SafeAssign and the "Not Logged In" Error

If SafeAssign will not open for you (or your student) or if you (or your student) get a message saying that you are not logged in to SafeAssign, here are a few things to try:

1. Try a different web browser.  For instance, if using Safari 4 on the Mac, try installing Firefox. If using Firefox on the PC, try using Internet Explorer.
2. Make sure you are allowing pop-ups from mycourses.atsu.edu and mycourses9.atsu.edu in your web browser.
3. Make sure your web browser is set to accept 3rd-party cookies.

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How do I set my browser to accept 3rd-party cookies?

Setting your web browser to accept 3rd-party cookies can help with various software such as Bb CE8, Bb 9.1, Elluminate, SafeAssign and others.

These instructions are for a variety of web browsers.  If you cannot find the setting in your particular web browser, please contact the Helpdesk.

Enabling 3rd Party Cookies:

Safari (Mac)

1. Go to the Safari drop-down menu.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Click Security in the top panel.
4. Under 'Accept Cookies' select the option 'Always.'

Firefox 3.x (PC)

1. Click Tools > Options.
2. Click Privacy in the top panel.
3. Select the checkbox labeled 'Accept cookies from sites.'
4. Select the checkbox labeled 'Accept third-party cookies.'
5. Click OK.

Firefox 2.x (PC)

1. Click Tools > Options.
2. Click Privacy in the top panel.
3. Select the checkbox labeled 'Accept cookies from sites.'
4. Click OK.

Internet Explorer 7, 8, 9 (PC)

1. Click Start > Control Panel. (Note: with Windows XP Classic View, click the Windows Start button > Settings > Control Panel).
2. Double-click the Internet Options icon.
3. Click the Privacy tab.
4. Click the Advanced button.
5. Select the option 'Override automatic cookie handling' under the Cookies section in the Advanced Privacy Settings window.
6. Select the 'Accept' or 'Prompt' option under 'First-party Cookies.'
7. Select the 'Accept' or 'Prompt' option under 'Third-party Cookies.' (Note: if you select the 'Prompt' option, you'll be prompted to click OK every time a website attempts to send you a cookie.)
8. In the Internet Options window, click OK to exit.

IE 6 (PC)

1. Click Start > Control Panel. (Note: with Windows XP Classic View, click the Windows Start button > Settings > Control Panel).
2. Click the Advanced button.
3. Select the option 'Override Automatic Cookie Handling.'
4. Select the 'Accept' or 'Prompt' option under 'First-party Cookies.'
5. Select the 'Accept' or 'Prompt' option under 'Third-party Cookies.' (Note: if you select the 'Prompt' option, you'll be prompted to click OK every time a website attempts to send you a cookie.)
6. In the Internet Options window, click OK to exit.
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-Brent

Importing CE8 .BAK Files Fixed!

The issue reported Wednesday has been fixed. Sometimes, when a CE8 Section has been copied, and re-copied, and re-copied for years and years, errors crop-up in the .BAK files that prevent them from being able to be imported via the "Import Package" tool in Bb9.1.

So, if you receive the "com/icl/saxon/TransformerFactoryImpl" error when attempting to import your CE8 .BAK file into your new Bb9.1 course, please let me know and I will import it via the back-end for you.

Thank you for your patience! :)

Importing CE8 .BAK Files Is Broken In Bb9.1 SP5

Recently, a couple of Bb9.1 users discovered an error that occurs when they attempt to use the "Import Package" tool to import their CE8 .BAK file into a new Bb9.1 shell. The error says:

The operation has completed. The imported course or organization is now ready for access.

The results of the process are shown below.

Fatal: A fatal error has occurred. The reason for the error is:
com/icl/saxon/TransformerFactoryImpl

For more information, consult the detailed log.

Status: The operation import has completed.

Blackboard got back to me today and they have determined that this is a genuine new bug in the system that they are still trying to figure out, squash, then update everyone so that it works again. They say that it could be as long as 30 days before importing a course from the GUI will work again.

The good news is that I am still able to import courses via the back-end command-line import tool.

So, after I import your CE8 .BAK file for you, and I let you know that it is completed, you may still use the "Copy Course" tool from the Control Panel in your newly-imported course to create new clones, as needed.

To re-iterate: At this time, any new imports from CE8 will have to be done by me for the next month or so, so please request them via the ATSU Helpdesk.

Thank you for your patience!

