Blackboard at UIS

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Important Blackboard Tips

File Naming

In order to avoid errors when downloading or grading files in Blackboard, please follow (and encourage your students to follow) these guidelines:

  • Use only letters, numbers and underscores (_) in file names.
  • Don't use spaces, commas, pound signs (#), question marks, equal signs, dashes or any other special characters in your file names.
  • File names should be 60 characters or less in length.

For more information on the errors caused by improperly named files, see More Info on Naming.

Discussion Board

  1. In Tree View large message boards display slowly if the tree is expanded. If you keep your threads collapsed, they render more quickly.
  2. There is a known bug in Tree View where the "Select All" button does not appear on the bottom toolbar. If you click on "List View" and then "Tree View" again, the "Select All" button should reappear. UIS has reported this issue to Blackboard.
  3. If you are having trouble collecting messages in Tree View, try changing to List View. There is a bug with Tree View that does not seem to affect List View.
  4. File names for attachments to discussion threads should not be named with special characters. See Attachment Names for details.

Copying and Pasting to Blackboard

Do NOT copy and paste text from Microsoft Word, email, or web browsers directly into Blackboard.

This includes adding items and folders, setting up Discussion Board forums and postings, and creating test, survey, and pool questions.

Copying text directly from these web-enabled software applications often places hidden HTML and Java code in your Blackboard course materials. This code makes it difficult for some students, especially those using slow computers or internet connections, to view the content.

Instead, paste the text into Notepad (PC) or Text Edit (Mac) first. Then copy and paste it into Blackboard. This simple step removes any hidden codes that could disrupt access to your course materials.

For exams, another alternative is to use Respondus. Respondus helps you create and manage exams and pools, and then allows you to publish the exam or pool directly to Blackboard. UIS faculty and staff members may download Respondus for free from the UIS Software WebStore.

Clear Formatting

When copying and pasting information into Blackboard, formatting often does not copy accurately. Updates to the Visual Textbox Editor (available in only in Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers) let you clear the formatting of text.

If you wish to clear the formatting of text in Blackboard, modify the item, highlight the text, and click on the clear formatting Clear Formatting Button in the Blackboard Visual Textbox Editor button.

Private Comments in Gradebook

You can leave private comments for any Gradebook item by:

  1. In your Gradebook, click on the name of an assignment (column title).
  2. On the next page, select "Item Grade List."
  3. Click on the "Modify Comments" button for one of your students. A pop-up window will open.
  4. Enter your comments.
  5. Be sure to check the "Is Public" checkbox. This allows your student to view the comment.
  6. Click the "Submit" button.
  7. Students can access comments through My Grades.

Discussion Grader

Blackboard automatically creates Gradebook items for several types of assignments, including: Discussion Forum Grades, Tests, Surveys, Assignment Tool assignments, and Turnitin.com assignments.

Renaming or deleting automatically generated Gradebook items causes errors when grading, viewing or downloading content. This is especially problematic with Discussion Forum Grades.

When you turn on the Discussion Grader, Blackboard automatically creates a Gradebook item for the graded forum. The Gradebook item name matches the name of the Discussion Forum.

Do not delete or rename Discussion Forum grades, as you will lose access to your student's grades; there is currently no way to fix this error.

Collaboration Tools

Instructors may have problems loading the Collaboration tools, either Chat or Virtual Classroom, through the Control Panel.

If you have trouble loading the tools, go to the front of your course (where you see the navigation buttons and announcements).

Click on Tools > Collaboration > Join. This action should eliminate the error. You should now be able to access the Collaboration tools from the Control Panel or the front of the course.

Course Health Check

Course Health Check is a new tool in Control Panel. The External Link Check makes sure all your links to content outside Blackboard are live. The Invalid Character Check searches your course for characters that may prevent you from successfully exporting or archiving your course materials.

To run a Course Health Check, go to Control Panel. Click on "Course Health Check" under Tools. Click on the name of the test you wish to run.

Reporting Errors in Blackboard

If you encounter an error while working in Blackboard, please report it to ITS Tech Support (217-206-6000 or techsupport@uis.edu). Three pieces of information are important:

  • Date and time the error occurred
  • Screen shot of the error message
    • To capture the screen, press the "Print Screen" key (usually found on the upper right side of your keyboard), and then paste the image into your email message to Tech Support. (To paste the image: Press and hold the CTRL key, and then strike the "v" key.)
  • Name of the Blackboard web server
    • Blackboard runs on three web servers at UIS.
    • The server you use is determined at random when you log in to Blackboard.
    • To determine which web server you are using, click on Course Tools in the left navigation of the course, and then click on "Which Web-app Server." You may also click on "Which Web-app Server" under Tools in the Control Panel of your course.
    • The name of the server will either be bbrs1.uis.edu, bbrs2.uis.edu, or bbrs3.uis.edu.

More Info on Naming Conventions

File Attachment Names

If you use a special character to name a file attachment, you will get an error when you try to open the file. This is NOT the name of Blackboard item or folder, but the name of the actual file uploaded (assignment#1.doc, for example).

When you try to open the improperly named item, you will receive an "HTTP, Error 404, Files not found" error. The problem applies to files uploaded or attached by both instructors and students.

Instructors, there are two ways to address this problem. The student could rename the file without the special character(s) or space(s) and resubmit it. Another option is to contact OTEL, who will contact Blackboard administrators to have them rename the item in the database. Once the item is renamed in the database, instructors will be able to access the file originally submitted by the student.

Assignment Tool Assignments

If you use special characters to name your assignment created with Assignment Tool (Assignment #1, for example), you won't be able to download all the student files at once.

The error will prevent you from downloading student assignments in a .zip file, though you'll still be able to grade the assignments one at a time. Modifying the name of the assignment does not fix the issue.

Turnitin.com Assignments

Using special characters and spaces in Turnitin.com assignment names and files submitted to Turnitin.com causes errors in Blackboard database logs. The only way to avoid this error is to not use special characters or spaces in file names.