Getting started with Blackboard Learn?
Here some quick steps to help you get started with Blackboard
- Configure your computer: Before logging in to Blackboard for the first time, you should perform a browser check to make sure your computer is properly configured.
- Connect to Blackboard at utsa.blackboard.com
- Enter your myUTSA ID and Passphrase
- Your ID (or user login name) is your myUTSA ID ("abc123" format)
- Your passphrase is your myUTSA ID Passphrase. To reset your passphrase. go to the UTSA Passphrase Portal at https://passphrase.utsa.edu
- Accept the Java Security Certificate
- After logging into Blackboard, you will be prompted to accept a Java Security Certificate. This is a standard security process on your computer. You must click "Yes" or "Always" to ensure that Blackboard tools using Java (such as file manager, chat, mail, etc.) will work properly in your browser
- You will now see a dialogue box saying The application's digital signature has been verified. Do you want to run the application? Check the box "Always trust content from this publisher" and then click "Run"
- Access your courses
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Once you are logged into Blackboard, you should see your courses listed in the "Course List" box. To access a speciifc course, click on the course title link.
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To go to another course, click on the My Blackboard tab in the upper left part of the screen to return to the view that shows all your courses. To access another Blackboard course, click on the course title link.
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Your students will not have access to their course until the start of the semester.
- Other Things to Know
- Third party cookies are allowed by default on all supported browsers.If you experience problems staying logged into Blackboard, please check your browser settings to make sure you allow third party cookies.
- Some content within courses may require the installation of third party plug-ins such as Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, and others. In each case, there should be a notification and link informing you that you need to install a new plug-in when you run the browser check. Be careful that you only install trusted plug-ins that are necessary for the course content.
- It is extremely important that you Log Out and close the browser completely when you finish each session with Blackboard. This is the only way to protect your sensitive data. Make sure you Log Out when you are finished with your session, especially if you are in a public place suchs as a kiosk, library, or any other location where a computer is shared with other people.
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I am wondering when will I have access to my Spring 2014 courses so I can start working on them in Blackboard?
Blackboard course shells are created 60 days before the start of a new semester. Your Spring 2014 courses will become available near Nov 20, 2013. We can create for you a Development Course Shell in case you want to start working on your courses early, please send us an email at
[email protected]
Is it possible for a Department Chair to gain access to a faculty member Blackboard course?
Yes. It is possible for the Department Chair to gain access to the faculty member’s Blackboard course(s). The Department Chair needs to send an email to [email protected] with his name and myUTSA ID, the faculty member’s name and myUTSA ID, the semester of the course(s), and a list of courses and sections he would like to have access to. Example: BIO-1233-001-Fall-2012.
How can I link to a Test/Quiz I created and added to the Assesments area - I want to add it to my Week One folder but I don't see it when I click on assesments?
A test can only be DEPLOYED once. However you can add a link to it anywhere you like by selecting to add a course link on the main menu or from any content area.
How can I add someone (Teaching Assistant, another instructor) to my course?
From the control panel, expand the Users and Groups area and select Users. Click on the "Find Users to enroll" button. Add the Username(abc123) and from the Role drop down menu select the appropriate role and Submit
I'm having trouble finding student assignments (documents) on blackboard once they are submitted. What tab should I click on? Where should I go to grade them?
Student assignments that have not been graded will be available in the Grade Center by clicking "Needs Grading". Each attempt will have a green box with an exclamation mark in it. Click on the gray circle to the right of the attempt, and you can access the assignment and grade it.
How can I forward Course Messages from Learn to another email account.
The Course Messages tool is meant as an INTERNAL system. It is not designed to allow messages to be sent outside of the course.
Where is my sent folder for all of my emails?
IThe Learn email tool is a mail forwarding tool. The emails you send will be sent using your preferred email account. Unless you send a copy to yourself (recommended), there is no folder in the course where the sent emails are kept. See also differences between email and messaging FAQ
How do I create the column for the midterm grade to coincide with the midterm?
You can create a column called "Midterm" by clicking the "Create Column" button in the grade center. However, if you are using the Test tool to administer a test, that column will be created for you. You may also create a column that calculates the grades up to the mid term using the calculate column feature. We recommend that you contact Online Learning or sign up for training on the GradeCenter
Why won't Respondus let me save to a pool?
If you have not selected the correct personality, Pools will not be available. Go back to the Start Tab and select "Blackboard 7.X-9.X" in the current personality drop down menu.
Can I change my email address and/or name in Learn?
No. That information is taken from the UT Direct Employee Information System.
To change your preferred email in Blackboard, go to UT Direct and enter your alternate email address.
Please allow at least 24 hours for the update to take place in Blackboard.
Is there any training available for Learn?
Yes. Online Learning offers both online (self-paced) and in-person training
What is Blackboard Mobile Learn?
