1. Go to the Blackboard Learning System main page (http://blackboard.uncfsu.edu)

2. Click Login

3. From the Login screen, you must enter your Username and Password.

• Your Username is your FSU AD account (Email ID/Student Network Account).  This is NOT your Banner "83" number. 

• Your Password was assigned with the AD account.

4. Click Login 

5. You will be taken to your welcome screen.

What is an AD account? How do I obtain my AD Account Information?
Your AD (Active Directory) account is your FSU Email/Student Network Account. Every student at FSU has an AD account. First time Freshman receive their AD account from their University Studies UNIV101 instructor.

Is my AD account email password related to my Blackboard password?
Yes. Your AD account password is assigned and is used to login to Blackboard and the FSU network. If you change your AD account password, you will use the changed password to login to Blackboard.

Can I use a non campus email address within my Blackboard course?
Yes. You can change it by going to the Student Tools section of your course, click on Personal Information and then Edit Personal Information. Make the necessary changes under Section 1 - Personal Information and email. Click on Submit to accept the changes.

I have two courses that use Blackboard. Do I have two accounts?
No, you only need one account (user name and password) for all your Blackboard courses.

My course does not appear on my welcome screen, what do I do?
You may have been entered into the Blackboard database, but not enrolled for this course. This doesn't mean you are not enrolled at FSU or registered for this course...

• You might have registered late.

• The wrong information or no info may have been sent to the Blackboard Administrator.

• All web-based courses are online ("naturally"), but it is up to a professor if he/she wants to have a web-enhanced component for her/his "face to face" class.  Not all "face to face" courses have a Blackboard course site.

• If a Blackboard course site is set to be "unavailable" to students, then even enrolled students will not see a link to the site.

Call the ITS Helpdesk at 910.672.2085 and press "1" and ask the service representative if there is a Blackboard course site for your course, and if your name appears in the Blackboard course roster.  If the Blackboard site exists, but your account is not assigned to the site, the service representative will be able to add you to the Blackboard site upon your request.  *This does not constitute formal enrollment in the course.  All formal enrollment into a course MUST go through the Registrar's Office.

The representative will also be able to tell you if the course site is set to "available".  If the site is "unavailable" you will need to contact the professor regarding when it is to be made available.

I forgot my password - what do I do?
Check in Banner or the Student Account LookUp for your password.  If you can't find it there, call the ITS Helpdesk (910.672.2085 and press "2".)

Who can I call or contact with Blackboard questions?
Please call the ITS Helpdesk at 910.672.2085 and press "1" or visit the "Blackboard Online Support Center", or email the Blackboard Administrator.

I'm getting a "Cannot find server or DNS error", what do I do?
The Blackboard server might be experiencing problems. However, the "name server" for your ISP may be having a problem. Try the IP address http://152.6.5.152. If you are able to connect with the server's IP address, then something is not working with the name server. If you are still unable to get the web site, the server may be down.  Please call the ITS Helpdesk at 910.672.2085 and press "1" or visit the "Blackboard Online Support Center", or email the Blackboard Administrator.  

My instructor said I needed to create a Homepage in the course, what do I do?
Go to the Student Tools section of your course. Click on the Edit Homepage icon and just fill in the pre-set fields. You can also upload a digital picture in this area. Make sure you click the "Update Homepage" button at the bottom of the page or your information will NOT be uploaded to the course site!

I want to put something in the Digital DropBox - how do I do this?
Blackboard does not allow certain special characters to be used in naming files to be uploaded to the DropBox. e.g. Don't use the pound sign "#"!  Only use letters, numbers, the underscore "_" and/or the hyphen "-" when naming files that you intend to upload to the Digital DropBox.

Go to the Students Tools section of your course and click on the Student Drop Box icon. Under the Add Files heading, click on the Browse button to find your document on the hard drive or disc. Clicking on the Open button in the dialog box will place your document in Blackboard. Click on the Send File to Instructor button to complete the transaction.

My Instructor put something in the Digital DropBox for me - how do I get this?
Go to the Students Tools section of your course, and click on the Student Drop Box icon. If there are files in your DropBox, you will see them listed under the Current Files in Drop Box heading. Click on the link name to open or download the file.

How do I participate in a Discussion Forum?
Go to the Communication section of your course. Click on the Discussion forum icon. You will see a list of the available Forums. Only your instructors can create forums, but you can post threads, reply to other threads and read all posts.

To enter a particular Forum, 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 Start new thread button at the bottom. 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 on the on screen navigation (Back, Next Message, Back to Forum View) to move around the forum.

How do I use the virtual classroom?
The virtual classroom is to have scheduled 'chat' sessions with your instructor and fellow classmates. Instructor will decide if and when to use this features. Your browser settings must be set to enable java. Please review the quick sheet or the virtual classroom help page for further information.

How do I check my grades?
From the Student Tools section, click on the Check Your Grades icon. If you see a blue pencil next to a test score, this means you can look at detailed results of your quiz (question by question).

I have been "locked" out of my test/quiz/survey and am unable to complete/submit it.
ONLY THE PROFESSOR has the authority to reset a test.  As soon as you see that you have been locked out of a test/quiz/survey, please call the ITS Helpdesk at 672-2085 and press "1".  The service representative will be able to record the date & time that the problem occurred, and may know whether there are problems with the Blackboard server or an Internet problem.  The service representative WILL NOT reset the test/quiz/survey, but can provide the information regarding the problem to your professor.  *Please contact your professor regarding the problem and ask if they are willing to reset the test/quiz/survey so that you may complete/submit it.

There is a red exclamation point in the gradebook instead of a score, what does this mean?
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 an exclamation point recorded in the book. If your computer crashes, or your Internet connection is disconnected, any questions you have completed will not be counted. Finally, if your quiz was timed and you went over the allotted time limit, you will also see an exclamation point in the gradebook instead of a grade. 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.