GC Bb Support: 2011

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Batch Download Assignments

Q. I am trying to batch download an assignment in my course. The option for batch download comes up correctly in the Grade Center and I select the submissions I want to batch download. The screen shows a zip folder is created, but when I click on the link, I get an error. What should I do?

A. The problem is most likely punctuation marks in the assignment name. Blackboard creates filenames using the assignment name, and punctuation often causes problems in filenames.
You should rename this assignment using only alphanumeric characters. The order in which you do this matters: First rename in the content area where the assignment is posted, then rename with the exact same new name in the column for the assignment in the grade center. If you change the name in the grade center first, or vary the name even a little between the two areas in Blackboard, the link between the assignment and the student submissions in the grade center will be broken.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Welcome to the Garrett College Blackboard Support

This site will offer tips and tutorials on using Blackboard and other instructional technology. It is a place to ask questions and find answers quickly and easily. It is also a place to share your insight and knowledge with others about using Bb and other technologies. I need your help to make this site grow into a valuable tool for our instructors.

Tips for Preventing Cheating

When developing online assessments in Blackboard, it is important to consider the security of the exam and to make every effort to remove opportunities for students to cheat. The current version of Blackboard does not inherently prevent students from printing the questions of an exam or copying and pasting the questions to word processing application for printing. However, INSTRUCTORS can prevent students from saving or printing exams by following the steps for either of the following:

Disallow Printing of the Test
Disallow Printing and the Copying/Pasting of the Test

Disallow Printing of the Test

In the Control Panel click Test Manager, then click Modify (for the selected test).
This takes you to the test "canvas." Click Modify for the assessment instructions.
In order to copy the code into the proper location, click on the small down arrow to reveal the additional text options.

Click on the<html>option

Copy and paste the code into the HTML View, either before or after your test instructions.

Submit
The code will not be visible to students.

Disallow Printing and the Copying/Pasting of the Test

<SCRIPT language=Javascript src="http://www.blackboard.niu.edu/blackboard/javascript/noprintcopy.js"></script>
<STYLE type=text/css>@media print {BODY {display:none}}</STYLE>

The above code can be copied into test instructions to disable the right click and copy feature; it will also prevent students from printing the test. It has been tested on Windows XP and the following browsers: Internet Explorer 6.0, Netscape 8.0, Firefox 1.5, and Opera 8.51. The script may work differently in other browsers and on other operating systems. While users can still use the print function of the browser, a blank page is printed. Users are also prevented from copying and pasting test content.
To prevent printing and copying Blackboard tests, follow the instructions for copying the no-print code into the HTML screen. Substitute the longer script listed above:

No copy or print code

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The difference between EXPORTING and ARCHIVING

EXPORTING and ARCHIVING – What’s the difference?

Archiving a course creates a complete copy of a course in a zipped file format. All cumulative grade columns, Student grades and associated settings in the archived source course are included in the course package. The zip file can only be unzipped in Bb. You should keep an archived copy of your course for your records.

Exporting allows you to select all or part(s) of an existing course to add to a zipped file. It does not include student data. All Calculated Grade columns and associated settings in the source course are included in the course package when the Grade Center is selected as part of an export. You should export your course if you plan on reusing the course in a future semester.

HOW TO EXPORT and ARCHIVE YOUR COURSE

Exporting your course site makes a copy of your course contents so you do not have to create the course from scratch in the future. It is important to note that, unlike the Archive Course feature, Export Course does not include any user interactions with the course—it only includes the course content and the tools.

Export Course feature creates a package of the course content that can later be imported and used to teach another course with the same content. You should always export or back up your Blackboard course. Exported courses will be saved as .zip files. Exporting a course does not remove it from the Blackboard system. Instructors can export their courses at the end of every semester for future use.

Step 1

1. Log into your course.

2. Go to the Control Panel.

3. Click Packages and Utilities

4. Choose Export/Archive Course.

5. Click either Export or Archive at the top of the page.

a. If you choose Export - You will be prompted to select the materials / areas you would like to include in the export file.

b. If you choose Archive – It will save everything in your course, including enrollment and grades.

