Practice Blackboard
Blackboard is an online software tool which allows your instructor to teach all or part of your course on the Web. You can do some or all of the following, depending on how your instructor set up the course:
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View important announcements and your instructor’s biographical and contact information
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Participate in online discussions and in small group activities
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Access course materials and resources on the Web
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Submit your assignments, take on-line tests and quizzes, and check your grades
Software requirements. A Java compliant browser, either Internet Explorer (preferred) or Netscape.
Computer access. If you don't have a computer at home, Web access is available at sites, University College Centers, UMS campuses, and many public libraries.
Log
in to your Blackboard course site
Use one of the following “routes” to the Blackboard login
screen
- Go to www.courses.maine.edu and click Login
If your course is a distance education course and is listed in the
University College
“Courses & Degrees Statewide” Guide, go to www.learn.maine.edu,
Click on Course Websites under Quick Links,
Click on your course in the list.
Click Login
.
Enter Your Username
A University (“@maine.edu”) E-mail account is automatically
set up for you when you register for a course. The format is: firstname.lastname
(eliminate any hyphens, apostrophes, and periods in your last name).
Your Blackboard Username is the same as your University E-mail name
(the part of your E-mail address before the "@"). (For example:
if your E-mail address is john.jones@maine.edu, your Blackboard Username
is john.jones.)
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If you have a common name and your first login attempt does not work, try adding your middle initial, then your middle name: john.doe, john.m.doe, john.michael.doe
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Enter Your Password Before you can log into Blackboard you must activate your E-mail account and choose a password. You will need the eight-character activation code you received from the Registrar. Activate your E-mail account at this Web site: https://mail.maine.edu/um/ActivateAccount You can log into Blackboard within a day after you activate your E-mail account. Use the password you chose when activating your E-mail account.
Click to Enter Your Course
After entering your Username and Password, click Login. You will see a “Welcome” screen with your first name on it. Click the name of your course in the My Courses area to enter the course site.
Set Up
Mail Forwarding in Blackboard
Many faculty and students send E-mail directly from Blackboard, but Blackboard does not have a place where you can go to read your E-mail. You will have to read your E-mail in your '@maine.edu' account. Some students prefer using E-mail accounts other than the one provided by the University—for example, yahoo.com. Hotmail, or adelphia.net.You can use the UMS Mail Server to forward email generated in Blackboard to your preferred account.
Getting
Around Your Course
All Blackboard course sites have the same basic components. There's
an area where you'll see Announcements. There's also a navigation area
along the left of your computer screen, with buttons that bring you
to the different parts of the course site. The actual button labels
may differ from one course site to another, depending on how the instructor
has set up the site. Typical button labels for parts of a site are Announcements,
Course Documents, Communication, External Links etc.
Accessing
Course Materials
You will see course materials as individual documents or in folders
in such content areas as Course Documents or Assignments or whatever
name the instructor has assigned it. If a document is not immediately
displayed on the screen, click on the link to the file to either view
it in the browser or save it on your own computer to open with the
appropriate program.
Using
the Discussion Board
To read messages posted to the Discussion Board, click on the Communication
link, then on Discussion Board. Click on the name of the forum you wish
to view, then on the linked threads to read messages. To reply to a
message, click the Reply button.
Tip: To see the content of every message in a forum at one time,
click on “Show Options,” “Select All,” “Collect.”
E-mail
To send E-mail from Blackboard click on Communication, then Send E-mail.
You will NOT be able to read your E-mail directly from Blackboard; use
your regular E-mail program.
Submitting
Assignments and seeing your grade: the Assignments feature
The Blackboard feature “Assignments,” added in summer
2003, allows you to view and submit assignments to your instructor and
see any comments from the instructor about your submission.
Click on >>View/Complete to see
the assignment and to submit any files and comments to the instructor.
Click on >>View/Complete and then “OK” to see your grade
and any comments from the instructor.
Participating
in Small Groups
Your instructor may have set up small groups for project work. Click
on Communication, then Group Pages, then the group in which you're planning
to work. You will then be able to use a number of communication tools
with access limited to the members of your group.
Taking
Tests, Quizzes and Surveys and Checking Grades
If your instructor uses Blackboard to give quizzes and/or tests, you
will find a link under, Course Information, Course Documents, Assignments
or whatever name the instructor has assigned the area. Click on the
link to take the quiz or test. Answer all questions and click Submit.
Some faculty set time limits on tests and quizzes. Once you open the
quiz, you MUST complete and submit it or you will be locked out and
will have to contact your instructor. Do not re-size the browser window
or you may be locked out.
To check your grades (quizzes and tests only), click on Tools, then
on View Grade.
Blackboard "Practice Course"
A practice “course” is available to help you learn some of the features in Blackboard. You will need a “@maine.edu” username and password to enter the site.
Go to http://www.courses.maine.edu and log in with your “@maine.edu” username and password. Along the top of the page you’ll see a number of tabs. Click the Courses tab, then click Blackboard Practice Site in the Course Catalog area. Click Enroll (far right-hand side of the course name) to enter the site.
The practice site is set up as a typical course site. Not all tools are functional, but you will be able to get a good idea of how to find course materials and post to the Discussion Board. Anything you post in the sample Discussion Board will include your name.
Technical Assistance
Call Technical Support at 1-800-696-4357 (HELP) or E-mail techsupport@maine.edu
University of Maine System
copyright 2003 UMS. All rights reserved.
Updated: