Faculty FAQs

Continuing Education Faculty: Submit a Computer Access Authorization Form 657 to Information Technology Services (ITS) requesting instructor and student access to Blackboard for your course. Include the semester and the course prefix, code, and section number in the request. The yellow copy of the form with your Blackboard login and password will be returned to you by interoffice mail. Students are manually added using a spreadsheet template.

Where can I find a list of the online courses available through the Virtual Learning Community?

Please contact a Distance Education trainer for more information on accessing VLC courses.

How do I request the download of a Virtual Learning Community course?

ITS will download VLC courses to Wake Tech’s Blackboard server upon instructor’s SchoolDude request. Faculty must have access to Blackboard and must submit an IT Request that includes the VLC’s Course ID; the College’s course code, number, and section; and the semester that the course will be taught.

When do Blackboard course shells appear in Curriculum faculty accounts?

All Curriculum Education course shells are automatically added to Blackboard when Information Technology Services (ITS) receives schedules from the Registrar. Course shells will appear in instructors’ Blackboard accounts as faculty names are added to the official schedules in Webadvisor.

To copy existing course materials into a course shell for Curriculum classes, see instructions in the Blackboard Forum or call the Helpdesk at 866-7000. Course rosters are generated automatically by the registration process.

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I want to use Blackboard to supplement my traditional courses. Where do I start?

A Blackboard course shell has already been created for you. The roster for your Blackboard supplement will be generated automatically by the College’s registration process. Login to Blackboard using your Key Account.

Can my current online course be used next semester?

Yes. In each subsequent semester, you may copy your online course to the next semester's course/section.

NOTE: Store reusable course content in a permanent development shell (with a .dev extension to prevent removal from your account by the automated archiving process) rather than continually copying content from one class section to the next.

I’m using Blackboard to supplement a traditional course that I plan to teach online next semester. Can I use the supplement as a foundation for my online course?

Yes. You may copy your supplement material to the semester/course/section for your online class.

How do I add a publisher's course cartridge to my online course?

To add a cartridge to your course, follow the instructions provided by the publisher, or you may submit the key or package download information on an IT Request for help in loading the cartridge. The cartridge must be compatible with Blackboard.

How do I track attendance in an online course?

Blackboard will not track attendance for you, but it will record the number of times a student accesses the class. That information may be viewed by opening the Control Panel and clicking on the Course Statistics link listed under the Assessment Category.

To track attendance, faculty may use the dates that assignments are submitted, test dates, dates of participation in a discussion board or in a collaboration session, or e-mail correspondence.

What procedure should an online student follow to withdraw from a course?

Any distance learning student withdrawing from a course should send an e-mail to the instructor, requesting withdrawal. The instructor then submits an online Form 1078, available through the Eagles' Nest, by going to Forms > Student Services > Form 1078: Student Course Withdrawal. Students will be removed from the Gradebook automatically.

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How do I withdraw an online student for an attendance violation?

Submit an online Form 1078, available through the Eagles' Nest. Go to Forms > Student Services > Form 1078: Student Course Withdrawal.

The student's access to your course will be blocked, but the student's record will remain in the course for future reference if necessary. If you need to block a student's access immediately, also submit an IT Request.

How do I enable Blackboard course preview?

Detailed instructions appear in the Distance Education Timeline, which is e-mailed to academic deans, dean's secretaries, and online instructors prior to the deadline for enabling online course preview in Blackboard. Instructions are also posted in the Blackboard Forum, a course that appears in every online instructor's Blackboard account. Instructors may also obtain a copy from Distance Education Support.

One of my students can’t login to Blackboard. What should I do?

Login to Blackboard to see if the student's name appears on your course roster (Control Panel > User Management > List Modify Users > Search).
Check your roster in Web Advisor to see if the student's name appears.
If the student's name appears on your course roster in Blackboard and Web Advisor, ask the student if he or she is using the correct URL for Wake Tech’s Blackboard login page, http://dist-ed.waketech.edu. Students cannot access Wake Tech’s online courses at www.blackboard.com.
Ask the student if he or she is using the Key Account login for Curriculum classes. Note: Students' usernames are listed on your Blackboard roster. If the student is using the correct login and has forgotten their Key Account password, advise the student to use the Change Your Key Account Password link on Blackboard's login page.

