Welcome to Arkansas State University!

Online Technologies

As an online student, there are a variety of technologies required for you to use in order to be successful.  The below information is available to aide you in understanding the main technologies you will utilize throughout your online educational experience at A-State.


  • Student Email
    All students are responsible for maintaining their current address, email address and phone number with the Office of Admissions, Records, and Registration. It is also the student’s responsibility to frequently monitor campus e-mail and the university website, as these electronic means of communication are the university’s most effective and efficient ways to disseminate important information to the campus community. Campus e-mail is the primary means of communication from the Office of Student Conduct; appearance notifications, hearing notifications and decision notifications will be sent to the student’s A-State email address.

    Your email address will be your account name AND @smail.astate.edu
    Your student email account will look similar to the following:
    Jane.Smith@smail.astate.edu

    How to Access Student Email

    E-Mail Dos and Don'ts

    Dos

     Don'ts
    • DO scan attachments with anti-virus software every time before viewing.
    • DO verify that the apparent sender actually sent the original e-mail if you doubt the validity of a message.
    • DO be particularly cautious when you receive an e-mail about services and Web sites that you use.
    • DON'T open attachments that you are not expecting, regardless of who they come from.
    • DON'T reply to suspicious messages or forward them to friends.
    • DON'T click on links or copy Web addresses from within messages, and use the HOVER TECHNIQUE.

    Spammers like to steal passwords for services like online banking, e-mail accounts, and social media accounts so they can send more spam messages. Legitimate e-mails will NEVER ask for your username or password and very rarely contain attachments. When in doubt about changes to your online services, open a new browser window and log into your account to check for yourself.

    Staying informed and knowing how to identify harmful messages is the easiest way to protect yourself and keep your computer virus-free.

  • Microsoft Office

    Microsoft Software

    The software is available for download as part of Campus License Agreements with vendors.  This is NOT to be installed on ASU equipment!  This is for HOME use ONLY!!!

    Please remember that downloads will not be available until after the term begins.

    How to download Microsoft Office

  • Blackboard & Technical Support

    Login Information

    A-State Students and Faculty/Staff:

    Make sure to use your full email address to log into Blackboard
    Example: firstname.lastname@smail.astate.edu or flastname@astate.edu

    Login Issues

    If you are having trouble logging in, please contact the Help Desk, click the "Forgot Your Password?" link above, or go to https://webapps.astate.edu/digitalid/ to reset your password.

    Navigating Blackboard and Course Check-in

    Current Courses not Showing Up?

    If you do not see a course that you are enrolled in listed in Blackboard, please contact your instructor to make it available. Instructors usually make their courses available on the first day of class.

    Student Support

    How To's and Step-by-Step instructions for Blackboard Learn are available on the Blackboard Help site.

    ITS provides several options for student support both on and off campus.

    Help Desk

    For general computer and Blackboard technical support, students should contact the A-State Help Desk

  • Blackboard FAQ's

    Q. I am registered for the next semester. When will my class show up on Blackboard?

    A. The instructor of the course is responsible for making the course available and unavailable. Once your instructor has made the course available it will show up in Blackboard.

    Q. I want to hide old courses in the My Course module. How can I do that?

    A. Click the icon in the upper right corner of the My Course module. Select Edit Module. Uncheck that the course you wish to hide and click Submit. 

    Q. I need access to an old course. Who should I contact?

    A. You will need to contact the instructor of the course.

    Q. I submitted the wrong document for an assignment. How can I get my assignment reset?

    A. You will need to contact the instructor of the course to reset the assignment.

    Q. My instructor told me to use SafeAssign to submit an assignment. What is that?

    A. Instructors have the ability to make any Assignment use the SafeAssign plagiarism checker. SafeAssign is now built into the regular Assignment in Blackboard.

    Q. Can I delete a Discussion Post?

    A. Generally, no. It depends on the settings made by the instructor.

    Q. I am receiving emails from a Discussion Board. How do I unsubscribe?

    A. You will need to go to the particular Discussion Forum and click the “Unsubscribe” button.

    Q. I was kicked out of an exam. How can I get my exam reset?

    A. You will need to contact the instructor of the course to reset the exam.

    Q. Where do I go to learn more about how to use Blackboard?

    A. There are several resources for learning more about how to use Blackboard.

      • Blackboard Orientation courses (Student and Faculty)
      • Blackboard Help Site: https://en-us.help.blackboard.com (We use Learn: Original Experience)
      • YouTube videos by Blackboard. These are general how-to videos. For specific course instructions, you will need to contact your instructor.

Quick Tips

Be Safe and Check Those Files and URL's!


Find out if a file or program of 128MB or less, or a URL is safe by visiting www.virustotal.com. This is a free service which scans submissions using a combination of antivirus engines. VirusTotal detects viruses, worms, trojans, and other kinds of malware that any one antivirus application might miss. VirusTotal will also check URL's to verify if they are legitimate.


Online Technologies
Blackboard Learn Support Update

Browser Support
Browser Checker
Accessibility Information 
Technologies not supported


Contact HelpDesk

ITS Helpdesk

Phone: (870) 972-3933