Blackboard
Access Blackboard
http://blackboard.abcol.ac.uk
What is Blackboard?
Blackboard is Aberdeen College’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
This software makes it possible for to access learning materials over the internet, in class and at home.
Blackboard contains information about your course and units and you can communicate with lecturers and other students on your course. You will be able to access Blackboard even when you are not in College so you can easily catch-up or revise materials covered in class.
- Many courses use interactive materials, streaming videos or podcasts. Other information and resources available in Blackboard include:
- Course Announcements
- Course handbooks
- Lecture notes and handouts
- PowerPoint presentations
- Tests, Quizzes & Questionnaires
- Discussion boards, Virtual Classrooms
- Online Resources, Blogs, Wikis
Your lecturers and guidance tutors will be able to give you further information about how Blackboard is used in particular courses.
Where can I use Blackboard?
You will be able to access Blackboard from any computer which has access to the Internet, in classrooms, in the IT Centre and from home or work.
Wherever you access Blackboard from, you will need your College username and password, which is the same for your College network account. Your username is your eight-digit student number e.g. 10010001 and your password is your date of birth in ddmmyy (day, month, year) format.
- If you are accessing Blackboard from home or at work, we advise you to have the following to access Blackboard:
- An Internet connection, preferably broadband, with Internet Explorer 6.0 or above
- Software such as Microsoft Office Suite / Open Office, Adobe Reader, Windows Media Player installed on your computer as well as the Adobe Flash and Java plugins
- Make sure that pop-up windows are not blocked when using Blackboard
If you are using a machine which runs Microsoft Vista and you have Internet Explorer 7 installed, you will need to switch off Protected mode.
- This how to switch off Protected mode:
- Start Internet Explorer
- Open Tools > Internet Options
- Open the Security tab
- Remove the tick against Enable Protected Mode
- Restart Internet Explorer
You will get security warning messages until you re-enable Protected mode.
How do I log on to Blackboard?
Blackboard can be accessed through StudentNet, from the College homepage by clicking the link for Blackboard or by entering http://blackboard.abcol.ac.uk into your web browser.
The page which appears has a 'User Login' button on the left.
Click this, then enter your username and password. Your username is your eight-digit student number e.g. 10010001 and your password is your date of birth in ddmmyy (day, month, year) format.
Click Login.
Having Trouble?
- If you cannot log in:
- Check that you have entered your username and the password correctly. Your username is your eight-digit student number e.g. 10010001 and your password is your date of birth in ddmmyy (day, month, year) format.
- Check that Caps Lock is not on.
- If you still cannot log in, please contact your Lecturer, a member of IT Centre staff or guidance tutor. If they are unable to help, please go to the RM Helpdesk in the Information & Booking Centre
- Why aren’t my units on Blackboard when I log in?
- If there is a unit that you are taking and it does not appear in Blackboard, please contact your Lecturer.
General Queries
Your course lecturers and guidance tutors can help you if you have questions about your course materials and the IT Centre staff can also assist with any general queries or problems.
If you need further help, please email blackboard@abcol.ac.uk.
Your Blackboard course site
A Course site in Blackboard contains information and documents as well as links to external sites, tests, assessments and supporting materials. Clicking on the title of any course listed under My Courses will take you into the first page of that course site.
You will see several buttons on the side bar down the left hand side of the screen. They provide access to learning materials within courses, e.g. click on Announcements to see all the announcements from your course lecturer or from the College. These areas may vary from course to course but most will have the Unit Materials section that has the learning materials for your units.
Important: When using Blackboard, it is best to avoid using the back button on your browser. Use Blackboard’s own navigation facilities; the navigation tabs at the top of the screen, the “breadcrumb trail” within content areas or the course navigation buttons on the left hand side of the screen instead.