Wake Technical Community College: Distance Education

Technical Help

Can't Login?

Connection Problems in Blackboard

Recommendations for Using Blackboard

Username & Password for Blackboard

Student E-mail

Assignments, Discussion Board, Virtual Classroom in Blackboard

Blackboard Help
Note: You must wait until the first day of the term to enter your online class.

Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats
If you are using Microsoft Office 2003 or earlier and need to open documents from Microsoft Office 2007, you can download this free compatibility pack from Microsoft. Click on the link above to be taken to the download page.

my.waketech.edu Help

WebAdvisor Help

Windows Live Help

Can't Login to my.waketech.edu, WebAdvisor, Blackboard?

Current Curriculum Students:  Carefully follow the instructions for resetting your password.*
If you need to confirm your Student ID number or key account User ID, click on the "What's My User ID?" link in the lower right corner of WebAdvisor's home page.

New Curriculum Students: Follow the instructions for activating your key account.*

*If necessary, call the help desk at 919-866-7000 and press 2 for student help.

Continuing Education Students: To reset your Blackboard password, call the Helpdesk at 919-866-7000.

Connection Problems

If you are unable to access the Blackboard login screen with a favorite or a bookmark, follow the steps listed below:

  1. Type the URL in by hand: http://dist-ed.waketech.edu. If that doesn’t work, try the IP address: http://198.86.245.21. If you still can't reach the login page, go to Step 2.

  2. Attempt to access other Web pages. If you cannot open other Web pages, contact your Internet Service Provider. If you can open other Web pages, go to Step 3.

  3. If you can access other Web pages, but not Wake Tech’s Blackboard login screen, contact distance education support.

Recommendations for Using Blackboard

The screen resolution on your computer should be set to 800 x 600 or higher.

AOL and MSN customers may have trouble with certain features of an online course in Blackboard such as exams or chats. Download and install Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox 2 to gain access to your Internet course. Follow these steps: Open AOL or MSN, minimize AOL or MSN, open Internet Explorer or Firefox to login to your course in Blackboard.

RECOMMENDATIONS for Using Blackboard

  • Platform: Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Vista; Mac OS 10.3 or 10.4

  • Hardware: 512 MB of RAM, 2 G of free disk space

  • Software: Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or PowerPoint viewer, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Windows Media Player, Flash Player, virus protection software

  • Browser: Internet Explorer 7 and Java 6 Update 7 (uninstall Java 6 Update 11 if you are experiencing problems with Blackboard's Discussion Board), Firefox 2, Safari 2 or 3, JavaScript & Cookies enabled (Enable Cookies, Enable JavaScript). NOTE: Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 do not work well with Wake Tech's version of Blackboard.

  • High Speed Internet Connection: T1, Cable, DSL, or Satellite

You may also need to:

  • Allow Pop-ups from a Specific Site
    If your quizzes and exams in Blackboard are presented in a pop-up window, you may need to allow pop-ups from the Blackboard site. Follow the links for browser-specific instructions: Internet Explorer or FireFox.

  • Allow Exceptions to Windows' XP SP2 Firewall
    There are issues with Windows' XP SP2 firewall that may interfere with uploading and downloading files in Blackboard. Go to Understanding Windows' Firewall: Using the Exceptions Tab for instructions on allowing exceptions.

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Username and Password for Blackboard

For Credit Courses (Curriculum Students): Use your my.waketech.edu user ID and password. If you need to reset your password, carefully follow the online instructions.

Username Formula
For Non-credit Courses (Continuing Education Students):
Combine your first initial, middle initial, last name, and last 2 digits of your social security number. Example: majones21 for Mary Ann Jones, 987654321. NOTE: If you have a hyphenated last name, do not include the hyphen in the formula.

EXCEPTIONS: If you have more than one middle name, use only the initial for your first middle name. If you do not have a middle name (or a first name), that portion of the formula is omitted.

For married female students, if the login formula does not work with your middle initial, use the initial for your maiden name in place of your middle initial. Example: mjsmith21 for Mary Jones Smith, 987654321.

NOTE: If the username formula still does not work, try again without your middle initial.

Password Formula
For Non-credit Courses (Continuing Education Students):
new students only: Use your birth date in the following format: mmddyy. If you cannot login, call 919-866-7000 and press 1 for Blackboard assistance during normal working hours. After hours, call 866-471-4252.

Student E-mail

Students enrolled in for-credit (curriculum) courses are automatically provided with a Wake Tech e-mail account. To receive messages from your instructor, login to my.waketech.edu and follow the instructions to activate your Windows Live e-mail account. Your @my.waketech.edu e-mail address is the default e-mail address for online courses.

If you need additional assistance, please go to the student knowledge base.

Assignments, Discussion Board, Virtual Classroom

If you are experiencing difficulty using Assignments, the Discussion Board, the Virtual Classroom, or other Blackboard features, go to the online student orientation or to Blackboard's student manual.

Note: Do not browse out to the Internet from the whiteboard in a Virtual Classroom session. You will be dropped from the virtual chat and will have to reenter Blackboard.

Blackboard Help

Contact Distance Education Support between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or contact the 24/7 Blackboard Helpdesk for Students.

my.waketech.edu Help

Go to my.waketech.edu and click on the Support button, or call 919-866-7000 and press 2 for student help.

WebAdvisor Help

Go to the WebAdvisor Online Demonstrations or call 919-866-7000 and press 2 for student help.

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Contact Distance Education Support

© 2009 Wake Technical Community College

9101 Fayetteville Road

Raleigh, North Carolina 27603

919-866-5000