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What do I do if I don't see a registered student in my roster?
or...
Why is there a student named JDOExxx in my course?

If you do not see a student on your roster whom you know to be registered, it is likely that they have chosen to restrict their information and are therefore listed under the name JDOE###. All students who restrict their personal information from the UT Electronic Directory or other publication will appear in the Blackboard listing as JDOE### (for John or Jane Doe).

As the Blackboard courseware was first implemented for the pilot project, staff worked extensively with many lawyers, auditors, the US Department of Education, and the Office of the Registrar, to ensure that we are in compliance with privacy laws such as FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. Many universities, and even some local UT class-support sites, do not meet the privacy and security standards we have set for Blackboard class Web sites.

You can take steps to prohibit anonymous discussion on Blackboard's discussion boards. People are automatically identified by their class roster name in chat sessions. Since discussion and chat sessions (except private communications between an instructor and an individual student) are logged for purposes of the course, abuse problems can then be reported to the appropriate e-mail address (abuse@utexas.edu) for handling.

To track these students, you need to be aware of the following:

  1. You cannot tell from within Blackboard who the JDOE### students are. You may be able to figure that out from the paper class rosters you get and by their email addresses, but you cannot tell who a person is from Blackboard.

  2. If multiple users in your class have restricted their information, Blackboard numbers them and keeps track of the JDOE### assignments, so that, for example, JDOE37 is always the same person.

The JDOE's are aware of their anonymous user id, because they are addressed by that name on their My Blackboard page.

Remember that an electronic course is not analogous to the physical classroom; rather, it is considered a collection of electronic records, similar to the electronic directory, and is subject to the same rules. Faculty and staff (unless they are also students) cannot restrict their information in Blackboard.

Please contact the ITS Help Desk by calling 475 - 9400 or by submitting a help request at http://www.utexas.edu/its/help/blackboard/.

Bb 9 logo Attention: We have a NEW support site for Blackboardnumber 9
The information below refers to Blackboard version 8.
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