Blackboard FAQs
Q: How do I log into Blackboard?
A:
Use your EagleID to log into Blackboard. If this does not work, reset your password via Password Self-Service.
Q: I have a student calling to say they don’t see their course in Blackboard. They are on my roster. What do I tell them?
A:
Courses are available to students beginning the first day of class. They will not see it until then. If it is after the first day of class and they are still having trouble, they should submit an iSITE ticket.
Q: Do you have any training for how to use Blackboard?
A:
Yes. Blackboard training for faculty is available. Atomic Learning training is also extensive and helpful. Face-to-face training's will be available periodically as well. View upcoming workshops.
Q: How do I add a new course to Blackboard?
A:
New courses are added through Banner. Contact the registrar to add the course to Banner. The course will be added to Blackboard automatically the next time the system is updated.
Q: Can I copy the content from one Blackboard Learn 9.1 course to another?
A:
Yes. Open the source course. In the Control Panel, select Packages and Utilities>Course Copy. Click Browse to select the destination course. Search for and select the destination course and click Submit. Check the box beside each item you wish to copy into the destination course. Click Submit.
A short video detailing this process is available.
Q: I am teaching two sessions of the same course. Can you combine these for me?
A:
The courses can be merged into a new course. Submit your request to iSITE. Please note that once a semester begins, there is a potential for student work to be lost, so be sure to request this early.
Q: Can I keep my course running past the end of the semester? My students need additional time to complete the work.
A:
Courses are available for 10 days after the semester ends. If your students need more time than this, file for an incomplete per campus procedures for students who do not complete a course. Because course access is controlled by integration with Banner, this is the only way to leave a course open longer than scheduled.
Q: How do I make a course unavailable?
A:
Course availability is controlled by the integration with Banner. Students will have access to your course as of midnight on the first day of classes. You can make individual content areas unavailable to students to limit access to course materials. If you wish to hide a course on your list of courses, click the gear icon for the My Courses module and uncheck the box next to that course name.
Q: I can’t see the assignment (discussion board forum, etc.) I just created. Where did it go?
A:
Most likely you have assigned a range of available dates to the content or the content page. When you click on an item which is not available, you will get an error message. To view the content, go to the folder where the content is located, click the chevron icon 
next to the name of the content, and select Edit. This will allow you to preview the content.
Q: Where is the Assignment drop box?
A:
You can create an assignment with its own attached drop box. From any content page, click Assessment > Assignment to create an assignment. Give it a title and add student instructions. Provide the dates available and due date, assign a point value and upload a grading rubric if desired. Click Submit. Students will get assignment instructions and attach the assignment right to this page. You will be notified in the Grade Center (located in the Control Panel) when an assignment is ready for grading.
Q: I created an assessment in Blackboard. How do I deploy it?
A:
Once you create the assessment, you need to place it in a content folder. Go to the content page where you want the assessment to appear, and click Assessment > Test. Select the assessment from the list next to Add Test and click Submit. Set options for your assessment such as the dates to display it, the due date, the number of attempts a student has, etc. Click Submit. The test is now located in the content folder and will be available subject to dates and availability set by you.
Q: How do I assign a due date to discussion postings?
A:
You can now add any gradable content to the course calendar, including discussions. Just make this a graded forum (if you don't want to assign points, you can make the forum worth zero points) and then the due date feature will become available.
Q: How do I add an event to the course calendar?
A:
From the Control Panel, select Course Tools > Course Calendar. Click the plus (+) sign in the top right corner to create a course event. Give the event a name and select the course the calendar the event should appear in as well as the event date and time. Mark if it is an all day or repeating event and add a description if you like. Click Submit.
Q: Why are my student’s names not showing up in Course Messages?
A:
Student names do not show up until the first day of class. Once the course becomes available for the students, you will be able to send them a message.
Q: How do I prevent my students from getting an email in their Ace mail account every time I create or update an announcement?
A:
Do not check the box that says Send a Copy of this Announcement Immediately when creating the announcement. This option sends students an email in addition to creating the announcement.
Q: How do I create a demo student?
A:
Use our new Student View Tool. This will create a demo student and switch you into the student view mode. After using this tool once, you will see a new student enrolled in your course with user name bb_demo_yourusername. You can treat this demo student like any other student, assigning grades, taking tests as the students, or using the adaptive release feature. Blackboard will assign the same demo student to all your courses, so you can switch between course while in demo mode. To return to Teacher View, click the Return to Teacher View button.
Q: Is Blackboard Learn available on my mobile device?
A:
Instructors may use the Blackboard for Instructors App available for free download in the App Store or Google Play. This app allows you to grade assignments using the inline grading tool and provide feedback, create announcements, add and preview content, create push notifications, and more.
To download and start using Blackboard for Instructors:- Search for “Bb Grader” in the App Store or scan the code below:
- Once Blackboard for Instructors is installed, search for Texas A & M University - Texarkana using the search bar that automatically appears when you open the app.
- Select Texas A & M University - Texarkana.
- Log in using the same username and password you normally use to access Blackboard