Blackboard Mobile Learn is an application that can be dowloaded and added to a smartphone or tablet device using IOS or Android. With it, users can access many of the feautres of Learn while on the go. Because UTSA subscribes to this service, students DO NOT have to pay
When I create a Wimba room, all of the archives for all of the courses show up in one place? How can I separate them?
Each Wimba room will have access to all of the archives created in that room. For that reason, it is best to create a room with a unique name for each section or course.
How can I change a users role in my course?
From the control panel, expand the Users and Groups area and select Users. Select the username and from the Role dropdown menu select the appropriate role and Submit.
Can I get an empty course shell so that I can start to work on my newest course?
Of course. If you contact Online Learning, we will create a development shell for you.
How can I transfer podcasts from one section to another?
Yes. To transfer podcsts, you will open the podcast tool and select the recording(s) you want to copy. Select the Export button and then select the format for export. Next go to the course where you want to add the podcasts and select the import button.
How can I add an assignment with no grade?
Simply put a "0" (zero) in the points field.
How can I see what my course looks like to students?
In addition to the Edit mode off feature, you can use the Student View option from the Course Tools.
What is the best browser to use with Learn?
Frankly, use which ever browser you prefer. Just keep in mind that Learn has a list of browsers that are approved and are confirmed to work best. If you are in doubt, RUN THE BROWSER CHECK.
Is there a way to move content between courses without copying the whole course?
Any file can be downloaded and uploaded into any course. You can also create "packages" or zip files that can be added to another course.
How do I hide content now? I can't find the "Hide" button.
All of the functions for any link are now accessed simply by clicking on the little gray circle (options menu)to the right of the item. When you click on the dropdown, and then "Edit", Step 3 allows you to "permit users to view this content" or not.
How are students added to my course? Can I transfer a student to another section?
Since we integrated with the Banner system, all students are enrolled in your course automatically based on official enrollment. It is not possible to manually enroll students to regular academic courses.
How can I make sure that my students aren't copying and pasting when I give them writing assignments?
We have something called SafeAssign. SafeAssign is a plagiarism prevention service, offered by Blackboard to its Blackboard Learning System. This service helps educators prevent plagiarism by detecting unoriginal content in student papers. In addition to acting as a plagiarism deterrent, it also has features designed to aid in educating students about plagiarism and importance of proper attribution of any borrowed content.
Can I add a guest or observer to my class?
We do not have that feature enabled at this time.
Can I upload a file once and have it go to more than one course section?
No. We do not have that feature enabled at this time.
If you send email to selected multiple students at a same time through Learn, would the students see the name (or email address) of the other students who received the same e-mail?
No. Students do not see the list of recipients.
Is there a way to know whether I have new Blackboard (or LEARN) Course Messages without logging in to Blackboard?
No. The Course Messages tool is meant as an INTERNAL system.
After I log in, is there a way to know whether I have new messages for the three courses I am teaching without having to check the 3 courses' respective mailboxes?
No. The Course Messages tool is meant as an INTERNAL system. It is private and self-contained within each course.
The new Blackboard doesn't mark messages that I had responded to so sometimes I have to go to the SENT folder to see if I had replied the student's message. Can I set it up so that the Blackboard will mark the messages I had responded to?
This feature is not yet available.
How do I request a course that isn't an academic course - say for a club or tutoring?
Please contact Online Learning to make your request.
With the new Blackboard, are emails sent to student's @my.utsa.edu accounts or the email that students provide as their official contact on ASAP?
Emails are sent to the students preferred email which may or may not be the utsa email address. It is important that students know what email they have selected and check it regularlly.
How do I turn off pop-up blockers?
That feature is browser specific. Please consult the appropriate tutorial for more information.
Can I log in to Learn from home?
You can log in to Learn where ever you have access to the internet and a properly configured computer, tablet or device.
I will will be leaving the university soon - how long do I have access to Learn after the semester?
Learn is only available to currently enrolled students, staff members and faculty. You will require special permission to access a course once you are no longer employed at UTSA.
How can I add a custom background to a course page?
Learn has a variety of templates for you to choose from. To access the choices avaiable to you, go to the Control Panel, Customization, and then Teaching Style. In step 3, you can select a Course Theme.
How do I add a banner to my course?
To add a banner image, go to the Control Panel, Customization, and then Teaching Style. In step 7, you can select a banner image and add it.
Can I use custom icons?
This feature is not available to faculty. However, your course development team can assist you with the creation and use of custom visual elements.
How do I remove a student from my course?
This function is not available to faculty. If you have a student that you need to deny access to immediately (perhaps for some violation of policy), contact Online Learning.
Why don't my web pages display properly for students - when they click on a link they receive the error that the page is unavalable or they do not have permssion to view them? I see them fine.
