How do I log onto Blackboard?
If your course uses Blackboard, the Web address is http://my.bsu.edu. You use your BSU computer username and password to log on. Do not type any spaces or dashes in the username or password. Also note that the password is case sensitive. 

Where do I get a username and password if I don't have one?
If this is your first class at Ball State University, a BSU computer account with username and password will be automatically generated and mailed to you. Computer accounts are deactivated about 3 months after the end of the last semester attended if there is no registration for the upcoming semester. If it has been longer than that since you took a class at Ball State, your account will need to be reinstated. If you do not receive one automatically, please call the School of Extended Education at 1-800-872-0369 or email distance@bsu.edu.

What do I do if I forget my password?
You are encouraged to register a personal e-mail address on the Password Web Site at https://www.bsu.edu/password as soon as you receive your BSU computer account information.  By registering a personal e-mail address (like your work or home e-mail address) on this Web site, you will be able to reset your password online should you ever forget it.  If you didn't register an e-mail address and forgot your username and/or password, you may e-mail distance@bsu.edu to request this information.

When should I log on? How often should I log on?
Make sure to log onto your course Web site the first day of class. Some instructors don't post their courses until the beginning of the term, and others may post them earlier. Your instructor may require you to e-mail them the first day of class to ensure you were able to log in and to verify your enrollment.

Once you log onto Blackboard, a link to your course (s)  will appear under "My Courses" on your home page. Your course announcements or your course syllabus should be able to give you an idea of how often you need to log onto the course site. 

NOTE: Blackboard is unavailable to students each day from 1:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. for maintenance. Please make sure you are not in the middle of an assignment or an examination during this timeframe.

How do you personalize your Blackboard homepage?
To the right of the "@myBSU" page you should see two buttons labeled "Contents" and "Layout". Clicking on the contents button takes you to a page where you can add more content to your main page, just click on the content you would like to add and after you have added everything that you need click on "Submit" button which is at the bottom right corner of the page.

Clicking on the "Layout" button will take you to a page where you can change the page layout. In the first section you can customize where each section is located on your homepage, first click on the name of a section and click on the appropriate button to move it up the list, down the list or move from right side of the page to the left etc. In the second section you can choose the color and text layout of your main page. Choose the changes you would like to make and click on "Submit".

Why are the courses I took last semester still posted under My Courses?
Currently, a Blackboard course site is only deleted when the instructor(s) associated with the site request that it be deleted. In some cases, instructors need to have sites left in place, due to incomplete grades, carry-over of materials between courses, or other specific reasons. In other cases, instructors may simply forget to make those sites unavailable or to request that those sites be deleted. An instructor can request that a course site be made unavailable to a particular student or can make a course site unavailable to all students.

To remove the links, do to the "@myBSU" page under "My Courses" section click on the pencil icon on the right of the words "My Courses" to edit your links. You will be taken to "Customize my Courses" page. Click on the check marks to uncheck and remove the courses that you do not want to display on your main page. Once you are done click on "Submit" button at the bottom right on the screen.

Where do I find the link to an online quiz or examination?
Some instructors post their quizzes or examinations in Blackboard and others may ask that you log onto Inqsit. Make sure that you ask your instruction where the quiz/exam is posted and if you have to take it at a certain time.

TROUBLESHOOTING
When I log in, my professor's course is not listed.
Possible Causes
1. Make sure that your professor is using Blackboard for your course. Not all professors use Blackboard.
2. Make sure you are officially registered for the course.
3. If you just registered today, it takes an overnight process for registration information to be added to Blackboard. Try again tomorrow.

I can log into Blackboard at home, but not at work. Why?
Most of the schools, universities and other organizations with a large number of computers usually have a firewall installed to protect the local network from attacks outside the network. Firewalls can be configured to block certain applications. Check with the technology specialist at your school or business regarding this issue.

Blackboard won't let me login. It says "Could not login. The username or password is incorrect."
Possible Causes
1.  The wrong password is being used. You should use your BSU computer username and password. This is the same as your Outlook account name and password.
2. Passwords are case sEnSiTiVe, be sure the Caps Lock key is off and that you only use capital letters where they are required. (Usernames are not case sensitive.)
3. The username was typed incorrectly. Be sure that the username you are using matches exactly with the one you were given, including all leading zeros. (Zeros are often mistaken for O's . . . 0 vs. O) Check your spelling. Simply entering incorrect characters (a "typo") is one of the most common reasons for getting an "Could not login." response.
4. Make sure your Outlook mailbox is set-up. Go to www.bsu.edu/webmail. Click BSU Email Support Console. If your mailbox isn't set up, you will get a message saying it isn't set up. To set it up, follow the instructions on the screen. You should be able to log onto Blackboard the next day. 

I know I entered the correct web address on my browser, but it just "spins its wheels" and doesn't go anywhere. Why?
If you know that you have entered the correct web address (http://my.bsu.edu), and you can access other Web sites normally, the server at the BSU site may be down. If the server is down, the operators are aware of it and are working on it. Try it again in a short time.