Ask a guy who USED to work for Blackboard (yes, your online tests and stuff) anything

[mrawdtsi]

Worked at Blackboard for 4 years.

Started in support, and moved into a sales role.

I left blackboard ~ 6 months ago, and wont disclose the new employer, but its 10x better here.

Since i know a lot of u guys use blackboard, ask me anything!

[Reptarr]

how cna i change my grades

[postcount]

Will you rep me for pics of my penorz? Seuxaldeviant did

[Dead.Lift]

Any tips or cool secrets to it?

[Dennis978]

Blackboard sucks ****ing dick.

[mrawdtsi]

how cna i change my grades

you cant. only an assigned instructor logged into the Blackboard software can. So unless it was hacked, and someone else gained access its impossible. To my knowledge, the system was never hacked. But hell, that was above my paygrade.

Will you rep me for pics of my penorz? Seuxaldeviant did

sorry brah, no thx.

[dt02]

hey bro how bought you give the answers to all my quizzes posted on that shiit.

[mrawdtsi]

Any tips or cool secrets to it?

unfortunately not really. Its a fairly straightforward system. Many dont know this, but blackboard really has multiple verticals.

Blackboard Learn handles all tests, quizzes, homework, and grades and has an end user interface for students and faculty.

Blackboard Transact handles your student ID cards, and all access through any door on campus with a card reader, any vending machine, any entrance into sporting events, off campus merchant purchases, and all dining hall register transactions.

Blackboard Analytics is a new acquisition that handles an analytic engine for all transactional based processing for faculty.

Blackboard connect is new, and is a mass notification system that handles emergency notifications or announcements to phones, email, etc..

Blackboard sucks ****ing dick.

I used it in 2001 as a student at CMU. I hated it as a student too, but faculty loves it.

[pvpaymon]

what are some look holes / tricks

[NextBestThing]

Can my professor (or anyone) see if I'm googling answers while taking a test? Or the fact that Im copying and pasting the test questions?

[Strongelbows]

How'd you get that job and did it pay good?

[mrawdtsi]

hey bro how bought you give the answers to all my quizzes posted on that shiit.

i never had access to that information, it is all faculty input and solely resides on the local network. So even if i could gain access, it would be behind the schools firewalls and in their systems.

All blackboard software runs on local machines, its a licensed system.

Can my professor see if I'm googling answers while taking a test?

no, they cannot. there is no tracking software built into the LEARN system.

[DavidBrent]

Is there any way I can access the content of a module without being assigned to it? I could get a jump on next year if I could view last year's lecture slides and stuff! Thanks.

[Ott0Rocket]

Blackboard sucks BBC. Didn't know that it handled all of our Id transactions though.. Kinda cool. Have you heard of a newer system called CANVAS?

[mrawdtsi]

How'd you get that job and did it pay good?

Funny story really.

I was visiting friends in Scottsdale arizona in 2007 with my wife. We were enjoying the spring in AZ when my friends wife, knowing i wokred network control elsewhere, asked if i would be interested in an interview with Blackboard for fun (she was a technical recruiter back then)

so i said sure, why not! so i showed up in shorts, flip flops and a white button down shirt with nothing underneath, and was offered a job on the spot...

2 weeks later, i packed up my wife, and dog, and drove all the way here from michigan and started the job the following monday.

When i was in support i made 45k, i spent less than a year in support and moved into sales and nearly tripled it within 3 years.

[mrawdtsi]

Is there any way I can access the content of a module without being assigned to it? I could get a jump on next year if I could view last year's lecture slides and stuff! Thanks.

No, this is enabled on the back end through a special piece of software that is fed from the schools SIS systems. once that feed is populated, a script runs in the back end, grabbing the course data, and enabling content for each user specific to their course enrollment.

Blackboard sucks BBC. Didn't know that it handled all of our Id transactions though.. Kinda cool. Have you heard of a newer system called CANVAS?

all i know of canvas, is that it is owned by Instructure. They are currently not even a blip on the LMS radar. but that landscape changes frequently. Blackboard held majority of market share in the higher education space world wide, and is creeping up in the K-12 space. Our closes competitor was CBoard, and even they lost the majority of RFPS to us.

[NextBestThing]

no, they cannot. there is no tracking software built into the LEARN system.

Didn't think so, good to have confirmation though. Seems like there would be a bit of an invasion of privacy issue if they could tell what you're doing on your computer outside of their program/webpage. Repped, thanks.