-Brent

HP812 begins, and the Create Course Wizard in 9.1

First of all, I would like to welcome our first real course in Bb9.1 - HP812! Joy Levine is teaching this course. If you have any questions about 9.1, please contact the ATSU Helpdesk and specify that you are asking a Blackboard 9.1 question and I'll do my very best to assist you in a timely fashion.

Secondly, due to the fact that we have Students in 9.1 now, I removed the "Course Creation Wizard" from the front page. So, if you need to have a test course created, please place a Ticket with the ATSU Helpdesk. Specify that this is for Blackboard 9.1, the Course Title, and the Course Number that you wish. Also let me know who is going to be the Instructor of the course.

Thanks!

Bb9.1 Training - Grade Center

Hi All,

I will be conducting Blackboard 9.1 training today, Thursday, June 9, 2011 on the Grade Center. This will be a basic overview of the Grade Center, with a focus on basic grading tools and techniques.

The training will be at 12:00 noon, Mountain Standard Time (AZ), and at 3:00 pm MST(AZ) in Saguaro B on the Mesa campus.

Below are the links that you will need to join the Blackboard 9.1 "Grade Center" training via Elluminate. The links will only be active within 30 minutes of the start time of each session. The same material will be presented at both sessions, so you can pick the one that works best for you.

June 9, 2011
12:00 noon MST(AZ) (2:00 central. 3:00 eastern)
http://goo.gl/9wQd3

June 9, 2011
3:00 pm MST(AZ) (5:00 central. 6:00 eastern)
http://goo.gl/6RZl5

See you there! :)

Denying Access To Students In Bb9.1

In Blackboard CE8, Section Instructors had the ability to "Deny Access" to a single student in their class. In Blackboard 9.1, Instructors still have this ability, but it is called "Availability". Here's how to use it:

1. Log in to your course, then click "Users and Groups >  Users".
2. Locate the student you wish to deny access to.
3. In the drop-down ActionLionks menu next to the student's username, select "Change User's Availability in Course".
4. In the "Available (this course only)" option drop-down, select "No".
5. Click the Submit button.

To allow access later, select "Yes", then click Submit.

Blackboard CE8 And The "Save All Answers" Button

Sometimes, when you are taking a quiz in Blackboard CE8, if you do not save each answer as you finish it, then attempt to use the "Save All Answers" button, you can lose all of your answers and be forced to re-take the test.

This happens because the CE8 system "times out". It isn't seeing any "activity". Typing in a text box is not considered "activity" and is basically invisible to CE8.

Unfortunately, there is no way to retrieve those lost answers.

The reason why this happens is because you are (probably) using Internet Explorer, and you have never "tuned up" IE so that it works correctly with Blackboard CE8. IE and Bb CE8 do not play well together unless you "tune up" your browser.

However, the BEST way to cure this problem is to switch to the latest version of Mozilla Firefox (http://mozilla.com) and use it instead of IE for when you are in Blackboard.

So, you can approach this on two fronts:

1. Either tune up IE, or switch to Firefox (see step-by-step procedure below.) This MUST be done. Doing nothing is not an option, otherwise you will continue to experience this strange behavior.
2. Ask your Instructor to edit each quiz's Properties so that in the "Question Delivery" section of the properties the "Deliver questions one at a time and allow questions to be revisited" option is check-marked instead of the default "Deliver questions all at once" option. Forcing each question to be displayed alone should keep this from happening, even in IE web browsers that have not been tuned up properly.

Also, you need to SAVE every question every time, right away. Do not wait until the end to save. Save immediately after choosing the answer. The sequence should ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS be: Choose answer > click Save button. Don't be lazy about this. The "Save All Answers" button is a great idea, but it depends very heavily on the individual user's browser settings - which we cannot control.

Bb Assignments & Assessments Workshop

Hi Folks,

I will be in Mesa teaching a Blackboard Workshop on Assignments & Assessments. It'll be held at 12:00 noon MST (2:00 pm CST) and again at 3:00 pm MST (5:00 pm CST). It will be in Saguaro B at the Mesa ATSU campus.

Elluminate Link

Bring your laptop and follow along with the hands-on portion! See you there! :)

The Blackboard On-Demand Learning Center

There is a wealth of information available to you - as new Bb9.1 users - in the Blackboard On-Demand Learning Center. Videos, documents, tutorials, Powerpoint presentations, and walk-throughs can all be found there at the following address:

* http://ondemand.blackboard.com

I would strongly suggest that you take advantage of this great resource!

