Rev. 4/18/2011

Blackboard 9 Quick-start Guide for Students

See detailed: Online Learning Blackboard 9 Guide See more: Blackboard Help for Students

Browser Requirements

Use current version of Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari with Blackboard. Blackboard requires a minimum connection speed of 56K. Higher speeds are recommended for best results.

Login to Blackboard

Go to Blackboard: https://northampton.blackboard.com/ 1. Click on the User Login button. 2. Enter your User Name and Password. (Your user

name and password is your NCC Student ID Number, NOT your default Spartan Net password).

3. Click on the Login button. Note: Do not share your NCC student ID with anyone.

Change Your Password

We strongly recommended that you change your password immediately. 1. From the Welcome Page (NCC tab), click on the

Personal Information link (at left) 2. Click on Change Password.

3. Type your NEW password in the Password box. 4. Type your new password again in the Verify

Password box. 5. Click on the Submit button.

Help

• For technical assistance, contact the NCC Support Center (Help Desk) at (610) 861-5413 or HelpDesk@Northampton.edu.

• If you have questions about the content of the course, contact your instructor. See the Your Instructor page of your course to see the contact information for your instructor.

SpartanNet Email

When your account is first created in Blackboard, your Spartan e-mail address is entered into the Blackboard database. This is the e-mail address that instructors and other college staff will use to contact you.

Use your SpartanNet e-mail account for all correspondence related to your course.

Access Your Course

1. Your courses are listed on the right side of the Welcome Page (NCC tab) or you may click on Courses next to NCC tab.

2. Click on your course under My Courses (courses in which you are enrolled). Follow all instructions on this page to succeed in this course.

3. Click on the Assignments button. This displays folders for each class and due dates for that session's assignments.

4. Click on any folder link to see the activities and assignments for that session.

Verify your Personal Information

1. From the Welcome Page (NCC tab), click on the Personal Information link (at left)

2. Click on Edit Personal Information. 3. Change any information as necessary. 4. Click on the Submit button.

Note: Change your personal information when necessary. Notify your instructor and the NCC Records office of any changes in your personal information. Changes made in Blackboard do not automatically transfer to other NCC systems and vice versa.

Check Your Grade

There are two ways to get your grade:

• From the Welcome Page (NCC tab), click on My Grades on the left side of the screen, then on the name of the course.

• From within a course, click on the Tools button, then on My Grades.

This page shows your scores; the class average for each graded assignment may also be shown.

Problems with the Visual Text Editor

If you are having problems posting a message in the Discussion Board or entering text in any other part of

Blackboard Quick-Start Guide for Students (cont'd.) p

Blackboard, it may be helpful to disable the visual text editor. Take the following steps: 1. On the Blackboard Welcome page, under Tools on

the left side of the screen. 2. Click on Personal Information & Change

Personal Settings 3. Under Text Editor On or Off 4. Click On or Off next to Set Availability and Submit.

Replying to a Discussion Forum Message

1. Click on the Discussion Board button (at left).

2. Click on the applicable Discussion Forum. 3. Click on a message title to read the message. 4. Click on the Reply button (at bottom of message).

5. Type the text of your message. 6. Click on the Submit button.

Post a New Discussion Forum Message

If your instructor set up the Discussion Forum to allow new threads, you can post new messages (rather than just replying to existing ones) as follows: 1. Go to the applicable Discussion Forum in steps 1-2

above. 2. Click on the Create Thread button ( top of page).

3. Enter the subject and text of your message. 4. Click on the Submit button.

If you do not see a Create Thread button, you can only reply to existing messages.

Print a Blackboard Page

To print a page in your Blackboard course: 1. Right-click on any text on the page. 2. Choose Print.

Take an Online Test

Your course may have one or more online tests that are administered through Blackboard. If so, a link to the test will appear at the appropriate time. Follow these guidelines for best results:

• Make sure that your browser is not set to disconnect after several minutes of inactivity. How to set this option depends on your browser. For example, in Internet Explorer, it is under Tools > Internet Options > Connections > Settings > Advanced.

• Close all other applications before taking the test. • Most tests can only be opened once. Don’t open the

test until you are ready to take it. • Complete the test within one hour or other limit set

by your instructor and by the due date. • Click on the Submit button when you are done.

Viewing and Downloading Files

Some courses contain links to files. Click on the link to view the file. You will need the appropriate application to view the file. For example, PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader (Web links for downloading the required application are available in the External Links page of most courses.) If you have the correct application to view a file but are having problems viewing it, or if you need to open and edit the file, you may need to save/download the file to your hard drive for best results. To save/download the file: Right-click on the file. Choose Save Target As. Select the desired folder location, enter a file name, and click on Save. (Be sure to remember where you are saving the file.) Locate the saved file and double-click on the file to open it. Or if necessary, start up the appropriate application and open the file using the File, Open command in that application.