Student FAQ's

Please note that most Blackboard courses are not accessible by students until after the first day of the semester or term.  If you are looking for the course before the first day of class, it may not be available to students yet.

If it is after the first day of classes, check to see if your instructor is using Blackboard.  Not all courses have a Blackboard component.  If your instructor is using Blackboard and other individuals in the class can see the course, check with the instructor to see if you have been added as a student to the Blackboard Course.

You may need to change how frequently your web browser checks for new page content. 

Here are instructions on how to configure Internet Explorer 7 and 8

1. Select the “Tools” drop down menu and select “Internet Options”. 
2. In the “Internet Options” window select the “General” tab.
3. In the "Browsing History" section, (around the middle of the window) click the “Settings” button. 
4. In the “Temporary Internet Files and History Settings” window go to the section "Check for newer versions of stored pages:"and select "Every time I visit the webpage".
5. Click “OK” to save and exit the “Temporary Internet Files and History Settings” window.
6. Click “OK” to exit the “Internet Options” window.

Unless otherwise directed in your course instructions or syllabus, if you encounter a problem submitting your assignment contact the IT Help Desk with the following information. 

• Your myUMID
• The name of the Blackboard course you are encountering the problem in
• The name of the assignment
• When the assignment was submitted
• A description of the problem (i.e. when the problem happens, has it happened before…)
• If you receive an error message, the exact message

Occasionally students may encounter authentication problems when trying to access online library resources through links in Blackboard.  After clicking on the link in Blackboard students are asked to log in, but the system will not accept their Barcode Number and Last Name. 

To access online library resources, open a new web page and go directly to the Health Sciences and Human Services website http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu.  Links for E-Reserve, Journals, or Databases are listed under the “Resources” section on the left side of the page.  Click on the link for the resource you are trying to access.  When you try to access a protected resource you will be asked to authenticate with your Barcode and Last Name. 

For more information about accessing library resources, please go to http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/resources/index.html.

The Instructor may have hidden the course menu.  Contact your instructor to see if the course menu should be available in the course.  

 If you get an "Error 401: Forbidden" message when opening a file, please log out of Blackboard before you try to access the file again, do the following steps to clear your cache and cookies from your browser, then log back in:

Internet Explorer 7:

1. Close all of your browser windows
2. Open a new browser window and clear the cache (temporary files) and cookies:

Go to Tools -> Delete Browsing History... 
Click "Delete files..." (click "Yes" you're sure) and "Delete cookies..." ("Yes" you're sure again)

3. If you are running Windows 7 or Vista, also add "https://blackboard.umaryland.edu" (or "https://law.blackboard.umaryland.edu" if that's applicable) as a trusted site in Internet Explorer:

Go to Tools -> Internet Options
Click the Security tab -> Click "Trusted Sites", then "Sites" -> enter the Blackboard URL and click "Add"

* New * To automate this every time you close your browser:

Go to Tools -> Internet Options
Click the Advanced tab
Scroll to the Security section and check "Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed" 
Click "OK" as necessary to save these settings and exit

These steps will only clear your cache.  There's no browser setting to always clear the cookies in IE7.

Firefox:

1. Close all of your browser windows
2. Open a new browser window and clear the cache (temporary files) and cookies:

Go to Tools -> Clear Recent History... ->
Set "Time range to clear" to "Everything"
Click the down arrow next to "Details" and make sure "Cookies", "Cache", and "Active Logins" are checked and click "Clear Now"

* New * To automate this every time you close your browser:

Go to Tools -> Options ->
Click the Privacy tab and check "Clear history when Firefox closes"
Click the "Settings" button to the right and make sure "Cookies", "Cache" and "Active Logins" are checked
Click "OK" as necessary to save these settings and exit

Internet Explorer 8:

1. Close all of your browser windows
2. Open a new browser window and clear the cache (temporary files) and cookies:

Go to Safety -> Delete Browsing History...
Make sure these are checked: "Temporary Internet Files" and "Cookies"
Make sure this is unchecked: "Preserve Favorites website data"
Click "Delete"

3. If you are running Windows 7 or Vista and Internet Explorer, also add "https://blackboard.umaryland.edu" (or "https://law.blackboard.umaryland.edu" if that's applicable) as a trusted site in Internet Explorer:

Go to Tools -> Internet Options
Click the Security tab -> Click "Trusted Sites", then "Sites" -> enter the Blackboard URL and click "Add"

* New * To automate this every time you close your browser:

Go to Tools -> Internet Options ->
Click the General tab and check "Deleted Browsing History on Exit"
Click the "Delete..." button and confirm "Temporary Internet Files" and "Cookies" are checked and "Preserve Favorites website data" is unchecked.
Click "OK" as necessary to save these settings and exit

Please contact the IT Helpdesk at 410-706-HELP or help@umaryland.edu for further assistance.

When I try to print Office documents, open files with Office 2010 or print a browser page via IE by way of File -> Print I get prompted for a username and password.

If you are being prompted for your username and password when trying to print an MS Office document or a browser page via IE by way of File -> Print, follow one of the steps below to get the document printed.

1. A work around, which you would have to do every time, would be to hit the cancel button.  You would have to continue to hit cancel if multiple prompts appear; there’s a good chance with printing that this prompt might appear half a dozen times.  The document should print/open after hitting cancel on the last prompt.

2. A long term fix would be to add https://blackboard.umaryland.edu or whatever URL you’re using for Blackboard to your IE browser trusted sites list.  The easiest way to add it is to log into Blackboard first and then go to Tools ->Internet Options ->Security tab -> Trusted Sites -> click "Sites" and the URL will auto-fill to be added (then click Add to add it).  It's necessary to add the "https" Blackboard URL.  This should make the authentication prompt go away.

When I try to open a file in Blackboard, I get the error "Not Found: The specified resource was not found, or you do not have permission to access it."

If you see an error with a red bar at the top with the text "Not Found" and "The specified resource was not found, or you do not have permission to access it", there is an issue with the permissions on the file in your course. 

Please contact the IT Helpdesk or your school's IT department with your name, the name of the Blackboard course, and the name of the file you attempted to open to help get the issue corrected.

Q:

Once you log into Blackboard with your myUMID and UM Password, there are two ways to access the My Grades area. 

From the Main (My Institutions) Blackboard page

1. Select View Grades from the Tool Panel on the left side of the page.
2. Select the course you want to see grades for.

From within a Specific Course

Here are instructions on how to access the My Grades area if you have already accessed a course.

1. Click Tools on the Course Menu or Organization Menu.
2. Select My Grades.

Q:

Please contact your Blackboard instructor if you have a question about a grade posted in Blackboard. 
 

Q:

The first individual to contact is your Blackboard instructor.  The grade in question may not be entered yet, or the instructor may not be ready to make the grades viewable by students.

If the instructor has entered the grade and made it viewable to students, but you still cannot see it in Blackboard, please contact your School Blackboard group or the UM IT Help Desk.