Information Technology Services

If you are having trouble viewing your classes and/or they are not showing up when you log into Bb Learn, they may be hidden or the class itself may not have started yet. To make your class viewable, click the gear button in the top right hand corner of the My Courses module in Bb Learn and select the classes you wish to unhide. For more help see Accessing Your Courses.

There are two ways to hide/unhide the left course navigation pane when inside a course on Bb Learn.

1. If there is no course navigation pane at all (meaning there is nothing to the left of the course home section) the course navigation pane has most likely been hidden. To make this viewable again click on the arrow pointing toward the course home page on the left side to show the navigation pane.
2. If there is a grayish bar located to the left of the course home page in the top corner, then the course navigation pane has been collapsed. To expand that pane to its original size, click on the set of double downward facing arrows in the left most part of the gray bar.

For more information and detailed help see Adjusting Modules and the Navigation Pane in Bb Learn.

1. First try to clear your browser’s cache.
2. If clearing the cache did not work, check and make sure your software is all up to date (Java, Flash, QuickTime, Adobe Reader) and that you are using a supported browser (try switching browsers).
3. If it still isn’t working contact the Student Technology Center. 

In order to ensure that Bb Learn and all of its functions will run on your computer, there are a few things that must initially be installed.

• First you need an appropriate browser: some of which include Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer. For installations and a list of supported browsers, see Web Browsers.
• There are specific plug-ins that are required for some Bb Learn functions like Java, Flash, QuickTime and Adobe Reader. For more information on how the absence of these features may affect your Bb Learn, see Getting Started – Software Requirements.
• To be able to view some assignments or links for your classes, you will also need to allow pop-ups. Each browser is different. To learn how to enable pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, or Google Chrome see Allow Pop-Ups in Web Browsers.
• Lastly, you may need access to the Virtual Private Network (VPN). The VPN allows you to connect to the NAU network from a non-NAU Internet Service Provider (ISP) so that you can have access to services only provided on the NAU network. For more information and steps to configure your computer or mobile devise see our VPN page.

• To submit a document in Bb Learn first open up the assignment designated by the instructor. Under the text box window there is the capability to attach a file. Select the Browse My Computer button, your document, select open, and then submit.
• In the case of inserting text into an assignment text box, it is strongly recommended you first type your assignment in a text editor such as Microsoft Word and then copy and paste it into the text field within Bb Learn, and then select submit.  However, you may also type your assignment directly into the text box and select submit.
• For more detailed information on submitting assignments see How to Upload or Attach in Bb Learn or watch the following video on Submitting Assignments.

*For additional help, visit the tutorials located on Lynda.com. 

To create a discussion post/reply, simply log into Bb Learn. From your homepage select the course that you want to create your discussion in.  You will either see a discussion board link on the left hand side of the screen inside the course navigation pane, or a tools link. Select discussion if it is there and create a thread or open one and respond to it. If there is not a discussion link, select tools and scroll to find the discussion board icon.

If you have a discussion board link from your instructor, select it and create a thread or post by choosing the desired discussion.  For more information on creating or replying to a discussion post, click here.

Listed below are a few problems you might encounter while taking a test in Bb Learn:

• The Internet connection dropped.
• The browser was refreshed.
• Your browser timed out due to inactivity. Bb Learn has a security setting that logs you out if it doesn't receive any input for a period of time. That period of time is different from school to school.

The following tips can help you avoid this issue in the future:

• Save often!
• Do not refresh the browser page.
• Do not close the browser window
• Do not click the browser's back button.
• If possible, write out the text in an external application and then paste it into Bb Learn. Working offline ensures that your work in progress will not be lost by internet malfunctions.
• Save your work in progress. Saving often helps avoid any browser timeout issues.

• If you are unable to access a link/video in a certain course this could mean that it was not authorized properly by your professor. If you cannot access an item make sure to contact your professor ASAP.
• If this still does not resolve the problem, contact the STC. 

• If your professor is referring to an “Elluminate session” the name has recently changed to “Collaborate”.
• You should be able to access Collaborate from your tools menu to the left on your Bb Learn home page under Blackboard Collaborate.
• You can also access it within your course by clicking on a course under My Courses, selecting on tools in the left hand course navigation pane, and then by clicking on the “Collaboration” icon.
• Further information on Collaborate can be found here.

*Note: a Java plug-in is required to use Collaborate.