6. Select the Submit button.

7. You will be re-directed to a page that will read “This action has been successfully queued. An email will be sent when the process is complete”. Click the OK button.

Step 2
The system creates the course package. When the package is complete, the Instructor who initiated the operation receives an email. After the email is received:

1. Repeat steps 1 though 3

2. The export or archive file will be listed on the Export/Archive Manager page

3. Click on that link and you will be prompted to save or open the file

4. Click on the Save button, rename you’re the course file to something descriptive and choose a location on your computer to save the archived course **The export and archive files is a zip file and can only be used in the Blackboard environment**
**The export and archive files are compressed .ZIP files and are imported in the same format. Do not unzip an Export zip file or remove files from the zip file, otherwise the zip file will not imported correctly.

ALWAYS MAKE BACKUP COPIES (digital files and hard copies) OF IMPORTANT FILES AND SAVE THEM TO YOUR NETWORK U DRIVE.

How do I request a course shell?

Your Academic Director may request a course shell when adding your course to the schedule. However, you must be sure that you need one. You can request a course shell later by filling out the Shell Request Form. There is a link in the right hand column of this blog.

Copy a Course

Copy Contents of an Old Course Into a New Shell

The Course Copy feature copies course materials from one course site to another. For example, you may developed a course last fall that you are teaching again this fall. You can copy the entire course contents over into the new shell. You can choose what elements you would like copied.

From the Control Panel of the Source Course:

Access the Control Panel from the old course.
Click Packages and Utilities and the Course Copy link
Click Course Copy
Select “Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course”
Click on the Browse button next to the Destination course field.
Select the course you want to copy the materials into by clicking on the Select button next to the course and then click Submit
You will see the course ID listed in the Destination course field
Select the areas you want to copy.
For best results, choose all the elements of the old course that you think you may use, except the enrollment. You may not want to copy discussions or announcements as well. You may delete unwanted materials in the destination course once the copy course process is complete.
Click the Submit button.
Wait until you receive a notification via email before you access the destination course.
Check the destination course to be sure all the copied content is the.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Double-clicking in an assessment causes "Access Denied" errors

Issue Description

When accessing an assessment, if the end user clicks on the next button while the red "Saving" icon is flashing the system will produce an access denied error message. This also will occur if the end user clicks the next button twice in a row. This is independent of browsers and OS.

For example:

Begin taking the test and do one of the following:
a. After clicking the "Save Answer" button and while the red "SAVING ANSWER" is on the screen, click the arrow for the next question.

or

b. Double click on the next question arrow without saving.

Expected Result: The next question is presented.
Unexpected Result: You encounter an "Access denied" error.

Workaround
There is no means to workaround the problem. A patch is being created for the affected builds.
The best thing to do is instruct your students to wait for the save to finish before clicking the next button. Also, to click each button only one while taking a test.

Monday, March 14, 2011

How to download a copy of the Grade Center

Instructions on how to download a copy of the Grade Center

Control Panel > Full Grade Center > Work Offline (button at the upper right) > Download

#1 Choose information you wish to download
#2 Select the Options
#3 Choose My Computer (do not select content collection)

Submit

Click the DOWNLOAD Button > SAVE > Choose a place on your U directory > Name the file > Save

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Blackboard bugs, issues and work-arounds

In this posting I will list the various "bugs", performance and compatibility issues for our version of Blackboard. Some of these issues will have workarounds and some will not. Keep apprised of the these issues and fixes (if any). I will continually update this post with new reported issues.

Found a bug? Contact me. I may be able to find a solution.

