SacCT: System Issues & Resolutions
Issues with the SacCT system will be listed on this page. Specific issues that affect only Mac users can be found on the Mac Issues page; while specific issues that only affect Windows users can be found on the Windows Issues page - see links above.
Course Activity Overview Report Returns No Data
Problem Description: When trying to run the "Course Activity Overview Report" from within a Blackboard course, the "Run Reports" returns a "no Activity Was Found" message.
Resolution: We do not currently have a workaround to this issue, though we are working with Blackboard to find a permanent solution. We will keep you posted on the resolution of this issue.
Course Menu Navigation is Reset to a Black Background
Problem Description: When entering a SacCT course, users can no longer see the links in the left course navigation menu because the background has been reset to a solid black color. The links will become visible again when the user moves their cursor over the menu items. Blackboard has identified this issue as a known system bug and will schedule a fix for a future service pack upgrade.
Resolution: If you are a faculty user and experience this problem in your course, you may manually reset the color of the menu background by accessing the Control Panel -> Customization -> Teaching Style and under Item 4 select the dropdown box for the background to switch the color. Or, you may choose a different course theme (Item 3 of the Teaching Style interface). If you are a student user who encounters this issue, please report directly to your instructor.
Course Report for "Student Overview for Single Course" does Not Allow Selection of Student User
Problem Description: When trying to run the "Student Overview for Single Course" report from within a Blackboard course, the "Run Reports" interface does not allow for the Student User to be selected. Instead the "Select Student" option is set to a default of "None". Running the report without appropriate parameters causes unnecessary data retrieval and performance issues with our SacCT /Blackboard system.
Resolution: We do not currently have a workaround to this issue, though we are working with Blackboard to find a permanent solution. In the meantime, we are asking faculty to avoid running this report from their SacCT courses.
Faculty Update on Course Copy Issue in SacCT
Problem Description: When copying content from one SacCT course to another, the process takes over 24 hours to complete. This is a known issue with Blackboard Learn which is heightened due to the high demand on the SacCT system during the start of the Fall 2012 term.
Resolution: A software patch was recently applied to address the performance issues related to the influx of Course Copy processes in SacCT . Most course content processes will now finish within an acceptable time frame of 15 to 30 minutes. However, if you start copying content from your SacCT courses during peak system usage times (Noon to 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM daily), you may still encounter delays up to 3 hours. If you receive notification that your course copy failed, please let us know by submitting the SacCT Course Copy Request Form. We can still process these requests manually on the server side.
Grade Responses Edit Box Does Not Submit Score
Problem Description: When grading an exam in Grade Center through the Grade Questions and Grade Responses option, the "Edit" feature does not update the manually revised score after clicking the "Submit" button.
Resolution: This has been identified as a Known Issue by Blackboard. We are currently testing a patch which is scheuled to be installed in our SacCT /Blackboard Production environment on Tuesday, December 18, 2012.
Grading Essay Exams by Question in the Grade Center Results in Extraneous HTML
Problem Description: The option to grade an essay exam using Grade Questions in the Grade Center displays the submitted answers with extraneous HTML that makes grading the exam difficult.
Resolution: A temporary workaround for this issue is to grade the exam submissions by Student with the Grade Attempts option in the Grade Center. This issue has been identified by Blackboard as a known bug is scheduled to be fixed in a future service pack upgrade. We will keep you updated on the expected resolution timeline.
Grading Schema Added to Secondary Display Cannot be Reset to None
Problem Description: The issue is occurring when a Secondary Display option is selected for a Grade Center column. Once any secondary display option is applied to a column, it can no longer be removed.
Resolution: This has been identified by Blackboard as a known issue and is scheduled to be fixed in a future Service Pack update. A temporary workaround for this issue is to contact ATCS via web-courses@csus.edu and request that the Grade Center column in your course be reset manually.
Multiple Response Exam without Correct Answers can be Saved and Posted
Problem Description: It is possible to create a Multiple Response type exam without selecting correct answers and make the exam available to students. Students can then login to take the exam which shows up under the Needs Grading section of the Grade Center. Unfortunately, the instructor is not warned that no correct answers were provided.
Resolution: This issue has been identified by Blackboard as a known bug and is scheduled to be fixed in a future service pack upgrade. We will keep you updated on the expected resolution timeline.
Question Sets do not import to another course properly
Problem Description: When an exported Question Set is imported into another course the sets are imported correctly but the questions in the individual sets are missing. The following error message is reported upon import: "The Assessment entitled <practice tests with question sets> contains a Question Set reference that cannot be resolved". Please see the attached image of the error message. No error was reported during the export process.
Resolution: Faculty have two options for working around this issue. (1) Use the copy function within your SacCT course under Control Panel -> Packages and Utilities to move tests that include question sets from a pool. (2) Use Respondus for transferring exams. Please see our guide on using Respondus to create exams for SacCT . Blackboard does not currently have a fix for this issue.
Student View of Assignment Content Editor is missing "Add Image" button
Problem Description: When accessing an assignment as a Student, the "Insert Image" button does not appear in the Content Editor tool options. Two other features are also missing including "Insert File" and "Insert/Edit Embedded Media". Students do still have the ability to add an image as a file attachment through the Assignements interface.
Resolution: A workaround is to use the Journal feature instead of an Assignment, if you require a gradeable student submission that includes the insertion of an image through the content editor. Blackboard has identified the missing buttons in the Assignment content editor as a known bug which will be fixed in a future service pack upgrade.
Last updated: December 13, 2012
System Status and Issues
Server Maintenance - Tuesday Morning (12:01am to 6:30am)
We perform routine maintenance and updates on the server every Tuesday. All users should schedule and plan assignments, tests, and other coursework accordingly.
Server Status & Issues
To review planned downtimes, previous downtimes or current issues, visit:
General Resources for SacCT
New Student to SacCT?
You will be able to log into your SacCT course(s), provided that:
- You have a SacLink Account AND
- You are officially registered for the course AND
- Your instructor has requested that students be placed in their SacCT course(s).
ATCS, California State University, Sacramento | AIRC 3005 | 6000 J Street | Sacramento, CA 95819-6143 | (916) 278-3370
If you have difficulty accessing content on this page, please visit the Contact Us page.