Tutorials for Gifted LearningLinks Students

Click here to access tutorials on:

• your netID and password;
• your course's Blackboard Web site; and
• your set up for Breeze web conferencing software.

Note: You must have your computer's audio on and have Flash player installed. To check if you have Flash on your computer, click here.

Current Students: Frequently Asked Questions

What are the recommended browsers to use with Blackboard?
How do I log into my course site?
I did not receive an email with a NetID and password. What should I do?
I received an email saying that I need to change my password. Do I really need to do this?
What happens if I forget to change my password?
I have my NetID and password, but I am unable to successfully log into Blackboard. What should I do?
I was able to log in to Blackboard, but I do not see a link to my course site. What should I do?
How and when will my instructor contact me?
How do I contact my instructor?
How do I change my e-mail address in Blackboard?
How do I use the Digital Dropbox to turn in assignments?
How do I access the Discussion Board?
I have a question about an issue not listed above. Who should I contact?

What are the recommended browsers to use with Blackboard?

While almost any browser should theoretically work with the Blackboard Course Management System, it has been our experience that some browsers work better than others.  We highly recommend that our students use the most recent version of Firefox, which can be downloaded for free at http://getfirefox.com

You should also check that your web browser is Java- and cookie-enabled and is not set to block pop-up windows.

Note: Blackboard is not completely compatible with Vista at this time. To avoid some of the commonly occurring problems, we recommend using Mozilla Firefox instead of Internet Explorer 7 as your browser in Vista when working with the Blackboard system. However, if you are not able to download and install a new browser, tips for solving some of the issues that are likely to occur when accessing Blackboard through Internet Explorer 7 can be found here.

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How do I log into my course site?

Upon acceptance, all students receive an email with their NetID and password.  This NetID and password are necessary in order to log in to the Course Management System (Blackboard).

Please note that the password you receive from us is a temporary one.  You will need to go to https://snap.it.northwestern.edu/it/snaps/unetid.cgi within three days to change this password to a permanent one of your choosing.  If you do not change your password within three days, your account will be locked.

To log into the Blackboard Course Management System, go to https://courses.northwestern.edu

After you enter your NetID and password, you will see a page that looks like this:

Under “My Courses”, you will find the Gifted LearningLinks Welcome site as well as the courses in which you are enrolled.  Please take some time to look around the welcome site, by clicking on “Welcome to Gifted LearningLinks.”  To enter a course site, click on the name of that course.

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I did not receive an email with a NetID and password.  What should I do?

Upon acceptance into the program, all students receive an email with their unique NetIDs and a temporary password.  This email is sent to the email address provided under “Applicant Information” on the application for admission to the program.  Please make sure that you have checked the right email account.

Occasionally, the email may be blocked or filtered by your email program’s spam detector.  Check your “Bulk Email” box (also called the "Junk" box by some email programs) to see if the email was re-routed there.

If you have checked all possible email accounts (sometimes a parent’s email address is given; other times, the student’s) as well as their corresponding “Bulk Email” boxes, please contact Dana Turner Thomson or Elfi Sanderson to verify your acceptance into the program.

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I received an email saying that I need to change my password.  Do I really need to do this?

Yes.  This is for security purposes. If you ignore this message, your account will be locked.  To change your password, go to https://snap.it.northwestern.edu/it/snaps/unetid.cgi

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What happens if I forget to change my password?

If you forget to change your password within three days of receiving the email with your NetID and temporary password, your account will be locked and you will not be able to access your course site.

In addition, for security purposes, NUIT requires that you change your password approximately every 90 days.  If you do not do so, your account will be locked and you will not be able to access your course site.

If your account is locked, please contact Dana Turner Thomson or Elfi Sanderson to have them issue you a new temporary password.  Please include your NetID in your email. We will make every effort to issue you a new temporary password within 36 hours.

[Back to FAQs]

I have my NetID and password, but I am unable to successfully log into Blackboard.  What should I do?

Click here to access tutorials on how to log into Blackboard.

Most log-in difficulties are either password- or browser-related.

Also, please note that while almost any browser should theoretically work with the Blackboard Course Management System, it has been our experience that some browsers work better than others.  We highly recommend that our students use the most recent version of Firefox, which can be downloaded for free at http://getfirefox.com

You should also check that your web browser is Java- and cookie-enabled and is not set to block pop-up windows.

Additional support is available here.

[Back to FAQs]

I was able to log in to Blackboard, but I do not see a link to my course site. What should I do?

Students may not be able to see the course site and access it until the course start date, when the instructor will make the course site available.

If, on your scheduled start date, you still do not see your course listed under “My Courses”, please notify Dana Turner Thomson or Elfi Sanderson as soon as possible.

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How and when will my instructor contact me?

Your instructor will contact you by phone during the first week of the session in order to answer any questions you may have and make sure that you have been able to access the course site successfully.  After this first contact, the primary means of communication will be via the course site and email—though the Discussion Board, phone conferences, synchronous sessions using a webcam, and blogs may also be used. It is the students' responsibility to check the course site regularly for new postings and to contact his/her instructor with any questions or concerns.

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How do I contact my instructor?

The preferred means of communication for most of our instructors is email.  Many instructors will have created a direct link to Blackboard Email feature in the course menu on the left-hand side of the screen in your course site.

To send an Email to your Instructor,

• Click on the Send Email button
• Click on “All Instructor Users”
• Enter the subject of your email and type your message.  (You may also attach a file.)
• Click Submit, click OK

A copy of the email will be sent to you for your records.

If an instructor has not made the Email feature a course menu option, you may access this feature through the Communication button on the course menu.

In addition to email, your instructor will likely offer an alternative means of communication.  You will find specific instructions from your instructor about how s/he would prefer that you contact her/him in the “Staff Information” section of your course site.

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How do I change my e-mail address in Blackboard?

The email address used by Blackboard is the one provided under “Applicant Information” on the application for admission to the program.  If this email address is not correct, please notify your instructor as soon as possible.  (You should not, however, change your email address unless absolutely necessary; a stable email address is crucial for a successful GLL experience.)

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How do I use the Digital Dropbox to turn in assignments?

If an instructor would like you to use the Digital Dropbox to turn in your assignments, s/he will more than likely have made it an option on the course menu on the left-hand side of the screen in your course site.

To send a file,

• Click on Digital Dropbox in the course menu
• Click Send File
• Enter a title for your upload (do not use any punctuation or symbols when naming your file)
• Click Browse
• Find the file that you want to send (in the folder that you saved it in on your hard drive), highlight it, and click Open
• Click Submit, click OK

Note: You do not need to click the Add File button to upload a file. When you use the send file button, the file is "Added" at the same time as it is sent to your professor.

If an instructor has not made the Digital Dropbox a course menu option, you may access the Digital Dropbox through the Tools button.  However, please check with your instructor before using the Dropbox to confirm that this is an acceptable way to turn in assignments.

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How do I access the Discussion Board?

Many instructors will have created a direct link to the Discussion Board in the course menu on the left-hand side of the screen in your course site.

To access the Discussion Board,

• Click on Discussion Board
• Click on the forum you wish to enter
• If there are no forums to enter, your instructor needs to begin a forum before messages can be posted.  Please ask him/her to do so.

If an instructor has not made the Discussion Board a course menu option, you may access the Discussion Board through the Communication button on the course menu.

For more detailed instructions on how to post a message on the Discussion Board, click here.

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I have a question about an issue not listed above. Who should I contact?

First thing to do is contact your teacher! If s/he is unable to help, then please refer to the chart below.