Blackboard Basics:
The Blackboard instructional system allows USC faculty to easily create a course web site for class communications, posting assignments, posting readings, linking to complementary web sites, administering exams, and much more, all with little or no knowledge of web site design or HTML.

This brief handout discusses Blackboard basics and covers username and password procedures, system requirements, known problems, and references additional documentation and sources of support on campus. Students with Blackboard questions or problems should contact 777-1800 to request assistance (or place a ticket on the UTS help desk ).

Faculty with questions about using Blackboard at USC should contact Blackboard Support, 777-6015 (https://uts.sc.edu/ars) or email bbsupport@mailbox.sc.edu. .

Use Blackboard Responsibly! Refer to the University's official Student Guidelines for Responsible Computing and comply with these guidelines at all times.

Blackboard Username Lookup/Password Set:
If you do not know your USC Network Username/PW combination (or if you have forgotten your password), follow the instructions below. Please note that your instructor will notify you if Blackboard is being used in conjunction with a course.

• Login to VIP (http://vip.sc.edu )
  (Forget your PIN ? Students should contact the Registrar's Office; faculty/staff should contact your departmental Human Resources representative)
• Click on the Technology link
• Click on Show Me Network Username
  Your USC Network Username will be displayed and you will be prompted to choose your password. You must type in the password twice to verify your choice.
• Click on the SET PASSWORD button to set your new password
  

If you receive errors from VIP (either when looking up your username or setting the password), please carefully record the error message and code and contact the UTS Help Desk, 777-1800 or https://helpdesk.uts.sc.edu to place a support ticket for problem resolution. Please supply your username and USC ID (SSN) when placing the ticket.

Password Rules:
Legal passwords can be a minimum of 5 characters and a maximum of 14. They can contain any alphanumeric character (A-Z/0-9) and the $ sign. Case doesn't matter. Your password will expire every six months, or six months from the last time you re-set or change it (unless your departmental network manager has selected another expiration interval for your department -- check with your network manager for expiration rules for your unit).

Password Security:
If you enter your password incorrectly seven times when attempting to login, you will be locked out of Blackboard temporarily (this is a security feature for your protection). To get back in immediately, just go to VIP and return to the Technology link to re-set your password. Change your password often to protect yourself. You can also return to VIP/Technology link if you forget your password and need to re-set it.

Participating Systems

1. Your USC username and password combination are used to access Blackboard, University E-mail, most departmental networks, and many labs on campus. Setting your password through VIP changes your password for all these participating systems. Changing your password directly on any of these participating networks or applications also changes your password for Blackboard. Check with your departmental computer support staff if you have questions about participating systems. Details on the use of University E-mail are available at http://www.sc.edu/universityemail .
2. There is also a section called Setting Your E-mail address.. Change text to: Setting Your Email Address for Class Communications:
   By default, your University E-mail address (username@mailbox.sc.edu) will be your default email address on Blackboard, but you can change this to whatever email address you prefer to use for class communications. From the MY USC menu, select Personal Information from the Tools menu, then Edit Personal Information. Be sure you click on Submit in step 3 to register your changes, and then OK to verify your changes. By default, your class instructor's email address will also be listed as his/her e-mail address. Please confirm with your faculty member that GEM is his/her email address of choice before using it for class communications. If you want to use the University E-mail system for class communications, you can get more info on this package at: http://www.sc.edu/universityemail .

Virus Protection:
The Blackboard system allows you to share email and files with your classmates. ALWAYS be sure you are running up-to-date virus protection on your computer to prevent the spread of malicious computer viruses. USC licenses virus protection software that is available for free to all faculty, staff, and students; visit the Virus Information Center to learn more about virus protection and to download virus software updates.

Logging in to Blackboard:
To access your Blackboard account, point your web browser to the web address:

https://blackboard.sc.edu

and login at the screen prompts. After logging in successfully, you will see your classes listed. The system is easy to navigate, and the HELP icon at the top of the screen will take you to detailed documentation on using the system.

If you have trouble logging in, please be sure you have carefully read the system requirements below and have your browser set up properly, then refer to the login problem troubleshooting tips below.

System Requirements:
Operating Systems: Windows 98, 2000, NT, ME, XP; Mac OS 8.x or 9.x. Mac OSX 10.2 or greater is recommended, especially if Collaboration Tools will be used in a course.

Connection: You will need a 56K modem connection or better (cable modem, DSL, T1, etc.).

Browser: You will need to have IE 6 or greater or Netscape 6.2.3 or greater. It is recommended that you download the latest release of IE or Netscape if you experience problems with your current browser (http://www.microsoft.com or http://home.netscape.com).

PLEASE NOTE: The AOL browser is incompatible with Blackboard. If you use AOL (or another internet service that provides a customized browser), you should install Netscape or IE, minimize your AOL or other ISP application after connection, and then use Netscape or IE for Blackboard.

