eCampus Announcements
Turnitin Service Disruption on Fri, 02/15, 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
FINAL UPDATE
Turnitin has restored services as of approximately 10:30 p.m. Central Time.
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UPDATE AS OF 4:20 P.M.
Turnitin has identified the cause to be a database issue. They are implementing a fix and estimating that by the end of the business day all services should be restored. Based on Turnitin's Pacific Time Zone, this will be approximately 7:00 p.m. Central Time.
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ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT
As of approximately 9:30 a.m. Central Time, Turnitin is experiencing a service disruption. Administrators are working to resolve the issue, but there are no updates yet. This outage is affecting all Turnitin users in the United States and the United Kingdom.
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Blackboard Data Center Maintenance May Cause Service Interruptions on Fri, 02/08, 1:00-5:00 a.m.
Blackboard, the vendor for eCampus, will perform data center maintenance on Friday, February 8, 1:00-5:00 a.m. Central Time.
Although Blackboard anticipates no service interruptions during this time frame, they cannot entirely rule out brief periods of intermittent connectivity as network traffic adjusts.
Brief restarts of services for some client systems may also be necessary.
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Request eCampus Courses for Spring
Instructional Technology Services (ITS) reminds Instructors of Record and instructional staff of the spring 2019 start-of-semester procedures and the fall 2018 end-of-semester procedures for managing courses in eCampus.
Go to eCampus Tools to request eCampus courses for spring.
eCampus Course Management
- Spring 2019 courses can be requested through eCampus Tools
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
- Fall 2018 courses will be removed from student view on Friday, January 11
- Course retentions can be facilitated by making a course available to students after the course end date, especially to specific users
Attention Instructors Who Use iClickers
To ensure the TAMU Bookstore has an adequate inventory of iClicker remotes in stock, please inform them if you intend to use the devices for your spring course(s). Email Mary Smith at textbooth@tamu.edu.
- iClicker 2 student remote, ISBN 9781498603041
- iClicker 2 student remote with 6 month REEF Polling bundle, ISBN 9781319187675
Students: Don't See a Course Listed?
Not every course is delivered in eCampus. Instructors must request their courses are loaded into eCampus and then they must make the courses available to students. Your course may appear later in the semester or not at all. Refer to the eCampus Course List for availability.
If you are missing a course your instructor indicates should be in eCampus, please first check your schedule in Howdy to confirm your enrollment. After verifying your enrollment, please send an email to helpdesk@tamu.edu with the course information.
Learning Management System Selection Committee Information
View updates and the latest developments at https://u.tamu.edu/lmsreview.
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Email support will be available during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day university holiday on Monday, 01/21.
REMINDER: eCampus Maintenance Set for Fri, 12/28, 11:30 p.m.-Sat, 12/29, 6:00 p.m.
Instructional Technology Services has scheduled an eCampus maintenance with Blackboard, the system vendor, for Friday, December 28, 11:30 p.m. – Saturday, December 29, 6:00 p.m. Central Time (approximately 18 hours).
Access to eCampus will be unavailable during this scheduled time frame. Please plan system activities accordingly by modifying or rescheduling eCampus-related activities during this maintenance period.
Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Contact Help Desk Central at helpdesk@tamu.edu or (979) 845-8300 for 24/7/365 technical support outside of normal business hours.
Two eCampus Maintenances Set for Fri, 12/21, 12:00-6:00 a.m. & Fri, 12/28, 11:30 p.m.-Sat, 12/29, 6:00 p.m.
Instructional Technology Services has scheduled two separate eCampus maintenances with Blackboard, the system vendor, during the university's holiday break:
- First maintenance: Friday, December 21, 12:00 (midnight)-6:00 a.m. Central Time
- Second maintenance: Friday, December 28, 11:30 p.m. – Saturday, December 29, 6:00 p.m. Central Time (approximately 18 hours)
Access to eCampus will be unavailable during these scheduled time frames. Please plan system activities accordingly by modifying or rescheduling eCampus-related activities during this maintenance period.
Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Contact Help Desk Central at helpdesk@tamu.edu or (979) 845-8300 for 24/7/365 technical support outside of normal business hours.
eCampus Outages on Tue, 12/11, 8:00-8:25 a.m. & 9:15-9:25 a.m.
From approximately 8:00 to 8:25 a.m. and from 9:15 to 9:25 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, December 11, eCampus experienced outages with intermittent availability and slowness. Blackboard Managed Hosting, the vendor for eCampus, has investigated the root cause and has restored services.
If you are still experiencing issues, please clear your browser cookies and cache and try again.