Internet Explorer 8 and Blackboard – Internet Explorer 8 when used with Blackboard has some compatibility issues which are listed below. As a workaround, “Compatibility View” in IE8 can be used, which is under the Tools menu (Compatibility Mode). The website linked here has instructions on how to add a website to always be viewed in Compatibility Mode. If you go to that link, you must click on "Compatibility View" on the left vertical menu. The recommended workaround is to download and use Mozilla Firefox as your web browser for working in Blackboard. See also IE Compatibility Mode post

A security warning may appear when logging into Blackboard. This warning will say “Do you want to display only the web page content that was delivered securely?” This error may also occur when accessing the Grade Center for Instructors.
Students may experience an elongated timer that may cover the Save and Submit buttons. This will only be evident with certain exams in which the timer feature has been enabled.
Students may receive an error saying “Please enter a valid file” while trying to upload a file using the assignment submission tool.
Instructors attempting to upload a Grade Center file may receive “Please enter a valid file.”

Attachments not opening with IE8 – There is a known issue between Blackboard 9, Internet Explorer 8 and Microsoft Office files (.doc, .docx, etc.) that results in users not being able to click to open attachments in Blackboard. This impacts file attachments to content areas, files attached to the grade center, files attached to the discussion board, etc for both students and instructors. Click the link above for work around options.

Blank White Screen After Closing Documents and/or External Websites - After opening and closing a document or external website linked in Blackboard, if there is a blank white screen and/or the course menu is gone, you must use the breadcrumb trail at the top of your course area. If you click on the course title, it will bring you back to the course entry page for your course, which is generally set to the announcements page, and the course menu is back.

Send Email
The Send Email screen looks strange in IE8 via the Control Panel. The Submit bar runs through the Attach File link.

Workaround: If this impedes your sending e-mail, send e-mail through the Tools menu item > Send Email.

Strange text after setting External Link menu item to open in new window
If you’re going to add an External Link as a menu item, do not set it to open in a new window. If you do, Blackboard adds strange text to it and gives the user a 404 Not Found error when s/he clicks the link.

Save as Draft when posting to Discussion Board
When using Save as Draft, you may receive an error and lose your submission. Blackboard has confirmed this is a bug and will be fixed in a future version.
Workaround: Compose your response in a text editor and paste into Blackboard only when you’re ready to submit.

Grade Center Scroll Bar Missing in IE – When using Internet Explorer 8 the Grade Center may not display correctly. The solution is to turn on Compatibility Mode in IE8. Under the Tools menu enable Compatibility Mode. The website linked here has instructions on how to add a website to always be viewed in Compatibility Mode. If you go to that link, you must click on "Compatibility View" on the left vertical menu.

Setting Display or Due Dates and/or Times for Items - When setting these dates or times, use the calendar or clock icons to select the date and time. Don't type the date or time into the text boxes. If you type it in directly, it may not apply the date and time restrictions correctly.

Entering Feedback on Assignments for Students - There is more than one location in which you can enter feedback for a student on a particular assignment, and it doesn't always display for students the way one would think. When entering feedback in the Grade Center for assignments set-up using the Assignment tool or for tests set-up in Blackboard, the best way to input feedback is through Override in the Grade Details window. If you use feedback in the Edit area or through 'Open Attempt', students will have to click on their grade for a particular assignment in the student grades area to see the feedback.

*If you hover over a cell within the grade center, a double down arrow will display. When you click on that double down arrow this menu displays with the 'View Grade Details' option. (See figure above.)

If you enter feedback for a column you created in the grade center or in a column created when you enabled 'Grade Forum' for a discussion board forum grade, you can use either Edit or Override within the 'View Grade Details' window. The comments display correctly.

DO NOT Copy and Paste from Word Files into Blackboard - This has always been a problem, even with previous versions of Blackboard. The issue is more prevalent when copying and pasting from Office 2007 programs like Word 2007. There is a lot of background "code" that is copied from a Word 2007 file that when pasted into any web-based application, like Blackboard, it can cause many, many problems. It can cause issues that you never would have thought would be related to that. Follow the instructions below to copy and paste your text without copying over the code. (This is even better than saving your Word file as a text file. Even when you save it as a text file you still bring some coding over with it, and this will also give you a second file on your computer which could get confusing. The method below is better.)

Do NOT Set Course Duration Dates - Within course properties, you have the option to set the course duration in section 3. For now, this SHOULD NOT be utilized. Do not set start and end dates. Leave this option set to 'Continuous' and set course availability to 'Yes' at the start of the semester and 'No' at the end.

