Student Support > Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: How do I log in to Blackboard?
Q: What username and password should I use?
Q: How do I change my Blackboard password?
Q: The system does not let me in . What's wrong?
Q: Why do I get a page saying " Not Authorized "?
Q: I am behind a firewall. How do I access Blackboard?
Q: Can I enter a site I am not enrolled in (as guest)?
Q: What kind of browser do I need to use Blackboard ?
Q: Is there a text-only interface to Blackboard?
Q: How do I get help for Blackboard?
Q: How do I upload a file?
Q: I cannot upload a file in the dropbox.
Q: I tried uploading to the Student Dropbox but I received a message: "The server encountered an internal error..."
Q: I am having problems posting to the Discussion Board, editing Personal Information, uploading files, and submitting information through Blackboard's forms - I always receive a "Page Not Available" or "Action cancelled" error message. How can this be fixed?
Q: I downloaded a file and cannot open it.
Q: I try to take a quiz or survey but it says I've already taken it.
Q: My quiz grade is gone!
Q: I try to access a page, but I get an error "HTTP/1.1 ... The server encountered an internal error ... "
Q: I tried using the mass-email feature and got an error message.
Q: I have been using the system successfully all semester, but I am now having problems logging in.
Q: I sent a file to my professor using the Digital Dropbox and they claim that they have not yet received it! What do I do!
If you find that an important question you have about Blackboard is not covered in this document,
please let us know.
Q: How do I log in to Blackboard?
A: Point your browser to the Blackboard server at: http://blackboard.uic.edu
Click the Login button, then enter your Blackboard User Name and Password in the dialog box that appears. Use your UIC NetID as username and initial password (details here). You will then see a page with a listing of all Blackboard courses for which you are currently registered as well as recent announcements and other tools and resources. Click on any of the courses to enter that Blackboard site.
Note: Your UIC NetID is only the first part of your UIC email address. For example, if your UIC email address is jdoe1@uic.edu , then your NetID is jdoe1 .
If you are having problems logging in to Blackboard there may be two reasons, either 1 - you have forgotten your password, or 2 - you have not yet activated your UIC account.
If you suspect that you have forgotten your password visit the password changing utility on-line at http://passwords.accc.uic.edu to change it.
If you are unable to use this utility due to the fact that you have forgotten your password you will need to visit the CSO consultants. These consultants are located in a few different locations on campus:
Client Services Office (Room 2267 SEL)
BGRC Consultant's office (Room 181 BGRC)
ACCC Network Operations (Room LL55 BGRC)
The CSO is generally open during normal business hours, and the schedule for the BGRC consultants is posted on their door. Network Operations is staffed 24 hours, 7 days a week. To reach the CSO either e-mail consult@uic.edu or call 312-413-0003.
If you have not yet activated your account you can do so on-line at http://www.uic.edu/depts/accc/index.html/ACCTS.html.
If you are able to login, but do not yet see a specific course site appear in the list of courses you are participating in please contact your instructor for immediate access. At the beginning of the semester students are enrolled into the Blackboard system twice per week during the add/drop period. If you register late, or anytime during these two weeks, there may be a slight delay in your enrollment into the Blackboard system.
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Q: What username and password should I use?
A: Blackboard accounts use your UIC NetID as your Username and StudentID (the NetID is the first part of your UIC email address, e.g. student Joe Blow would have NetID jblow1 and email-address jblow1@uic.edu ). All NetIDs are lower case only!
If you forget your password, you should visit the on-line password changing utility at http://passwords.accc.uic.edu to change it.
If you are unable to use this utility due to the fact that you have forgotten your password you will need to visit the CSO consultants. These consultants are located in a few different locations on campus:
Client Services Office (Room 2267 SEL)
BGRC Consultant's office (Room 181 BGRC)
ACCC Network Operations (Room LL55 BGRC)
The CSO is generally open during normal business hours, and the schedule for the BGRC consultants is posted on their door. Network Operations is staffed 24 hours, 7 days a week. To reach the CSO either e-mail consult@uic.edu or call 312-413-0003.
If you have not yet activated your account you can do so on-line at http://www.accc.uic.edu/index.html/ACCTS.html.
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Q: How do I change my Blackboard password?
