Where did my course menu go?
Blackboard offers an option to expand or hide the course menu from view. Sometimes, a user will accidentally hide the course menu or reduce the window size, causing the course menu to hide automatically. Not to worry! Simply maximize the window and click on the gray arrow on the left side of the screen (you may need to mouse over the left hand side of the page for the arrow to appear). The course menu will then be visible.
Why aren't I receiving email announcements from my instructor?
If your instructor has set up email announcements, you should receive a message in your student email each time the instructor adds an announcement to Blackboard. If you are not receiving these announcement emails, make sure that you are checking your student email (yourstudentID#@student.necc.edu), not your personal email. If you are using your student email but still not receiving announcement emails, check the "Junk" folder on the lefthand side. If the announcement emails are not in the "Junk "folder, contact your instructor to troubleshoot.
After logging in to Blackboard with your myNECC username and password, you will be taken to your "MyBlackboard" page:
From the "Course List" menu in the center of the page, select the blue hyperlink of the course you would like to view:
You will now be able to see the materials for your chosen course.
Once you have selected a course from your MyBlackboard page, you will be taken to your selected course's Home Page.
Here is an overview of what you will likely see on this Home Page:
Image courtesy of Blackboard Help
A. My Announcements -- check here for any new updates, instructions, and/or information that your instructor has added since you last accessed the course. In this example, the user's instructor has made an announcement regarding a study guide.
B. More Announcements -- click here to view past announcements from your instructor.
C. What's New -- check here for any course materials that your instructor has added since you last accessed the course. A number in parentheses next to a category (Announcements, Assignments, Content, etc.) means that there is new material to view in that category; in this example, the user's instructor has added two new tests since they last viewed the course. Click on the gray arrows next to each category to expand the list and see what has been added.
D. What's Due -- check here for upcoming due assignment due dates. Due dates will be divided into assignments due today, tomorrow, this week, and in the future. A number in parentheses next to a category means that there are assignments due in that time frame; in this example, the user does not have any assignments due today or tomorrow, but has two assignments due this week and one assignment due in the future. Click on the gray arrows next to each category to expand the list and see what assignment is due and when.
Each course will appear slightly different and contain different materials based on what your instructor has chosen to include.
Here is an overview of what you may see on your course page:
Image courtesy of Blackboard Help.
A. Course to Course Navigation -- click the house icon at the top left of the page to navigate to a different course you are enrolled in
B. Breadcrumbs -- shows the path you have taken to reach the current page and allows you to navigate back to a recently visited pages within your current course. In this example, the user visited their course's Discussion Board, then clicked on "Forum: Wave Assignment: Energy from Waves and Tides" to get to the page they are currently viewing. If this user wanted to return to the Discussion Board, they could click on the words "Discussion Board" at the top of the screen
C. Course Menu -- the access point for all available course content. The links in this menu will vary from course to course. In this example, if the user wanted to see the content in "Week 1: People," they could select that text from the course menu column on the left hand side of this page.
D. Course Frame -- this area displays the title of the content area, tool, module page, or material you are currently viewing
E. Action Bar -- the rows beneath the course frame (D) control available actions on the current page. In this example, if the user wanted to receive a notification each time a classmate posted a thread in this forum, they could click "Subscribe" in the action bar.
F. Options Menu -- any material with a white down arrow inside a gray circle next to it has an options menu available, which can be opened by clicking on the circle. The options in the menu will vary based on the type of material. In this example, if the user wanted to mark the selected thread as "read," they could choose "Mark as Read" from the options menu.
Did you know that Blackboard has a calendar function? You can use it to keep track of upcoming assignments, events, and other due dates. Note that not all assignments will appear on the calendar, particularly if they will not be submitted on Blackboard. Always double-check your course syllabus for due dates.
To access the calendar, navigate to the drop-down menu beside your name in the top right-hand corner of the My Blackboard page:
Select the calendar icon from the left column of the drop-down menu:
You will be automatically redirected to the monthly calendar page:
To add an event to your Blackboard calendar, select the plus sign at the top right of the monthly calendar screen, above the days of the week:
Enter your event details (name, date, time, whether or not it repeats, description) in the "Create Event" pop-up box and select the "Save" button in the bottom right of the box:
Your event will appear in the calendar box for the specified day. Click on it to edit the details or view the description.
You can have events from your Blackboard calendar appear on your Outlook calendar as well! Note that events you add to your Outlook calendar will NOT appear on your Blackboard calendar.
Select "Get External Calendar Link" from the column on the left-hand side of the monthly calendar screen:
Copy the link in the "Generate iCal URL" popup box:
Navigate to your Outlook Calendar (see this page for instructions) and select "Add Calendar" from the column on the left-hand side of the page:
Select "Subscribe from Web" in the left-hand column of the "Add Calendar" popup box:
Paste the URL you copied from Blackboard Calendar into the correct area, name the calendar, and select "Import" at the bottom of the box and close the popup window:
Your Blackboard calendar should appear under "Other Calendars" in the column on the left-hand side of the Outlook calendar page:
Congratulations! You have synched your Blackboard and Outlook calendars!
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