How To Backup Your Test Course Once You've Built It

1. Enter into your Course.
2. Click the "Packages and Utilities" menu in the "Course Management" Control Panel to expand it.
3. Once it expands, click the "Export/Archive Course" option.
4. Click the "Export" button.
5. Disregard the "Course Files" area. The export package size is unlimited at this time.
6. Select the Course Materials you wish to export. Because you will not have any Students in your test Course, you should only select non-grade and Student-related items like Content Areas, Calendar, Tests, etc. (However, there is no penalty for selecting Student or grade-related items, so don't worry too much about it.)
7. Click the "Submit" button.
8. You should see a message that says, "Success: This action has been queued. An email will be sent when the process is complete."
9. Wait a few minutes, then click the "Export/Archive Course" link again to refresh the screen. Your package should now be listed. It will have a long filename, something like: "ExportFile_brent001_20110104124612.zip".
10. Click the filename to download it and Save it to your own hard drive for safekeeping. *This is your own responsibility*. After we move to a production environment, this is the file that you will IMPORT to re-create the work you've done on your Test Course in your real, live Production Course.

PLEASE NOTE: The "Archive" option should only be used on real, live Courses, with real, live Students in them.

How To Create A Test Course

Once you log in, you will need to create a test Course for your own use. To this end, and for your convenience, we have added an easy-to-use, "follow the bouncing ball" type of "Course Creation Wizard" to the front page of Blackboard 9.1. Simply click the "Launch the Course Creation Wizard." link located within the "Course Creation Wizard" Module on the front page, and the CCW will pop-up in a new window and step you through the process. Please read the wizard carefully.

PLEASE NOTE: The act of using the Course Creation Wizard will automatically enroll YOU as the "Course Instructor", and the Course will now show under "Courses You Are Teaching" in the "My Courses" module on your Bb9.1 front page. As the Course Instructor for your new Course, you will have both Instructor and Designer rights to the Course.

The REQUIRED fields to create a new Course are "Course Name" and "Course ID". These are 100% ARBITRARY fields. In other words, you may name the Course anything you wish, and you may give the Course any course ID you wish. At this point we do not recommend that you attempt to use a real Course ID from ATSU's Course Catalog. Please use a personal name and ID. Something along the lines of:

* Course Name:  Brent's Test Course 001
* Course ID: brent001

This way your Course will be immediately recognizable to you, and to the Bb9.1 Administrators.

How To Enroll Students In Your Bb9.1 Test Course

1. Log in to Bb9.1, then in to your test course. Make sure that the "Edit" switch is switched to "ON".
2. Scroll down to the Control Panel on the left and click "Users & Groups > Users".
3. In the right-hand pane, hover your mouse above the "Enroll Users" button, then choose "Find Users To Enroll" from the drop-down list.
4. Type-in the user's ATSU username. The ATSU username is the name before the "@atsu.edu" in the user's ATSU email address. For example, my ATSU username is "brasmussen". Joe Student's is "jstudent". (You may also use the "Browse" button to pop-up a query window where you may search for a user to add to your course.)
5. In the "Role" drop-down box, choose "Student".
6. In the "Enrollment Availability" selector, choose "Yes".
7. Click the "Submit" button.
8. Repeat for each user you wish to enroll.

Can I Use Respondus On My Mac?

Here is an answer to a question I received today about using Respondus with a Macintosh computer:

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Unfortunately, dedicated Macintosh version of Respondus is not available. It is only available for Windows-based operating systems.

There is a work-around that we cannot recommend for all faculty and staff, but, if you are a Macintosh user and use either Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or some virtual Windows software, you should be able to install and use Respondus on your Mac within that virtual Windows environment.
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So, basically, Respondus is a Windows application only - but you can install and run it within a virtual Windows box on your Mac.

Sorry, but no guarantees! :)

Welcome to The Bbug Blog!

Hi Folks,

Thanks for stopping by!

This blog will be another way to ask questions and discuss ATSU's new Blackboard Learn 9.1 system. I will answer your questions in a work Ticket, or in an email reply, like normal, but I will also cross-post those answers here so that more people can see them and comment on them.

I am going to kick-off this blog by posting a few recent Ticket solutions and step-by-step procedures that apply to Bb9.1. In the future, if you have any questions about Bb9.1 you would like answered here, please place a Ticket with the ATSU Helpdesk, or send my an email.

Thanks again for reading, and I hope we'll have a great time with this!

-Brent