assignment won't submit on blackboard

Common Blackboard Problems and Their Solutions

Table of contents.

• I'm trying to log in and I'm getting an error message about Single Sign-On
• I'm having problems trying to log into Blackboard on my phone.
• I can’t see the horizontal scroll bar in the Grade Center anymore.
• I can’t see the last student in my Grade Center.
• My student submitted a file and I can't open it.

My student is having trouble submitting (uploading) an assignment.

• I’m having trouble submitting a paper via SafeAssign's Direct Submit tab.
• Assignments won’t render in the online grading page.
• I sent an e-mail to several students, but now I can't remember which ones (or what exactly I said).

The text in Blackboard is really small. Can I make it bigger?

I'm trying to log in and i'm getting an error message about single sign-on.

"Single-sign-on" is a method of passing login credentials from one trusted system to another, for example, My Hamilton to Blackboard.  The idea is that one can log in to one system and not have to explicitly log into another -- the credentials are stored in a "session id" file and just passed along.  But it's also just part of our current process for logging in to Blackboard.  When you get that kind of error message, it means that the application is trying to use credentials that have expired, but the "session id" file still exists, so it keeps trying to use the old credentials.  The way to get around this is to log in either from My Hamilton or directly to  https://blackboard.hamilton.edu  and make sure that there are no trailing letters or numbers after the URL; if there are, just backspace them out.   If you still cannot log in, try using a different browser or clearing out the cookies from the History for your current browser.

I'm having trouble trying to log into Blackboard on my phone.

The app should roll over to the same Hamilton single sign-on page where you enter your username and password.  After that, you should also see the Duo request.  If this is not working, you may need to redownload the app in order to clear out any old info on the phone or to update the app.  Note:  the app uses the Ultra interface.  It's the future, but it's different!  If you prefer the older interface, you can also access Blackboard on your phone via the native browser (Safari or Chrome), and the login will be the same as on a laptop.  Blackboard adjusts well to any type of device so using the app is not really necessary on a phone or tablet.

I can’t see the horizontal scroll bar in the Grade Center anymore.

This problem occurs on Macintosh (Apple) computers . The scroll bar is supposed to appear when needed, but seems to not always appear.

• Launch System Preferences, either from the Dock or from the Apple menu.
• Once the System Preferences window opens, select the General preference pane.
• The middle section of the General preference pane controls when scroll bars appear and a few additional scroll bar options.
• Select “Always” from the Show Scroll Bars options. The scroll bars will now always be visible, even when you’re not scrolling.

I can’t see the last student in my Grade Center.

You can’t see the last student in your class, and if you re-order the Grade Center in reverse alphabetical order, you can't see the first student (who should now be at the bottom). This problem may be happening if the text size is too large. Go to the View menu of your browser, find the Zoom or Text Size option, and make the text smaller. You may need to reload the Grade Center for this change to go into effect.

My student submitted a file and I can’t open it.

If your student is using Pages on a Macintosh computer, the document will not render in the inline grading system (Bb Annotate). You will not be able to open this document in Word. You will need to ask your student to save the file as a Word document format and re-submit it.

You student attempts to submit an assignment and receives an error message that the file cannot be uploaded. If your student is using Safari on a Mac, then the temporary workaround is to use a different browser. Otherwise, this error might be caused by the name of the file containing some character other than letters, numbers, underscores or hyphens. Ask the student to rename the file with a shorter name with no special characters (no commas, extra periods, pound signs (#) or other non-letter, non-numeric characters). If this does not work, then empty the browser cache (Chrome: Menu, More Tools, Clear Browsing Data, Clear Data; or Firefox: Menu, History, Clear Recent History, make sure Cache is checked) and submit the file again. In addition, there is a size limit of 200 MB per file for upload.

I’m having trouble submitting a paper via SafeAssign's Direct Submit tab.

You are attempting to submit a paper to be checked and receive an error message stating that you are not logged on. This seems to affect Macintosh users and the solution here is to “enable third-party cookies.” How to do this depends on your system and which browser you use: Firefox : Preferences, click the Privacy tab, check Accept Cookies from Sites and keep until they expire. Chrome :  Settings, scroll down and click the Advanced tab; in Privacy and Security, click the Content Settings link, click Cookies, then make sure Block Third-Party cookies in unselected. Safari :  Preferences, click the Security tab, and check Accept Cookies — Always.

I sent an e-mail to several students, but now I can’t remember which ones (or what exactly I said).

E-mail sent from Blackboard is routed through the mail server, but does not result in a copy left in your Sent folder or Out box. You should automatically receive a copy of the e-mail you sent (note the comment below the Message area that states “A copy of this email will be sent to the sender.”).  This will be your only copy.

Note : if you receive an error message stating “unable to send mail” but you do receive your copy of the e-mail which you just sent through Blackboard, then it is likely that most of your students received the e-mail also, but one or more of the students in your course is having some problem with their e-mail account. The students can contact the Help Desk (315-859-4181) for assistance with their Hamilton email accounts.

