SUPPORT > Instructor FAQ
Most support questions from instructors run along these lines:
"How do I manage the students in my course sites?"
"Where are my classes for this semester?"
"How do I use the tools in Blackboard?"
Please look through the list below to see if you can find an answer to your question.
Question: I forgot my password. What do I need to do?
Answer: While some password services are available via OIT's password management site, for most others you will need to call the OIT Help Desk at (865) 974-9900 or use the OIT online contact form.
Q: What do I need to access Blackboard? What are the recommended system requirements?
A: All users must have a UT NetID and a current password to login to Blackboard. Most users with personal computers running current versions of Windows or Mac OS X will be able to use Blackboard. Check our system requirements page for specific version information.Instructors must be certified to take advantage of course management features in Blackboard. To get your Online@UT certification, you'll need to complete the workshop titled CMS 110: Introduction to Online@UT either a face-to-face or as a self-paced online workshop. It will provide instructors with a basic introduction to Blackboard, but more importantly, gives us a chance to pass on useful information about UT campus policies and procedures. If you are an accomplished Blackboard user, you should be able to finish the online workshop in less than an hour. To register for a workshop visit the Innovative Technology Center's workshop registration page.
Q: How do my courses get into Blackboard? When will they appear?
A: Certified instructors must activate their course sites each semester by completing our Course Activation form. Activated courses are generally available by noon the following day. When you first see your course sites listed in Blackboard, they may be marked as Unavailable, which means that they are inaccessible to students, but are available for development by instructors. Check the Course Access Calendar for semesterly course activation dates.
Q: When do students see courses in Blackboard? Why can't they see my class?
A: All course sites are made available to students 10 business days prior to the beginning of the semester. If you would like your course site to be available earlier or later, you can toggle the availability setting within the course site by following this path: Control Panel > Settings > Course Availability.
Q: I'm teaching a cross-listed course or multiple sections of the same class. Can I combine multiple sections into a single course site so I only have to work in one course site?
A: Multiple sections of a single course, or cross-listed courses, may be combined into a single course section via our Course Combination form. To avoid confusion for your students, we suggest that you make the individual course sites unavailable so they only see the combined course site.
Q: How long do courses from previous semesters stay in Blackboard?
A: Courses from a completed semester are available to students for 10 business days after grade submission closes. The course sites are visible to instructors until they are scheduled for deletion according to our course deletion policy.
Q: Who is responsible for adding students to my courses?
A: Enrollment data is processed nightly via an automated data transfer process called Snapshot. Drop/add information from the Registrar's Office is uploaded as part of this process, so changes to a student's schedule should be reflected by noon the day following the change. Registration information at Circle Park Online should always be current, so refer students there if they have any confusion as to whether or not they are registered for a particular class. You should never need to add a student who is enrolled in one of your classes to your Blackboard course site, though there may be certain other situations (such as adding teaching assistants) that require it.
Q: How can I add another instructor or a TA to my course site?
A: Within the course site, follow this path: Control Panel > Enroll Users. Once you have added the user, you will need to change their role in the course site: Control Panel > List/Modify Users.
Q: I can't find anything in Online@UT because of all these old courses! What can I do?
A: There are two options for cleaning up your Online@UT course list:- Click the pencil icon
at the top of your My Courses module to edit which courses you want to be visible within the module. Changes made there have no effect on the full course list found on the Courses tab, however. - Once a course is a year old, you can request that it be deleted earlier than the current two year cycle by filling out our Delete Course request form.
Q: How do I reuse the materials in my Blackboard course?
A: You can copy content from one course site to another via a process called Course Copy. Before you start, you will need to know the Course ID of the course to which you would like to copy the content. The Course ID can be found at the top of the Control Panel of the course site. To avoid errors, it is best to copy (ctrl + c on a PC or apple + c on a Mac) and paste (ctrl + v on a PC or apple + v on a Mac).- Go to the Control Panel of the source course (the course from which you want to copy).
- Select Course Copy > Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course.
- Enter the Course ID for the destination course (the course to which you want to copy), select the content you wish copied, and click Submit.
** Unless you are sure that you want to, DO NOT COPY the Enrollments area. **
Q: What's the difference between the "Archive Course" and "Export Course" options?
A: Archiving a course copies everything in the site, including user data such as grades, discussion board postings, etc., while exporting a course copies only the content in the site. The end result of each option is a zip file you can download and store locally. You can use either file to upload course content to another course site, but we will have to help you if you need to restore user data.
Q: Can I rename my course?
A: Sure thing; in fact, we recommend that you rename your course sites to make them more obvious for you and your students. You can do this by following this path in the course site: Control Panel > Settings > Course Name and Description. If you would like to group your courses by semester, it's a good idea to prepend the semester abbreviation to your course name: FA07 - Contemporary Jewish Thinkers, for example.
