Digital Drop Box
View answers to frequently asked questions asked by NIU faculty and staff.
The Digital Dropbox allows students to send files to faculty members. Faculty members can retrieve files from students, comment on them and return them to the student or share them with other students. (Faculty members always enter the Digital Dropbox through the Control Panel). Students also have a Digital Dropbox they can access by clicking Tools in the Course Navigation Menu. Faculty members do not have access to a student's Digital Dropbox, but faculty can send files to any student on their roster. Students can send files to faculty members only.
File Names
To make sure that files are submitted properly through the Digital Dropbox, use only alpha-numeric characters for file names. Incorrect file naming can result in the file not uploading to Blackboard correctly. Do not use more than 32 characters in the file name and especially avoid such characters as #, &, $ or . (period) other than the one separating a file name and file extension.
Faculty - Accessing a File:
- Click the Control Panel button on the left side of the screen in your Course homepage.
- Under Course Tools click Digital Dropbox.
- All files within the Digital Dropbox are listed (Files sent by others as well as files added by you). To open a file click the filename or to download the file right-click on the filename and click Save Target As... in Internet Explorer or Save Link As... in Firefox.
- Select a location for the file and click the Save button.
Faculty - Sending a File:
Sending a File Already Added into Digital Dropbox:
- Click the Control Panel button on the left side of the screen in your Course homepage.
- Under Course Tools click Digital Dropbox.
- Click the Send File button.
- Under Select Users click to highlight the usernames of the file receipient(s). (A file can be sent to multiple receipients at the same time. To select multiple receipients from the list press and hold the Ctrl key on the keyboard while clicking the usernames.
- Under File Information, if the file to be sent is already added in Digital Dropbox select the file using the Select File dropdown menu and clicking the filename.
- Enter a name for the file being sent.
- Type comments in the Comments section. (optional).
- Click the Submit button to send the file.
- The file is sent to all selected receipients.
Uploading and Sending a File:
- Click the Control Panel button on the left side of the screen in your Course homepage.
- Under Course Tools click Digital Dropbox.
- Click the Send File button.
- Under Select Users click to highlight the usernames of the file receipient(s). (A file can be sent to multiple receipients at the same time. To select multiple receipients from the list press and hold the Ctrl key on the keyboard while clicking the usernames.
- Enter a name for the file being sent.
- To upload and send a new file under File click the Browse button.
- A File Upload window opens, locate the file and select it by clicking on its name to highlight it and then click the Open button.
- Type comments in the Comments section. (optional).
- Click the Submit button to send the file.
- The file is sent to all selected receipients. A copy of the file is also added to the sender's Digital Dropbox.
Students - Accessing a File:
- Click Tools on the Course Homepage.
- Click Digital Dropbox.
- All the files within the Digital Dropbox are listed (Files added by you as well as files sent by faculty). To open a file click the filename or to download the file right-click on the filename and click Save Target As... in Internet Explorer or Save Link As in Firefox.
- Select a location for the file and click the Save button.
Students - Sending a File:
Sending a File Already Added into Digital Dropbox:
Note: Students can send files only to faculty.
- Click Tools on the Course Homepage.
- Click Digital Dropbox.
- Click the Send File button.
- Under File Information, if the file to be sent is already in Digital Dropbox select the file using the Select File dropdown menu and clicking on the filename.
- Enter a name for the file being sent.
- Students can type their comments in the Comments section.
- Click the Submit button.
- The file is sent to the faculty. A copy of the file is also added to the sender's Digital Dropbox.
Uploading and Sending a File:
- Click Tools on the Course Homepage.
- Click Digital Dropbox.
- Click the Send File button.
- Enter a name for the file being sent.
- To upload and send a new file under File click the Browse button.
- A File Upload window opens, locate the file and select it by clicking on its name to highlight it and then click the Open button.
- Students can type their comments in the Comments section.
- Click the Submit button.
- The file is sent to the faculty. A copy of the file is also added to the sender's Digital Dropbox.
Find more answers...
Are you looking for more information related to Blackboard communication tools? Review the answers to frequently asked questions regarding the communication tools in Blackboard. Also, consider attending one of the upcoming Blackboard workshops.
Last Updated: 07/08/2008
