Sending Files To The Instructor

Your instructor will notify you of the preferred method of file submisson.

• Be sure that your submitted files contain your name and that you have saved and closed the file before submission. 
• Attached files will not be received as intended if the file is too large, contains a virus, or if the file does not have a three letter extension (Ex: .doc for Word documents, .ppt for PowerPoint, .xls for Excel), which may be more of an issue for students submitting from a Macintosh. 
• DO NOT include a # sign in ANY file you submit via the web.  The link will be unopenable (because it looks like the format of a bookmark, which is a marker inside of a web page's HTML code that can be linked to). 
• Hyphens and underscores are just fine for submitted files.  Try to stay away from other non alphanumeric characters like !@$%^&( ) in you file names.
• .ZIP compressed files are currently blocked by Longwood's e-mail system to prevent viruses.  They are still acceptable to submit through the Assignment or Drop Box features in Blackboard.
• Compressed Stuffit files from a Mac may not be readable if your intended audience has a PC.
• If your file contains pictures and you are using Office 2003, make use of the compression feature in the Pictures toolbar.  In any MS Office application that contains photos, go to View, Toolbars, then Picture.  If there is a checkmark next to Pictures, it should already be visible.  It will look something like this:



If your picture can be compressed, the button marked with the red  circle (the square with the four arrows pointing in) will give you options to compress the picture and make it smaller.  Choose for the Web compression and to do all pictures in the document at once.  It is a good idea to keep a backup of the original images separately in case you need to use them later on.

• ALWAYS retain backups of submitted files in case of difficulties.
• Virus infected files will usually be deleted upon submission via Blackboard or E-mail.  You should be provided with a link to check to see if you submitted the file correctly via Blackboard.  Always make sure you are protected by an anti-virus program and that it is up to date.  Virus protection is available from the university here.
• These methods of file submission are NOT secure.  Do not send your Social Security Number or other personal information electronically through Blackboard or e-mail.
• Your instructor may have other specifications on how files should be submitted/named like format, document type, etc.
• It is YOUR responsibility to ensure attachments and e-mail messages arrive at the assigned date and time in an appropriate format.
• Worst case scenario, copy and paste the text of the assignment into an e-mail message or into the discussion board forum.

Assignment Feature

The Assignment Feature is new to this version of Blackboard.  An "Assignment" may be placed anywhere within the course by the instructor and is a good method to turn in files to the instructor from the whole class.  First an instructor creates an area for your Assignment.  They may or may not include a file for you to download.  When ready to submit the assignment, read over the list of bullet points above to make sure you are ready.  Also, you are only able to submit an Assignment once, so be sure you've completed the necessary work.   Browse to the file on your computer, select it, and hit OK.  Enter a comment if you wish.

This file is sent to the instructor along with any comments you've made.  The instructor can then download the submissions from the whole class, grade them electronically, and return them to the individual students.  To review the graded work and instructor's comments, click on the Assignment from the original location or you can get to it through Tools and My Grades.  You should be able to view all files from this location.

Digital Drop Box

The Digital Drop Box enables Students to exchange files with the Instructor.

Note: A file added to the Drop Box will not appear to the Instructor until it has been sent. Once a file has been sent to the Instructor, it cannot be removed from the Drop Box.

Open a Course.

Click Tools on the Course Menu.

Select Digital Drop Box.

The following functions are available from the Digital Drop box page.

Time stamps
The following date and time information is included in files:

• Files sent to the Instructor will show the date and time submitted.
• Files that are added to the Drop Box but not sent will show the date and time posted.
• Files sent from the Instructor will show the date and time received.

Note: The date and time displayed in each instance is not the date and time on the user’s machine, rather, it is the date and time on the Blackboard server.

E-mail Attachments

Be aware that sending e-mail attachments is not the optimal method for file submission.  E-mail messages are not secure, so never include your Social Security Number or other personal information. 

Be aware that some e-mail messages from or to outside e-mail providers like MSN, HotMail, and others may recognize messages coming from Blackboard or an unknown address as spam.  If you have a Junk mail feature, check it often to ensure desired messages are not being filtered out.

You can send e-mail to fellow classmates, Instructors, Teaching Assistants or Groups within a course.

Note: Recipients of each e-mail will not see the e-mail addresses of other recipients.

The table below details the fields on the Send E-mail page.

Discussion Board

Submitting files via the Discussion Board is usually a method for posting materials for other students in the class to view.  Since a wider audience may read your files, you need to be more careful about the formats and sizes of submitted files.  Be aware that the instructor may not have the Attachment feature turned on for your discussion area.

Under Communications, select Discussion Board.

Click on the name of the Discussion Board forum you wish to post to to enter it.

Use the Add New Thread button to create a new posting or read a posting and use the Reply button.

After entering the Subject and Message, Browse to the file on your computer for the attachment, select it, and hit OK.  Be sure to read the bullet points at the top of this document about things to check before submission.

Choose Submit to post the message.