Stanislaus State Blackboard

Bb Best Practices

- Test Taking Basics

• Use Firefox
• Edge (Internet Explorer)
  - may display ONLY the first and last test questions, hiding all others  
  - may not allow viewing Instructor Feedback
  - may corrupt an Assignment submission, making it blank
• Use a computer with a wired connection
  - High-Speed recommended
  - Avoid mobile devices and WiFi
• Click only Bb navigation buttons and links
• Click links or buttons once and wait
• Read the complete Test Taking Tips
• Problem? Take Screen Shots  
  - Contact your instructor immediately  
  - Instructor may contact OIT

- Submitting, Attaching, Uploading

• Close the file and quit the file's application before uploading
  - open files may not upload correctly, invalidating your work
• File Name - use only letters, numerals, hyphens, and underscores
  - Other characters or spaces may corrupt the file and make it unusable
• Limit File Name to a maximum of 64 characters

- Manage My Courses Module

• Students - Hide old courses on My Courses module 
• Faculty - Manage your My Courses module 
     - If you are near the 99 course display limit, contact BbSupport

- Media Files

• Use a Stan State Communication and Collaboration Tool 
• Link to YouTube or other streaming media
• Share from your cloud storage
• Upload small (< 50 MB) MP4 (H.264) video/MP3 or M4A audio files

- Portfolios

• Students:  Save your work in a Bb Portfolio
  - Create artifacts  
  - Create, Share and Manage Comments on your portfolio   
• Instructors: Assign Bb Portfolios
• See - Portfolium

Use Firefox for best Bb results.

Unhide your Navigation Menu 
     (left side - course menu)
Faculty - Also check Edit Mode 

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Browser Information

Blackboard Browser Checker

• We recommend Firefox for Blackboard
• Alternate browser:  Google Chrome
• We recommend not using MS Edge (Internet Explorer) for Bb
• Bb, Inc., browser support
  ​- some browsers work better than others for different Bb activities
  - your experience depends on your personal settings
  - if you encounter issues, use a different browser
• Clear your browser's cache
• Keep browser, plugins, and related software up to date
  - use automatic updates or check regularly and run updates
• Click Accept or Continue to update certificate information
• Avoid using custom browsers from Internet Service Providers 
  (e.g., AOL, Charter, Comcast)
• For best results, use a wired, High-Speed Internet connection 
  (e.g., Cable, DSL)
• Avoid wireless (WiFi) connections and mobile devices for tests and uploads

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Stan State Communication and Collaboration Tools

  - Camtasia - screen recording with editing
  - Collaborate - Bb web conferencing
  - Mediasite - lecture capture and content streaming
  - VoiceThread - voice and video collaboration, lecture recording
             Use Firefox or Google Chrome.
  - SnagIt - screen shot program to capture and edit images and video
             With Grab Text, to capture text from PDF and other files
  - YouTube Mashup - add your own video to a Bb page  
  - Zoom - online meetings and presentations, virtual office hours

OneDrive for Stan State

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Bb Spell Check - Firefox -macOS/OSx

 - Issue:  Users can't select the correctly spelled word.
This is a Known Issue that Bb plans to fix.  No known release date.
Use Safari or Chrome for Bb spell check

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Bb 3/19