Blackboard Support

How Do I Access Blackboard?

Blackboard Learn is the platform The Michener Institute uses to host all of its online courses for Full-Time and Continuing Education programs.

1st Year students:

  1. First, ensure you can log into your Michener Outlook e-mail account using multi-factor authentication
  2. On the Michener Blackboard login screen (https://michener.blackboard.com), click the drop-down menu Sign-in with third party account and select Login with SSO
  3. If you are already logged into your Michener Outlook e-mail via the web app, you will be taken directly to your Blackboard account (the My Institution screen) without further action. Otherwise;
  4. On the Microsoft login screen, input the user name and password you received from Michener’s Registrar (multi-factor authentication required)

Returning Students, Staff and Faculty:

  • On Michener’s Blackboard login screen (https://michener.blackboard.com/), please continue to use the existing user name and password fields with your existing information

Continuing Education Students and Instructors:

  • On Michener’s Blackboard login screen (https://michener.blackboard.com/), please continue to use the existing user name and password fields with your existing information

Logging Into the Blackboard App on Mobile Devices:

You can use the Blackboard App for Students on your mobile device similar to how you would in a supported browser.  The following articles describe how to log into the Blackboard App according to your authentication type:

Getting Help With Your User Name and Password:

    Getting Help With Blackboard

    Blackboard Support Hours of Operation:
    Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm
    E-mail: bbsupport@michener.ca

    Note: Inquiries received outside of regular business hours will be addressed the following business day.

    **Michener’s Blackboard Support service can only assist with technical issues related to Blackboard

    IMPORTANT! When submitting an email request to Blackboard Support, please ensure that you provide:

    • Your full name and Blackboard user name
    • Your student ID number
    • Details of the problem you are experiencing, including error messages, steps the support staff can take to re-create the problem, a screen cap image of the problem

    **1st year students beginning their programs in September 2021: refer to How do I access Blackboard? for password reset information

    Getting Help With Outlook e-mail and other Michener Services:
    Contact Michener’s Help Desk at 416-596-3101 x.3369 during regular business hours or via email helpdesk@michener.zendesk.com

    Recommended Software

    1. Browser Support for Blackboard Learn
      Microsoft Windows: Mozilla Firefox*, Google Chrome*, Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
      Mac OS: Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox*, Google Chrome*
      iOS and Android: Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome
      Unsupported browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge (original), Apple Safari 12 or older
      *Michener recommends Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome for both Windows and Mac OS
    2. Adobe Acrobat Reader
    3. VLC Player (free to download media player)
    4. USB headset with microphone (for courses where web conferencing will be used)
    5. Blackboard App (for both Students and Instructors, free download for iOS and Android)
      **The Blackboard App does not support all tools or content types; some content will require the use of a mobile browser on mobile devices

    Resources for Students and Instructors

    Listed in the accordions below are a selection of video demonstrations and PDF documents available from Blackboard’s On Demand Tutorials playlist on YouTube.





    NameCoach is a plugin for Blackboard that provides students an opportunity to record the proper pronunciation of their name, a phonetic spelling of their name and their preferred personal pronouns for faculty reference.

    1. NameCoach for Students (PDF)
    2. NameCoach for Faculty (PDF)

    Turnitin is a product that helps students in their writing by ensuring submitted works meet Michener’s standards for academic integrity.  For applicable assessments, students will be required to submit their work to Turnitin for a review of originality.  In doing so, students will allow their work to be included source documents in the tool’s reference database, where will be used strictly for the purpose of verifying originality.

    Students may opt out of this process by contacting their cause Instructor at the beginning of the course after which alternative arrangements will be made to verify originality.

    Refer to Michener’s Learning Resource Centre for guidelines on how to properly reference in academic writing.

    Not all assessments will use the Turnitin tool.  Your course Instructor(s) will specify which assessments are to be submitted using Turnitin.

    Turnitin Resources:

    Assignment Dashboard:
    The Turnitin assignment dashboard is where students submit a Turnitin assignment, then view feedback on the work you have submitted.  Your Instructor(s) will post a link in your course to access the Turnitin dashboard.

    Submit a Paper (File Upload):
    This page provides step-by-step instructions for submitting a paper to a Turnitin Assignment.  Your Instructor(s) will specifiy the accepted file formats for the assignment.

