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FAQs
Troubleshooting problems accessing your Rio Hondo Virtual College online course can seem to be very difficult. But by checking this FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) list, you may find the answer you need to resolve your own problem.
If you do not find the answers to problems accessing your
online course in this list then, feel free to contact the Rio
Hondo Virtual College support staff via email, phone or
drop-in to our office.
Please note that access to your online course will not be
available until the day that class starts. If you have
course that does not begin until June 9th, for example, you
will not have access to your course until that date. If you
have questions about your course before then, please E-Mail
your instructor or see what information is available on his
or her website.
We can be reached via the Blackboard Help Form, (NOTE: you must have an email address to use the help form).
By phone at 562-692-0921 x3077
Visit us on the fourth floor of the Library building
(L400D).
Scroll down to see the list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Q: What can I do if my computer gets infected with spyware/adware?
Q: What is my login username and password for Blackboard?
Q: I have never used Blackboard before, is a Blackboard orientation offered?
Q: My Class is missing from the Blackboard's Opening Page.
Q: Does it matter whether I use a Mac or a PC?
Q: When I click on some links in my course why I don't see anything?
Q: Is a Blackboard manual available?
Q: I changed my password, but I forgot it. What should I do?
Q: I am experiencing multiple problems with Blackboard when using AOL's built-in browser.
Q: The Visual Text Box Editor (VTBE) does not have all the options.
Q: I logged into my course and its asking me for a Course Access Code, what is this?
Q: I'm trying to take my quiz/test but it won't appear, I keep clicking on it but nothing happens?
Q: How do I print only the areas and pages that I want in Blackboard?
Q: I try to login but I get a blank page.
Q: How should I keep my computer safe and updated to make sure Blackobard runs smoothly?
Q: When I try logging in to my course, a username and password is already there. What is going on?
Q: Where can I send a comment or question?
Q: When I try to logon, I get an error message: "An error occurred while the system was processing this login request.
A:
Be sure you are entering your username and password
correctly. Your username is the first two
letters of your first name; the first two letters of your last name;
followed by the last four digits of your Student ID in
lowercase letters without spaces. Your password
is your six-digit birthday with no separators.
For example, Maria Smith whose Student ID is 000-77-1234 and
birthday is August 1, 1975 would login as follows:
If you try to login before the term begins or if your class is not taught in Blackboard, you will also get an error message.
Q: What can I do if my computer gets infected with spyware/adware?
A: If your computer is infected with Spyware / Adware, which can cause pop-ups and tracking of your surfing activities, then your computer may run slow and crash often.
You can try searching www.google.com for the name of the parasite found on your computer in order to learn more about it.
Some parasites will not allow you to login to Blackboard, others only cause problems with certain Blackboard tools, and some others do not affect Blackboard, but they can be a security risk as your personal information is sent to the parasite's server.
Internet professionals have given the following two programs high ratings for removal of parasites. Both can be found at www.download.com. As with Anti-Virus software, make certain to run updates after installing either of these. Also, many Anti-Virus softwares are now detecting many of these parasites as well. Please update your Anti-Virus software and run a full scan prior to using one of these cleaners linked below:
Spybot - Search & Destroy by PepiMK Software
A: If you are unable to login to Blackboard, it might be for one of the following reasons:
1. You are using the wrong username and password
(IMPORTANT: remember your username is case sensitive).
2. You are not presently enrolled in any courses that use Blackboard.
3. The computer you are logging in with is not configured correctly.
Click here to run the "Browser Diagnostic Test" Fill out the entire "Blackboard Help Form" and we will try and help determine the problem.
Q: What is my login username and password for Blackboard?
A: Your username is the first two letters of your first name; the first two letters of your last name; followed by the last four digits of your Student ID in lowercase letters without spaces. Your password is your six-digit birthday with no separators.
For example, Maria Smith whose student ID is 000-77-1234 and birthday is August 1, 1975 would login as follows:
USERNAME: masm1234
PASSWORD: 080175
Q: I have never used Blackboard before, is a Blackboard orientation offered?
A: There is an orientation you can attend. We offer both onsite and online orientations. They are not mandatory to attend, but the workshop will help you in becoming familiar with Blackboard and how to use the different tools. It will also show you how to prepare for your online course. For the dates and times of the orientations held this semester go to the following link:http://online.riohondo.edu/orientations/index.htm
To access the online orientation, click on the link below:
Q: I changed my password, but I forgot it. What should I do?
A: For security reasons, it is necessary for you to call the Virtual College at562-692-0921 x3077, we will quickly reset your password for you.
Q: My Class is missing from the Blackboard's Opening Page.
A: If you have just added a course, it takes 1-2 business days for your class to appear. If this is not the case, please fill out the entire "Blackboard Help Form" and we will try and help determine the problem.
Q: Does it matter whether I use a Mac or PC?
A: No, it does not matter which computer platform you use.
Q: When I click on some links in my course why I don't see anything?
A: Certain features in Blackboard make use of "pop-ups." If nothing happens when you click on certain links or buttons, you may have one or more pop-up blockers enabled. This is most noticeable when trying to access a quiz/test or a discussion posting, but occurs in other areas as well. To be able to use Blackboard, you must disable your pop-up blocker(s).
If you have more than one pop-up blocker running, you have to adjust all of them. Once you disable each pop-up blocker that you are aware of, run the test below:
This test will indicate if you still have pop-ups blocked or not, and you will need to find what is stopping them. Some common programs which have pop-up blockers imbedded in them are the Google and Yahoo toolbars, Norton Internet Security, Internet Explorer 6 (updated) and other browsers.