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Fall 2018 & Spring 2019 eCampus Course Management & Grade Submission
Instructional Technology Services (ITS) reminds Instructors of Record and instructional staff of the fall 2018 end-of-semester procedures and the spring 2019 start-of-semester procedures for managing courses in eCampus.
eCampus Course Management
- Fall 2018 courses will be removed from student view on Friday, January 11
- Course retentions can be facilitated by making a course available to students after the course end date, especially to specific users
- Spring 2019 courses can be requested through eCampus Tools
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
Submit Grades from eCampus to Howdy
The eCampus grade submission feature will be available for transferring final grades directly to Howdy during the date and time ranges below in accordance with the Office of the Registrar.
- Starting Thursday, December 6 at 8:00 a.m.
- Closing Thursday, December 13 at 6:00 p.m. for processing degree candidate grading and graduation clearances
- Re-opening Friday, December 14 at 8:00 a.m.
- Ending Monday, December 17 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) for completing all other final grading
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Emergency eCampus Maintenance on Wed, 12/12, 12:00 (Midnight)-3:00 a.m.
UPDATE: This maintenance was not necessary and therefore not carried out by Blackboard Managed Hosting.
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Blackboard Managed Hosting, the vendor for eCampus, will perform emergency maintenance to eCampus on Wednesday, December 12, 12:00 (midnight)-3:00 a.m. Central Time. The maintenance has been scheduled to address recent issues affecting system performance and the Grade Center.
eCampus will be unavailable during this time frame. This time frame has been selected to minimize the impact during final exams and end-of-semester assignment submissions.
Until the maintenance has been completed, ITS recommends that instructors avoid grading due to any potential issues with the Grade Center.
Students may experience errors when attempting to submit assessments. In these cases, ITS recommends that students take screenshots to have a copy of the answers they submitted.
Instructional Technology Services Support Information
Instructors may contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Help Desk Central Support Information
Students may contact Help Desk Central at helpdesk@tamu.edu or (979) 845-8300. HDC is also available for technical support outside of normal business hours.
For the latest updates, refer to IT Alerts at http://italerts.tamu.edu.
Teague Data Center Power Outage Affected Campus Computing Resources on Saturday, 11/10, 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
On Saturday, 11/10, at approximately 11:00 a.m., a major power disruption occurred in the Teague Data Center. This event resulted in an outage of many systems on campus, including the campus network, Exchange email services, Howdy, Mediasite downloads, and the ability to log in to eCampus.
Power was restored to the Teague Data Center around 6:00 p.m., and the Division of IT worked to bring systems online as quickly as possibly.
Shibboleth IDP, the authentication used by eCampus, was reliably restored at approximately 11:00 p.m. Some users may have been able to log in to eCampus successfully prior to this time with intermittent availability.
By approximately 11:30 p.m., many services were restored.
Refer to http://italerts.tamu.edu for more specific information and times.
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
eCampus Login Problems on Mon, 11/05, 12:30-1:15 p.m.
ADDENDUM: Identical IDP problems occurred on Wednesday, November 7, from approximately 4:30 to 4:45 p.m. Users may not have been able to log in to eCampus during this time frame.
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On Monday, November 5, from approximately 12:30 to 1:15 p.m., a problem with a Shibboleth IDP authentication node prevented users from logging in to eCampus.
Fall 2018 Mid-Term Grade Submission from eCampus to Howdy
Instructional Technology Services reminds Instructors of Record and instructional staff who are required to submit mid-term and/or intrasession final grades that the eCampus grade submission feature will be available for transferring grades directly to Howdy from the eCampus Grade Center.
The following date and time ranges below are determined by the Office of Registrar and listed on the Academic Calendar:
- Grade submission opens: Monday, October 8, 8:00 am
- Grade submission closes: Monday, October 15, 12:00 pm (noon)
Suggestions for Submitting eCampus Assignments
Instructors should remind their students to allow for adequate time after clicking the Submit button on the Preview Upload Assignment page since the page may appear to freeze while an attachment is being uploaded. To avoid assignments being marked late, please note that the submission time for the assignment will be noted after the upload is completed; not when it begins.
Upload times may also vary based on Internet connection speeds and types. An assignment submission help document is available on ITS Docs, which offers upload guidelines and additional suggestions for students. If a file does not upload after approximately 20 minutes, contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417 and include the course name, assignment name, and file size.
eCampus and Turnitin assignment submissions both generate email receipts after successful submission. If the receipt is not received, the submission may not have completed successfully.
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Request eCampus Courses for Fall
ITS reminds Instructors of Record and instructional staff of the fall 2018 start-of-semester procedures and the summer 2018 end-of-semester procedures for managing courses in eCampus.