Assignments will not render in the Online Grading page.

You are attempting to grade an online assignment with the inline grading system, but the paper won’t render (turn into a small replica of itself). This seems to affect Macintosh users and the solution here is to “enable third-party cookies.” How to do this depends on your system and which browser you use: Firefox : Preferences, click the Privacy tab, check Accept Cookies from Sites and keep until they expire. Chrome :  Settings, scroll down and click the Advanced tab; in Privacy and Security, click the Content Settings link, click Cookies, then make sure Block Third-Party cookies in unselected. Safari :  Preferences, click the Security tab, and check Accept Cookies — Always.

This is actually a browser setting, not a Blackboard problem. Depending on what platform (Windows, Macintosh) and browser (Edge, Firefox, Chrome, Safari) you are using, look at the top menu bar — the one that starts File-Edit-View. Under View, look for an option that says Text Size or Text Zoom. Under that option, you should be able to select a different text size for the browser window.  You can also try <CRTL> or <CMD> plus or minus.

Last updated: August 24, 2023

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Submitting Assignments in Blackboard

Submitting your work with the Assignment tool in Blackboard allows you to easily upload your homework files to your instructor and receive files back, along with your grade. There is no need for paper or even email.

Assignments Overview (Student) Assignments are created by your instructor. They can be used for simply submitting homework. Assignments can also be used to participate in a back-and-forth review process of projects and papers. Learn more: https://en-us.help.blackboard.com/Learn/Student/Assignments/Submit_Assignments

I tried to turn in an assignment, but nothing happened when I clicked submit.

If you’ve attached files to submit as part of your assignment, know that those files do not begin uploading to the Blackboard database until you click the ‘Submit’ button. Depending on the size of the attached files and the current upload speed of your internet connection, it may take a little time to complete the upload, especially if you’re submitting videos or other large items by directly attaching the file.

In the event that you’ve attached files, clicked submit, and nothing happens immediately, you may need to simply wait a few minutes — do not click submit more than once.

In some cases, this issue is related to the file name of the attached file. Before submitting, ensure that the name of the attached file is not unusually long and that it doesn’t contain any special characters.

Can I submit to an assignment dropbox more than once?

If you don’t see any indication that you are allowed multiple submissions, it’s best to assume that you only have one opportunity to submit. Do not click the submit button on the assignment submission page until you’ve confirmed that you’ve completed all of the assignment requirements, attached the correct files, and are ready to submit.

Some instructors allow their students to submit more than once to an assignment dropbox, but you will need to check the assignment instructions to be sure. If you are allowed multiple submissions, you will see the ‘Start New’ button on the Submission History page that appears when you click on the assignment link in the course after your initial submission.

Assignments in Blackboard are accessible once they’ve been deployed by your instructor in a Content Area of the course. Your instructor may have an entire area in your course dedicated to all assignments, perhaps even linked on the Course menu, or assignments may be placed along with related lesson material within unit folders in the course.

Once you click on an assignment link you will be brought to the submission page, which is split into three sections:

• Points and instructions:  Check the top of the assignment submission page for instructions and any supporting documentation for your assignment. If your assignment is graded, you will see the points possible for the assignment listed in this section as well.
• Assignment submission:  You have the option to type your submission directly into the Blackboard assignment tool or attach files from your computer or a cloud service like Google Drive. Be sure to check the syllabus and assignment instructions to see if your instructor has provided guidelines for how to attach your work to the assignment tool.
• Add comments:  You can provide text comments to your instructor about your assignment submission, but you should never use the comments section to submit your actual work unless instructed to.

Full documentation at help.blackboard.com: Submit Assignments

Verifying and Viewing Submission Receipts

Each time you successfully submit to an assignment in Blackboard, you’ll be taken to the submission history page, which will show you grade information, a timestamp of your submission, a link to any attached files, and a preview of those files if they were submitted in one of the approved formats. You can return to this page by accessing the assignment link where you submitted your work within the course content and/or by clicking on the title of the assignment in the My Grades tool.

The system also generates a receipt of your submission that is sent to your UA Little Rock email account and stored in the My Grades section of the course. You should confirm that you’ve received a receipt of your submission each time you turn in your work by checking your UA Little Rock email account and/or by navigating to the Submitted tab in the My Grades section of the course.

It’s important to verify that your assignment has been successfully submitted each time you turn in your work. If you are not taken to the submission history page after submitting your work and/or do not receive a receipt of your submission, you should contact the Blackboard Student Support help desk immediately. Do not wait until the assignment due date has passed or until grades are submitted for your course to report an issue with submitting an assignment.

Viewing assignment feedback

Assignments submitted in Blackboard are not scored automatically, but need to be reviewed by your instructor. After reviewing your work, you instructor can use the same Assignment tool to provide you with a grade, written feedback, and additional files. You then can review the information in two ways: through the Assignment itself and through the My Grades area.

