1. Teaching and Learning with Blackboard
  2. Control Access
  3. Managing Users

Managing Users

Students who have registered for a course in MyNIU are automatically enrolled in the associated Blackboard course (updates to the roster are synchronized daily with data from Registration and Records), but faculty have the ability to add others to their courses as needed. For example, TAs must be added to a course manually. Faculty may also want to add colleagues to their course to share materials or co-teach.

User Roles

A Blackboard user is anyone using Blackboard, whether she/he is teaching staff, students, or administrative staff. There are seven types of users:

  • Student: Enrolled students have access to all areas in the course that contain content and assessments. Students are automatically added to the Blackboard course within 1 business day of registering for the course. Students cannot edit course materials, view the grades of other students, or access course settings.
  • Instructor: The Instructor role has access to all editing functions in the course and is generally given to the person developing, teaching or facilitating the course. Those with the Instructor role can access a course that is closed to Students.
  • Teaching Assistant: Teaching Assistants have access to most editing functions in the course. This includes the ability to develop test questions, verify grades, manage users, and many others. Teaching Assistants may access a course that is unavailable to Students, and may not remove the instructor from the course. Teaching Assistants cannot use the AI Design Assistant. Teaching Assistants must be added manually by someone with the Instructor role.
  • Grader: The Grader role is used for an individual who assists in grading assessments. Graders can be assigned by the course instructor.
  • Course Builder: Course Builders have access to all course functions except the Gradebook. The role of a course builder is assigned by the course instructor.
  • Guest: The Guest role is not currently available for the Ultra Course View. While the role is visible, users with the Guest role will not see nor be able to access the course.
  • Online Student Support: This role allows someone to check on student progress in order to support students who may not be actively participating in an online course. This role has access to view content and assessments but may not edit them. It cannot view or modify grades. This role will be added by default to courses supported by the NIU Online Student Support Team and can be manually enrolled in other courses by someone with the Instructor role.

Users should only be manually enrolled if they are not registered students in the course, such as a teaching assistant, another faculty member, or an interpreter.

To Enroll a User

  1. Click the Roster link in the Details & Actions panel to the left of the Course Content page
  2. Click the Enroll People icon in the upper right (a plus sign (+) in a circle)
  3. In the search box type a name or username to reveal a list of matches (using an A- or Z-ID is recommended for individuals with common names)
  4. Select one or more people
  5. Choose a role for each selected person
  6. Click the Save button

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I add users and modify user status in my course?

There are two ways that users are added to Blackboard courses. Once a faculty member requests a scheduled section, registered students will automatically be added to the Blackboard course; updates to the roster will appear daily. Faculty members can manually add additional users to a course through the Roster.

To enroll users manually:

  1. After accessing your course, from the Details & Actions area, click Roster
  2. Click the plus (+) icon in the upper right
  3. In the peek panel that opens, search for the individual by name or their Account ID (i.e., A- or Z-ID)
  4. Select the name of the individual you want to add to your course
    Tip: If you don't find the right person, try searching by their A- or Z-ID. If you still don't find them in the search results, they likely are already enrolled in the course.
  5. Choose a Role for the individual
  6. Click the Save button at the bottom of the panel

Modify Status
To see or modify a list of students enrolled in your course:

  1. In the Details and Actions area, click Roster
  2. Click the ellipsis (...) next to the individual's name and choose Edit member information
  3. Make the required changes and click the Save button
I would like to provide a guest speaker who is not associated with NIU temporary access to my Blackboard course. What is the process for requesting such access?

To request Blackboard Guest Lecturer IDs for your non-NIU guests, please follow these steps:

  1. Log in at it.niu.edu with your NIU Account ID and password
  2. Click the Make a Request button
  3. Under the Identity and Access Control heading, click the Create Sponsored Account link
  4. From the Account Sponsorship Type drop down menu, select Non-Paid Affiliate/Volunteer 
  5. Complete the required fields on the form, being sure to specify Blackboard under Account Access
  6. Verify the information and submit the request using the Submit button at the top of the page

DoIT will fulfill the request within one business day. After the ID has been issued, the course instructor can add the guest to a particular course. 

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Technical Support and Student Help

Division of IT Service Desk

815-753-8100
servicedesk@niu.edu

Teaching Support and Faculty Help

Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning

815-753-0595
citl@niu.edu