Troubleshooting Blackboard: a guide for students new to Learning in an online format

This guide is designed to help you navigate some of the technical concerns you may have as your college transitions from in-person courses to those offered remotely through Blackboard. This guide is not designed to cover every topic, but to help you gain some familiarity with help resources if you find things don’t go as you expect them to.

There are three ways you can access KCTCS’s Blackboard site.

1. Visit MyPath and click on Blackboard.  Log in to Blackboard if directed. You need your user ID for this (e.g., johndoe0001) and KCTCS password.
2. Login directly to Blackboard.  If you access your courses this way, please bookmark the page so you don’t lose it. 
3. Blackboard offers a free mobile app that is designed to allow you to view course content and participate in online course activities from your mobile devices including iOS and Android. The app is currently available on the iTunes App store and Google Play. Watch “Explore the Blackboard App” to determine if this is a useful tool for you.

1. Locate the syllabus - this is the most important document in the course and usually found near the top of the course shell or on the left-side menu.  Look for a tab or folder titled “Syllabus” or “Start Here.”  Faculty can add this anywhere they choose, but these are the most logical places to find the document.
2. Find the Collaborate area – Depending on the type of Blackboard Course your instructor is using, this could be in a few places.  Normally you will see an item on the left-side menu titled  “Blackboard Collaborate” although faculty may name this anything they choose.  Look for something that indicates Collaborate or live sessions. 
3. Click on Other Tabs and Folders – Again, Blackboard can be designed in multiple ways, so it’s difficult to explain exactly how the courses you will take are going to be designed.  The best way to learn where everything is located is to click around a find things.  Also, review any messages your instructor has sent (either in Blackboard or your KCTCS email). They have probably given you some guidance on how to get started in the course.

Blackboard has developed a lot of content and tutorials to help you learn how to use the tools and resources in your courses.  Start with  Blackboard Help for Students[1], which has a list of commonly asked questions and links to videos to help you learn how to do things such as:

1. Submit assignments
2. Take quizzes and exams
3. Use Blackboard Collaborate
4. Message your instructor and classmates
5. Check grades
6. Participate in discussion board conversations
7. Access documents in alternatives formats (e.g., Braille, audio, translated, etc.)

Sometimes you need to ask for help.  Below is a list of resources you may want to call on if you find that you are ever “stuck” on a process.