1. Copy the text in Word that you want in Blackboard.
2. Open Notepad. (Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Notepad)
3. Paste into Notepad. (Don't worry about what it looks like.)
4. Click on Edit and then Select All (In Notepad).
5. Click on Edit and then Copy (In Notepad).
6. Go to your course in Blackboard where you want the text and paste.
7. Format the text as needed within Blackboard.

Students receive security message when trying to download the Java chat tool.

Blackboard has acknowledged this issue as a bug. The problem will be fixed in a future release.

If the student does not have the Java chat plugin he/she will be directed to a link to download the plugin.
The Blackboard system generates a "non-secure" link for the download.
The student must answer to prompt to procees to the "unsecure" link or the student is prevented from downloading the plugin and or entering the session.
Students need to be instructed to read the prompt carefully and respond appropriately to allow the unsecure content.
The prompt is different for MS I.E. 7 and MS I.E. 8.
Blackboard has not given an estimated time for resolution.

Attachments not opening in IE8 - Work-around

Attachments not opening in IE8 – There is a known issue between Blackboard 9, Internet Explorer 8 and Microsoft Office files (.doc, .docx, etc.) that results in users not being able to click to open attachments in Blackboard. This impacts file attachments to content areas, files attached to the grade center, files attached to the discussion board, etc for both students and instructors.

The problem is described below along with four possible resolutions. Remember that this only affects Internet Explorer. Instructors and students may attempt to open a file by clicking on the link.

(Solution 1) When clicking on an attached file in Blackboard 9 when using Internet Explorer, you should see the Information Bar appear at the top of the page To access the attached file, the user will need to click on “Allow” and then “Download File…” or simply “Download File” depending on the browser settings on the Information Bar. This will result in the File Download window appearing at which point the user can proceed to Open or Save.
(Solution 2) Try right clicking on the file and selecting 'Open in New Window'. From this window, you would then have the option to 'Save' or 'Open'.
(Solution 3) If you have administrator rights to your computer you can adjust the browser settings on the computer from which Blackboard is being accessed, the problem can be resolved through changing the following browser settings. Follow the steps below.
- Open Internet Explorer.
- Click on ‘Tools’.
- Click on ‘Internet Options’.
- Click on the ‘Security tab’.
- Click on ‘Custom Level’.
- Scroll down and locate ‘Downloads’ and select Enable for ‘Automatic prompting for file downloads’.
- Click ‘Ok’.
- Select ‘Yes’ on the Warning window that appears.
- Click ‘Apply’ and then ‘Ok’.
(Solution 4) If the first two solutions do not work for you, or if you are not able to change your browser settings, use Firefox!

Using the Compatability View in IE8 for Blackboard

If you're using Internet Explorer version 8, you should turn on the "Compatibility View" mode setting so Bb renders properly.

You should advise your students to do this too. This prevents some problems they may have taking online tests.

To enable Compatibility View for Blackboard in Internet Explorer 8:
1. Push and release the "ALT" key on the keyboard to reveal IE8 menu toolbar

2. Click "Tools" menu > Compatibility View Settings

3. Type "blackboard.garrettcollege.edu" and click the Add button

This will add "garrettcollege.edu" to the Compatibility View list.

What's in the course template?

You will find a folder in your course shell entitled Course information. This folder contains a place to post your outcomes, profile, student expections and syllabus. You can change these items or remove them to suit your course needs. The folder also has information about student and academic services and the library. You should not remove these items, but feel free to add additional information to them.

How to get started using Blackboard

It's painless -really, it is!

Contact the Coordinator of Distance Learning to sign up for a one-on-one overview of Bb or a scheduled training event.

Faculty Support Website: Find a collection of How To's, Quick Guides and videos at http://www.garrettcollege.edu/bb_support

You can also request a temporary course shell to go exploring by yourself at http://www.garrettcollege.edu/bb_support/BB_ShellRequest.php

You will find my email listed on the support page - email me today!