Helping Your Students

As the course Instructor, you are often your students' first link to help and assistance. Included here are links to more information and step-by-step help for the most common student concerns.

DCE Resources for Students

In-depth information for students, available on the Distance and Continuing Education website. Comprehensive resources for helping students find courses, register and receive technical support. Select this link to see resources for students...

How do students get access to my class in Blackboard? How are they notified?

• If you are offering a course for University credit, as part of a degree program:
  Your students will automatically be added to your Blackboard roster when they register for your course through Campus Connection. Please note that students who add your course after the registration period of the course term may not automatically be added to your Blackboard roster. As the Instructor, you are advised to periodically compare your CampusConnection course roster to your Blackboard roster and adjust student permissions and/or remove students who have dropped.
  
  
• If you are offering a 600 course for professional development or training, or a non-credit course:
  Your students may not be automatically added. Distance and Continuing Education staff will manage your course registration and manually provide your students with access to your Blackboard course site. Notification by email will also be sent to your students.

How do students login to Blackboard?

In general, students may use the following steps to login to Blackboard:

Begin with the NDUS Enrollment Process, to verify that the student has access to the system:

• Go to the NDUS Enrollment web page at http://enroll.nodak.edu
• Select the "Continue" button to verify agreement with the terms of use
• Supply student last name and EMPLID in the text boxes provided
• Follow on-screen prompts to complete the enrollment process

Following completion of the enrollment process:

• Go to the NDSU Blackboard site at http://bb.ndsu.nodak.edu
• Select the "Login" icon at the top of the screen.
• On the next screen, enter a Username and Password:
  • Username is the first portion of the NDSU email address, generally in this pattern: firstname.lastname
  • Password is the same as is used to access NDSU email OR if the student has not received this password, the default password pattern is Mmmssyyyy where:
    • Mmm = 1st 3 letters of the birth month, 1st letter CAPITALIZED
    • ss = middle 2 digits of the social security number
    • yyyy = 4 digit birth year

Students enrolled in a 600 course through Distance and Continuing Education are manually enrolled in your course website by DCE staff. Please contact Karen Murie, Karen.Murie@ndsu.edu, for more information.

How do students view their grades?

In your Blackboard course website:

• Method 1:
  • Login to Blackboard
  • Select the link to the Course site
  • Navigate to the location of the exam or assignment in the course site
  • Exams: The student will be able to see posted grades after he Instructor has completed the grading process, including any feedback that the instructor has provided
  • Assignments: If the Instructor has used the "Assignment" feature, students will be able to download a copy of the reviewed file that has been posted
• Method 2:
  • Login to Blackboard
  • Select the link to the Course site
  • Select the "Tools" link or the "Course Tools" link on the navigation bar
  • Select "My Grades"
  • A view of the gradebook for the course will appear - selecting an individual score for an exam or assignment will reveal more detail about feedback and otehr information the instructor has provided (The Gradebook is private; a student will not see entries for other students)
• Method 3:
• Login to Blackboard
• Select the "View Grades" link from the "My Blackboard" screen
• Select the link for the desired Course
• A view of the Gradebook for the course will appear - selecting an individual score for an exam or assignment will reveal feedback and other information the instructor has provided

Using CampusConnection:

• In the CampusConnection system, final course grades are available as an "Unofficial Transcript."
• Link to PDF: CampusConnection Basics (includes instructions for viewing Unofficial Transcript).

How do students ADD or DROP a course?

In general, students should use the CampusConnection (PeopleSoft) system to register and/or drop courses. These actions must be done according to set University deadlines, or by special permission.

• Academic Deadlines: A link to the NDSU Office of Records and Registration Deadlines page, which maintains up-to-date academic schedules.
  
