Not all classes have a mandatory orientation, but many do.  Some of the orientations are on-campus, but some are completed online as part of the class.  You should check the online class schedule for specific information for the ticket number in which you are enrolled, or contact your professor.  Many professors email instructions to their students before the start of the semester as well, so be sure to check your Saddleback email account.

Classes are generally not available until the start date as listed in the online class schedule.  Some professors make their classes available a few days earlier.  Check your Saddleback email for instructions from your professor.

Online classes require regular participation throughout the semester.  Ongoing attendance is as important in online classes as it is in on-campus classes.  Most professors will drop students who do not log-in and participate during the first week of class, so be sure to start right away.

Each professor will have their own requirements for attendance and participation.  Be sure to read your syllabus carefully and check into your course regularly.

The class will not show on your course list until it is made available by the professor, generally on the first scheduled day of class.  Moreover, it can take 24 to 72 hours for a student to show up in the Blackboard system once they register for a class.  If it goes beyond this timeframe and the class has already begun, contact your professor via email.

All students are assigned a college email address once they register for classes. To find your student email address, look on your registration receipt, or go to the Saddleback web site and click on MySite. Use your student ID number and your four-digit PIN to access MySite. Click on >Email and then on >Overview to access your email address and username. It is imperative that your access your college email on a regular basis to receive important information from the college or from your professors.  You may also forward your college email to your personal email address. This, however, does NOT change your username.

Your user name is your email address up to, but not including, the @ sign.  It generally is your first initial, your last name, and one or two digits.  For example, if your email address is jdoe0@saddleback.edu, your username would be jdoe0 (zero, not the letter "o"). You find your college email address by looking at your college receipt, or by logging onto MySite from the college homepage and then clicking on >Email and >Overview."

Your password is your four-digit PIN plus two zeros. You selected your PIN when you applied to the college. If you applied online, you were required to enter a four-digit number in order to complete the process. If you applied in person, you either requested a specific four-digit PIN or the clerk may have used the last four digits of your Social Security Number.

Once you log onto Blackboard, you will see a listing of all the Blackboard courses in which you are enrolled. This list will include all of your online courses and perhaps even some of your on-campus classes as well if Blackboard is being used by your professor.  Click on the course title to get into that particular course.

If you did not register prior to the class start date, it may take a few days before your information will be uploaded into the class.  If your class is not showing up, it is a good idea to email your instructor and ask them to do a "manual roster upload" to prevent delays in your starting the class.

Please do not change your email address or password in Blackboard.  If you want to change your password, change it through MySite.

If you have changed your email password through MySite, your Blackboard password will have changed as well.  If you do not remember your PIN and need your password changed, go to the Online Support Center in order to speak with a support team member.

If you are certain your username and password are correct and you still cannot log-on, check the following:

1. Make sure that your CAPS LOCK is not on when you enter you username and password.
2. If you are using the numeric keypad on the right side you should see a green light letting you know that the NUM LOCK is on. This means that you can use the numbers on the keypad. If this is not on you will not be able to use it.
3. Clear your cache and delete cookies.  Follow the directions below for the browser of your choice:

Internet Explorer
From the FILE menu at the top of the browser: Go to Tools >Internet Options.  Make sure you are on the General Tab. Select >Delete under Browsing history .  Then make sure you check the boxes for Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, and History.  Press the >Delete button at the bottom of the box.

Firefox
From the TOOLS menu at the top of the browser:  Go to >Clear Recent History.  Click on the >Details button and make sure that the boxes for Browsing history, Cookies, and Cache are all checked.   Select the >Clear Now button at the bottom of the box.

Safari
From the FILE menu at the top of the page: Select >File then >Clear Cache.

If Blackboard was working and stopped, it usually means that someone has upgraded or added a program to the particular computer that you are using.  Reset your browser settings to DEFAULT.  You can also try clearing your internet cache (see section above), lowering your firewall, or turning off the pop-up blocker.

The other possibility is that you were dropped from the class by your professor for lack of attendance or participation.  Look on MySite to make sure you are still enrolled.  If you are still enrolled and have tried everything listed above, contact your professor.

Blackboard may temporarily be down.  Wait a bit and then try again.  If it still does not work, then you need to clear your internet cache (see above).  If you are still having problems after that, contact the Online Support Center.

Once you drop or withdraw, professors have to manually remove you from Blackboard.  Most instructors do that at the beginning of the semester and at various intervals throughout the semester.  If the course is still showing after a couple of weeks, contact your professor.

Professors generally take down the courses one or two weeks following the end of the semester.  Sometimes, however, for various reasons, professors will need to keep a course available for a longer period of time, or a course may show up again at some future date.  Don’t worry.  It will eventually be taken down.  You can also contact your professor to find out what is happening.

If you really hate seeing the course listed, you can use the pencil tool.  This is the little pencil icon located in the right hand corner of the box where your courses are listed on the My Institution page. Click on the pencil and then make sure the DISPLAY COURSE NAME box is unchecked for the courses you want to hide.  Hit the >Submit button at the bottom of the page.

There is a user manual on Blackboard itself that some professors make available under “Tools” or “Resources.”  If it is not available, you can also look at the Knowledge Base topics at our Online Support Center.

If you are using the Microsoft Vista operating system, the Visual Text Box Editor must be turned off to type. The steps below will set your preferences in Blackboard so that the Text Box Editor is disabled.

Log into Blackboard. On the My Institution tab, under the Tools module, select >Personal Information.  Then select >Set Visual Text Box Editor Options.  Click the >Unavailable button.   Then click the >Submit button at the bottom of the page.

Any questions you have about how to use Blackboard can generally be answered by accessing the Knowledge Base at our Online Support Center.  If you cannot find the answer to your question, you can use the contact information listed to get assistance from a support team member, or contact your professor.

Whenever you get locked out of an exam, you must contact your professor to have it reset.