    Assignment Summary:
    Once the Turnitin assignment is launched, click the button Summary to view the assignment information, as well as view any additional settings selected by your instructor.

    View Submission Information:
    Download your assignment, digital receipt, and view further information about the assignment submission.

    Assignment Types:
    The Paper Assignment is the most commonly used assignment type.  For this assignment type, students submit a single file for evaluation by the course instructor.

    Acceptable File Types:
    Assignments should be submitted in the Microsoft Word format (.docx).  Files should be less than 100 Mb in size, have a minimum of 20 words and have less than 800 pages.

    Digital Receipt:
    Once submitted, students receive a digital receipt indicating proof of submission.

    Resubmitting a Paper:
    This option may or may not be available.  Contact your Instructor to inquire about the availability of assignment resubmission.

    Michener currently uses Zoom and Microsoft Teams for web conferencing and delivery of online classes, labs and office hours.

    Zoom

    Zoom is a client-based web conferencing tool that is available in all courses in Michener’s Blackboard system at the discretion of your Instructor(s).

    Pre-session checklist:

    1. Have a USB headset with microphone
    2. Ensure your Headset is selected as the default input (microphone) and output (speakers) device
      Windows 10: Configuring Audio Devices for Web Conferencing in Windows 10 (PDF)
      Mac OS: Dock > System Preferences > Sound > Output (select headset) > Input (select headset)
    3. Use a hard-wired Internet connection for stable connectivity
    4. Supported browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge (Chromium), Apple Safari 13 or greater

    Joining a Zoom Meeting in Blackboard:

    Zoom meetings are accessed from your course in Blackboard.  Meetings can be accessed in the Zoom Meetings scheduler page (a button in your course menu in Blackboard) or your Instructor may provide a meeting invitation containing a link to the meeting in a course Announcement or e-mail message.

    When joining a Zoom meeting for the first time, you will be required to download and install client software to your computer in order to participate in web conference meetings.  A Zoom account is not required for student participation in a Zoom meeting.  It is strongly recommended Zoom meetings be accessed on a desktop or laptop computer unless otherwise directed by your Instructor(s).

    Getting Started in a Zoom Meeting:

    Web Conferencing Best Practices:

    1. Best Practices for Web Conference Participation (PDF)

    Troubleshooting Information:

    1. My Video Camera Isn’t Working
    2. There is Echo in My Meeting
    3. Audio Isn’t Working on My Mobile Device
    4. Blank Screen During Screen Share on MacOS Big Sur

    Microsoft Teams

    Microsoft Teams is a web conferencing application that is available in the Microsoft 365 suite of applications for Michener faculty and full-time program students.  While Teams is not available in Blackboard, your Instructors may opt to use it for specific purposes.

    Pre-session checklist:

    1. Have a USB headset with microphone
    2. Ensure your Headset is selected as the default input (microphone) and output (speakers) device
      Windows 10: Configuring Audio Devices for Web Conferencing in Windows 10 (PDF)
      Mac OS: Dock > System Preferences > Sound > Output (select headset) > Input (select headset)
    3. Use a hard-wired Internet connection for stable connectivity
    4. Supported browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge (Chromium), Apple Safari 13 or greater

    Joining a Microsoft Teams Meeting:

    Teams can be accessed in a browser by logging into your Outlook e-mail or by downloading and installing the Teams desktop application.

    Join a Teams Meeting in a Browser:

    1. Log into your Outlook e-mail in a browser (Google Chrome is recommended)
    2. Click the App Launcher in the top-left corner (the box-shaped icon)
    3. Select Teams from the App list (you may need to click the link All Apps to locate the Teams link)
    4. Teams meetings scheduled by your Instructor via appointment appear in the calendar in Teams; click the Calendar button on the left side of the screen to display your Outlook calendar in Teams
    5. Click the Join button to launch a teams meeting that is about to start

    Join a Teams Meeting via Link:

    Your Instructor may opt distribute a link for a Teams meeting via e-mail or placed in a course announcement in Blackboard.  For this method, click the link provided by your Instructor to launch the meeting in a browser (Google Chrome is recommended for Microsoft Teams) or copy and paste the link into the browser address field.

    Web Conferencing Best Practices:

    1. Best Practices for Web Conference Participation (PDF)

    Troubleshooting Information:

    1. Test Your Audio and Video Before You go Online
    2. Microsoft Teams Quick Guide