BlackBoard Question of the Week

Q. What is the Performance Dashboard?

A.  Blackboard’s Performance Dashboard lists all users enrolled in the course, with pertinent information about each user’s activity, including date and time of last login, number of posts to the Discussion Board, and a link to students’ grades if the Grade Center is used.

The Performance Dashboard can be accessed on the Control Panel under Evaluation.

Visit this link for more information on the Performance Dashboard.

You can also watch a video on the Performance Dashboard.

Q. I have my students submit their assignments using the Assignment Tool, which creates a column in my grade center.  I used to be able to click on the exclamation point in the grade center and then the assignment would open so I can grade it.  Now, a window opens to put in a grade and I can’t get to the assignment.  How can I handle this?

A. Instead of clicking on the exclamation point, click on the chevron on the right side of the cell you are grading and then select Grade Details.

In the Grade Details screen, select View Attempt.

On the Grade Assignment page, in the User’s Work section, you will see anything the student typed into the text box beside “User’s Comments,” and any file he or she attached beside “User’s Files.”  Click on the name of a file to open it; or right-click on the filename and save it on your computer to read and mark the paper.

For more information on using the Assignment Tool, visit our Webpage or Flash Video .

Q. I am conducting online classes in Wimba Live Classroom and occasionally my students have technical difficulties during a live session. What should they do?

 A. If students need help getting connected to a session they should call Wimba’s 24/7 Technical Support line 866-350-4978. They can get support via email at technicalsupport@wimba.com .

If they do not have a microphone and need to call in to take part in the session, the number to call is (201) 549-7592. If they intend to call in for this purpose, they should have already been given a pin number.

For more information, visit Loyola’s Wimba Technical Support page.

Q. My students tell me they are submitting assignments, but sometimes I get an “HTTP 404″ error when I click on the filename.  What does this mean, and how can I view these student assignments?

 A. Files submitted on Blackboard should have names that include only alphanumeric characters, hyphen, and underscore. If your students use other characters in their filenames, it is possible that you will not be able to view or open their files.

The solution is for students to rename their files without special characters and then resubmit their assignments.