Whether you鈥檙e staying on top of assignments, corresponding with professors or simply checking grades, Blackboard is the go-to academic tool for 撸先生 students. Knowing how to use it effectively makes it easier to succeed academically. Below, Blackboard administrator Kelly Cook shares her top hacks for accessing the system quickly, troubleshooting problems easily and never missing a grade.

Get Blackboard to load faster by using my撸先生

Using to launch Blackboard is the fastest way to access the system. Other access points, like using a direct link or bookmark, tend to take longer. The system typically works best with Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers and operates fastest when your browser is up to date. If you plan to use another browser, make sure to use the to see if it鈥檚 compatible.

Once you navigate to the system, you鈥檒l use your NetID and password to log in, authenticating through Duo. Follow the Office of Technology Services鈥� (OTS) instructions to reset your password if it鈥檚 expired or forgotten, or to authenticate.

Use the app for tracking, desktop for tests

The Blackboard mobile app is a great tool for tracking grades, viewing class announcements and messaging professors. It鈥檚 available for free on the and , and its convenience for staying on top of daily updates and assignments cannot be beat. However, Cook says using a laptop or desktop device is a safer choice for taking tests and submitting assignments. They have more stable connection points and their interfaces make it easier to identify and resubmit assignments that don鈥檛 go through.

鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing worse than carefully completing an online assessment only to go back to square one,鈥� Cook says.

While auto-save is automatically enabled for students on Blackboard, Cook recommends doing intermittent manual saves during online assessments and staying in the same tab the entire time to prevent issues. Additional include using a wired internet connection when possible. If not, make sure you have a strong, stable Wi-Fi before starting the test.

It pays to customize settings

Taking two minutes to customize your Blackboard notification settings can pay off in preventing unnecessary clicks or missed grades. From Blackboard's Activity page, click the gear icon to go to Settings then toggle through the tabs to set notifications for your Blackboard stream, email and mobile devices. You can choose to get some notifications right away鈥攍ike an email whenever a new grade posts鈥攁nd have others consolidated into a daily summary. To receive mobile notifications, you must have the Blackboard app installed. All alerts can be updated at any time.  

Cook also recommends pinning important courses by clicking or tapping the star next to them on your Course page. Pinned courses appear at the top of your course list for easy access.

Check the grade鈥攁nd the feedback behind it

It鈥檚 tempting to check grades quickly, but digging into the reasoning behind the grade can offer valuable insights for future work. Whenever an assignment, test or quiz comes back, go to My Grades and click the bubble next to your grade to see if there鈥檚 overall feedback. Then open the assignment file to review any specific comments and notes. Taking a few moments to analyze potential improvements will help you do better as the semester goes on.

Logging out and in fixes most problems

If you鈥檙e in Blackboard and something goes wrong, don鈥檛 panic. Logging out and then back into the system solves most glitches. If you鈥檙e still experiencing issues, you can check to see if there鈥檚 a systemwide outage. If not, take a screenshot of the issue, note the time it happened and let your professor know if it鈥檒l cause an assignment to be late. Contact the OTS Tech Support Desk for immediate help, or access Blackboard resources for quick tips, guidance, and more.