  
• ADD a course: CampusConnection instructions (PDF)
  
  
• DROP or SWAP a course: CampusConnection instructions (PDF)

CampusConnection Help for Students

• Official CampusConnection (NDSU) site: http://bisonconnection.ndsu.edu/connect/
  • Included on the Official CampusConnection page: Login information and instructions and minimum system requirements
    
    
• CampusConnection Help Pages for Students: http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/deott/registrar/connect/studenthelp.shtml

How to Save Documents in Microsoft Word/Office 97-2003 Format

If You are Using MS Office 2007:

Microsoft Office 2007 is a major update to the office suite. Word and other programs in the suite will use new document formats. Word 2007 saves files in the .docx format, which is different from the .doc format used in Word 97-2003. The new document format in Word 2007 can cause difficulties when it comes time to share your documents electronically. So, if you upgrade to Word 2007, you should consider changing the save settings. You can save your documents in a format that is compatible with earlier versions of Word. That way, you won't have any problems sharing documents.

Using the Feature:

1. Click the "Office" button Click "Word Options"
2. Open the "Save" options
3. Next to "Save files in this format", select "Word 97-2003"
4. Click "OK"
5. Your documents will be saved in the .doc format, which is compatible with earlier versions of Word.

If You are Using Another Word Processor:

1. Select the "File" link on your menu bar
2. Select "Save As"
3. In the dialog window (the pop-up window) select "File of Type" or "Format" as it appears in your program
4. In the dropdown menu, choose "MS Word 97-2003" or ".doc format" from the list

How to use the Assignment Drop Box in Blackboard

The drop box lets you submit work directly to your instructor using Blackboard without using email.

Using the Feature:

1. Log in to Blackboard and enter your course.
2. Locate an assignment you need to complete. When you find an assignment, you'll see the clipboard icon and a link to "Assignment Drop Box". Select this link.
3. If the Instructor has placed a file on Blackboard for you to download, click the file link next to the "Assignment Files" option.
4. Your browser (Internet Explorer, Safari) will ask you where you want to save this file. Choose a location on your computer that you will be able to find again.
5. When it has finished downloading, open the file using the appropriate piece of software - often this will be Microsoft Word - and complete the assignment as directed.
6. Save your completed assignment and return to the course website, to the appropriate assignment location, as you found in Step 2.
7. Click the "Browse" button to attach and upload your completed assignment file to your instructor. You may type a brief comment in the "Comments" area, but there is a limit on how much you can type so comments should be brief.
8. Click "Submit" when you are ready to turn in your assignment to your Instructor.
   Note: Clicking "Save" will not submit the assignment. Your Instructor will not see the assignment until you have clicked "Submit."

How to Use the Discussion Board in Blackboard

The Discussion Board is a communication tool that is similar to chat, but participants do not have to interact at the same time. Communication that takes placed in the Discussion Board is archived for later viewing and sorting.

The Discussion Board feature uses the following terms:

• Post - the written entry from an individual person
• Thread - a grouping of related posts; a "conversation"; a main post and all related replies
• Forum - the place where conversations take place; most often there will be a Forum created for each major topic of discussion

Reading in the Discussion Board:

1. Select the link provided by your instructor for the Discussion Board
2. Select the name of a Forum to access it
3. Once you are inside of a Forum, you can read existing threads by selecting the titles
4. Use the + and - signs to expand or collapse the threads

Create a Discussion Thread:

1. Click "Add a New Thread" and the "Create New Message" page will appear.
2. Click in the "Subject" box and type in the subject of the message.
3. Click in the "Message" box and type your message.
4. Click "Submit" to send your message.

Reply to a Message in a Thread:

1. Click on a Thread to read it.
2. Click the "Reply" button next to a message to post a reply to the current thread.
3. Type a "Subject" for your reply message thread.
4. Type the text for your message into the "Message" area.
5. If your instructor has allowed anonymous posting, check the box for "Post Message as Anonymous" if you wish to send your message without other users knowing who it is from.
6. Your instructor may allow users to add attachments to message threads and replies. If so and you wish to attach a file to your message, click the "Browse" button, navigate & find the desired file, and click the "Open" button.
7. Click the "Preview" button to see your message before you post it.
8. Click the "Submit" button to send your message.
9. Your message will display with a "New" icon within the list of current message threads.