I'm taking an on-line course. What should I do the first week of class?

I don't know who's teaching my course. . .

How do I contact my instructor?

I've just taken a test, but when I look at my grade, I see "!" instead of a grade. What's wrong?

I went to look at my grade on a quiz, and instead of a grade, there's an image of a padlock.

I went to my course on Blackboard to do an assignment, and it's no longer there. What can I do?

I've just taken a test, but when I submitted it I got an error message.

How do I send something to my instructor's digital dropbox?

Every now and then, Blackboard tosses me back to the GTCC home page.

I can't get into my chat room.

 

I'm taking an on-line course.
What should I do the first week of class?
First, log into Blackboard. (Log-in instructions are here.) Look through your course. Read the syllabus. If you have not already, contact your instructor. Each course requires an orientation. Check the orientation schedule, and attend or participate. The most up-to-date information on orientation is here.

But I don't know who's teaching my course. . .
Look around your course's home page. Your instructor's name and e-mail address should be listed under the Faculty and Staff button on the left side of the course's home page. You will also usually find it in the Syllabus.

How do I contact my instructor?
By e-mail. (You do not have to be logged into Blackboard to send your instructor an e-mail.)

I've just taken a test, but when I look at my grade, I see "!" instead of a grade.
What's wrong?
Nothing. The exclamation point simply means that your instructor hasn't graded your test yet. When a grade appears, you may click on the grade to read your instructor's comments.

I went to look at my grade on a quiz, and instead of a grade, there's an image of a padlock.
The padlock icon appears when a test is in progress. If you think you have already submitted the test, contact your instructor and explain the situation. Only the instructor can resest the test. This means that you will have to do the entire assignment over.

I went to my course on Blackboard to do an assignment, and it's no longer there.
What can I do?
Perhaps you missed the deadline. Instructors commonly put deadlines on assignments and assessments to move you through your course work. Only your instructor can allow you to access the assignment. You must contact your instructor.

I've just taken a test, but when I submitted it I got an error message.
You must contact your instructor and explain the situation. If possible, take a screen shot and e-mail it to your instructor. Sometimes, dial-up connections to the Internet will time out. When you are working Blackboard, you are usually working within your browser, not over the Internet. If, for example, you take an hour to complete take a test, your dial-up provider will assume you are inactive, and drop your connection. There are various strategies to counteract this. Checking your e-mail every couple of minutes is one of them.

How do I send something to my instructor's digital dropbox?
Read the Digital Drop Box tutorial here.

Every now and then, Blackboard tosses me back to the GTCC home page.
Blackboard opens in a new window when you access it through the GTCC home page, so if you click on the wrong place on the screen, you may re-open the GTCC window. The Blackboard window is probably behind it. If you are convinced this is not the case, contact the Technical Support desk at the Distance Learning Center.

I can't get into my chat room.
The Chat Room, like many functions of Blackboard, requires that Java be enabled on your computer.