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Home > Student FAQs
Student Frequently Asked Questions
This is where you can find answers to the most commonly asked questions about Blackboard. This page will be continuously updated, so check back often for new additions.
- I'm receiving a Portal Server error when I login!
- I can't login to Blackboard!
- How do I change my password?
- I changed my password and now I can't log in!
- How do I change my privacy options?
- Where can I get a free e-mail address?
- Can I get a virus from Blackboard?
- I don't have Microsoft Office / Corel WordPerfect, how can I view these documents?
- I can't get the Virtual Classroom to load.
- My post to the discussion board was cut short!
1) I'm receiving a Portal Server error when I login!
If you are experiencing the Portal Server error, please do the following to resolve the issue:
- Click the Courses tab
- Enter any one of your courses
- Click the Tools button
- Click the Personal Information link
- Click the Change Password link
- Reenter your password, or change it if you have not already done so
- Click the Submit button to change the password
- The My ACC tab will now work correctly
2) I can't login to Blackboard!
Possible reasons:
- Your initial username will be your 7-digit ACC student ID number. You can find this number on your fee receipt and ACC student ID card. Student ID cards are issued in the admissions office.
- Your initial password will be your 7 digit student ID number. If you have used Blackboard before, your password will not change.
- Your student ID number must be 7-digits long. If your ID number is less than 7-digits, then you must append leading 0's to the number.
- Your account has not been created yet. Check with your instructor to verify that your name appears in the course roster. New accounts are created daily for students who have just added a course.
- If you are a Virtual College of Texas student, your username and password was sent to you when your account was created. If you have forgotten your username, please go to ACC Virtual College of Texas Blackboard site to have your username sent to you.
3) How do I change my password?
Once you have logged in, from the "My ACC" tab, click on "Personal Information" in the lower left-hand portion of the screen. Next, click the "Change Password" option. Enter your new password in the Password and Verify Password boxes available, then click "Submit."
4) I changed my password and now I can't log in!
Only the password has changed, the username will remain the same. If you have forgotten your password, click "Forgot your password?" on the login page.
5) How do I change my privacy options?
Once you have logged in, from the "My ACC" tab, click on "Personal Information" in the lower left-hand portion of the screen. Next, click the "Privacy Options" link, select the the appropriate information, and then click "Submit."
6) Where can I get a free e-mail address?
Free e-mail addresses are available from a number of online services. You may sign up with a provider of your own, or choose from the following providers: Excite, Hotmail, and Yahoo!.
7) Can I get a virus from Blackboard?
Blackboard blocks infected files from being uploaded by any user. Therefore, any document located on the Blackboard site should be considered safe. Files contained on ACC's or other web pages are not protected by Blackboard.
8) I don't have Microsoft Office / Corel WordPerfect, how can I view these documents?
Download the appropriate viewer for the application. You will be able to view these documents, but not modify or create them.
9) I can't get the Virtual Classroom to load.
- Make sure you are using at least Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5.0 or Netscape Navigator 4.07.
- If you are using Netscape, make sure you have Java enabled.
- Click on Edit > Preferences > Advanced and make sure the "Enable Java" box is checked.
Macintosh
- If the Virtual Classroom does still not work, you will have to download and install the latest Java Runtime Components AND MRJ Plug-in.
Windows
- Download and install Java Runtime Components
10) My post to the discussion board was cut short!
There is a limit to the size of a discussion post. As a general rule of thumb, if your post will be over one page long, you should consider posting an attachment. Word, text, and similar documents can be submitted using the attachment feature.
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