Use this checklist to get ready for a new semester in Blackboard. Work through these steps before your courses begin so you're not troubleshooting on the first day of class.

Prepare your technology

• Check your browser. Blackboard works best in a supported browser running the latest version. If yours isn't supported, update it or switch to a supported browser.
• Download the Blackboard app (optional). For mobile access to your courses. The app supports most day-to-day tasks, though some features are only available in the browser.

Log in and set up your account

• Log in to Blackboard. Go to blackboard.wichita.edu and sign in with your WSU ID and password.
• Update your profile. Select your name in the navigation menu to open your profile and confirm your information is accurate.
• Set up notifications. Turn on notifications for due dates, grades, and course announcements at minimum.

Find your courses

Select Courses from the navigation menu to confirm all your enrolled courses appear before the semester begins. If a course is missing, contact your registrar — Blackboard itself doesn't manage enrollment records.

Explore each course

• Read any announcements your instructor posted before the semester starts.
• Locate the syllabus, course schedule, and instructor contact information, usually in the course content area.
• Find out how your instructor expects you to communicate — check the syllabus or use course messages if available.
• Locate assignments, tests, and discussions so you know what's coming up.
• Locate your grades page so you know where to check grades and feedback.

Track your semester

• Check the calendar. See due dates and events across all your courses in one place.
• Sync your calendar (optional). Share your Blackboard calendar with Google Calendar, Outlook, or iCal.
• Review your Activity page. A prioritized stream of what's due, graded, or updated. Make it a habit to check it each time you log in.

To access Blackboard, you need the web address of WSU's Blackboard site, your WSU ID, and your password. If you don't recognize the language on the login page, select the globe menu in the corner to choose a different language — Blackboard remembers this as your personal setting.

Single sign-on (SSO)

If you're already signed in to a trusted account in your browser, Blackboard may sign you in automatically. When you log out of a single sign-on session, Blackboard asks whether you want to end all related sessions or continue. If you don't respond, all sessions end automatically after two minutes.

After you log in

New users see a welcome page inviting them to create a profile. You must accept the Blackboard Profiles Terms of Service before creating one — you can also choose to create a profile later.

Forgot your password

Select Forgot Your Password? on the login page and follow the instructions. After submitting, follow the link in the email you receive to create a new password.

Locked out of your account

• Try a password reset first — at many institutions, completing a reset also unlocks your account.
• If self-unlock isn't allowed, the lock clears on its own after a set time.
• Contact the WSU Technology Help Desk to have your account unlocked directly.

Changing your password

We recommend changing your password periodically and avoiding common personal information. Open your profile from the base navigation and select Change Password. Enter your old password and new password, then select Save. Passwords are case-sensitive, can't contain spaces, and must include at least one special character. Changing your Blackboard password doesn't affect external accounts (like Google) used to log in. When you change your password, all other active sessions end automatically for security.

Issues WSU must resolve

Some login problems can't be fixed in Blackboard itself. Contact the WSU Technology Help Desk if:

• You don't know the web address of WSU's Blackboard site.
• Your username or institutional credentials aren't recognized.
• Your SSO provider isn't letting you sign in.
• You believe your account has been deactivated or hasn't been provisioned yet.
• Password reset emails never arrive.

Understanding sessions

Blackboard manages your active sessions to protect your data.

• Session timeout: if you're idle for over three hours, your session ends and you'll need to log in again. You'll see a warning six minutes before you're signed out.
• Active session termination: if enabled by WSU, you're required to log in again after a set time regardless of activity, for added security.
• Concurrent session control: if WSU restricts how many devices can be signed in at once and you exceed that number, you're logged out of your earliest session. Two browsers on one device count as two sessions.

Edit your profile

Select your name in the navigation menu to access your profile. You can't delete your profile, but you can edit some details — WSU decides what you're able to change.

• Profile picture: point to the silhouette or your picture and select the pencil icon to upload, change, or remove an image. Others see your picture in messages, discussions, and course rosters.
• Basic information: point to a detail like your name and select the pencil icon to edit it.