A: You should visit the on-line password changing utility at http://passwords.accc.uic.edu to change it.
If you are unable to use this utility due to the fact that you have forgotten your password you will need to visit the CSO consultants. These consultants are located in a few different locations on campus:
Client Services Office (Room 2267 SEL)
BGRC Consultant's office (Room 181 BGRC)
ACCC Network Operations (Room LL55 BGRC)
The CSO is generally open during normal business hours, and the schedule for the BGRC consultants is posted on their door. Network Operations is staffed 24 hours, 7 days a week. To reach the CSO either e-mail consult@uic.edu or call 312-413-0003.
If you have not yet activated your account you can do so on-line at http://www.uic.edu/depts/accc/index.html/ACCTS.html.
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Q: The system does not let me in. What's wrong?
A: Visit the on-line password changing utility at http://passwords.accc.uic.edu to change it.
If you are unable to use this utility due to the fact that you have forgotten your password you will need to visit the CSO consultants. These consultants are located in a few different locations on campus:
Client Services Office (Room 2267 SEL)
BGRC Consultant's office (Room 181 BGRC)
ACCC Network Operations (Room LL55 BGRC)
The CSO is generally open during normal business hours, and the schedule for the BGRC consultants is posted on their door. Network Operations is staffed 24 hours, 7 days a week. To reach the CSO either e-mail consult@uic.edu or call 312-413-0003.
If you have not yet activated your account you can do so on-line at http://www.uic.edu/depts/accc/index.html/ACCTS.html.
If you are getting a message that a connection with the server could not be established, the server might be down. Call UIC Network Operations at (312)413-8080 (option 2) to have the server checked/restarted.
return to top Q: Why do I get a page saying "Not Authorized"?
A: Blackboard gives full access to each site only to those enrolled in the respective course. If you entered another course site, you are visiting it as a guest in "Preview" mode with very limited access.
To see exactly what courses you are currently enrolled in, go to http://blackboard.uic.edu
Click the Login button and enter your Blackboard Username and Password. The page that appears will have a listing of all the courses in which you are currently enrolled. If you think you should be enrolled in a certain course but that course does not appear in the list, see your instructor or TA to be added to the course. return to top
Q: I am behind a firewall. How do I access Blackboard?
A: This is no longer an issue. Blackboard now responds at the default web port 80, which firewalls do not block out.
return to top Q: Can I enter a site I am not enrolled in (as a guest)?
A: Yes, Blackboard has a "Preview" feature, allowing every user on the system to enter all other course sites that have guest access enabled with limited access.
Instructors can configure how much a guest user can see of their site. You will never be able to access Communications and Student Tools, nor take Quizzes or Surveys.
If you are not enrolled in a class using Blackboard and want to get a glimpse of some course site, try logging in using the "Preview" feature. Click on the login button, and then on the lower left hand side of the screen you will see a button labeled "Preview". Click on the "Preview" button, and then on the tab labeled "Courses" and you can now browse through any of the courses on the system that have "Guest Access" enabled. Certain areas of the sites may or may not be accessible to you, depending on the instructor's preferences.
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Q: What kind of browser do I need to use Blackboard?
A: For full functionality, you need a browser that supports JavaScript (such as Netscape 3 or 4, or MS Internet Explorer 5 or later). Your browser must also support frames in order to view Blackboard sites. Furthermore, if your course site uses the Java chat tool, you must be using a 4.x browser or newer. Also see the comment on the text-only interface for Blackboard .
In general, if you are experiencing strange errors while browsing web pages and you are using an old browser (version 3.x or earlier), it is probably a good idea to upgrade your web browser.
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Q: Is there a text-only interface to Blackboard?
A: Blackboard version 6 is compliant with section 508 accessibility guidelines. Whether your particular site contains only accessible materials, however, depends on the instructor.
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Q: How do I get help for Blackboard?
A: Students experiencing technical problems should consult their instructor or teaching assistant for the course for all Blackboard -related problems. The Client Services Office does not support Blackboard itself, but can help with general browser- or computer-related problems, and they can help you reset your common password (which you will use to login to Blackboard.)
If you have a serious problem with Blackboard , make sure to tell your instructor the following details:
- What exactly you were trying to do
- Any error messages you got. Literally!