[J3T]

got any leads or tips for getting into the IT field for recent graduates?

[mrawdtsi]

Degree you graduated with?

Did you paid off your wife's 50k+ loans?

Did you brought her the $75k+ M-benz car?

B.S. Computer Science, and currently working on a second bachelors at ASU in Global Business management.

We finished paying off her bachelors 2 years ago, but she is 3 classes away from finishing her masters in accounting. so im not looking forward to that loan.

She does drive a MB, but its their small suv, a 2010 GLK350.

[chillz]

did they pay you in reps?

[mrawdtsi]

Didn't think so, good to have confirmation though. Seems like there would be a bit of an invasion of privacy issue if they could tell what you're doing on your computer outside of their program/webpage. Repped, thanks.

there are a lot of legal issues that they have to battle ona daily basis as it is, and privacy is just about at the top. Being that its considered an "LMS" Learning Management System, that is the sole concentration.

The one thing i know most students hate is the anti plagarism software, which happens to be REALLY good. It scans your papers, and scours the internet for key words using a very unique algorithm and can detect even a fraction of a percentage of the paper as being "plagarised" and it will even cite the URL of the suspected source site.

generally speaking, the faculty give this about a 10-15% buffer before blaming a student for plagarising anything. 9 times out of 10 its a student who didnt cite a source correctly.

Unaware of what blackboard is

it is a learning management software that allows faculty to put homework, tests, and quizzes online for students to use virtually.

got any leads or tips for getting into the IT field for recent graduates?

The only tip i can give is to be persistent with potential employers, make sure that you are constantly certifying, or re certifying based on whatever you are interested in, and use Linkedin.... i get a dozen or so inquiries about potential job offers monthly. social networking is huge now.

[mrawdtsi]

bump for questions. im bored and im sure there are more students using this software now.

[J3T]

The only tip i can give is to be persistent with potential employers, make sure that you are constantly certifying, or re certifying based on whatever you are interested in, and use Linkedin.... i get a dozen or so inquiries about potential job offers monthly. social networking is huge now.

thanks, ill have to check out Linkedin, havn't thought about that yet. I recently graduated with my bachelors in information assurance, and unless you go government, its a little tricky to get a job. I've been networking the best i can, and currently have my foot in the door so to say about a digital forensic internship, but its nothing positive.. besides that since i have little outside of school coursework experience, im about to take a job for data entry assistant till i can find more of a career job.. its for midland fundraiser (you going to central, im sure you have possibly heard of them).

im thinking about just going back for my masters in information assurance or network security. hopefully i find something sooner than later.

question about linkedin - how often are they legit inquiries and not just some bs person or company needing help?

[weak704]

I always liked blackboard, Im using moodle now which IMO is inferior to blackboard.

[Noonga]

So my profs are just bullsh#tting me when they say opening up other tabs/windows during a test can cause "herp derp test err-or!"?

There's no way to lengthen the time when taking timed tests?

[Brocaine]

bump for questions. im bored and im sure there are more students using this software now.

Why does everyone hate it? Not in college yet, so unaware on why it's so hated.

[JM2412]

Our university had Blackboard for my freshman year, but we moved to BOLT last year.

[DirkDiglar]

why would you get a second bachelors and not go for an mba?

[mrawdtsi]

I always liked blackboard, Im using moodle now which IMO is inferior to blackboard.

moodle was also a competitor. Moodles sales process is funny. they basically offer the software license for free, then gouge on the annual renewal fees.

they are an inferior product with less than half the capabilities, but they are easy to install and use very quickly.

They typical blackboard turn key installation for a large university (think Ohio State) would run in the neighborhood of 1.3million with an annual licensing cost north of 250k.

[mrawdtsi]

So my profs are just bullsh#tting me when they say opening up other tabs/windows during a test can cause "herp derp test err-or!"?

There's no way to lengthen the time when taking timed tests?

They are bull****ting. theres literally no way for them to track your online surfing because it is an invasion of privacy laws and illegal.

Why does everyone hate it? Not in college yet, so unaware on why it's so hated.

students generally hate it because they cannot cheat

Our university had Blackboard for my freshman year, but we moved to BOLT last year.

never heard of bolt, how do you like it?

why would you get a second bachelors and not go for an mba?

it was significantly cheaper, and im no longer in a technical role in my career. I moved into sales and felt that a second Bachelors in business management would be better for my career. and, i still think school is fun. I may be one of those lifetime student types. who knows.