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What is Blackboard?

Blackboard is an online course management system that allows professors to post grades, information, and assignments. Through the Blackboard course shell, students can:

  • hold discussions with their instructors and with other students
  • turn in assignments
  • take quizzes and tests
  • and check grades for their courses in Blackboard

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How do I get started using Blackboard?

NDSU students, faculty and staff:

  1. Access Blackboard from the NDSU home page at http://www.ndsu.edu (click the Blackboard link under "Online Services") or go directly to: https://bb.ndsu.nodak.edu
  2. Click the Login button at the top of the screen, OR click the "Click here to login." link



  3. Type your Username: (your NDSU electronic ID - i.e. firstname.lastname)
  4. Enter your Password: (the same password you use to access your NDSU email using Webmail)

  5. Click the Login button

If you are unable to login to Blackboard with your NDSU username and password, contact the ITS Help Desk (231-8685, Option 1) or E-Mail: ndsu.helpdesk@ndsu.edu.

Help Desk locations: 150A IACC, Downtown Campus 420, Library 14

Non-NDSU registered students:

  1. If the student is taking a course through Distance and Continuing Education, contact Karen Murie at 231-8638 or karen.murie@ndsu.edu.
  2. Otherwise, e-mail the following student information to ndsu.blackboard.support@ndsu.edu:
    "First Name", "Last Name", "E-mail Address"
  3. Please include the reason(s) these non-NDSU students are unable to use the standard registration process on-campus.
  4. The students will be enrolled into the course, and a confirmation of enrollment will be mailed to the instructor.

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How do I request help with Blackboard?

  1. Login to Blackboard
  2. Click the Bb Help tab at the top of the screen



  3. Select the appropriate option from the list -- OR --


  4. Click the links in the "Quick Tutorials" section for more information

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How do I create courses in Blackboard? (Instructors)

  1. Log in to Blackboard
  2. Find the Course Create Utility module on the "My Blackboard" page
    If you do not see the Course Create Utility, contact Blackboard Support at NDSU.Blackboard.Support@ndsu.edu
  3. Print the Course Create Utility instructions (PDF) - OR -
  4. View the Course Create Utility movie (SWF format)
  5. Review the new course checklist
  6. Add your course content
  7. Set up your gradebook (optional)

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Important: Assigning Extra Credit with Bb 8 Grade Center (Instructors)

Blackboard 8 Grade Center: How to do Extra Credit

Our current version of Blackboard has a bug that keeps it from handling Extra Credit correctly. We hope to get a fix for this soon, but in the meantime there is a work-around.

If you are using extra credit scores in the Grade Center, please read on to find out what you need to do to the extra credit columns AND the Total column to get around this problem. These are not step by step instructions but rather suggestions on how to handle some settings. For step by step instructions, please view the "Bb - How to set the Grade Center correctly for Extra Credit"in the Bb Buzz list.

  1. In any Extra Credit columns:
    1. Make Points Possible = 0
    2. Include this column in grade center calculations = Yes
  2. In any calculated or weighted TOTAL column:
    1. Under section #3 / Select ColumnsInclude in Total: choose radio button for "Selected Grade Columns" (NOT "All Grade Columns")
    2. In the Columns to Select box on the left -
      Highlight all the columns that should be included in the total, including extra credit columns but not including any calculated or weighted total columns and click on the right arrow Icon to send them to Selected Columns
      NOTE: You can click on the first one and shift-click on the last one to highlight all of them between the two. Ctrl-click if you need to pick and choose.
    3. Calculate as Running Total = NO **This is very important!
    4. Include this column in grade center calculations = Yes
  3. If you want to create a calculated total column that includes just the extra credit points -
    1. Choose just 1 of your extra credit columns and set Points Possible = .01
      This is necessary because Bb won't even look at those columns if they're all set to zero. It assumes there's nothing to total even though there are points entered in the cells.

NOTES:

In calculated or weighted Total columns, set Include this column in grade center calculations as YES.

Another way around this problem is to make your Extra Credit columns worth .01 points instead of zero points. This solves the problem without having to do step two in the above instructions, but it will raise your total possible points by .01 for each Extra Credit column. That shouldn't affect grading much, but we don't know how weighted totals would be affected.

General Information

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Last updated: Friday, July 10, 2009 12:06:35PM

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