Blackboard Tips for Students

Some Microsoft updates may cause you difficulty while taking quizzes or exams that have multiple short answer or essay questions. It is best to use Netscape 8 or above or the Firefox browsers until further notice for these exams.

Known issues with IE7 include the following:

You must press the spacebar or enter to activate any type of media, chat room, text editor or text box.
Overall, IE 8 is less stable than IE 7 or FF.
With BB 7.0, you must add the BB server to the list of trusted sites to get the the Text Editor to work properly.
With IE 8.0. the timer for timed exams covers the submit button and you cannot submit your exam.

If students upgrade to Internet Explorer 7, the following process should be followed to add the DBU Online website to your approved site list:

Login to the http://online.dbu.edu and navigate to a page that uses the Visual Text Box Editor.
Determine if the Blackboard Academic Suite server is in the list of Trusted Sites. When accessing the Academic Suite, a green check mark will appear in the Status Bar with the label, Trusted Sites. If Restricted Sites (a red circle icon) or Internet (a globe icon) appears instead, the Blackboard Academic Suite server must be added to the list of Trusted Sites.
Double-click the Status Bar where the Restricted Sites or the Internet icon appears. The Internet Security Properties box will open.
Click on the Trusted Sites icon under the Select a zone to view or change security settings heading. Click Sites to open the Trusted Sites box.
The URL for the Blackboard Academic Suite server should appear in the Add this website to the zone field. If not, enter the URL that is used to access the Blackboard Academic Suite in the field.
If the URL for the Blackboard Academic Suite does not use SSL security, uncheck the Require Server Verification (https:) for all sites in this zone option. If the URL for the Blackboard Academic Suite uses SSL security the URL will begin with https:// If the URL does not use SSL security the URL will begin with http://
Click Add.
Click Close.
Click OK on the Internet Security Properties box.
Refresh the page.
A message will appear in the Internet Explorer Information Bar: "This website wants to run the following add-on: 'Microsoft (R) Dynamic HTML Editing Control' from 'Microsoft Corporation'. If you trust the website and the add-on and want to allow it to run, click here..."
Click the message and select Run ActiveX Control from the context menu.
Click Run in the Security Warning box.
The Visual Text Box Editor is now configured to operate correctly within this browser.

Posting Assignments to Blackboard

Posting Assignments to Blackboard:

For all international students

If you are using Non-English computer (one you bought in your home country), then attaching files to Blackboard does not work properly. This includes all areas such as "View/Complete Assignments" "Class Email" and the "Discussion Board."

The filename does not appear correctly on the Blackboard system and your instructor may not be able to open it.

To prevent this problem, you should do the following:

Make the file in English.

Save it with an English name and be sure the filename is in an English font

Copy any files that you want to attach to Blackboard to another English computer.

From the English computer, you can upload your attachment to Blackboard.

Windows Vista

Reading Windows Vista Files on Older Computers:

If you are using Windows Vista or the Microsoft Office 2007,
and you attach files to "View/Complete Assignments" and to "Class Email," the files may be readable by your instructor.
To prevent this problem, you should do the following:

When you save your file (Document, PowerPoint, Excel), change the "file type" to "Word 2003 - 97." Or the corresponding document name for Excel and PowerPoint files.

You can choose "Word 2003 - 97" from a list when you click the "file type."

The file type is located immediately under the filename in the "Save As" window.

Configuring Real Player for RTSP

Download and install the latest version of the free version RealPlayer found at www.real.com.
Open RealPlayer.
From the top menu, go to Tools > Preferences.
On the left-hand menu, make sure the "Content" item is expanded.
Click the "Media Types" item, under "Content".
Select the radio button, "Manually configure media types for RealPlayer" if it is not already selected.
Click the "Select..." button.
Make sure the Streaming Media Metafile (SMM) option is checked. (In older versions, a new window will pop up. Scroll down to the section, "Other Media" and check the box next to "Real-Time Streaming Protocol".)
Click "OK" to close the Media Types window.
Click "OK" to close the Preferences window.
From the top menu in Real Player, choose File > Exit to exit Real Player.
Restart any browsers you have open and retry the link.

Test Taking Tips for Students

Test Taking Tips:

Study Skills:

Preparing for the Test

If you have special needs, contact your instructor before taking the exam to receive any special instructions.
Before you take the test, make sure you know what will be covered on the exam, study and review the materials, take any practice tests that may be offered, mark important pages in your textbook and in the course materials that you have printed out, and take a break before beginning the exam to clear your mind.
Keep your study notes and materials in a place where they can be easily accessed if the exam is open book.
Keep scrap paper handy to use while working on an exam. Use it to keep track of your answers in case your connection times out.
Make sure you read any instructions given by your professor concerning your exam.

