Update: BOLT Access Issue Resolved

You should now be able to access BOLT normally.

Please contact BOLT Support if you continue to experience any issues. You can reach us at (570)389-2888 or email us at bolthelp@bloomu.edu.

After 5pm or over the weekend? Call 1-866-921-0473 for assistance.

Thank you,
BOLT Support

Issue at Data Center Impacting BOLT Access Continues

BOLT users on campus are experiencing intermittent access issues. You may not be able to access BOLT on campus and from other locations at this time. 

We will continue to work with D2L and keep you updated on the issue. In the meantime, please continue to try to periodically access BOLT as D2L Support will continue to work to resolve the issue as it is affecting many customers, not just us.

If you encounter any issues accessing BOLT or with response time in BOLT, please contact us at (570)389-2888 or email us at bolthelp@bloomu.edu.

Thank you,
BOLT Support

Update: BOLT Is Accessible

You should be able to access BOLT at this time. The issue at the data center appears to be resolved.

If you encounter any issues accessing BOLT or with response time in BOLT, please contact us at (570)389-2888 or email us at bolthelp@bloomu.edu.

Thank you,
BOLT Support
 

Issue at D2L Data Center Impacting BOLT Access

BOLT Access Issues

We have been notified by D2L Support that they an issue at one of their data centers may be impacting the ability to log into BOLT. They are working to resolve the issue. We will update you once we have more information.

Language Improvements On the Way in May

Language changes to update and improve user experience in BOLT are coming our way May 20, 2016.

If you are taking courses at the beginning of the Summer (May 16), old terms will be present until the end of the first week of classes. The changes will occur on May 20, 2016.

After in-depth testing and analysis, Brightspace identified key terminology to update and improve the user experience within BOLT. Updates will be display only; the tools will continue to function exactly the same as they do now.

Based on the results of the testing, the terms changing in BOLT for students are:

• News to Announcements
• Dropbox to Assignments

Again, please note these are language term changes and that functionality will remain the same. 

For more information on the changes and for ways we plan to support you, follow the jump cut...

BOLT Support Hours Change in the Summer

BOLT Support is provided by the IMDC. If you need help using BOLT, you can reach us at (570)389-2888 or by emailing bolthelp@bloomu.edu.

Our regular semester hours are Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm. Our summer session hours will begin on May 9, 2016.

BOLT Support Summer Hours

 May 9 - August 26

Monday - Friday

8am to 4pm

You can get afterhours, holiday, and weekend support by calling 1-866-921-0473.

24/7 Blackboard Collaborate support is available at 1-877-382-2293.

Did you know you can create an EduDentity account and export your ePortfolio to myDesire2Learn?

Keep Your ePortfolio After Graduation

Don't lose your work! Export your ePortfolio to myDesire2Learn and continue to document and demonstrate your achievements.

myDesire2Learn Access widget on the BOLT My Home page

myDesire2Learn lets you continue using the ePortfolio tool beyond graduation. You get 2GB free storage and can continue building your ePortfolio after you lose access to BOLT.

To export your ePortfolio to myDesire2Learn, follow the directions in the widget on the BOLT home page.

BOLT Tips: End of Semester

An End of Semester Checklist... for BOLT!

	Back up course materials and assignments. Download files and submissions you want to keep. (You can use Binder to save course content!)
	Update ePortfolio. Update your ePortfolio to inlcude any learning artifacts you want to showcase from this semester. If you are graduating, export your ePortfolio. See the Did you know you can create an EduDentity account and export your ePortfolio to myDesire2Learn?
	Be prepared to take any finals in BOLT. Think ahead and be sure to know what time the exam or dropbox will be available in BOLT. Don't wait until the last minute to attempt your exams or submit to a dropbox. Contact BOLT Support immediately if you have any issues while taking an exam on BOLT.
	Know how long you'll have access to your courses in BOLT. Ask instructors how long you have to access their course in BOLT so you can download your work or any course content you want to save. If you are graduating in 2016 Spring, you will have access to BOLT with your Husky ID until approximately February 20, 2017.

Do You Need Respondus LockDown Browser?

Is your instructor using Respondus LockDown Browser® (RLDB) for quizzes or finals?

RLDB is a custom browser that locks down the testing environment within BOLT. When professors ask you to use Respondus LockDown Browser you will be unable to print, copy, go to another URL, access other applications, or close a quiz until it is submitted for grading.

If your professors use RLDB, you will need to download and install RLDB to any computer you take quizzes on. 

If your professors allow you to take quizzes on iPad, you will need to download the Respondus LockDown Browser app in iTunes.

There is information at the BOLT Student Support page to get you started downloading and using Respondus LockDown Browser: http://departments.bloomu.edu/imdc/boltstudentsupport.html

For help troubleshooting Respondus LockDown Browser, you can contact BOLT Support at bolthelp@bloomu.edu or by calling (570)389-2888.

Need BOLT Help?

If you need help in BOLT, give BOLT Support a call at (570)389-2888 or email them at bolthelp@bloomu.edu. They are on campus 8am to 5pm during the regular semester and 8am to 4pm during the summer session to help you with all things BOLT. After hours assistance is available by calling 1-866-921-0473.

BOLT Cupcakes for BOLT Support Staff, Student Employee Appreciation Week

BOLT Support is a team of student employees who offer support to students and instructors using BOLT, its integrated tools, and instructional technology used in Bloomsburg University courses. 

The BOLT Support staff are students at Bloomsburg University who work for the IMDC. Our current roster includes Austin, Christina, Joe, Justin, Tyler, and Yazimirra, and we will also be welcoming new members to our team this Spring and Fall.

BOLT Will Be Unavailable April 10, 2016 from 1:00AM to 7:00AM

Every month, BOLT undergoes a maintenance window. This month’s maintenance window is on Sunday, April 10, 2016 from 1:00am to 7:00am ET. BOLT will be unavailable during this time. Please plan accordingly. 

Maintenance Window FAQ

Q: Where are the maintenance dates announced?

A: Maintenance dates are announced here on our BOLT Students blog, our BOLT Blog for faculty, and in the News items on your My Home page in BOLT.

Q: What will happen if I try to log in during a maintenance period?

A: A page will load that says Desire2Learn is unavailable due to scheduled maintenance.

Q: Why am I still seeing a page that tells me D2L is unavailable after the maintenance window?

A: If you tried to login to BOLT during the maintenance window, your browser may be loading the scheduled maintenance page from its cache memory. If you encounter this page outside of the maintenance window, please clear your browser cache before trying to login to BOLT again.

• Clear your browser cache in Internet Explorer
• Clear your browser cache in Firefox
• Clear your browser cache in Chrome
• Clear your browser cache in Safari

Q: This is a bad time for BOLT to be unavailable. Can maintenance be rescheduled?

A: We understand frustration when BOLT downtime occurs during busy times of the academic year. Unfortunately, we cannot reschedule the maintenance windows. The IMDC has no control over the regularly scheduled maintenance windows. They are scheduled by our vendor and are necessary to keep BOLT working optimally.