Course Shell User Guide

for Students enrolled in courses within the School of Continuing and Professional Studies New York University

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 3 LOGIN INSTRUCTIONS & COURSE ACCESS ......................................................... 3 NAVIGATION AND COURSE FEATURES IN BLACKBOARD ............................. 8 ADDITIONAL SUPPORT RESOURCES AND CONTACT INFORMATION ...... 11

Introduction
Blackboard is a comprehensive online learning management software system. It is designed to facilitate communication among and between students and faculty in an online environment. SCPS supports its use as an additional communication tool for onsite courses in credit and noncredit courses. Additionally, use of the Blackboard system will enable faculty, students and administrators to connect outside of the classroom more consistently and more conveniently. Tools available within the system that allow for greater communication include an interactive real-time chat, a discussion board and email connection.

Login Instructions: Setting up an NYU Home Account

To access your course via Blackboard, you must first set up a personal account through NYUHome. If you have already set up an NYU Home account, go to http://home.nyu.edu and enter your NetID and password and follow the instructions in the navigation section of this guide. The steps below outline how you can lookup your NetID if you have forgotten it, and how you can set up an NYU Home account. If you have difficulty obtaining your NetID, please call (212) 998-3333 for assistance. 1. Go to http://start.nyu.edu and click on START to find out your NetID.

Click on START! to go to the next step.

2. The next screen will ask for your student ID number and your date of birth. You will also be asked to enter the email address you would like to use to communicate with your instructor and fellow classmates during the semester.
Enter your student ID number, date of birth and the email account you would like to use here. Your student ID mailed to you when you registered for the course. For student ID help call the University Registrar at 212-998-4290

3. Once you enter the information, it will be checked against NYUs official registration database. If you are matched with your account, you will continue to the screen shown below, which displays your NetID. IMPORTANT NOTE: print out the page with your NetID, you will not be allowed to look it up using this method again. If you forget your information you will have to reset your account.

Keep a copy of this NetID for later reference.

4. Once you have your Net ID go back to http://start.nyu.edu to create your password. Or you may progress through the setup instruction screens.

Enter your Net ID here. Use lower case letters. Leave the Password field blank

Click on START! to go to the next step.

5. The next screen simply explains the next step in the process for creating or resetting your password.

Click CONTINUE.

6. The next step in the process will be to enter the password that you would like to use. Choose a password that you can easily remember, but would be difficult to guess by someone else. Your password must include a combination of alphanumeric, numeric and non-alphanumeric characters. Spaces may not be used. An example of a password might be happycat1# or car749!. You will also be asked to select and answer a question. If you forget your password in the future the question and the answer will be a secondary method of identification.

Enter the password you would like in these 2 boxes. Use a password you can easily remember.

Answer the question here.

7. Once you have entered the information you will receive a confirmation screen. You may now login to your NYU Home account. The screen is shown below will direct you back to the ITS page.

Click here to login

8. The ITS Welcome page lists different services and access points in the system. Select the Login to Your NYUHome Account link.

Click here.

You will then be brought back to the NYUHome login page where you enter your NetID and your new password.

Login and Access to Blackboard

Once you have setup your account you can access your course via Blackboard through your NYU Home account by going to http://home.nyu.edu and entering your Net ID and password as shown below:
Enter NetID

Enter Password

Again, if you do not remember your NetID or password at any point, go back to http://start.nyu.edu or call technical support at (212) 998-3333. You may also send an email to its.accounts@nyu.edu.

Access to Course in Blackboard via NYU Home

The first screen you will see will have a link to the Academics tab if you are credit student, click on it to see a list of your courses. If you are a non-credit student, you will not see this screen, but the one shown below listing your courses.

Click here.

A list of the courses in your account will appear. If you do not see your course(s), click on the Update Classes Information link. To access your course, click on the link identifying the title of your course. If your instructor has not activated the course yet, you will see (not available to students) next to the name.

Click on the name of the course you would like to access.

Navigation and Course Features in Blackboard

Upon entry into the course, the first screen displayed will always be the Announcements area. Please note the main navigation bar on the lefthad side of the screen. You will use these buttons to reach each portion of your course site. Important Note: Button Names and Purposes may change from this document. Faculty create unique site and as such will direct on their use in class. 8

1. Again, the first screen you see is the Announcement page. If your instructor has posted an announcement, you will see it appear on the first screen.

2. Via the Syllabus tab/link, you can view any information that your instructor has posted relevant to your course: i.e., you may find your course syllabus here.

3. Via the Staff Information tab/link, you can view your instructors contact information.

4. Via the Assignments tab/link, you can view the assignments your instructor has posted.

5. Via the Communications tab/link, youll be able to do the following: Send email to class members Participate in an online discussion board Participate in an instant messaging chat session (virtual classroom) View your class roster View information relating to group projects and assignments

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6. Via the Student Tools tab/link, youll be able to do the following: Submit your assignments online via the digital drop box Create or edit your own home page on the web Enter your personal contact information Access a calendar, task area, address book, and electronic notebook Access the student blackboard manual for instructions and help Check your grades online

Extremely Important Note: Students and Instructors must select the Update Class Information button in the NYU Home account for a new course to appear. Additional Support Resources and Contact Information

Technical Support for Blackboard: NYU ITS Client Services (212) 998-3333 Email: BLACKBOARD.HELP@NYU.EDU Quick Guide to Important Links http://start.nyu.edu To activate NetIDs and set passwords. http://home.nyu.edu To access your NYUHome account and get course access in Blackboard. Via NYUHome page, click on the ACADEMICS tab, and then on the link to your course number. You may have to click on Update Class Information if you dont see the link to your course number. Click on the links, located on the right-hand side, to view course content and access online communication tools.

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