Go to eCampus Tools to request eCampus courses.
eCampus Course Management
- Fall 2018 courses may be requested through eCampus Tools
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
- Summer 2018 courses will be removed from student view on Friday, August 24
- Course retentions may be facilitated by making a course available to students after the course end date, especially to specific users
- Course retentions may be facilitated by making a course available to students after the course end date, especially to specific users
- Spring 2016 courses will be archived and moved off of eCampus on Monday, October 1
- Refer to the eCampus Course Lifecycle help documentation for further details
- Contact ITS for specific courses or programs that require extended access to course materials
- Course extensions are considered temporary; any wanted content should be moved or saved
Attention Instructors Who Use iClickers
To ensure the TAMU Bookstore has an adequate inventory of iClicker remotes in stock, please inform them if you intend to use the devices this term. Email Mary Smith at textbooth@tamu.edu.
- iClicker 2 student remote, ISBN 9781498603041
- iClicker 2 student remote with 6 month REEF Polling bundle, ISBN 9781319187675
Students: Don't See a Course Listed?
Not every course is delivered in eCampus. Instructors must request their courses are loaded into eCampus and then they must make the courses available to students. Instructors may make their courses available later in the semester or choose not to use eCampus. Refer to the eCampus Course List for availability.
If you are missing a course your instructor indicates should be in eCampus, please first check your schedule in Howdy to confirm your enrollment. After verifying your enrollment, please send an email to helpdesk@tamu.edu with the course information.
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Summer 2018 eCampus Course Management & Grade Submission
ITS reminds Instructors of Record and instructional staff of the summer 2018 end-of-semester procedures for managing courses in eCampus.
Go to eCampus Tools to request eCampus courses for fall.
eCampus Course Management
- Summer 2018 courses will be removed from student view on Friday, August 24
- Course retentions may be facilitated by making a course available to students after the course end date, especially to specific users
- Course retentions may be facilitated by making a course available to students after the course end date, especially to specific users
- Fall 2018 courses may be requested through eCampus Tools
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
Submit Grades from eCampus to Howdy
The eCampus grade submission feature will be available for transferring final grades directly to Howdy during the date and time ranges below in accordance with the Office of the Registrar.
- Starting Tuesday, August 7 at 8:00 a.m.
- Closing Thursday, August 9 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) for processing degree candidate grading and graduation clearances
- Re-opening Friday, August 10 at 8:00 a.m.
- Ending Monday, August 13 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) for completing all other final grading
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Request eCampus Courses for Summer
Instructional Technology Services (ITS) reminds Instructors of Record and instructional staff of the summer 2018 start-of-semester procedures and the spring 2018 end-of-semester procedures for managing courses in eCampus.
Go to eCampus Tools to request eCampus courses for summer.
eCampus Course Management
- Summer 2018 courses can be requested through eCampus Tools
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
- Spring 2018 courses will be removed from student view on Friday, May 25
- Course retentions can be set up by making a course available to students after the course end date, especially to specific users
- Course retentions can be set up by making a course available to students after the course end date, especially to specific users
- Fall 2015 courses will be archived and moved off of eCampus on Monday, July 2
- Refer to the eCampus Course Lifecycle help documentation for further details
- Contact ITS for specific courses or programs that require extended access to course materials
- Course extensions are considered temporary; any wanted content should be moved or saved
Recent Updates to eCampus
- Course Availability Toggle: A padlock graphic appears at the top right to toggle course availability status easily; the padlock appears on content areas, module pages, discussion tool links, and groups tool links
- Grade Center Column Bulk Deletion: The column organization page within the Grade Center now includes the option to delete columns in bulk; note that this works independently of the cancel/submit option and selecting cancel will not undo the deletion
- Drag-and-Drop Multiple File Upload: A drag-and-drop interface replaces the Java-based multiple file upload tool in the content collection
- Assignment Email Receipts for Students: Students now receive email receipts after submitting assignments
Attention Instructors Who Use iClickers
To ensure the TAMU Bookstore has an adequate inventory of iClicker remotes in stock, please inform them if you intend to use the devices for your summer course(s). Email Mary Smith at textbooth@tamu.edu.
- iClicker 2 student remote, ISBN 9781498603041
- iClicker 2 student remote with 6 month REEF Polling bundle, ISBN 9781319187675
Students: Don't See a Course Listed?
Not every course is delivered in eCampus. Instructors must request their courses are loaded into eCampus and then they must make the courses available to students. Your course may appear later in the semester or not at all. Refer to the eCampus Course List for availability.
