Getting Started > Requesting Sites

When you request a site be sure to specify a few important bits of information - if you have it.

1) Call number: This is the number that students use when the register for your course. We use this information at the beginning of the semester to enroll your students. If you do not supply this information or if it is incorrect then there may be a delay in enrolling your students. If you do not have a call number type in 99999 on the site request. Keep in mind that you will have to either notify us of which students you'd like enrolled by providing us a list of their netids when you'd like them enrolled. If at anytime you have a question, or if your enrollment doesn't look complete feel free to e-mail blackboard@uic.edu.

2) Course Duration: We use this information to determine the type of site that we will create for you. This date range is directly correlated with when students will be able to login - when this date range is over students will see the site set as "unavailable". After your site is created you can adjust this information yourself at anytime by logging in and clicking "Control Panel>Settings>Course Duration".

A majority of sites on the server are semester based sites. They will be used during the course of a regular semester - when the semester is over the site will become unavailable to students. The site will remain on the server for one full year afterwards so you can request copies of it for subsequent semesters. After that it will be archived and taken off the server. It can be restored at any time by e-mailing us at blackboard@uic.edu.

If your site is for an external education program and will need to run at an irregular interval we will create a temporary course site. These course sites will be available based upon the date range that you submit. They will also remain on the server for one year to again facilitate the copying of the content of this site into a new site. At that time they will be archived and removed.

If your program never ends we will create this site as a continuous course site.

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Related FAQ's

Q: How do I login to the system?

To login to the system you must have an account (username and password). If you are an instructor and you do not have a username and password you can request a site by clicking on the link labeled "Request a Site" above.

If you already have a Blackboard account visit http://blackboard.uic.edu and login using your username and password.

If you have forgotten your password you can try to reset it yourself by visiting http://passwords.accc.uic.edu.

If you are unable to login altogether please send an e-mail to blackboard@uic.edu.

Q: What happens to my site at the end of the semester?

At the end of the semester your Blackboard site will remain on the server for one full year. This will allow you to request a copy of the course site if you teach it annually, or if you teach it every semester.

Student access to your site will be turned off according to the dates of availability you submitted in your Blackboard site request (by default this will occur two weeks after the semester ends). Your site will remain accessible to you and all other instructors for the full year.

After your site has been on the server for one full year we will archive it, save it on disk, and remove it from the server. If at any time you would like an old site restored you can submit a request to blackboard@uic.edu and we will restore it to the server.

Q: Do students need training?

Blackboard is a web browser based learning management system. Most students are able to use the system with little to no training. If a user knows how to browse the web they will know how to use Blackboard.

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