- When exactly this occurred!!!
- What browser you were using, and what version (use Help > About to find out what version you have)
- What operating system
- What ISP you are using and whether you are behind a firewall (typically true if you are accessing Blackboard from your workplace)
- Any other clues related to your problem
Your instructor can then contact the UIC Blackboard administrators with these details, thus giving us a basis for troubleshooting the issue.
You may also find it helpful to read some of the documentation on the Web for Blackboard.
Blackboard Documentation
For all general questions about using your web-browser, connecting to the Internet, using your email etc., please contact the Client Services Office.
return to top Q: How do I upload a file?
A: In Dropbox or Discussionboard click the Browse button. Select a file from your hard disk. (In Netscape you will need to look for Files of type: All Files (*.*) to see more than just HTML files).
Note: The filename should not contain spaces or special characters, be under 20 characters in length, and have the proper three-letter extension indicating the file's MIME-type, so others can open it. This is especially important if you are using a Macintosh, where files don't automatically have the right extension.
When your browser receives a file from the webserver that it does not have the built-in functionality to handle, it opens it in a plug-in (or in an external "helper application") based on the file's "MIME-type". When the file does not have the proper three-letter extension, the server cannot determine the MIME-type and may not handle the file properly. The server may also not be configured to handle your kind of file, if it is an uncommon type (check the list of configured types). You can zip/stuff it to avoid this problem, but then the others also need to have an archiving utility (e.g. WinZIP, Stuffit) to open it (Stuffit Expander can be downloaded for free).
return to top Q: I cannot upload a file in the student dropbox.
A: Make sure you are using a modern browser (level 4 or higher). Older browsers do not support http-uploading. Some ISPs also disallow file-uploading (in that case, consider changing ISPs).
Avoid spaces in your filenames and keep your filenames reasonably short (under 20 characters). Obviously, special characters such as forward slashes or colons cannot be used in filenames on the web, as they serve to separate directories on some operating systems. Tip: stick to letters, numbers, and underscores, and you will never have trouble.
If you are on a modem connection and are uploading a large file, you may be experiencing a timeout problem. Large files will need to be uploaded from a fast connection, e.g. on campus from an ACCC lab.
You may also be abandoning your upload yourself by clicking somewhere else before the upload has completed. Make sure to wait until you see the receipt page confirming that your upload went through, otherwise the file will be missing (you will notice that because a filesize of -1 bytes is displayed in Blackboard).
return to top Q: I tried to upload a file to the Student Dropbox but I got a message "The server encountered an internal error..."
A: Make sure the name of the file you are uploading is not too long (shorter than 20 characters) and contains no spaces. If the problem persists, email your instructor with the exact time the problem occurred, what type of file you were uploading, and what type and version of browser you are using, and what ISP.
return to top Q: I am having problems posting to the Discussion Board, editing Personal Information, uploading files, and submitting information through Blackboard's forms - I always receive a "Page Not Available" or "Action Cancelled" error message. How can this be fixed?
A: This is a common problem among home broadband users. If you have a home network, your router may be misconfigured, or you may need a firmware update. Both appear to be common problems with Linksys routers. In order to upgrade your firmware you can log in to the website of your router manufacturer and download the most recent drivers for the router and operating system in question. There are several bug fixes on manufacturer's websites that correct DHCP problems and provide general enhancements to the hardware.
After updating the firmware on the unit you should access the configuration utility and find the fields labeled "Host" and "Domain". Contact your internet provider and get the exact information that you should be inputting in these fields. If these fields are blank, or if you have incorrect information the equipment can behave unpredictably and generate the error messages you are reporting.
If you are a Windows user with DSL internet access note that there are problems with some incompatible network settings in Windows and some DSL implementations (especially with routers, but some PPPOE clients may be affected as well.) MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) settings are too high, resulting in fragmented packets that never arrive at the server due to some extra bytes that are added during transmission. To remedy the problem you can log in to the router configuration utility and set the MTU to 1362. This seems to fix the problem in most cases. If you don't have a router, you may need to adjust your MTU settings in Windows itself. DrTCP from DSLreports.com lets you do that easily.
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Q: I downloaded a file and cannot open it.
