center.)

 

QUESTIONS:

1. WHAT IS ARCHIVING?
   Archiving means we take your entire course and save it to a disk. Then we remove it from the Blackboard system. If we ever need to restore the course, we can, but it may take a while for me to dig it out of the archive since we maintain over 100,000 courses.
2. CAN YOU ARCHIVE AND SAVE YOUR OWN COURSE?
   Yes, you can! Attached is a document that explains how to archive your course and how to download a great tool that will make navigating archived courses easier. You can also access these instructions through the Support tab in Blackboard.

 

If you need any more information, please let me know or open a ticket: Blackboard Help Desk.

 

Best wishes for a smooth end-of-the-semester/year,

Jennifer

 

 

_____________________________________

JENNIFER CLISTER Blackboard System Manager University of Miami IAC 305-284-3949

 

[BB] Tip of the week.

BB users,

 

We will start  sending on a weekly basis tips on how to operate Blackboard and many of the different functions available. We hope this will provide a better understanding of Blackboard and our procedures. If you have suggestions or would like to contribute on a specific subject, please do not hesitate to contact us at 305-284-3949 or email me.

 

Please, feel free to share this information with faculty and students.

 

Today's Tip is:

 

How to reset your Blackboard password

 

With so many different accounts and passwords in our lives, it is easy to forget one of them. Blackboard has an easy and simple way to regain access in case you forgot your password.

This document will show you the process step by step:

 

A.    Incorrect password window.

If you entered the incorrect password or forgot which one is the correct password, you have probably seen the following screen:

 

 

Blackboard allows you to reset your password by clicking the link which says "Forgot password".

 

You will be presented with the "Lost Password" page in which you will have two options to retrieve your password.

 

A.    Lost Password page

 

You can either enter your Username information (UM Email Alias):

 

Or your Email Address information:

 

- It is important to note that in Blackboard, your Username and your Email Address (UM Email Alias) are the same so whichever option you choose will require you to enter the same information.-

 

** If you know your Username or UM Email Alias go to Step D. **

 

B.    Gather your login information

Did you forget your Username or UM Email Alias too? Here is how to retrieve it:

 

1.       Your Blackboard Username is your "UM Email Alias." To find your "UM Email Alias," open a web browser and go to http://myum.miami.edu.

 

 

2.       Login with your CaneID and Password or click on the "First Time Using CaneID?" link and follow the directions when prompted.

 

 

3.       On the MyUM home tab, in the Email Information section, note your UM E‐mail Alias; this will be your Blackboard username.

 

 

A.     

B.     

C.     

D.    Resetting Password

 

1.       Enter your personal information in the Lost Password page and click on submit.

 

2.       If the information entered is INCORRECT, you should see the following screen:

 

3.       If the information entered is CORRECT, you should see the following screen:

 

4.       An email will be sent to the address you have entered as your "Preferred Email Address" in MyUM , which is why it is so important to have one set up.

 

5.       Click on the link provided.

 

6.       You will be sent to a page where you will be able to change your password; just enter a new password and verify it, then click on submit.

 

7.       If the new password is successful you will see the following notification:

 

8.       Log into Blackboard with your new password.

 

 

Please remember we offer Blackboard weekly training. You may register by clicking on the tree  on the top right corner of your Blackboard page and go to the events section or click here.

 

Thank you for your interest in Blackboard.

 

Rick Ramos

Blackboard Help Desk Supervisor

305-284-3949

r.ramos3@miami.edu