Chalk Learning Management System
Faculty FAQ
How do I
request a Chalk site?
To request a Chalk course site, go to the Chalk home page and click on the link
marked "Request a Site." Please note that only the instructor of the course may
request the Chalk site. View Flash Tutorial.
When can I request a
Chalk site?
Typically, instructors begin requesting Chalk sites a month or so
before the start of the quarter. We can set up a Chalk site for you a few
quarters in advance, if you would like to request it ahead of time.
I've had a Chalk
site before. Can I reuse that content?
Yes. Chalk sites need to be "renewed" each time the course is
taught to allow for proper enrollment, but you may reuse the content,
documents, materials, etc. from a previous course site. When you request your
course site each quarter, specify the course that should be copied. To request
a Chalk site, go to http://chalk.uchicago.edu and click on
the link marked "Request a Site."
How will my
student roster in Chalk get updated?
Chalk receives data feeds from the Registrar daily - approximately
every two hours. Any updates to registration information, such as students
adding or dropping, will be reflected when Chalk receives its next scheduled
data feed. Also, if you’ve just created your Chalk site, your students will be
enrolled when the next scheduled data feed from the Registrar is
received.
How do I add students,
TAs, and/or co-Instructors to my course site?
Instructors have access to the Control Panel and may add users to a
course site. Click on "Power User Enrollment", then search by last name or
CnetID. If there are more than one individual, separate the names or CnetID's
by commas and click on Search. Click the checkbox next to the name of the
individuals you'd like to add and select their specific role. Click Submit at
the bottom of the page. View Flash Tutorial.
I'm trying to manually add a student to my Chalk course site, but I receive an error "no user matching the search criteria was found"?
There are two reasons you may see this error. Either the student is already enrolled or was enrolled at one time and has since dropped the course.
First, double check that the student isn't already enrolled: Control Panel > List/Modify Users > Leave the text box blank> Click Search. All students enrolled in your course will appear.
If a student was previously enrolled, has dropped the course and would now like to audit, please email chalk@uchicago.edu with all the particulars. Only system administrators can re-enroll this student into your Chalk course site.
How do I make all
or some of my site available to all members of the University community (those
with CNetID's), not just registered Students?
There are three steps Instructors must complete to make their Chalk course
site available tousers with a valid CNetID:
- Control Panel > Settings > Guest Access > Select Radio Button to Yes
- Control Panel > Manage Tools > Tools Availability > Place a check in the Allow Guest column for Announcements and Content Areas
- Control Panel > Manage Course Menu > Modify next to each content area you'd like Guests to see > Place a checkmark to Allow Guest
How users gain access:
- Login to Chalk
- Click on the Chalk Tab
- Click on Chalk Course Catalog
- The user would then search for your course
- Once the course is located, click on Preview
- They will be able to see all the material you opened up to Guests in Step 3 above.
Does a person need a CNetID to access courses on Chalk?
Yes. The university does not allow full access to Chalk sites without a valid CNetID. CNetIDs are available to faculty, students, and staff of the university, however for those who are not affiliated with the university but are actively participating in a course hosted on Chalk, consult your departmental trusted agent to see if you qualify for a temporary CNetID. If a temporary CNetID is granted by the trusted agent, the individual can be manually added to the course in the same manner as adding students, TAs, and/or co-instructors (see above).
What happens if a
student drops my class?
When a student drops a class via the Registrar, his or her name
will automatically be removed from the corresponding Chalk site when the next
scheduled data feed is received. Currently, Chalk receives data feeds from the
Registrar approximately every two hours.
Can I move
documents or folders within my Chalk site?
Yes, you may move documents from one section of a course site to
another, or from one course site to another (if you are the instructor of
both).
Go to the Control Panel and click on the section where the file currently is located. (To move a file from Course Documents to Syllabus, start in Course Documents.) In that section, you'll see three buttons to the right of every file: Modify, Copy, and Remove. Click on Copy to move a file.
On the next page, choose the Destination Course (if different from the current course site) from the pull-down menu. Choose the Destination Folder by clicking the Browse button. A separate window will pop up, and you may choose where to send your file. Next, choose whether to leave a copy of the file in its current location or to delete it after it has been moved. Click Submit to complete the move.
If you want to copy all the content from one course to another, this can only be done by Chalk administrators. Please contact chalk@uchicago.edu with your request.
In the gradebook,
can students see each other's grades?
No. When you enter students' grades in your Chalk site's gradebook,
students only have access to their own grades, not those of their classmates.
Why
do I still see courses from previous quarters?
Our policy is to keep course sites on Chalk in the system
forever.
Instructors may choose to make old sites invisible to students (TA's and
Instructors always have access) by clicking on Control Panel > Settings
>Course Availability.
Since all courses are kept on the Chalk system indefinitely, your My Courses Module may start to get large. To customize this module, click on the pencil icon in the upper corner of the module.
I forgot my
password, what can I do?
Your Chalk password is your University of Chicago CNet Password. If
you have forgotten your CNet Password, you may change it. Please visit the CNet Page for more information.
How do I report
an error I encountered in Chalk?
To report an error, copy the error text into an email message and
send it to chalk@uchicago.edu. Let us
know what web page you were on when the error occurred, and what you were
attempting when it happened (e.g. trying to upload your syllabus). Information
on whether you use a Mac or PC and what browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer)
is also useful.
Why are
the files I just posted to Chalk not opening for Students?
Please check the file names of the documents you have posted to Chalk. File
names that include special characters, spaces, dashes, commas, etc., will not
open for students. Periods should only be used directly before the file
extension. The file extension tells the computer what program to use to open
the file, such as .doc or .pdf.
- Incorrect File Name: Readings, pg.1-2 (para. 3).pdf
- Correct File Name: readingspgs1thru2.pdf
Does Blackboard
(Chalk) have any issues with Windows Vista?
There are several minor compatibility issues with Windows Vista and
Blackboard (Chalk). Most notably, users with Windows Vista and Internet
Explorer 7 will not be able to use the Visual Text Box editor in the Discussion
Board, or other areas of Blackboard that use this feature. For instructors,
this also includes announcements, content areas, etc. Blackboard reports that
these issues will be resolved with a future release. The primary workaround is
to use an alternative web browser, such as Firefox, Netscape, or Opera.
Should You Upgrade to Vista?Back to Top
Although we cannot require students and faculty to avoid Windows Vista at home, it is important to understand the issues you will face if you choose to do so. Our recommendation is to avoid upgrading to Vista until Blackboard remedies Vista incompatibilities.
Return to Getting Started for Faculty
Last updated: 10/23/07