A: If the file does not open automatically (i.e. if you get a dialogue-box saying that your browser does not know what to do with this kind of file), simply save it to your hard drive. Then try opening it in various applications, so next time you get this type of file, you know what application to pick in the browser's dialogue box. Use this method in particular if the file does not have the proper three-letter DOS-extension.
If your browser does not offer you the saving option, but launches some application that cannot properly open the file, simply right-click the link to the file that Blackboard provides at the top and choose "Save Target/Link As... "
return to top Q: I try to take a quiz or survey but it says "Sorry...you already took this assessment on..."
A: If you look at a survey or a quiz, then press your browser's back button, or you start to take the quiz and do not submit it for whatever reason, the next time you try to take this quiz you will get a message from the Blackboard server
Sorry...you already took this assessment on ...
For fairness reasons, you are typically only allowed to take a quiz once and you are not allowed to see a quiz before taking it for credit.
If you feel you are getting this message incorrectly, contact your instructor or T.A., giving all pertinent details. If indeed you are getting this message in error, your instructor can reset your quiz attempt and you can take the quiz again. Also see the comments under internal server error for important info!
Note: All transactions on Blackboard are logged. All page requests, times and data submitted are recorded and searchable.
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Q: My quiz grade is gone! A: Situation: you successfully took a quiz and got a grade, but later notice that your grade is gone and only an exclamation mark shows up under Check Grades . This happens when the quiz is set to allow multiple submissions and you later look at it again without submitting it, e.g. because you want to print it. This will establish a new attempt at the quiz, erasing all your previous answers! To see your submitted quiz and compare your answers, click on your grade within Check Grades instead - that is safe.
return to top Q: I try to access a page but I get an error "HTTP/1.1 ... The server encountered an internal error ... "
A: If this happened when you were trying to submit a quiz, chances are you are using Netscape and inadvertently re-loaded the quiz, causing the submission to fail. Netscape re-loads a page when re-sizing the browser window, viewing the page source, or trying to print or save the page. Thus you must not do those when taking quizzes, or simply use MS Internet Explorer (but still avoid reloading!).
If you were in the middle of taking a quiz or survey, inform your instructor via email as soon as possible. Your instructor can clear your quiz attempt and allow you to take the quiz again.
You may also have been accessing a page while the server was temporarily down. If you think the Blackboard server is down, please check on the web at http://www.accc.uic.edu/upreport. This webpage has a listing of all important servers and services at UIC, and their current status. If you see that the Blackboard machine reported as being "down" please contact the ACCC Network Operations Desk (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) at 312-413-8080 (option 2). They will look into the problem, resolve it, or contact the appropriate ACCC/ITL support personnel, if necessary.
return to top Q: I tried using the mass-email feature and got an error message.
A: You get an error if one or more of the addresses you are trying to send to is invalid. This may be because someone did not activate their UIC icarus-account yet, which they need to do right away to be reachable. This can be done here or from the ACCC homepage under Accounts.
It could also be that the user has changed his email-setting in Blackboard to point to a private email-account and has specified a wrong address, or the account is not working properly. Try contacting them via the discussionboard and alert them to the problem. return to top Q: I have been using the system successfully all semester, but I am now having problems logging in.
A: We have found that this strange behavior often occurs when users have not cleared their browsers "cache" after extended periods of use. If you begin experiencing this behavior and are still able to log on with it from on campus machines, or if you know that you have not reset your password, then follow these steps to clear your browser's cache:
In Internet Explorer:
1 - Click on Tools>Internet Options...
2 - Click on the tab labeled "General"
3 - Under the 'Temporary Internet Files' subcategory click on "Delete Files".
In Netscape:
1 - Click on Edit>Preferences
2 - Under the 'Advanced' subcategory click on 'Cache'
3 - Click on the button labeled Clear Disk Cache and then click on the button labeled Clear Memory Cache
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Q: I sent a file to my professor using the Digital Dropbox and they claim that they have not yet received it! What do I do!
A: There are two buttons in the student view of the digital dropbox. One button is labeled "Add File", while the other button is labeled "Send File". Using the "Send File" button is what actually transfers the file from the student dropbox to the instructor dropbox. Please try again and be sure to use the "Send File" button.
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