If this is a Continuing Education class:

Username. Usernames must be entered in lower case without spaces in between the characters. (Don’t use capital letters.) Usernames are formulated by combining the first initial, middle initial, last name, and the last 2 digits of the social security number. If the last name is hyphenated, omit the hyphen.

Example: jqmccalljones89 for John Q. McCall-Jones, 123-45-6789.

Exceptions: Married females may have to substitute their maiden name for their middle name in the formula (Example: mjsmith21 for Mary Jones Smith, 987-65-4321). Students who have more than one middle name must use only their first middle name. Students who lack a middle name (or a first name) should omit that portion of the formula.

NOTE: If the username formula will not work, students should try again without the middle initial, which may not be on file in the College's administrative system.

Password. A student’s birth date in MMDDYY format is used for the initial password.

NOTE: Students who have taken an online continuing education course at Wake Tech in a previous semester should use the same password that worked in the past. To reset a password, students should call the Helpdesk at 919-866-7000.

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Yes. If you will save all of your online course documents in Rich Text Format (.rtf), students will be able to open them regardless of the word processing program they are using. (Open the document in Word and click on File, Save As… to select Save as type: Rich Text Format. “Save as type” is found directly below the file name field in the Save As dialog box.) This process also works in reverse. If you will ask your students to save all of their assignments in Rich Text Format, you will be able to open their files in your word processor.

How should I report technical problems that occur in my online course?

If you encounter technical problems in Blackboard call the Helpdesk at 919-866-7000.

How can I provide a guest lecturer with access to my online course?

At the instructor’s discretion, student access to individual Blackboard courses may be provided to guest lecturers, colleagues, and others. To provide a professional educator with guest access to your online course, allow the individual to use your personal student login and password that you received with your instructor access to Blackboard. Please note that duplicate logins are not permitted; only one individual may login with your student access at a time. Consider limiting the amount of time access is available to the guest. You may also change the password after the guest logs out of the course.

I’ve created a test in one section of my online course. Is there a way to move that test to my other sections of the course?

Yes.

Create a folder on your Desktop that bears the name of the test.
Go to the Control Panel in the section that contains the test.
Go to Assessments > Test Manager.
Click on the Export button located beside the desired test.
Click Save and designate the folder location on your local PC to save the zipped file.
Go to the other class section to Import the zipped file.
Go to Control Panel > Test Manager in the class where you want to put the test.
Click Import.
Browse to the location of the zipped test on your local PC.
Double click the zipped file.
Click the Submit button to complete the import process.

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Can questions from a Blackboard quiz or exam be added to a general question pool?

Yes.

Go to Control Panel > Assessments > Pool Manager.
Select Add Pool.
Enter a name and description for the pool. Click Submit.
In Add (question type), select From a Question Pool or Assessment. Click Go.
Select the test that you want to add to the general question pool. Click the check box for All question types. Click Search.
Select the questions for the pool by clicking on the check boxes. Click Submit.
View and/or modify the pool's questions. Click OK.
The new pool will appear in the Pool Manager.

How can I modify a quiz or exam in Blackboard that will present questions to each student in a different order?

Go to the content area that contains the test and click on the test's modify button.
In the Modify Test screen, select Modify the Test Options.
Scroll down to Step 5, Test Presentation, and click the check box for Randomize Questions.
Submit the test modification.

How do I archive a virtual classroom?

Enter the virtual classroom session in your Blackboard instructor account at the scheduled time.
Click on the record button that appears above the upper right corner of the whiteboard.

To make the archived session available to students, go to Control Panel > Collaboration. Click on the Recordings button for the session. In Session Recordings, click on the Manage button. Make the session available to students. Click Submit.

How do I archive my course?

All Blackboard courses will be archived after the last day to make up incompletes for each term.

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Contact Distance Education Support

9101 Fayetteville Road

Raleigh, North Carolina 27603

919-866-5500