Student Support

ACCESSING BLACKBOARD:
Your instructor should have given you enrollment instructions at orientation, in class, or on-line. If you have not heard from your instructor then get in touch via email, phone, or in person to request this information. Please, DO NOT CREATE AN ACCOUNT until you have spoken with your instructor or been instructed otherwise.

Distance education students may refer to the welcome letter for their instructor's contact information; campus-based students refer to your instructor's web page.

Once you know your enrollment method then access Blackboard at http://blackboard.linnbenton.edu .

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

View the ONLINE COURSE REQUIREMENTS and RECOMMENDATIONS page.

Additional Technical Notes:
Attention AOL Users: After you connect to AOL, you will need to minimize the AOL browser and open either FireFox, Netscape, IEv.6, or Safari (depending upon your platform) to access the Blackboard system. AOL's proprietary browser does allow many of Blackboard's features to function properly.

Internet Browser Settings
* Cookies and Java/Javascript must be enabled for http://blackboard.linnbenton.edu
*Java Permissions (set under Advanced Security options in Internet Explorer) must be set to a medium or low setting.
*POP-UP Software must be set to allow (especially important with testing, chat and external links)

NOTE: The most common problems experienced by Blackboard users relate to firewalls, and security settings/software set at too high; these can be great for general browsing but can cause your browser to block your access to features of the Blackboard system. Reducing your settings to a medium level before you start the course is the best way to help prevent problems later in the term.

It is highly recommended that you locate an alternate computer site (library, friend, campus lab, etc) where you may switch to if your computer has problems during the term. Also, keep a copy of your files for your record until your instructor acknowledges receiving them.

Brush up your online skills with a free, self-paced technical orientation .

TROUBLESHOOTING ASSISTANCE

Blackboard says I'm not enrolled?

I'm having problems logging in!

I'm having problems with tests or quizzess!

I'm having problems with posting my assignments!

I can't get chat/virtual classroom to work!

My access code won't work!

I'm still having problems!

Blackboard says I'm not enrolled?
You may be officially enrolled with LBCC (SIS) but Blackboard needs you to "self-enroll" or be enrolled by your instructor in the course site as these are two different systems; If your instructor asks you to "self-enroll" then follow the instructions listed here.

In most cases your Blackboard username and password are not your SIS or email login; instead your instructor will either ask you to create a new account, login with your existing account, or login with an instructor-provided username and password. If you've forgotten your username/password, use the "Forgot Password" link located on the Blackboard login page

I'm having problems with tests or quizzess!
-are you using AOL? Though you may sign-on using AOL, you must use a browser other than AOL to access Blackboard.
-did you take more than three hours to complete a test or quiz?
-did your ISP or computer disconnect your connection?
-did you press return, click on one of your browser's menu icons, or double click your submit buttons?
-did you copy/paste, print, save too many times?

Any of these things may cause a test to halt and unfortuantely it can be very hard (and sometime impossible) to look back and figure out exactly what went wrong. If this happens, let your instructor know the situation immediately as he or she will have a plan for these situations - sometimes it's just a matter of resetting a test for you. Your best situation is to not wait until a test is due to complete it, even online; give yourself plenty of time to allow for dealing with any potential problems. Also, check the test-taking tips sheet here.

I'm having problems with posting my assignments!
-make sure you don't have any special characters or spaces in your filename; you should use numbers or letters as symbols such as # and @ will confuse the system.

I can't get chat/virtual classroom to work!
-You will probably have to install the JAVA plug-in; Blackboard will let you know and try to install this if it can't find JAVA on your machine.
-Also make sure you have disabled your pop-up software
-If you are using a screen reader you will have to use the limited-featured "accessible" version of chat.

My access code won't work!
-Contact your instructor or the bookstore to make sure you have received the correct code.

I'm still having problems!
-Check the "Technical Requirements" section
-Try reproducing problem on another computer (You might use the library, a friend or family member's machine, or one of our computer labs at the Albany, Sweet Home, Lebanon or Corvallis campus locations.); have a site designated as a back-up.
-Contact Blackboard Support - bbsupport@ml.linnbenton.edu (services available M-F, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.)

Common Internet Browser Plug-ins
(Some classes may contain files that need one of the following plug-ins; these are free downloads)
Adobe Acrobat Reader (pdf files)
Microsoft Word Viewer (doc, txt files)
Microsoft Excel Viewer (xls files)
Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer (ppt files)
Quicktime (qt files)
Windows Media Player (wma, mp3 files)
RealAudio RealPlayer (rp, mp3 files)
Flash (swf files)
Java 2 Runtime~ In some cases you may be prompted to download a plug-in for Java Runtime directly from Blackboard. This is normal for machines without Java installed - if you have questions about this process contact Blackboard support. If you are in a lab environment, please ask the lab aid for assistance.

SUPPORT INFORMATION

Student Manual (contains information on using the tools in Blackboard; this is located under the 'Tools' button in your classroom. If you cannot find this, please contact your instructor.)

Blackboard Technical Support:
bbsupport@ml.linnbenton.edu (services available M-F, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) Be sure to give the full details of your problem, which course you are enrolled in, and your full name so we can help you.