Q: Why is there no "Reply" button on my class Discussion Board's threads?
A: When a discussion board is copied from another course, threads in forums lose the path to the user who submitted the first post. As a result, the Reply button disappears, as the system doesn't know to whom the reply should be sent. To enable the Reply button in a copied forum, press the Modify button, edit the text in the message and press the Submit button. By modifying the tread, you restore the path to the user again, and the Reply button is displayed again. Any new threads that are added should function normally.A workaround for this issue is to export the discussion board and settings from the original course, then import them into a new course. This should retain all threads and the ability to reply.
Q: What is a "Course Cartridge" and how do I use it?
A: Course cartridges are prepackaged content modules created by textbook publishers for instructors to upload into Blackboard course sites. When you make textbook selections for your classes, ask if there are any course cartridges associated with them. You will need to have a download key provided by the publisher to import the course cartridge. Once you have the key, follow this path in your course site: Control Panel > Import Course Cartridge.
Q: I have created a test in the Test Manager, but the students cannot see it. Do I need to do something?
A: After you have created a test, you must deploy it in a content area for students to see it. Once you are in the content area where you would like to deploy the test, click the add test icon 
and select the test from the list on the next page. Keep in mind that any changes made to a test in the Test Manager will not be reflected in a test that has already been deployed. You must re-deploy the test to see any changes.
Q: What is this "Hide the score of the test in the Gradebook" option I see when I deploy a test, and when should I use it?
A: This was Blackboard's attempt to make it possible for an instructor to create self assessments. While the student will see a score, the instructor will not be able to see the score or any other information about their students' attempts. The option is confusing and we do not recommend using it at this time. If you wish to provide self assessments for your students, please contact us for alternative solutions. If you have accidentally checked this on one of your tests, please let us know so we can fix the problem.
Q: What is the symbol that looks like a head with a line though it next to some of my students' names?
A: If you see this icon
next to a student in your enrollment list, it means that they have been disabled in the system, typically due to inactivity. Once a user is disabled, they do not have any access to Online@UT and will need to be re-enabled. Either you or the student can submit a support ticket to do this.
Q: How do I access student homepages in my course sites?
A: In the course site, from the left-hand navigation area, click Communication > Roster. You can search for the student(s) from the Roster page.
Q: Why aren't students receiving email I send through Blackboard?
A: Since we use the official tennessee.edu addresses for all students and staff for communication within or related to Blackboard, you should make sure that you instruct your students to check their UT email accounts regularly or set up routing so those messages are sent on to an email account they do check regularly. You can point them to the OIT email account page to do this: https://tmail.utk.edu/uact/. If you or your students need help with issues related to university email accounts, call the OIT Help Desk at (865) 974-9900 or use OIT's online contact form.
Q: What information is stored and displayed about me in Blackboard?
A: Basic contact information is stored within Blackboard, but how much of that information is visible depends on a user's role within the system. Students can only see each other's names, while as an instructor you can also see a user's email address and phone number, if the university has one on record.
Q: Can I change my name in Blackboard?
A: The simple answer is "No," while the more complicated answer is "Yes, but not through Blackboard." We get the names of staff members from Human Resources, so if you need to make a change, you should contact them at (865) 974-5151. Sometimes it takes a while for the changes to trickle through the system, so let us know if the change doesn't show up in Blackboard after a week.
Q: Can I change my email address in Blackboard?
A: No. We use the official tennessee.edu addresses for all students and staff for communication within or related to Blackboard. If you do not use your UT email account, or access it infrequently, you need to set up routing so you receive messages sent to that account. You can make the necessary changes at the OIT email account page: https://tmail.utk.edu/uact/. If you need help with issues related to your university email account, call the OIT Help Desk at (865) 974-9900 or use OIT's online contact form.
Q: Is there a manual for Blackboard?
A: Yes. You can download a PDF of the manual for our current version of Blackboard's software, or view the Blackboard online manual.
Q: Can I get training for Blackboard?
A: Yes. Our CMS 110 course, Introduction to Online@UT, is always available online, and more advanced workshops are offered periodically. Please check the Innovative Technology Center's workshops page for more information. You can also call the ITC at (865) 974-9670 to find out about one-on-one or group training options.
Q: I'm having difficulty using the Wimba Voice Tools. What can I do?
A: The Wimba Voice Tools suite is a third party software package that UT licenses annually. As part of our contract, Wimba provides 24 hour, seven day a week training and technical support. Here is their contact information:phone: (866) 350-4978
email: technicalsupport@wimba.com
Web site: http://www.wimba.com/support/
If you require pedagogical support for the use of Voice Tools in your course site, please contact the Innovative Technology Center at https://itc.utk.edu/request.