Pronouns

Where enabled, you can select your pronouns on your profile page. You can add multiple values, and the order you choose is the order others see. If you don't see the options you need, you can request additional ones for administrator review. Your pronouns appear to other users in interactive tools, group activities, and name lists — you can remove them if you'd rather not share.

Set up notifications

From your profile page or the Activity page, open Notification Settings to choose how Blackboard alerts you.

• Activity stream: choose which activities appear on your Activity page. Due dates, grades, and feedback always appear.
• Email: add an email to your profile to enable email notifications, then choose to be notified right away or once a day.
• Push notifications: if you have the Blackboard app installed, choose which activity types trigger a push notification. Due-date notifications for tests, assignments, discussions, and manual grade columns always appear one day ahead and can't be turned off.

Set your language

Language settings exist at three levels: system (WSU's default), course (an instructor may set or enforce a different language), and user (your own preference, which overrides the course language unless it's enforced). To change your language, open your profile, select the edit icon next to the current language under System Settings, choose a language, and select Save.

Blackboard supports the most recent stable version and one preceding version of these browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari (macOS and iOS)
• Microsoft Edge

Blackboard doesn't require specific browser plug-ins, though third-party content added to a course may need one to view. If a browser update changes how third-party cookies are handled and you have trouble accessing an integrated tool, check your browser's settings to allow sites to save and read cookie data.

Mobile app and browser support

The Blackboard app for iOS and Android works on supported OS versions — always use the latest app version. If your device can't be upgraded to a supported OS, a supported mobile browser is a good fallback. A few Original Experience interfaces (enterprise surveys, goals manager, content collection, Outcomes Assessment) aren't fully responsive for handheld devices yet.

From the base navigation menu, select Courses to access a list or grid of your courses. Each course card lists the course ID, title, and instructor. Unavailable courses appear with a lock icon and can't be opened.

• Search and filter: use the search bar or filter to narrow the list by term, Courses I am taking, Open Courses, or Completed Courses.
• Favorites: select the star icon on a course you access often to pin it to the top of your list.

How terms work

Terms are defined time periods WSU uses to organize courses on the academic calendar. Based on a course's dates, it appears under Current Courses, Upcoming Courses (not yet accessible), or Past Courses (no longer accessible) on your Courses page.

Course catalog and self-enrollment

You can browse and search the Course Catalog (from the Courses page) by Course ID, Name, Description, Instructor, or Term. If a course allows self-enrollment, open its menu and select Enroll.

An instructor can also send you a direct enrollment link. Selecting it opens the self-enrollment page — select Submit to join. If an access code is required, your instructor will send it separately; enter it before submitting.

After logging in, the base navigation menu stays with you even inside a course. Selecting any item from it shows you information across all your courses at once — for example, Grades shows every course's grades together.

• Institution Page: a customizable landing space where WSU shares announcements, resources, and links.
• Profile: manage your personal details, photo, and preferences.
• Activity: a single feed surfacing recent activity and items needing your attention across every course.
• Courses: browse past, present, and future courses.
• Organizations: spaces for groups that extend beyond a single course, like committees or clubs.
• Calendar: a consolidated view of due dates, events, and office hours across all courses.
• Messages: send and receive messages in your courses.
• Grades: check grades for all courses in one place.
• Tools: global functions outside a course, such as the Content Collection, goals, and portfolios. You'll only see tools you have access to.

Calendar

Office hours, course schedules, events, and assignment due dates appear automatically. Viewing the calendar inside a course shows events for that course only; the global calendar shows everything in one place.

• Select Day or Month to zoom in or plan ahead, or Due Dates to focus only on deadlines.
• Add a personal event with the plus-sign button — you can drag, edit, or delete events you added, but not ones your instructor added.
• Share your calendar: from Calendar Settings, select Share Calendar and copy the link to share only with trusted sources. Shared calendars include events from one year in the past through the future. You can also subscribe from iCal, Google Calendar, or Outlook, or import an external .ics file into Blackboard.