If you are missing a course your instructor indicates should be in eCampus, please first check your schedule in Howdy to confirm your enrollment. After verifying your enrollment, please send an email to helpdesk@tamu.edu with the course information.
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
SCORM Packages Unavailable
The SCORM Building Block for eCampus is currently unavailable as of Tuesday, 05/22. Users are unable to access existing SCORM-formatted learning packages or upload new content packages.
Blackboard is investigating the issue to determine the root cause. Once the issue is resolved, all existing SCORM packages are expected to be available.
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Extended eCampus Maintenance Set for Fri, 05/18, 10:00 p.m. - Sat, 05/19, 10:00 p.m.
Instructional Technology Services has scheduled an extended eCampus maintenance with Blackboard, the system vendor, for Friday, May 18, 10:00 p.m. – Saturday, May 19, 10:00 p.m. (24 hours) Central Time.
Access to eCampus will be unavailable during the scheduled time frame. Please plan system activities accordingly by modifying or rescheduling eCampus-related activities during this maintenance period.
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Spring & Summer 2018 eCampus Course Management & Grade Submission
Instructional Technology Services (ITS) reminds Instructors of Record and instructional staff of the spring 2018 end-of-semester procedures and the summer 2018 start-of-semester procedures for managing courses in eCampus.
eCampus Course Management
- Spring 2018 courses will be removed from student view on Friday, May 25
- Course retentions can be set up by making a course available to students after the course end date, especially to specific users
- Course retentions can be set up by making a course available to students after the course end date, especially to specific users
- Summer and fall 2018 courses can be requested through eCampus Tools
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
- Fall 2015 courses will be archived and moved off of eCampus on Monday, July 2
- Refer to the eCampus Course Lifecycle help documentation for further details
Submit Grades from eCampus to Howdy
The eCampus grade submission feature will be available for transferring final grades directly to Howdy during the date and time ranges below in accordance with the Office of the Registrar.
- Starting Wednesday, May 2 at 8:00 a.m.
- Closing Wednesday, May 9 at 6:00 p.m. for processing degree candidate grading and graduation clearances
- Re-opening Thursday, May 10 at 8:00 a.m.
- Ending Monday, May 14 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) for completing all other final grading
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Teague Data Center Resiliency Upgrade May Impact Availability of eCampus Tools on Sat, 03/10, 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
The Division of Information Technology will perform the final phase of its resiliency upgrade to the Teague Data Center on Saturday, March 10. During this time frame, access to eCampus Tools may be unavailable or intermittent for course management and member management.
Refer to http://italerts.tamu.edu in the IT Changes section for more information about this upgrade.
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Request eCampus Courses for Spring
Instructional Technology Services (ITS) reminds Instructors of Record and instructional staff of the spring 2018 start-of-semester procedures and the fall 2017 end-of-semester procedures for managing courses in eCampus.
Go to eCampus Tools to request eCampus courses for spring.
eCampus Course Management
- Spring 2018 courses can be requested through eCampus Tools
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
- Courses are created within 30 minutes and include student enrollments
- Fall 2017 courses will be removed from student view on Friday, January 12
- Course retentions can be facilitated by making a course available to students after the course end date, especially to specific users
Recent Updates to eCampus
- New Session Issue Resolved – Students are again able to open additional eCampus tabs or windows in the same browser while testing
- New Box View – Replaces Crocodoc, with help documentation and FAQs on ITS Docs
- Grade Display Standardization – Grades now display to students at 5 decimal places, are not rounded, and are consistent for both score and percentage display; this resolves discrepancies involving different decimal places and rounding in different views
- Mobile App – The Blackboard (for students) and Blackboard Instructor mobile apps now display organizations as well as custom roles such as "Alternate Instructor"
Attention Instructors Who Use iClickers
To ensure the TAMU Bookstore has an adequate inventory of iClicker remotes in stock, please inform them if you intend to use the devices for your spring course(s). Email Mary Smith at textbooth@tamu.edu.
- iClicker 2 student remote, ISBN 9781498603041
- iClicker 2 student remote with 6 month REEF Polling bundle, ISBN 9781319187675
Students: Don't See a Course Listed?
Not every course is delivered in eCampus. Instructors must request their courses are loaded into eCampus and then they must make the courses available to students. Your course may appear later in the semester or not at all. Refer to the eCampus Course List for availability.
If you are missing a course your instructor indicates should be in eCampus, please first check your schedule in Howdy to confirm your enrollment. After verifying your enrollment, please send an email to helpdesk@tamu.edu with the course information.
ITS Support Information
Contact ITS at itshelp@tamu.edu or (979) 458-3417. Email and phone support are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
Email support will be available during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day university holiday on Monday, 01/15.