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Blackboard

Frequently Asked Questions

Question Answer
Why do I encounter an "Access Denied - Either you are not logged in or you do not have the appropriate privleges to perform this action" when entering a class in which I am a student? This is due to the fact that when you leave a class that you're editing (Edit Mode is ON), that mode transfers to all other classes. If you try to access a class where you don't have permission to be in edit mode, this is the error response you will recieive. If it has already happened:
  1. Turn off Edit Mode (Click the ON Button).
  2. Click F5 to refresh the screen, and the course should then be accessible.

To prevent it from happening, turn off edit mode when leaving the course you're editing before entering another course as a student
Do I need to have cookies enabled to access Blackboard? Cookies must be enabled to use Blackboard. Blackboard uses "session" cookies in order to login to the system. However, these cookies are not permanent—once you close your browser after finishing a session in Blackboard, the cookie will go away.

To enable cookies in your Internet Explorer browser:

  1. Click on Tools, then Internet Options.
  2. Select the Privacy Tab.
  3. Your security level should be "medium or less" to allow cookies. Click on slide bar and make necessary change, Click OK button.

To enable cookies in your Safari browser:

  1. Click on Safari, then Preferences.
  2. Select Security.
  3. Make sure that "Always" is checked under the Accept cookies section.

To enable cookies in your Firefox browser:

  1. Click on Tools, then Options.
  2. Select Privacy.
  3. Make sure that the "Accept cookies from sites" is checked under the Cookies section.
Why do I sometimes receive an error message when attempting to connect to Campus Pack blogs, journals, and wikis? You need to clear your browser cache. To do so:

Close all browser instances then launch a single instance.

For IE8: Tools >> Internet Options >> Browsing History… >> Delete >> check Temporary Internet files, Cookies, and History >> uncheck Preserve Favorites website data >> Delete

For Firefox 3.5 or greater: Tools>>Clear Recent History >> set Time range to Everything >> check Cookies and Cache >> Clear Now

For IE7: Tools >> Internet Options >> Browsing History… >> Delete >> Delete files… >> Delete cookies… >> Delete history…

Safari: Tools >> Reset Safari >> check Empty the cache and Remove all cookies >> Reset

Exit and then re-launch the browser.

For a printable version of these directions, see: Clearing Cache (pdf)

For other browser directions, see: http://www.bnl.gov/itd/webapps/browserCache.asp

If, after following these steps, the 404 error continues to occur, send an email to blackboard@twu.edu to let us know.
Do I need to have pop-up blockers disabled to be able to use Blackboard chat? Yes. Before using the Collaboration tools, you will need to disable the pop-up blockers or hold down the CTRL key when clicking the "Join" button.
How do I copy from Microsoft Word or a web page into Blackboard? You can copy and paste content from a Microsoft Word document or web page into Blackboard by copying the content into Notepad and then into Blackboard.
  1. Open your Microsoft Word source document as well as the editing location in Blackboard where you plan to paste it.
  2. Open a new blank Notepad document in Windows
    • Press the Windows Start button and then go to Programs > Accessories > Notepad
  3. In Microsoft Word, highlight the text you want to paste and copy as you normally would
  4. Paste the highlighted text into the blank Notepad document
  5. In Notepad, use Ctrl-A and then Ctrl-C to copy the now formatting-free version of your text
  6. Paste this text into the Blackboard editor as you normally would
Can I use Internet Explorer 9? Those using Internet Explorer 9 have experienced difficulties in Blackboard including an inability to access the Grade Center and an inability to create new discusion board threads.

The recommended browser for Windows is Internet Explorer 8. For those running Mac OSX, we recommend Safari.

Where are an assignment's points possible listed in the Grade Center? Due to new Grade Center features such as grade exemption and lowest grade dropped, it is possible for different students to have a different total points possible. To find out what each students' total points possible is, simply click on the cell related to that student under the Total column and the Points Possible will be displayed in the gray Grade Information Bar. If an instructor chooses not to use the exemption or grade drop features, then the Points Possible will be the same for all students in the Total column.
Why can't I access Blackboard from my work place, public school, or government office? Many places use firewalls to block harmful programs and information from their computers. This can also block users from being able to access Blackboard or certain features in Blackboard.When trying to access from - a school district, government office, public library, or hospital - it may be necessary for your technical support personnel to configure the firewall for Blackboard access.

When accessing from home, you may need to make changes to your firewall settings to allow access to blackboard.
Why is there random, unexpected html code in my course? Unexpected HTML code in text fields including the tag : <input type="hidden" id="gwProxy" /> causes problems for students taking exams as well as display problems on any page containing it.

This code is caused by a Firefox plugin called "Browser Highlighter" which adds its own code to all text entry fields accessed by the browser when in editing mode although it is invisible unless the users is in HTML view mode.

To remedy this issue, the user should uninstall the "Browser Highlighter" plugin from Firefox then remove any code already added.
Should I add HTML to an area of my course that does not have a Visual Text Box Editor? Only incorporate HTML in text areas that have a Visual Text Box Editor available.
Why does my content item have a red error message that says "Invalid HTML: Drag and drop..."? All seen occurrences of this were fixed by simply editing the item and then saving it.
Can I open a Microsoft Office 2007 document (.docx, .xlsx, etc.) in Microsoft Office 2003? Users are not able to open MS Office 2007 files if they are still using MS Office 2003 applications - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

Save documents as .pdf or save documents in MS Office '97-2003 or download MS Office Compatibility pack if using MS Office 2003 applications.

Click for instructions: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/results.aspx?qu=compatibility+pack
How should I name my assignment file? The student will need to rename the file without the illegal character(s) and resubmit. Allowed characters in file names are A-Z, a-z, 0-9, a "-" (dash), and an "_" (underscore). It is highly recommended that file names containing spaces, slashes, #, %, $, and so forth not be submitted.
How do I see who has accessed by Blackboard course? An instructor can find when a certain user has last accessed a specific course shell. From the Courses window in the System Administrator tab, click on Modify, and then on Course Access Statistics. Then use the Filter Options to choose the user in question.
Will my discussion board or grade center sorting order stick if I logout and log back in? If you change row order by clicking on a column header, you will need to do so each time you logout and log back in. However, if you use the drag and drop method to sort discussion board forums, that will remain intact as the default when you log back in.

page last updated 2/29/2012 3:38 PM