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Frequently Asked Questions

General Login Problems & Browser Configuration Tips

Q: What username and password should I use for Blackboard?
Q: My password doesn't seem to be working. I get an error message.
Q: I got in, but don't see my course(s) listed.
Q: I got in and clicked on my course, but got an "Access denied" error.
 Q: So how should I configure my browser to avoid problems with Blackboard?

Q: What username and password should I use for Blackboard?

A: Your username is your UIC NetID, the same as for all other ACCC services (and many other services on campus). It does not include "@uic.edu" — that would be your UIC email-address! The only time you should ever include "@uic.edu" in a "username" field is when bluestem-authenticating at Urbana servers, such as Nessie. It is then used to redirect your authentication request to the UIC servers. As Blackboard is a UIC service, you don't put the "@uic.edu" there.
If you are staff/faculty and don't yet have a UIC NetID, you need to get one right away from your departmental phonebook contact. This also applies to adjunct faculty! Then you must activate it on the web, just like students.

Your password is your ACCC common password, the same as for all other ACCC services, such as webmail or bluestem web authentication. Note that this is normally not the same as your ITS/hospital password. If you have not set an ACCC common password after 2003-06-01, you will have to set one before you can use Blackboard. In particular, when you activate your NetID, you will be setting a common password. Note that the ACCC common password expires after a year and needs to be changed at http://passwords.accc.uic.edu/ (linked from Blackboard login page).

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Q: My password doesn't seem to be working. I get an error message.

A: There are various scenarios. Please read them all.

  1. You get the error: "No authentication credentials were provided with the request".
    This means you have JavaScript disabled in your browser, a browser configuration problem. Enable JavaScript (see below), then visit blackboard.uic.edu again and try once more.
  2. You get the error: "Could not login. You have not provided valid authentication credentials.".
    This can mean various things: a simple typo, CAPS-lock on, incorrect password, incorrect username (e.g. you may by mistake have included "@uic.edu"), or account missing from Blackboard (but existing in LDAP). Or the problem may be specific to your computer or browser - see below.
    Try whether you can log in to UIC webmail with the same username and password. If you can, try changing your common password via the link on the login page. If you just recently did that, and have tried everything else on this page, contact us, provide your NetID, and we will create a Blackboard account for you. This should normally have happened automatically already.
  3. You just set or changed your common password.
    Sometimes it takes a while for password changes to trickle down. The change may even have been effective for webmail already, and not yet for Blackboard. Please wait a few hours. Also try the other suggestions on this page first.
  4. You cannot log in using your preferred browser, but can log in using another, such as Mozilla, Firefox, Netscape 7, or Opera.
    This is a browser configuration problem, system software problem or spyware infection. See below..
  5. You cannot log in on one machine, e.g. your home PC, but can log in elsewhere, e.g. in the ACCC labs.
    This could be due to a spyware infection on your PC, the need to update your PC, or a browser configuration problem.
    • Did you try using a different browser yet?
    • Run WindowsUpdate (if you are using Windows) and apply all security updates.
    • If using IE 6, refer to MS KB831167 and update it.
    • Run a complete computer scan with Symantec AntiVirus (of course after updating your virus definitions). But if you are a Eudora user, first tell SAV to exclude .mbx files from scanning!
    • Use Spybot S&D to scan your computer for malware and clean it (of course using the most recent spyware database).
    • If you are using a software firewall, such as ZoneAlarm, SygatePF, tinyPF, or the Windows XP firewall, try whether temporarily disabling this lets you log in.
    • Refer to the browser configuration section below for additional very important steps.

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Q: I got in, but don't see my course(s) listed.

A: There are various possible reasons:

  • Your class does not use Blackboard at all.
    Ask your instructor whether it does, and whether he has requested a site for this term yet.
  • Your site has recently been requested, but is not yet created.
    Your instructor can tell you so.
  • Your site exists, but has not been made available to students.
    Ask your instructor to change this from his course control panel, under "Settings > Course Availability".
  • You have not yet been added (enrolled) to the Blackboard site, although you have enrolled to the course.
    This may mean the site has the wrong call number(s) (CRNs) listed, leading to wrong/incomplete enrollment. Your instructor can correct this from the course control panel, under "Settings > Course Name and Description".
    Or it may mean our record of you is somehow incomplete/incorrect. In that case, the instructor can enroll you manually for quick access to the site, but it is a good idea to contact us anyway so this doesn't happen again.

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Q: I got in and clicked on my course, but got an "Access denied" error.

A: This means your course duration is incorrectly set, or you are accessing it too late or too early. Contact your instructor, and if you are expected to be able to use the site yet, ask them to adjust the course duration in their course control panel, under "Settings > Duration". Typically sites are set to become available to students one week before classes officially start, through one week after finals.

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Q: So how should I configure my browser to avoid problems with Blackboard?

