What do I do if Blackboard is down?
- Erin Warner
Problem
Blackboard is unavailable in some way. (i.e. it keeps loading or there is an error message)
Solution
Any scheduled downtime will be announced via myBama announcement, Blackboard Instructors listserv, pop-up message in Blackboard, and CIT’s website. Additionally, the splash page for Blackboard will display a downtime notice when maintenance is scheduled and Blackboard is offline: Scheduled Maintenance in progress. We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience. For more information please contact your System Administrator.
Is it actually a Blackboard problem?
First, wait a few minutes and try again.
Second, clear the cache in your internet browser. Yes, this step could keep you from going through all of the other steps. It usually works.
Third, figure out whether Blackboard is down, or whether the problem is elsewhere:
Check the Blackboard Status page and look for the Blackboard SaaS status. If there is a red line anywhere, hover over the red line to learn more about an outage.
Are you able to access myBama?
If you are not able to access myBama with your myBama username and password, contact UA’s IT Service Desk more assistance.
If you usually go to Blackboard through myBama, try going to https://ualearn.blackboard.com directly. It could be that myBama is having a problem but NOT Blackboard.
Try using your web browser to connect to http://google.com . If you can't, then the problem is in your connection to the Internet.
If you can't connect to other systems then the problem isn't with Blackboard alone, and you should contact the IT Service Desk for more assistance.
It's a Blackboard problem. What next?
If the system is totally unavailable, check the Center for Instructional Technology’s News page to see if we have scheduled maintenance.
If it's during the CIT business hours (8-4:45 M-F), then almost certainly a support staff member already knows that there is a problem and is working on fixing it.
Feel free to contact CIT at any time to find out more information.