Activity Page

Your Activity page is an up-to-the-minute stream so you don't have to dig through individual courses for deadlines or new activity. Items are grouped into four categories:

• Important: overdue assignments, tests, and graded discussions.
• Upcoming: your top five events in the next seven days.
• Today: everything due or happening in the next 24 hours, plus emergency notifications.
• Recent: items that were in Today over the past seven days, if you haven't checked in recently.

Select the Settings icon on the Activity page to manage stream, email, and push notifications for both Original and Ultra courses.

Institution Page

Your Institution Page can include a custom banner and two types of modules: Helpful Links (a curated list of links WSU wants to share, with a "Show All" option) and Custom Content (text, links, images, video, or external tools WSU has configured).

Tools

Select Tools in the base navigation to reach global functions outside a course, like the Content Collection, goals, and portfolios. Your instructor controls which tools are available, so this page only shows what you have access to.

Inside a course, the navigation bar gives you quick access to Content, Calendar, Announcements, Discussions, Gradebook, Messages, Groups, and Achievements — WSU may not use every page, so unused ones stay hidden.

Use the course switcher near the top of the page to jump between your four most recent courses, search by name or ID, or open your Favorites.

Details & Actions

• Roster: profile cards for your classmates. All course members appear; you can't remove yourself.
• Course Description: a high-level summary of the course's goals and approach.
• Progress Tracking: your progress on content, assignments, and tests, if your instructor has it enabled.
• Class Collaborate: a launch point for scheduled and impromptu meetings, if enabled for your course.
• Attendance: your attendance records, if your instructor uses the feature.
• Groups: review or join course groups your instructor has created.
• Announcements: instructor-posted announcements for the course.
• Books & Tools: the tools available in your course and at WSU.

Select an item — an assignment, document, or link — to open it, and select Exit to return to where you were. A purple speech-bubble icon marks new activity in a discussion, journal, or conversation.

Searching course content

Select the magnifying-glass icon on the Course Content page to expand a search field. As you type, matching item titles appear; select Show all item results for full details, or Clear search to return to the content page.

Course links and web links

A course link points to content elsewhere in the same course — for example, an instructor might link back to an earlier reading before a quiz. A web link points outside the course, such as an external dictionary; your instructor chooses whether it opens in a new window or a panel. If content can't display in a panel, a banner lets you open it in a new window instead.

Can I customize my course list?

No, you can't reorder courses — they're listed alphabetically and grouped by term. Select the star icon on a course to add it to your favorites so it appears at the top.

What are alternative file formats?

If WSU uses Anthology Ally, instructors' attached files may have alternative formats available — for example, audio, electronic braille, and ePub versions of a PDF. Find a file in your course, select the Alternative Formats download icon, choose the version you need, and select Download.

My list of courses is incorrect.

Course enrollments are handled by WSU, not by Blackboard directly. You may be able to hide courses from your view using the gear icon on the Courses page; otherwise, contact the WSU Technology Help Desk.

How do I drop a course?

Course enrollments are handled by WSU — please contact your registrar.

How do I self-enroll in a course?

If self-enrollment is enabled, your instructor sends you a direct link. Select the link, then select Submit on the self-enrollment page. If an access code is required, enter it before submitting.

I can't find or open content in my course.

Contact your instructor — they control content availability and may have set release conditions (for example, requiring you to review a lecture before an assignment unlocks). Also confirm you're using a supported browser and operating system.

I need more time in my course.

If you registered late or need extended access due to illness, contact your instructor directly.

I was in the middle of a task when I lost everything.

The information is likely lost permanently and will need to be recreated. If this happens during a test, contact your instructor immediately. To help avoid this:

• Use a wired connection when taking a test, if possible.
• Don't refresh the page, close the browser window, or use the browser's back button.
• Write longer responses in an external application first, then paste them into Blackboard.
• Save frequently while working on assignments to avoid timeout issues.