As you may have heard, the Blackboard system will be down April 29 through May 1 for upgrades. While we work to greatly improve the technology, here are some things you can do to prepare for this brief outage.
If you are used to reading everything online, print out the syllabus, study guides and other documents you regularly use before the outage.
The myCSU Student Portal will still be available, so visit the online library for research materials you may need for a class project.
Review your syllabus to see if you have a large paper or project due during the course. If so, gather the materials you will need now so the outage sets you back as little as possible.
Be proactive and ask your professor questions regarding the unit you will be working on during the outage now. Remember, when Blackboard is down for the upgrade, it is down for everyone at the university as well.
Visit cseg.info and subscribe to updates. This will allow you to stay informed on the progress of the upgrade
Review previous Communicator posts regarding to upgrade if you have questions about course accommodations.
How will the upgrade affect you as a student?
Most of the improvements will be behind-the-curtain type items that will help your professors and the university better serve you as a student. However, there is one new feature that will notice right away, and we think that you will be very excited about it.
When you enter Blackboard for the first time after the upgrade, you will be prompted to create your MyEdu account. The process is quick, easy, and free but you can dismiss the notice and come back to it at another time. MyEdu accounts allow students to create a virtual profile and portfolio that they can take with them after graduation. These profiles allow students to get to know one another and network on a professional level. The information is customizable to each student, and you can continually add and update information as you progress in your academic and professional journeys.
You can also make your MyEdu public, and connect the information it provides to your LinkedIn account or other social networking sites. Submitting a digital resume to a potential employer? You can include a link to your MyEdu profile! We think this will be an invaluable tool to our students, and are excited about the potential possibilities this can provide them for networking within their fields and advancement in their careers.
More information on MyEdu will be coming from our Career Services team but, in the meantime, take a few minutes to explore Heather Kimbrel’s profile. Heather is one of our Career Services Counselors, and works with students to help them develop their resume and digital career presence. Heather’s profile can be found here: https://prod02.myedu.com/user-profile/heatherkimbrel/