Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I create an account? or What do I need to do to get to my course? or How do I enroll in my course?
2. I forgot my password - what do I do?
3. I've registered for my course, but don't see it listed on the My UIW page?
4. Why do I have to enter my login information twice to get to Blackboard?
5. My instructor said I needed to create a Homepage in the course, what do I do?
6. How do I view/submit an assignment in Blackboard?
7. How do I submit a Turnitin assignment?
8. How do I participate in a Discussion Forum?
9. How do I check my grades?
10. There is a red exclamation point or a red question mark in the gradebook instead of a score, what does this mean?

1. How do I create an account? or What do I need to do to get my course? or How do I enroll in my course?
   Blackboard accounts are created for all registered students in our Banner System.  Go to BannerWeb to find your username as explained in the UIW User Information Instructions. Go to http://blackboard.uiwtx.edu and enter your username and password.  Bb will open to the My UIW page and courses will be listed under the What's New box IF the instructor is using Bb and has enrolled you into their course.  If the instructor has advised students to self-enroll, review the tutorials for student enrollment to a Bb course.
2. I forgot my password - what do I do?
   If you have forgotten your password, use the "Forgot your password?" link in the login box on the Bb login page to start the process of resetting your password via e-mail.
3. I've registered for my course, but don't see it listed on the My UIW page?
   Not every instructor on campus is using Bb with their course.  Check with your instructor to verify they are using Bb and which enrollment option (instructor or student) they have selected. For information on student enrollment to a Bb course, review the tutorials.
4. Why do I have to enter my login information twice to get to Bb?
   In order to eliminate the double-login process, you must delete and reset the bookmark you are using to access Bb.  If you have bookmarked 'https://blackboard.uiwtx.edu/webapps/login', or if the browser "autocompletes" the URL to include the "/webapps/login", a cookie which is necessari for logging in will not be set, and the user will get an 'incorrect username or password' message.  When you set your new bookmark for Bb, make sure to bookmark 'http://blackboard.uiwtx.edu" (with nothing after the .edu). Also, be careful when typing "blackboard.uiwtx.edu" to delete the /webapps/login protion of the URL if that is autocompleted for you before setting the bookmark.
5. My instructor said I needed to create a Homepage in the course, what do I do?
   Go to the 'Tools' section of your course.  Click on the 'Homepage' link and just fill in the preset fields.  You may also upload a digital picture in this area.
6. How do I view /submit an assignment in Blackboard?
   In the Blackboard course, click on assignment. Click on the link for the assignment you wish to complete. Click on the hyperlink 'View/Complete the assignment.' Follow the instructions and download any documents required to complete the assignment. Once the assignment is completed, click on 'browse' and locate the assignment on your computer. Click 'save' if you want to review the assignment prior to submitting. Click 'submit' to send the assignment to the instructor.
7. How do I submit a Turnitin assignment?                                                 Click on 'Assignments' and scroll down and find the 'Turnitn assignment.' Click on 'view/complete.' Read and view the user agreement and click 'agree.' To turn in an assignment, click the assignment inbox and click submit.
8. How do I participate in a Discussion Forum?
   Go to the 'Communication' section of your course. Click on the 'Discussion Board' link.  You will see a list of available Forums.  Only your instructors can create forums, but you can post threads, reply to other threads and read posts. Your instructor may also place a Discussion Board button on the main page, which will take you directly to the Discussion Board.
   
   To enter a particular Forum or topic, click on its name (it will be blue and underlined). You can read threads by clicking on their title, or you can start a new thread by clicking on the 'Add New Thread' button.  Once in a thread you can reply to it or scroll through all the replies by clicking on the words 'Next Message'. You can also sort messages or search the Forum from this screen.  Use the on-screen navigation (Previous Message, Next Message, OK) to move around the forum.
9. How do I check my grades?
   There are two ways to check your grades in Bb. From within a course, click on 'Tools', then on the 'Check Grade' link.  You can also check your grades from the My UIW page. In the upper left hand corner of this page is the Tool Box with a variety of links.  One of these is View Grades. Clicking on this will allow you to check your grades for any Bb course that you are enrolled in without actually entering the course site.
10. When I check my grades, there is a red exclamation point or a red question mark instead of a score. What does this mean?
    If you see a red exclamation mark, this means your quiz needs grading.  This could be for two reasons.  The first is if you quiz was timed and you went over the allotted time limit.  In this case your instructor will receive all your answers and information on how long it took you to complete the quiz.  They will have discretion on whether to accept all or part of your quiz answers.  The exclamation point can also indicate that there was an essay or short answer portion of your quiz that your instructor has not yet graded. Once the instructor reviews and grades those question, you will see a score in the gradebook.
    
    The red question mark indicates that there has been some sort of a grading error with your quiz.  This could mean one of many things.  First, you may not have completed the quiz. If you do not click the Submit button after completing the quiz or leave the quiz before finishing, your answers will not be counted.  Also, if you encounter technical problems during the quiz you will also have a question mark recorded in the book.  If your computer crashes, or your Internet connection is disconnected, any questions you have completed will not be counted unless the save option was offered in the quiz.  Talk to your instructor. Your instructor can reset your attempt or discuss the problem with you.