Below are answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) instructors and teaching staff have at the beginning of every Fall semester:

1. I need help creating my class materials (HTML documents, svelte PDF handouts, using Blackboard, etc)
   Usually, the ACCC Instructional Technology Lab (ITL) can help you by phone or email (itl@uic.edu or 312-996-9824).  However, it is often best to meet in person at the ITL-East (on the first floor of the Main Library on the east campus) or at the ITL-West (in the Goldberg Building on the west campus) for more visual consultations, tool demonstration, help you using your notebook computer, UIC Wireless, or to use any of the software and equipment available in the ITL. 
   
   Faculty, staff and TAs can visit the ITL by appointment, or just drop in without an appointment during ITL Walk-in Hours:
   • ITL-East Walk-in Hours (east campus): Mondays through Thursdays, from 1-5pm
     During Weeks 1 to 3, ITL-East Walk-in Hours also are Mondays through Thursdays, from 9am-12pm.
     The ITL-East is on the first floor of the Main Library (Room 1-310), south wing, directly facing SEO
   • ITL-West Walk-in Hours (west campus): Thursdays and Mondays, from 1-5pm
     The ITL-West is at 1940 West Taylor, Room BGRC 181 (Benjamin Goldberg Research Center), on the first floor, to your left, as you enter BGRC. 
     
     
2. I cannot login to Blackboard or in the public computer labs
   Everyone needs to have an activated UIC netid and password to login.  People often incorrectly think that their UIC netid is their UIC email address.  If your UIC email address is hillaryclinton@uic.edu, then your UIC netid (login ID or user name) is just hillaryclinton (always entered in lower-case).  Your ACCC Common Password is always in upper-and-lower case.
   
   If you are having password problems, try the ACCC Password Recovery Tools at http://passwords.accc.uic.edu or see an ACCC Client Services Consultant (CSO) at SEL 2267, BGRC 181 or at most public computer labs (for a list of computer labs, see www.accc.uic.edu/pclabs).  Self-service UIC netid activation is done at http://activatenetid.accc.uic.edu.  
   
    
3. When will my students have access to my Blackboard course sites?
   For CRN-based Blackboard course sites, automatic student enrollment (based on Banner CRN student roster data) takes place twice a day: by 9pm and by 9am.  Both, the 9am and 9pm automatic student enrollment adds to Blackboard course sites students officially enrolled as of the day before, on the Banner overnight data exports.  The ITL Blackboard Tech Support will only add students programmatically, based on Banner, or only upon direct request from faculty members.
   
   
4. I am having problems using Blackboard, aka you are having Web browser problems
   Blackboard, Banner, the my.uic.edu portal are complex Web-based applications. To use them, please make sure your Web browsers have Java, JavaScript, Cookies and browser window popups enabled.  Preferred Blackboard Web browsers for Windows are Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera.  Preferred Blackboard Web browsers for Macs are Firefox and Safari 3 or newer.
   
   
5. How do I check who has access to my Blackboard course site?
   Very easy :: go in the Blackboard Control Panel <click> List / Modify Users (top right, under User Management) <click> List All tab and <click> List All icon.
   
   
6. How do I add another TA or instructor to my Blackboard course site?
   This is a quick two-step process: a) you find and add the individual to your Bb site, and b) you change his/her default student privilege to TA, instructor or course builder.  In the Blackboard Control Panel <click>  Enroll User (top right, under User Management) <enter> person's  last name <click> Search <click> checkbox next to desired name and  <click> Submit. To promote him/her to TA, <click> List / Modify Users (top right, under User Management) <click> List All tab <click> List All icon <click> Properties for the name of the person in question and <click> desired privilege you want to give him/her.
   
   
7. How do I make Web Accessible PowerPoint lecture presentations?
   ACCC has a university-wide license for a little Microsoft Office add-on that makes Web accessible publishing out of Microsoft Office a breeze, inc. PowerPoint presentations for Web delivery.  The free MS-Office add-on is called the Illinois Web Accessibiliy Wizard for Microsoft Office.  UIC faculty, staff and students can download it from the ACCC e-Sales Website. Once installed, simply save Web accessible HTML directly from MS-Office, for instance, from PowerPoint presentations, by selecting Save Web Accessible HTML... from the PowerPoint File pull-down menu.
   
    
8. Help :: some of my students are not getting class-related email messages
   All UIC faculty, staff and students will get official university email sent to their UIC email address.  Everyone at UIC should make sure to get and read pertinent university email messages sent to their UIC email address.  
   
   By default, Blackboard-generated email messages are sent to people's UIC email addresses.  Blackboard users (inc. students) can easily instruct Blackboard to send Blackboard-generated email (like email sent by instructors or TAs to the whole class) to a preferred email address by changing their personal Blackboard settings :: on the Blackboard MyUIC tab <click> Tools <click> Personal Information <click> Edit Personal Information ...and change to preferred email address.
   
   
9. Help :: all my changes to the Grade Center gradebook appear not to be there 
   Relax. your Grade Center changes are saved.  They appear not to be there (for a few people) because of a pesky problem with certain people's Web browser settings. The grades and other modifications to the Grade Center are there,  but your Web browser is showing you a cached (i.e. an old version) of the Grade Center Web pages.
   
   Solution: tell your Web browser to always get and show you fresh/new Web pages from Web servers (like Blackboard), instead of old cached Web pages off your hard drive.  In Microsoft Internet Explorer, you make this minor configuration change if you... <click> Tools <click> Internet Options <click> General tab <click> Settings (under Browsing History), and then <click> Everytime I visit the webpage (under Temporary Internet Files).
   
10. How do I turn off the Visual Text Box Editor?
    ...and the answer is... <click> the Blackboard MyUIC tab <click> Tools <click> Personal Information <click> Set Visual Text Box Editor Options ...and turn it off or on, as you wish. Mac users might want to turn it off as Mac Web browsers might have problems with Java, which the VTBE needs.
    
    
11. Can I reuse a Blackboard course site in future semesters?
    ...and the answer is... absolutely. More than 70% of new Blackboard course sites created each semester are based on an earlier/previous version of a Bb course site.
    
    
12. Why do I need to request a new Blackboard course sites every semester?
    ...and the answer is... to preserve all the student grades and work done during class for the given semester. Besides new Blackboard course sites can be exact replicas (re-used copies) of your fully-developed Bb sites sans the student grades and student data for the elapsed semester.  ITL automatically adds new students into your Bb sites twice a day based on current Banner student information system rosters.
    
    
13. How do I remove students from my Blackboard course site?
    ...and the answer is...
    
    
14. How do I collect homework assignments electronically
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15. How do I use the SafeAssign plagiarism detection system?
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16. How do I see student usage statistics of my course sites?
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17. What are Wimba Voice Tools?
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18. How do I create and make available Podcasts?
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19. Can I have an online gradebook just for grades of traditional pencil-and-paper quizzes?
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20. How do I assign students to make a little Web page?
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21. What is a blog?
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22. How do I facilitate collaborative writing or group assignments?
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23. What is RSS?
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24. How do I change my course title?
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25. Can I hide a bunch of Blackboard student tools we will not use?
    ...and the answer is...