You must have a compatible web browser and have scripting
and other settings enabled for Blackboard to work. Blackboard uses
Javascript extensively to provide functionality. Your
browser's preferences need to be set, so that it will process
Javascript (or ActionScript as it is termed in Internet
Explorer). With Internet Explorer, this problem is usually
indicated in the status bar as "errors on page."
Blackboard is only supported by certain browsers. In practice,
other browsers may work; however, if you are having problems,
try a supported browser.
Q: Is a Blackboard manual available?
A: Yes, you can access the Student Blackboard Manual by going to the online orientation at http://online.riohondo.edu/orientations Also, a variety of tutorial are available on the Internet, yet may are campus specific. The main Blackboard Corporate site offers some great student information. To access this site, please go to: http://www.blackboard.com
Q: When I click on a link to some course materials or try and start a quiz nothing happens or my browser crashes.
A: If you find that your computer is not displaying new information or links then your computer may be keeping a "cached" copy of the page in its memory in an attempt to decrease download time. It is important, with the constant changes being made to Blackboard pages, that your browser always display the most recent version of the page.To change the setting in Internet Explorer do the following:
1. Open Explorer
2. Click on "Tools" in the menu at the top of the window
3. Select "Internet options..." from the pull-down menu
4. Select the "General" tab
5. Click the "Settings" button
6. Change the settings to "Automatically"
7. Click the "OK" button
8. Click the "OK" button again
9. Restart your computer
Q: I am experiencing multiple problems with Blackboard when using AOL built-in browser.
A: Some users may experience the following problems when using AOL browsers
1. Not allowing users to log in.
2. Logging users out periodically, forcing them to log in multiple times while
browsing Blackboard.
3. Not displaying quizzes properly, or logging users out when they attempt to submit the quiz.
4. Not allowing users to submit discussion board posts.
To successfully use Blackboard, connect to the Internet via AOL, minimize the AOL browser, and then launch and use either Microsoft Internet Explorer or Firefox web browser.
Q: The Visual Text Box Editor (VTBE) does not have all the options.
A: The Visual Text Box Editor (VTBE) works best on Windows 2000, Windows XP, Vista, with Microsoft Office 2000 or newer intalled, using Internet Explorer or Firefox. Those users who do not have that configuration will only see a stripped-down version of the VTBE. These users include:
1. Those using Mac.
2. Those who do not use Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers.
3. Those using an older operating system (Windows 95 etc.,).
4. Those who do not have a recent version of MS Office intalled.
If your computer is configure correctly to run Blackboard, but you can only see some options in a gray bar above the text box (such as font size, font type, bold, etc.,) but no second bar of options beneath it. You then need to click on the small black down arrow on the left side of the grey bar to expand the second row and show all the options.
Q: I logged into my course and its asking me for a Course Access Code, what is this?
A: The instructor of your course may have selected a textbook publisher that requires an access code. To obtain full access to the course, you must first purchase and register your Access Code. Access codes are not your Blackboard's, Usernames, or Passwords. If you did not receive an Access Code with your text book, you may purchase an access code online, or at the Rio Hondo College bookstore.
If you are having problems with your Access codes, please contact your Instructor. Your Instructor may refer you to the Rio Hondo College bookstore or the Blackboard Access Code support found below:
Toll Free Access Code Support #: 1.877.855.3238
>> Purchase Access Code online
Q: I'm trying to take my quiz/test but it won't appear, I keep clicking on it but nothing happens?
A: If you have installed a pop-up disabling program, you must disable it when using Blackboard. You will be unable to access quizzes/tests while your pop-up disabling program is enabled.Pop-up blocker programs work in the background while you browse the internet. When they detect a pop-up window that may be an unwanted advertisement, they automatically close the window. Unfortunately, they also inhibit Blackboard from performing properly. If you are unable to view Discussion postings, Quiz windows, and download links, then search your hard drive for any software with "pop-up" in the name and disable it.
Note: Norton Internet Security 2003 has an automatic ad-blocking setting that must be disabled for Blackboard to perform properly. Please disable this function within Norton.
Some popular pop-up killers include:
:: Pop-Up Stopper
:: Pop-Up Defender
:: Pop-Up Zapper
>Q: How do I print only the areas and pages that I want in Blackboard?
A: Many areas and pages in Blackboard are divided into frames. A frame page is a special kind of HTML page that divides the browser window into different areas called frames, each of which can display a different page. So, to print in Blackboard, you must first click on the frame that you want to print, then right click your mouse, and select the print option.
Q: I try to login but I get a blank page.
A: If this happens, it means you have disabled Scripting, please enable it. To enable Scripting do the following:
1. Open Explorer
2. Click on "Tools" in the menu at the top of the window
3. Select "Internet options..." from the pull-down menu
4. Select "Security" Tab
5. Click on "Custom Level" Button
6. Scroll down to "Scripting" and choose "Enable"
7. Click OK
Q: How should I keep my computer safe and updated to make sure Blackboard runs smoothly?
A: Always make sure you do a Virus Scan and Windows Updates weekly. If you are unsure how to do a Windows Update please click here.
Q: When I try logging in to my course, a username and password is already there. What is going on?
A: You might have it set up where your browser automatically enters the password and username for you. To prevent this from happening, do the following:
1. Open Explorer
2. Click on "Tools" in the menu at the top of the window
3. Select "Internet options..." from the pull-down menu
4. Select "Content" Tab
5. Click on "AutoComplete" Button
6. Uncheck boxes for "Usernames and Forms"
7. Click OK
Q: Where can I send a comment or question?
A: You can fill out our help form
located here:
http://online.riohondo.edu/help/index.htm. or you
can send any comments or questions to
vcsupport@riohondo.edu
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