A: The instructions below all assume you have already opened the browser's Preferences dialog. This is found via "Edit > Preferences" on Mozilla/Netscape, and "Tools > Internet Options" in MS Internet Explorer.

Caching Caching problems lead to "wrong" pages showing up, and are frequently reported as a source of login problems as well. After applying the setting, clear your cache and restart the browser (close ALL windows first, including any file download windows) to make sure the cache is really cleared.  
MS Internet Explorer General tab > Temporary Files > Settings: Make sure this is set to "Every time". To clear cache, click "Delete Files".  
Mozilla/Netscape Advanced > Cache: Select "Every time I view the page". Click "Clear Cache".  
SSL Much of Blackboard goes through secure connections. SSL must be enabled, and it is crucially important to have the right versions enabled.  
MS Internet Explorer Advanced tab > Security (near bottom): Check "Use SSL 2.0" and "Use SSL 3.0". UNcheck "Use TLS 1.0".  
Mozilla/Netscape Privacy & Security > SSL: Check "SSL v2.0 enabled" and "SSL v3.0 enabled".  
Cookies With cookies turned off, logging in is impossible, as a sessionID cookie is used to identify and authenticate you throughout your session.  
MS Internet Explorer Privacy tab > Web Sites > Edit: Type in "blackboard.uic.edu" and click on "Allow" to make sure cookies from blackboard.uic.edu are always accepted, no matter what your other settings are. Same for "blackboard.uic.edu:8011" (for Virtual Classroom).  
Mozilla/Netscape Privacy & Security > Cookies > Manage Stored Cookies > Cookie Sites: Type in "blackboard.uic.edu" and click on "Allow" to make sure cookies from blackboard.uic.edu are always accepted, no matter what your other settings are. Same for "blackboard.uic.edu:8011" (for Virtual Classroom).  
JavaScript Much of Blackboard's functionality depends on JavaScript. With JavaScript turned off, logging in is impossible. So is taking quizzes.  
MS Internet Explorer Security tab > Custom Level > Scripting (near bottom): Choose "Active Scripting: Enabled".
Also, while you're here: below that, under User Authentication, choose : "Prompt for username and password".		  
Mozilla/Netscape Advanced > Scripts & Plugins. Choose "Enable JavaScript for: Navigator".  
Passwords & form data There appear to be occasional problems with the browser storing the encoded password for Blackboard and submitting the stored value instead of the current one. While it isn't entirely clear whether this is indeed the source for those users' login problems, we recommend the following as troubleshooting step:  
MS Internet Explorer Content tab > Personal Information > AutoComplete: UNcheck "Forms" and "Usernames and Passwords on Forms". Click "Clear Forms" and "Clear Passwords". Quit and restart the browser before trying again.  
Mozilla/Netscape Privacy & Security > Passwords > Manage Stored Passwords: make sure "blackboard.uic.edu" is listed among the sites where passwords are never stored. Under ... > Forms > Manage Sites: make sure "blackboard.uic.edu" is listed among the sites for whom form data is never stored. Or turn off saving of form data and passwords completely, if you like.  
Browser Helper Objects (BHOs) This is the main hook for malware (spyware, adware, browser hijackers, etc.), so it's very important to turn this off. Malware such as CommonName is a frequent source for login problems.  
MS Internet Explorer Advanced tab > Browsing (near top): UNcheck "Enable third party browser extensions". Restart the browser after clicking OK.  
Mozilla/Netscape does not apply (Mozilla/NS are safe)  
Popups Allowing popups is necessary to make Virtual Classroom work.  
MS Internet Explorer If using a third-party popup blocker, make sure it allows popups for blackboard.uic.edu and blackboard.uic.edu:8011. If you can't configure your popup blocker to allow popups from certain sites, get a better one.  
Mozilla/Netscape Privacy & Security > Popup Windows > Allowed Sites: Allow popups for blackboard.uic.edu and blackboard.uic.edu:8011.  
Offline content Only needed if your course uses links to content on CDROM. Modern browsers prevent links from remote sites to point to content on local disks/media as a security measure.  
MS Internet Explorer Security tab > Trusted Sites > Sites: Add http://blackboard.uic.edu/  
Mozilla/Netscape

Using MS Wordpad or Notepad (not MS Word!), create (or edit) "user.js" in your Mozilla profile folder, typically under something like "C:\Documents and Settings\<yourWindowsUsername>\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\default\<randomstring>\".
Include the following 3 lines to create a security policy allowing Blackboard to link to local content:
user_pref("capability.policy.policynames", "offlineok");
user_pref("capability.policy.offlineok.sites", "http://blackboard.uic.edu");
user_pref("capability.policy.offlineok.checkloaduri.enabled", "allAccess");

Save the file (make sure to quote the filename, or it will be named user.js.txt and won't work), then restart your browser.

  

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  Last Modified: September 12, 2004 - Instructional Technology Lab