New to Duke, But Have Used Blackboard
Logging in to Blackboard
To log in to Blackboard, go to http://courses.duke.edu/.
You will be prompted for your NetID and password. If you are having difficulty logging in to Blackboard, contact the OIT Service Desk or call 919-684-2200 for assistance with your NetID. For Talent Identification Program (TIP) and other users of Blackboard who do not have NetIDs, follow these steps.
Finding Your Course Site
Blackboard course sites are set up automatically for most Duke courses within a week or two of registration for the term. If you choose to use the site, you just need to add content and set up the course for student access. Enrollment in Blackboard course sites is automatic, based on rosters from the Registrar's Office.
If a site for your course was not created as part of the automatic process, use the Request a Site form to initiate this process. Request forms that are correctly filled out and are for courses that are listed with the Registrar take one business day. Other requests may take up to five business days.
The most common reasons for a course site not being created automatically include non-standard class types and incomplete data in the Registrar's database. For example, lecture and discussion sections are automatically created whereas independent study and seminar courses by default are not. For courses with more than one component, for example a lecture and discussion or lecture and lab, only the primary component of the course is created. For cross-listed courses, only one of the listings is created with the enrollments from all the cross-listings appearing automatically in the roster.
The most common data problem from the Registrar's data is that the instructor's Duke Unique ID is not populated in the Registrar's database. Check with the Registrar's office to correct this problem. To get the course site created as quickly as possible, you may also submit a course site request.
Information on Duke's Blackboard Implementation
There are some aspects of Duke's installation and implementation of Blackboard that are unique to Duke. These include:
- The limit on the size of a single file that can be uploaded to Blackboard at Duke is 100 megabytes. If you need to upload larger files, consider splitting the file into multiple parts or using Duke's options for streaming media.
- Duke's installation of Blackboard includes plug-ins for Blog and Wiki tools.
- Duke's installation of Blackboard includes plug-ins to leverage voice recordings for presentations, discussions and more. You can learn more about using them on CIT's Wimba page.
- Duke's installation of Blackboard includes a plug-in to leverage lectures captured through the centrally-supported Duke Capture System.
- Some departments have Personal Response Systems that can be used in courses; the roster for your course can be downloaded to the PRS software through Blackboard.
- The Duke Libraries E-Eeserves system is accessible through Blackboard. When you place items on electronic reserves, they are automatically added to your course through a special E-Reserves link.
- Libraries have created generic subject guides for different disciplines and these are linked in your courses when they are created, based on the subject area of the course. If you would like to have a custom resource guide created for your course, contact the librarian in your subject area. To find your subject librarian, click here.
Getting Help with Blackboard
The OIT Service Desk answers questions about using Blackboard and can help you troubleshoot problems. You can contact them at 919-684-2200.
The Center for Instructional Technology provides pedagogical consulting to faculty and can help you plan a syllabus or course activities using Blackboard or train you on using specific features of the software.
Some users have special accounts in Blackboard. These users are not considered affiliates of Duke University and are not assigned NetIDs. For these users, an extra step is required.
