• Introduction
• Your Blackboard account
• Logging in to Blackboard
• Helpful tips
• Changing your e-mail address
• Accessing your course
• Participating in a discussion forum
  • To post a message to a discussion thread
  • To start a new thread
• Participating in a Virtual Classroom
  • To participate in a virtual classroom
  • To send a private message to your instructor
• Sending a file to your instructor with the Digital Drop Box
• Submitting a file using the Assignment Manager

Blackboard version 6..3.505 is the online software adopted by Fayetteville Technical Community College for the delivery of online classes. Blackboard is accessible via a web browser. Many FTCC faculty also use Blackboard to place course materials online for their students taking traditional or face-to-face classes on the web. With a Blackboard account you can retrieve and submit assignments, participate in discussion groups, take tests online, and use optional features such as the calendar and address book. The features accessible to students within Blackboard will vary according to the instructor's format.

If you have registered for a class at FTCC you will be assigned a Blackboard account. This account is not automatically set up at the time you register. Blackboard student accounts are accessible the first day of class, each semester. If you are taking a 2nd-8 week class, that class will not be available until the 2nd-8 week session begins.

Once your Blackboard account is active, you can log in to Blackboard as follows:

1.  Go to the Blackboard website at http://blackboard.faytechcc.edu .

2.  Click on Login.

3. Enter the first six characters of your last name, your middle initial and last four digits of your Social Security Number as your username. (example: Jane P. Student,  123-45-6789 would be studenp6789 ). Please check your class registration slip to see if you are registered at FTCC with a middle initial.

4.  Enter your birth date as the password. (example: April 15, 1980 would be 041580).

5.  Click on Login. The welcome screen will appear with the FTCC tab selected.

When you are using Blackboard, keep in mind the following:

Students are required to use the FTCC provided email account.  If you are an eArmyU student, you may use the eArmyU email address or your AKO address.

FTCC student e-mail account information is located at http://www.faytechcc.edu/OnlineSupport/Student_Email.htm .

To access your Blackboard course, perform the following:

1.  Log in to Blackboard.

2.  At the top of the main Blackboard screen, click on the Courses tab.

3.  Then, click on the course that you wish to access.

Note:  If you do not see the course you are enrolled in, contact your instructor. Instructor contact information is located online at http://www.faytechcc.edu/BB551/Get_Ready_for_Online_Classes.htm .

The Discussion Board, which is similar to a bulletin board, enables participants to read and post messages and create discussion threads. Some instructors use the Discussion Board to measure class participation.

If your instructor adds a forum to the Discussion Board, you can reply by posting your reactions, comments, or questions. When you participate in a class discussion, keep in mind that your entire class will be able to read your postings.

To post a message to a discussion thread:

1.  Log in to Blackboard and select the appropriate course.

2.  On the left side of the screen, click on Discussion Board. 

Note: If you do not see the Discussion Board button, click on Communication and then click on Discussion Board.

3.  Click on the forum in which you wish to participate.

4.  Then, click on the message to which you wish to reply.

5.  On the right side of the screen, click on Reply.

6.  Type your message in the Message box.

7.  If you wish to preview your message, click on Preview. Then click on Submit to submit your message to the forum.

Note: You may need to scroll down to view the Preview and Submit buttons.

To start a new thread:

1.  Under Discussion Board, near the top of the screen, click on Add New Thread.

2.  Type the subject and your message.

3.  If you wish to preview your message, click on Preview. Then, click on Submit to post your message to the forum.

Note:  You may need to scroll down to view the Preview and Submit buttons.

Additional information is included in the Blackboard Student Manual beginning on page 47.

The Virtual Classroom feature in Blackboard allows students and instructors to hold real-time virtual classroom sessions online. The main page of the Virtual Classroom includes all of the functions available to users. From this area users can access the tools associated with the Virtual Classroom.

To participate in a Virtual Classroom:

1.  Log in to Blackboard and select the appropriate course.

2.  On the left side of the screen, click on Communication.

3. Select Collaboration Tools.

4. Click Join next to a Virtual Classroom session. The Virtual Classroom will open.

Notes:

3.  Click on Enter Virtual Classroom.

4.  With the chat panel selected, type your message in the text box at the bottom of the window. Then press Enter to send your message. Your message now displays with messages that your classmates may have previously sent.

Note: Depending on how your instructor set up this feature, you may need to ask permission before you can participate. To do this, go to the Location bar at the top of the window and click on Floor.

To send a private message to your instructor:

1.  Click on the questions tab.

2.  Type your message in the text box on the bottom right corner of the window.

3.  Click on the box next to Request Private to select it and then click on Send.

Additional information is included in the Blackboard Student Manual beginning on page 56.

The Digital Drop box enables students to exchange files with the Instructor. To use the Digital Drop Box, perform the following steps:

1.  Log in to Blackboard and select the appropriate course.

2.  On the left side of the screen, click on Tools.
Note: If you do not see the Tools button, ask your instructor for the location of the Digital Drop Box.

3.  Click on Digital Drop Box.

4.  Files are added to the Digital Drop Box from the Add File page. A file is NOT automatically sent to your Instructor if it is placed in the Drop Box through the Add File option. Files must be sent with the Send File option.

5. Files that are added to the Drop Box but not sent will show the date and time posted. Once the file is sent to your Instructor it will show the date and time submitted.

Note: The date and time displayed in each instance is not the date and time on the student's computer, but the date and time on the Blackboard server.

6. To access the Add File page, click the Add File button in the Digital Drop Box.

• Enter the title of the file.
• Click Browse to locate the file or enter the exact path.
• Enter any comments related to the file. These comments will appear beneath the file's title on the Drop box page.

7. To access the Send File page, click on the Send File button in the Digital Drop Box.

• Click the drop-down arrow and select the file to send.
• Enter the title of the file.
• Click Browse to upload a file and sent it to your Instructor.
• Enter any comments about the file. These comments will appear beneath the file's title on the Drop box page.

For more information on the Digital Drop Box go to Page 90 in the Blackboard Student Manual . You can also access the help page at http://www.faytechcc.edu/OnlineSupport/DigitalDropBox.htm .

Submitting a file using the Assignment Manager:

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