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Reference number: 630-617-3173

Main number: 630-617-3160

More Help

Students should seek assistance from Office of Information Services by visiting the Service Desk on the second floor of Goebel Hall or by calling (630) 617-3767.

  • Your Blackboard username and password are the same as your technology account name and password.
    If you change your password on Blackboard, you are NOT changing your technology account password.

Faculty should consult with their Departmental Library Liaison for Blackboard assistance.  You can also find helpful videos on a variety of Blackboard topics in the YouTube Playlist provided by the Center for Scholarship and Teaching

Additional Resources:

Releases & Issues

Every 6-8 weeks Blackboard releases additions to the software that add new features, improves existing features or fixes software problems and bugs.  Software is delivered without interruption. For more information, please follow the links below:

Blackboard FAQ's

Blackboard FAQ’s (updated October 3, 2022)

 

 

I am in Blackboard and I don't see my course listed on my welcome page. What should I do?

With Ultra Navigation system you will have to select "courses" from the course on the left.  Take some time to explore the new Course Cards layout including the filters and favorites features.

 

 

What if I want to start with a blank shell?

Your  blank shell has already been created.  Access your courses by logging into the portal and selecting the Blackboard link.  You'll need to make your course “available” by clicking on the lock symbol. By default, all courses are unavailable when they shell is created.

 

 

How do I get a new course?

All Blackboard shells will be created automatically and students will be automatically enrolled pulling information from Colleague. If you need a new course for any other reason, please create a ticket through the Portal.

 

 

How do my students get enrolled?

All Blackboard shells will be created automatically and students will be automatically enrolled pulling information from Colleague.  If students drop courses in Colleague in the first week of the semester, they will be automatically unenrolled within 24 hours from your Blackboard course.

 

How long will my course stay available?
Please note that all courses will be marked Unavailable in Blackboard four weeks after grades are due for the semester.  Instructors will still have full access to these courses and can make them Available if need be.

 

 

How long will my new Blackboard course on the server?

Your course will remain on the server for 2 years plus one semester.  Then it will be disabled (not deleted).  Faculty will need to copy courses or archive to use in the future.

 

I have multiple sections of the same class. Can you combine them for me?

Yes, we course can be consolidated for a variety of reasons. This is accomplished by submitting a service ticket and using the category “Records and Registration”   Here is an example of what the ticket should contain:

Please consolidate the following course sections for 16FA:

ABC-123-01 Parent
ABC-123-02 Child
DEF-456-03 Child

Continue adding all additional course sections

After the ticket has been created it is immediately sent to a dispatcher for review and if there are any questions you will be contacted.  If you do not have a campus extension that you can be reached at, please provide a phone number. Otherwise we will contact you only via email.  It is strongly discouraged that you combine courses after the semester starts.

Course Consolidation

There are a couple of new options for consolidating cross-listed and non-cross-listed courses.

System Requirements

1. Browser Choice

   
   
   
Desktop OS
Browser Versions		 Mobile and Tablet OS
Browser Versions*
Android Browser Not available 4+
Chrome                           87+ 33+
Edge 87+ 46+
Firefox 78+ 33+
Internet Explorer Unsupported Unsupported
Safari 13+ (desktop/Mac iOS) 12+ on iOS

 

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2. Devices & Operating Systems

Category

Tested

Operating Systems

Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, MacOS 10.8, MacOS 10.9, MacOS 10.10, iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, Chrome OS

iOS Devices

iPod Touch , iPhone 4S, iPhone 5S, iPhone5c, iPhone 6, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad Mini 3, iPad Air 2

Android Devices

Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, HTC G1, LG C800 Mytouch, HTC One, Galaxy Note 2014, HTC One M8

Windows Mobile Devices

Venue 8 Pro, Lumia 520, Lumia 930

Chrome OS Devices

Chromebook

Note that mobile and tablet browsers for both Android and iOS are much better equipped to handle the Ultra Experience than the Original Experience. 

3.  Java Installation & Java Runtime Environment 7 & 8

 

4.  Third Party Plug-ins

  • You may require third party plug-ins to view certain content.
  • Check to see if you have the updated versions of Flash, Acrobat Reader, and Quick Time.

5. No longer supported by Blackboard:

  • Windows XP
  • Windows, MacOS, and Linux systems not running a supported browser
  • Internet Explorer
  • Firefox versions 50 and lower on desktop; all Firefox versions on mobile devices
  • Chrome versions 56 and lower (version 34 and lower on mobile devices)
  • Safari versions 10 and lower
  • JRE 6 for Blackboard Learn Original user interfaces

The most current information on System Requirements for Blackboard Learn  can be found here.