[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