Test Questions

Review your answers before submitting the exam to make sure they are all marked as you selected.
Remember that in true/false questions, general statements are usually only partially true, and absolute statements are often false.
If you may choose between answering several essay questions, choose the one or ones that you feel most confident writing about first.
If there are short answers or essay questions on the test, be sure to write them in a word processor and then paste the answer into the text box of the exam. This will give you a back-up copy of your work and an opportunity to run spell check.

Where to Take the Test

If you are taking your exam in the computer lab or another public place, bring earplugs to help isolate you from the noise.
Be sure to take the exam when you will be free from interruptions. Let your friends and family members know when you will be taking the exam so they will not disturb you. Minimize interruptions while taking a test.
If you need to and are able, visit a campus computer lab to take your exams. This will provide a quiet environment with fewer distractions than you may have at home. It will also provide a secure internet connection while taking the test.
If you experience ongoing connection problems, consider taking your exam at a different location (a public library, the campus if it is close enough, a friend’s house, your office, etc.) where the Internet is more reliable.

Taking the Test

When you click to begin an exam, make sure you have budgeted enough time to take the exam.
Preview all the questions before you begin (this will also help ensure that the page loads properly), answer the questions you know first, read all possible answer choices, eliminate the choices you know are incorrect, and as a last resort, guess – do not leave any questions unanswered.
Only change your answers if you can think of a concrete reason why a different answer is better than the answer you have already chosen.
If the test is set to force-completion (and most exams are), you will not be able to exit the test and resume taking it at a later time. In most cases, you may only enter the exam one time.
If the course is set to allow multiple attempts, you may take it more than once, but be sure you know how many attempts you are allowed before doing so.
Always double check your answers before clicking on the Submit button.
Do not open a test and then leave it unattended on your computer for any reason.
Do not wait until the last minute to take the quiz. If there is a problem and you are locked out, you may not be able to re-take it.
You must complete any exam or quiz in one sitting, so do not click to start it if you do not think you will be able to finish it completely at that time.
Do not open the exam until you are ready to take it.
Make sure you have enough time set aside to take the test before starting it.
If the test is timed, pay attention to the time limit.
Keep a clock or timer nearby to help you pace yourself in the event that the test is timed.

Technical Issues:

Before the Test

Before you begin your test/exam close down all other programs that you are running on your computer. If there are essay questions, open a new instance of your word processing software.
Make sure you are using Internet Explorer 6 or higher, Mozilla FireFox 2 or higher, or Safari 2.0 or higher. Only take exams on browsers supported by Blackboard (http://blackboard.uc.edu/support)
Make sure Pop-Up Blockers are turned off.
If your test contains essay questions, it is a good idea to turn off your text-box editor before beginning the exam. This will ensure that you can type in the text boxes to answer the essay questions on the exam.
Do not use an unfamiliar computer to take a test. It is always better to use a computer that is familiar to you.
Make sure your Java is up to date. Go to http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp and download the most recent version.
Reboot your computer before taking an exam. This will stop any background processes that the computer may be performing extraneously.
To help keep your ISP from ending your online session, keep a second browser open and from time to time make changes to it while you are taking your test. You may minimize and maximize this browser, but do not minimize or maximize the browser window that you are taking your test in. Make sure this second browser window is opened before you begin your exam. Do not open a second browser after you have started taking your test.
Before beginning an exam, log out of Blackboard and then back into it. Then click on the test to begin taking it. Logging out will reset your Blackoard time and will help ensure that you will have the maximum time allotted to take your exam.
Make sure you have the minimum Blackboard requirements on your computer before you begin taking a test.
Do not take the test while on a wireless connection if possible.
We recommend using a broadband connection as opposed to a wireless connection. However, if you must use a wireless connection, make sure you have good signal strength before you begin taking your exam.
Make sure your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will not time out on you while taking the test if you are not on campus.
If you are taking a test from a computer with a firewall installed, you must disable it before choosing to take the exam.
Make sure that the status bar on your computer has been enabled. This will allow you to see the timer on the Blackboard test if it has one.
Make sure that Java and cookies are enabled on your computer.
Clear all the cache memory on your temporary Internet files before logging into Blackboard and taking your exam.
Turn off any web accelerators, such as the Google Web Accelerator or the Proxyconn Accelerator, which you may be using while working in Blackboard, especially on a Blackboard exam.
While taking a Blackboard exam, turn off Instant Messenger programs.
While taking a Blackboard exam, turn off email notifications.

