Students - Frequently Asked Questions
-- I cannot log into Blackboard. What's the problem?
The answer to this question is generally one of several things:
- You are using your full Email address, rather than simply your e-ID as your username. Your e-ID is the part of your SIUE Email address that comes before the @siue.edu, for example, jsmith.
- Your e-ID was never activated or it was activated but not preserved. To activate or preserve an e-ID after receiving the postcard, go to the e-ID web site: http://www.siue.edu/e-ID/.
- Your password has expired. SIUE e-ID passwords must be changed every 60 days. To change a password before it expires, visit the e-ID web site: http://www.siue.edu/e-ID/. To reset a password that has already expired, visit LB 0005. You must present your SIUE Cougar Card ID or another photo ID.
- You are a new student and you are not enrolled in any courses that are using Blackboard. Continuing students who have had at least one course that used Blackboard should still be able to log in to Blackboard to access their Content Collection.
-- I cannot see my course in the My Blackboard tab in Blackboard. Why not?
The answer to this question is generally one of five things:
- Your instructor is not using Blackboard. If your instructor is not using Blackboard, there will be no course for you to see.
- Your instructor has not yet made the course available. Ask your instructor whether he or she has made the course available.
- You may not be enrolled in the course. Double check CougarNet to be sure you are actually registered in the correct course.
- We have not yet enrolled you in the course. Students are generally enrolled in their Blackboard courses on the Thursday evening prior to the start of the term.
- If you added the course late, it will take 24 to 48 hours for your registration to be updated from Banner into Blackboard.
-- When I log into Blackboard, it says "Welcome...." but the name that appears there is not my name. What should I do?
Electronic IDs (e-IDs) are recycled. The student whose name is appearing in your Blackboard course is the person who previously owned your e-ID. ITS will need to manually change your name in Blackboard. Please send an email to ftc_help@siue.edu explaining that your name is incorrect in Blackboard. Please be sure to include (and clearly label): 1) your e-ID, 2) your full, correct name, and 3) the full, incorrect name that is showing up in Blackboard instead of yours.
-- My instructor has indicated that he or she cannot locate or open a file I submitted in Blackboard. What's the problem?
There are several possibilities, depending upon how those files were submitted:
- If you used the Digital Drop Box tool, make sure that you actually sent the file. Simply adding a file to the Digital Drop Box does not result in its being sent. You must actually send the file.
- If you used the Assignment tool, make sure that you actually submitted the file. Simply saving a file, does not result in its submission. You must actually click on the Submit button.
- If you are using Microsoft Office 2007, unless otherwise instructed by your instructor, when you save your Office files, for example, be sure to Save As: Word 97-2003. Office 2007 is not backward compatible with older versions of Microsoft Office. For additional information see the known issues page.
- If you do not have Microsoft Office, and are using some other word processing software (Microsoft Works, WordPerfect, etc.), when you save your file be sure to Save As: Rich Text Format (.rtf). That file format is acceptable across a range of word processing softwares.
-- My instructor has included PowerPoint presentations, an audio or video file, and/or a PDF document in my course, but I cannot view them.
If you do not have Microsoft PowerPoint on your computer, you will need to download and install the PowerPoint Viewer. If you do not already have the appropriate media viewer installed on your computer, you will need to download it. See the plug ins section of our Recommended Software page for links to the most commonly used plug-ins. Opening a PDF document requires Adobe Reader.
-- I'm completely unfamiliar with Blackboard and its features. How can I learn more about how to use it?
There are "how to" tutorials available on most of the features in Blackboard.
--I'm a student in the School of Nursing undergraduate program and need specific assistance with creating and managing my program portfolio. Where can I find information on this topic?
School of Nursing students who need information on or assistance with their portfolios should consult this resource site.