To review the assignment results through the Assignment Itself:

• Return to the Assignment for which you want to review the results.
• Click on the Assignment link to open the Submission History .
• At the bottom of your submission will be Instructor Feedback that will have a grade, any comments, and any attached files.

To review the assignment results through the My Grades Area :

• Click My Grades link in the Course Menu if it is available. Remember, your instructor can rename the title of this link. You will know you are on the right page because My Grades will be at the top.
• Look for the Assignment for which you want to review the results.
• Click on the name of the assignment to see instructor feedback, inline comments, or to obtain files that may have returned. Additionally, some comments will appear in the comments column to the right of the grade column.

Full documentation at help.blackboard.com: Assignment Grades

SafeAssign is a plagiarism prevention tool offered by Blackboard that helps educators detect unoriginal content in student papers. In addition to acting as a plagiarism deterrent, it also has features designed to aid you with learning about plagiarism and the importance of proper attribution of content from other sources and by other people.

Students submit their work to SafeAssign as part of the assignment submission process detailed above. Not all assignments in Blackboard use SafeAssign, but those that do will ask you to agree to submitting your paper to the Global Reference Database when you attach your work for submission.

Once submitted, SafeAssign checks the originality of your work by comparing the text to text on the Internet, within published articles, and to the work of other students at UA Little Rock. The amount of time it takes for SafeAssign to review your work depends upon the demand on the system and the length of your submission.

If your instructor allows it, you can view the SafeAssign originality report on the assignment submission page. You can find more information about accessing and interpreting the SafeAssign originality report on the Blackboard website.

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Blackboard: Clearing or deleting a Blackboard Assignment submission

Introduction.

You may find that you need to clear a submission made to a Blackboard Assignment link. For example, a student may have mistakenly submitted the wrong file.

Clearing an assignment

1.    In your course, go to the Control Panel > Full Grade Centre .

2.    Click on the downward grey chevron arrow icon in the right of the cell corresponding to the submission.

3.    Select View Grade Details .

4.    Select Clear Attempt in the bottom right of the page.

5.    Blackboard will issue a warning message reminding you that the submission cannot be recovered.  Click OK to delete the attempt.

You will see in the Grade Centre that the ‘Needs Grading’ icon has disappeared, indicating that the attempt has been deleted.

Page last updated on July 2, 2020 by andyturner

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Pro tip: Make all assignments "unavailable" on Blackboard/LMS after the due date passes

I teach completely virtual courses and most of the time I have the assignments set up to be "unavailable" right after the due date. This semester I got lazy and didn't set them all up. I then had a student (on the very last day of classes) turn in 10+ late assignments without asking me if I'd accept them first. I don't accept late work, except 1 assignment each semester, and I'm definitely not accepting all of these BUT now I feel like an asshole because the student took the time to do all these assignments that won't count. 😒

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Multiple Assignment Attempts

You can allow students to submit more than one attempt for an assignment.

Multiple attempts can help students stay on track, raise the quality of assignments, and ultimately improve student success and retention. Students can submit drafts and earn credit on improvements. Inform students which assignments allow multiple attempts, and what the expectations and grading policies are for each attempt.

Example : Research Paper Assignments

In one assignment with four attempts, a student can submit file attachments for these items:

• Bibliography
• Rough draft
• Final paper

You can provide feedback at each stage. You can assign grades as each attempt is submitted but only use the grade for the final paper as the assignment's grade.

Alternatively, if you want to provide four grades—one for each portion of the research paper process—you can create separate assignments for each. Next, set up a calculated column in the Grade Center. Add the points for each assignment to produce a final score for the research paper.

You can also allow groups to submit their assignments more than once, and receive feedback and a grade for each submission.

Multiple attempts options

When you create an assignment, expand the Submission Details section. Select how many attempts to allow and which score to use in the Grade Center.

For example, if you allow three attempts, you can select one of these scores:

• Last Graded Attempt— the default
• Highest Grade
• Lowest Grade
• First Graded Attempt
• Average of Graded Attempts

The Grade Assignment page

• On the Grade Assignment page, the number of attempts submitted appears next to a student's name.
• Students can view the attempt used for the final score, such as last graded attempt or the average of all graded attempts.
• Select the Attempt menu to view other attempts.

After you select an attempt, type a grade and feedback, and submit.

More on assignment inline grading

Allow additional attempts

If a student has submitted the maximum number of attempts for an assignment, you can allow an additional attempt.

In the Grade Center, access a cell's menu and select View Grade Details . The Grade Details page appears.

Allow Additional Attempt only appears if a student has already submitted the maximum number of attempts allowed for that assignment. You can continue to offer opportunities to resubmit attempts each time a student reaches the maximum number. You don't have to grade previous attempts to allow a student to submit again.

When an assignment is in an anonymous state, you can still grant a student an additional attempt. You can view student names, but not their submissions or how many attempts are left. Your request is ignored if attempts remain.

Alternatively, select Ignore Attempt to ignore the attempt's score in grade calculations and not count it against the maximum number of attempts.

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