Sometimes when courses are copied, permissions to access files do not transfer. You should contact Online Learning for assistance if you find that your webpages are not displaying correctly to students.
I have tried to show a link on my course menu, but it will not "show" - how can I fix this?
Often when a link is added in more than one place, a setting on one area is overriding another. For example, if I make a link hidden on the course menu, it will not display when I add it to a content area. Check all of the access points for correct settings.
Can someone help me create SCORM Modules for use in my course?
Online Learning has some applications that output SCORM that can be added to Learn courses. Please contact us for more information.
I accidently added students to one of my Learn courses who shouldn't be in it. How do I remove or unenroll them from the course?
This function is not available to faculty. Please contact Online Learning for assistance. If you need to immediately suspend a student's access from a course (for some violation of user guidelines) please contact Online Learning.
What does the number in the little red box in the upper right portion of my home page represent
This number represents the updates that appear on your notifications page based on the settings you have chosen.
How can I enroll in the Online Orientation course? It is requesting a passcode.
Please contact Online Learning.
Some student tell me that they are not receiving the email sent from Learn. Why is that?
Emails are sent to the students preferred email. It is important that students know what email they have selected and check it regularly.
I have been using the Course Messages feature in Learn. If there are new messages, do students get any kind of alert when they log in?
No. Unfortunately, messages are not included in the notifications that student receive.
When sending messages through Course Messages, I can only attach one document per message. Is that correct or am I missing something?
No. That is correct.
Are the shells for each course automatically set up?
Empty course shells are created automatically. However, it is up to the instructor of record to migrate or create the content within the shell.
Is it possible for me to merge 2 of my courses into one in LEARN?
Yes. Please contact online learning to make a request to merge course sections.
Can I edit my document (Word, Adobe PDF) within Learn?
No. You must download the document and edit it in the application that was used to create it.
Can I create and edit HTML in Learn?
Yes. Learn includes a robust HTML editor.
I will be using Pearson's Test Gen to prepare exams - what version should I save the tests as? What is compatible with the Learn system?
If you are using publisher content, select a version that is compatible with Blackboard 7.X-9.X - or- select a Respondus file (.rsp) if it is available.
How do I order my columns in the gradebook?
From the full grade center, select the Manage button and then select column organization. Here you will have the same method available that is used throughout Learn - the drag-and-drop interface - which appears on the left of the column title. Keep in mind that this does not change the order of grades in the Student's gradebook.
How do I add a column in the gradebook?
From the full Grade Center, select Create Column. Be sure and start at the top of the form and work your way down.
When I add a file to my course, where is it actually going?
Any files added to your course will go to the files for that course under the Control Panel.
What is the difference between adding a file and adding an item to a content area?
A file is used when you want to add a document you created with another application such as Word or Adobe Acrobat. An Item allows you to create a file that is saved in your course as HTML and is editable.
How can I share my content with another instructor?
The simplest method is to allow a fellow instructor to have access to your course. You may also create copies of the files you wish to share and then give the instructor just those files.
Can you delete columns from the gradebook? I am changing things and while I can hide the columns I won't be using, I'd rather just delete them if possible.
You can only delete columns that you created. You cannot delete columns that the application created - such as columns associated with assignments or tests - until you have deleted those.
Can you change the order or delete courses from the home page?
If you roll over the myCourses panel, and click on the little sprocket icon that appears - you can personalize the information you see. You can hide or reorder but not delete courses.
How many attachments can I add to Learn course messages? email?
With a Course Message it's only possible to add a single attachment. With an email, it is possible to add multiple files.
Can I add Flash files to my course?
Yes. It is easy to add media files particularly when using the HTML editor.
I need help developing a multi-media project - who do I contact?
Please contact Online Learning to make your request.
Can I teach a lesson to my class while I'm at a conference? I can either prepare it ahead of time, or ask them to go online during the regular class time.
This is possible with the Wimba Classroom tool. You can log on during your class period and the students can participate with you in a virtual lecture. You can also pre-prepare and archive a lecture. Please contact Online Learning for more information.
Why do I get a duplicate column when I tried to upload a .csv file to the Bb Learn Grade Center?
Whenever you have a column in Learn, there is a column name, which you see, and a column identifier, which you do not see. For example, I create a column called Exam 1. I see only Exam 1, but when I download that column to Excel, I see a column called "Exam 1 [Total Pts: 1] |147894". So, when you upload the Excel file , and don't match column names you will see duplicate columns of Exam.
Why is my Grade Book column "Percent to Date" not calculating correctly?
WebCT had more powerful calculations available in the grade book and those calculated columns won't import correctly. You can create a new running Total column and set it to display as a percentage to achieve the same effect; or, if you don;t need to show total points, you can simply change your current Total column to display as a percentage.