Settings and Helper Apps: Java and javascript must be enabled in your browser (this should be the default in current releases). You must also set your browser to Accept Cookies (again, the default in current releases). Windows users will also need to download the Java 2 Runtime Environment in order to use the Collaboration Tools (Virtual Chat or Lightweight Chat) available for download at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html. Mac OS 8 and 9 users running Netscape may need to download and install the Java MJR 2.2.5 and the Mozilla MRJ Plugin for Netscape.

You should also install the latest release of Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system (your instructor may post assignments in pdf format and this software will allow you to read these documents). This software is available for download for free at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.

You should be sure to disable pop-up blockers; pop-up blockers will prevent you from using the chat facilities in Blackboard and will prevent you from opening documents or tests your instructors have set up to load in separate windows.

Login Problem Troubleshooting:
If you have carefully followed the Network Username/Password lookup instructions outlined above, and received affirmative messages from VIP, but get the following message when logging into Blackboard:

Could not login. The username or password is incorrect.

you should proceed as follows:

• Be sure you are carefully entering your VIP assigned username and your password. Be sure you are only clicking on the 'LOGIN' icon ONCE. If you still have login problems, your password may have expired (the expiration period is different for different departments on the network). Go to VIP and reset your password as outlined above.
• Wait 20-30 minutes (to allow your password change to register network-wide), and try to login again. If you still have login problems, go to the next step.
• Clear the cache in your browser, logout and retry logging in. If you still experience problems, try quitting your browser completely, launch the browser again, and log back into Blackboard. If you still experience problems, proceed to the next step.
• Call 777-1800 and report the problem. A customer support representative will be able to work with technicians at UTS to resolve the problem quickly. Please be prepared to give our services rep your USC USERNAME and USC ID (your SSN) when you call, the exact error message you are receiving, and where you are on the system (VIP Username Lookup, PW set, Blackboard login, etc.) when you experience problems.

Problems with a Blackboard Session?
If you have problems with any Blackboard feature during a session, you should first be sure you are using a compatible web browser properly configured as outlined above.

You should also be sure to always use the navigation tools provided in the Blackboard session whenever possible, rather than navigating through your browser using Back/Forward/Refresh, etc.

Also, it is critical to avoid refreshing and resizing your screen when in Blackboard, especially in critical situations like taking a quiz/exam.

If you are getting strange responses from Blackboard (buttons won't open, bad information displayed, etc.), always try to clear the cache in your browser; also try logging out of Bb and back in, and closing your browser, reopening, and logging back in.

If you still experience problems, please contact UTS at 777-1800 for assistance.

Don't See Your Courses in Blackboard?
Does your enrollment in the course show up in VIP (under Academics)? If so, please note that it may take 48 hours for a course to rollover from VIP (the mainframe database) into Blackboard. If you registered late for a class, it will take time for your course to appear in Blackboard. If it has been over 48 hours since enrollment on VIP, then contact the UTS HelpDesk, 777-1800 and please provide your username, USC ID, and the class code and section that you are missing. If the course is not showing up in VIP, you should contact the Registrar's Office (777-5555). If you were able to access your classes on Blackboard, but they have disappeared, first check your enrollment status for this semester under the Academics section on VIP. You may have been dropped from the class by the Registrar's Office for some reason (e.g., a problem with payment). Check on your registration status and call 777-1800 to request to be reinstated in your Blackboard course. If you don't see a problem with your registration, call 777-1800 so we can troubleshoot the problem.

Setting Your Email Address for Class Communications:
By default, your Gamecock Email (GEM) address (username@mailbox.sc.edu) will be your default email address on Blackboard, but you can change this to whatever email address you prefer to use for class communications. From the MY USC menu, select Personal Information from the Tools menu, then Edit Personal Information. Be sure you click on Submit in step 3 to register your changes, and then OK to verify your changes.

By default, your class instructor's email address will also be listed as his/her GEM address. Please confirm with your faculty member that GEM is his/her email address of choice before using it for class communications.

If you want to use the GEM email system for class communications, you can get more info on this package at: http://csd.sc.edu/ars/webmail/faq.shtml

Don't Forget to Logout:
Always Logout of a Blackboard session when you are finished. If you are in a public lab, be especially careful to logout, and to quit the browser, too.

Additional Documentation:
A detailed student manual for Blackboard 6 is available from any USC Blackboard course; just select the Tools menu in your course and click on Student Manual. More documentation is also available by clicking on the HELP icon while logged into the USC Blackboard website.

Need More Help?
Students should call 777-1800 or go to https://helpdesk.uts.sc.edu (and create a support ticket) to place a request for assistance. Please relay the exact error message and code and details on the procedure causing problems (problem with username lookup, password set, logging into Blackboard, etc.).

Faculty should contact Blackboard Support at bbsupport@mailbox.sc.edu or call 777-6015.