During the Test

While taking an exam, do not click outside of the test area on the student menu and lock yourself out. Doing so could cause you to lose your exam, especially if you accidentally click on other areas inside of Blackboard on the student menu (such as Course Schedule, Course Material, Check Grades, etc.).
Maximize the test screen before starting to answer any questions. Maximizing the screen at a later time could result in losing data. To maximize the screen, click F11.
If your mouse has a scroll bar, using it could change the answer in a multiple choice, true/false, or matching type question. After selecting an answer, always click on a blank area before scrolling down on a test.
Remember that Fill-in-the-Blank questions are case sensitive.
Even if the test has no time limit, complete the exam as quickly as possible. The longer a test is open, the more likely the possibility of being locked out of the exam or losing your internet connection.
Do not refresh the Internet browser during the exam. Do not resize the screen because doing so may cause the browser to refresh and could lock you out of the test.
Do not click the Refresh button while in an exam. It will lock you out and you will lose your answers.
If you are disconnected while taking a quiz, establish an internet connection before clicking submit.
Always make sure your internet connection is established before clicking to submit an exam. To do this keep another browser available and make sure it can move from one internet page to another before clicking the submit button on your test.
Do not press Alt+Tab when inside a test. This could close your exam on you.
Do not open new web browsers, such as Facebook, or Myspace, while taking an exam.
You may use software such as StayAlive Pro (http://www.bysoft.com/stayalive.html) which will cause traffic to run in the background while you are working on your exam. This will help ensure that your internet connection does not time out.
Spyware may affect your ability to submit an exam. You may use Spybot - Search & Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html) before beginning a test to ensure that you will have no problems submitting your exam as a result of spyware on your computer. Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/) is another tool you can use to prevent spyware from affecting your computer.
Do not put a new URL address in the address bar of the Internet Browser while you are taking a test.
Do not select any of your bookmarked or favorite sites in the browser that you are using to take your test.
Do not attempt to print your assessment, especially if you are using Netscape.
Never press the enter key while taking an exam. Always use the mouse to click on the appropriate buttons. This will help ensure that you do not accidentally submit the exam to be graded before you are ready.
Remember that Blackboard will end your session and log you out if you leave the test open for 3 hours without doing anything else in Blackboard.
If you receive an error message while taking a test, write it down word-for-word. Take note of the time and the date that the error occurred. Email this information to your instructor. Having this information will best help the office of Online Education determine what error occurred and how you can keep from having the same error appear again.
Do not stop your quiz while taking it.
If you keep another Internet window open while taking an exam, and the connection times out, use the other browser to re-establish connection before clicking submit on your exam.
When checking your grades to make sure the exam was submitted, if you see a lock symbol, contact your instructor immediately, because you have become disconnected from the test.
Do not double-click on any links or buttons while taking an exam.
If you are worried about losing connection for inactivity with your ISP provider, you may want to play music softly on the computer from an Internet radio. The streaming will keep the ISP active.
Do not accidentally close your Internet window while taking the exam.
If you are locked out of the test, email or call your instructor immediately. Waiting to inform your instructor that you were locked out of an exam may cause the instructor to suspect that you were cheating. Also call the Help Desk immediately at 1-866-264-1560, as they can reset the test for you.
Do not use the AOL browser to take your test. It is not compatible with Blackboard.
Save frequently (every 3 or 4 questions or approximately every 20 minutes) but not after every question (that will delay your time). Use the save button at the bottom of the page, not the one beside each question.
Do not click the Back or Forward button on your browser or on your mouse while taking the exam.
If you lose internet connection while taking the test, do not close the window. Wait until the ISP is back up and then submit the exam.

After the Test

Print the receipt showing that the test was successfully submitted for your records.
After you submit your test, always check to make sure the submission went through without any problems.
After completing the test, check your grades to make sure that the test was properly submitted. If the test has an exclamation point (!) on it in your grades, it submitted correctly, and the teacher just needs to grade a portion of it manually.
After you have finished taking the exam, be sure to click on the submit button. Only click on this button once. Do not double-click on the submit button.

Dial-Up Users Only:

Make sure your phone connection is static free before connecting to the Internet; static could affect your internet connection.
If using a dial-up connection, or any other connection where your computer shares the phone line, make sure no one picks up the phone accidentally disconnecting you while you are taking the exam.
Unplug your phone while taking the exam, especially if your computer and phone share the same line.
Disable the call-waiting feature. Make sure everyone present knows you are taking the test so that no one picks up the phone and disconnects you from the exam.
Make sure that the ISP time-out settings are set to the maximum time so that your connection will not time out.

Opening the Exam:

Click on the name of the test/exam.
Click OK to begin the test.
Read any instructions that may appear at the top of the test screen.
Right-click and print a copy of your exam before you submit it.
Do not begin answering any questions on the test until after it has fully loaded and you see the submit button at the bottom of the screen.
When you click on an exam to access it, only single click. Do not double-click on an exam to open it. If you double click, it may think you have already taken the test once, and lock you out of it.
Saving the test is not the same as submitting the test. When you have finished the test, make sure you click Submit instead of Save.

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