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Blackboard Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

COURSE SUPPLEMENT FAQ’S

HOW DO I GET A COURSE SUPPLEMENT?

Please fill out the online course supplement request form
PLEASE NOTE: If you are teaching a fully online course (typically with a section number X080, X081, etc.), you do NOT need to fill out a course supplement request. Your course will be created by the Administrator.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE BEFORE I CAN USE MY COURSE SUPPLEMENT?

Please allow FIVE (5) working days for your course to be created. Usually it will only take 1-2 days, but during busy times (i.e. the week before, during and after the first day of classes) it may take longer. Each course requires a manual creation process within the Blackboard system.

WHEN DO I NEED TO REQUEST MY SUPPLEMENT? DO I HAVE TO REQUEST A SUPPLEMENT EVERY TIME I WANT TO USE ONE?

As early as possible for the following semester. Yes, supplements MUST be requested each semester. For more info, see below.

IS THERE A DEADLINE? WHY?

Yes, the deadline is normally two weeks after the beginning of classes for the given semester. Mini-session deadlines are: Summer 2008: April 25, 2008; Fall 2008: July 18, 2008; Spring 2009: November 28, 2008. This deadline is set by the USM Business Office for billing purposes.

WHAT IS THE COST TO MY STUDENTS IF I USE A COURSE SUPPLEMENT?

Cost is $10 per credit hour. Supplements normally cost students $30 per semester per course.

WHY DO I HAVE TO REQUEST A SUPPLEMENT EVERY SEMESTER? CAN’T THE SUPPLEMENT AUTOMATICALLY BE RECREATED FOR ME?

Supplements must be requested every semester they are used so that they can be tied to rosters in SOAR, and also to ensure proper billing processes.

WHAT IS CROSSLISTING?

Crosslisting combines the rosters of two or more sections of the same online course into one Blackboard course shell.

HOW DO I GET A COURSE CROSSLISTED?

Please specify in the “Additional Comments” box of the Course Supplement Request which section(s) you want crosslisted.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CROSSLIST A COURSE?

There are additional administrative processes that are required to crosslist sections. Please allow approximately 2 extra working days if you would like your sections crosslisted.
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GENERAL BLACKBOARD FAQ’S

WHEN WILL MY STUDENTS APPEAR IN MY COURSE ROSTER? WHAT IF STUDENTS DROP OR ADD MY COURSE?

Students are added to all online courses starting the first day of each semester. Updates are run several times during the drop/add period to ensure rosters remain current.

MY CLASS HAS AN UNUSUAL START DATE. CAN I GET MY STUDENTS PUT INTO MY COURSE BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES?

Yes. However, please be aware of the following:
- Adding students to a course before the start of the semester is a manual, time-consuming process. PLEASE inform us via email at onlinelearning@usm.edu AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR (if not earlier) to the date you would like your students to have access to ensure adequate time for the Administrator to enter the students into your course.

WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS FOR SHOWING MY STUDENTS COURSE MATERIALS BEFORE CLASSES BEGIN?

NEAR THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER, I WAS GIVEN AN ONLINE COURSE TO TEACH. MY COURSE DOES NOT SHOW UP IN MY BLACKBOARD ACCOUNT. WHY NOT?

Academic departments are responsible for notifying their ALC’s (Alternative Learning Coordinators) of any late or last-minute changes to the instructor of record. The ALC then notifies the Online Learning Administrator to make this change within Blackboard manually. Please have the ALC notify the Online Learning Administrator of any such changes via email at onlinelearning@usm.edu or by calling 601-266-5518.

MY STUDENTS KEEP ASKING ME TECHNICAL QUESTIONS. WHO SHOULD I TELL THEM TO TALK TO?

The initial and primary resource for ALL technical support for Blackboard is the iTech Helpdesk (601-266-HELP). Students or instructors may call if they need help with logging in, password issues, trouble uploading or downloading files, issues with chat rooms, browsers, plug-ins, etc.
The iTech HELPDESK is available Monday - Thursday: 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. and Friday: 8:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m. Walk-in service available in McLemore Hall 112 Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

WHAT ABOUT ME? WHAT IF I DON’T KNOW HOW TO USE BLACKBOARD OR NEED ASSISTANCE WITH MY COURSE?

WHAT KINDS OF THINGS SHOULD I TELL MY STUDENTS TO MAKE SURE MY ONLINE COURSE RUNS SMOOTHLY?

Run BROWSER CHECK first!!
Call the HELPDESK (266-HELP) for login or technical problems.
Draft a WELCOME MESSAGE in your course introducing yourself to your students. You might title this message “START HERE!” or “WELCOME!” to draw their attention.
Have the students use ONLY the internal Blackboard email or their USM email for course-related communications.
When choosing file names for attachments (or, in the case of an instructor, for any file that will be used in the course), use lower-case letters only. Do not use spaces or “dingbat” (@#$%^&*) characters in your filenames. Use letters, numbers, and/or underscores ONLY.
Be VERY SPECIFIC with instructions for assignments, due dates, assessments, plug-ins, etc.
Library electronic resources can be located here: http://www.lib.usm.edu/services/distance_education.html
Library resource tutorials can be located here: http://lib.usm.edu/help/tutorials.html
Library article database: http://lib.usm.edu/find_items/article_databases.html

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