Submitting an English Assignment

1. Begin by typing your paper in a standard word processor (Google Docs, Apple Pages, or LibreOffice for example). Use a standard MLA format for your typing.
   • Yes, it is possible to type directly into Blackboard, but I discourage it for several reasons: the spelling checker is not as good as what you get in a word processor, it’s almost impossible to do a real MLA format in the Blackboard typing window, and if Blackboard fouls up and loses your submission, you will have to type the whole thing again.
2. After you have your paper edited and ready to go, download a copy to your computer in docx or odt format.
   NOTE!! There is no way to simply drag a Google Docs file to Blackboard! You must follow these instructions:
   • Google Docs: Don’t use the Share option. It creates a lot of extra trouble and if you don’t do it right, I cannot open your file.
     1. Click the File drop-down menu. (You might see two File menus. You want the lower one.)
     2. Click Download >
     3. Click Microsoft Word (.docx)
     4. The downloaded file will land in your “Downloads” folder with the same name you specified for this file plus a docx extension. This is the file you will be uploading to Blackboard.
   • Apple Pages:
     1. Click File in the upper left corner of your screen.
     2. In the drop-down menu, click Export to >
     3. In the pop-out menu, click Word…
     4. In the next menu, do not click “Require password to open.” Click  Save… 
     5. In the next menu, assuming you have specified a smarter name than “Untitled,” the “Save As” window should show the right name. I suggest you choose the “Downloads” location in the left sidebar. Click the  Export  button.
     6. Your file will land in the “Downloads” folder.
   • LibreOffice: Blackboard can understand the odt file format, so you don’t have to do anything extra. Just find your file and upload it.
3. Open the Course Essentials folder at the top of our Blackboard page and find this essay’s drop box in the Written Assignment Drop Boxes folder.
4. Open the Dropbox link for the essay you are submitting. It looks like this.
   
   NOTE: You must put your essay in the right one!! If you just randomly grab some future drop box, I will grade your paper when that assignment is due and deduct points for your paper being late!!
5. The next thing you see is an information screen. At the bottom there’s a black box which says  View Instructions . Click that.
6. The next screen has a box with the words Drag and drop files here or click to add text. Find the file you downloaded to your computer in step #2 above and drag it to this box.
7. A box opens with the words “Edit File Options.” If your file name is something really generic such as “Untitled1” or “Document3,” try to come up with a name which will identify this one. (It really helps me if you use your own last name in the filename.) Then click the black  Save  button.
8. Blackboard will take a few seconds to digest your submission. This is good time to give your creation one last look and do a last-moment edit. Then click the black  Submit  button.
   • Note: The “Save and Close” button is there so you can hold a rough draft and return later without the teacher seeing it. It does not submit the item for grading.
9. That’s it! Blackboard is supposed to send you an email message confirming that your paper got submitted. If you don’t get one in half an hour or so, try again.

Notes:

• I normally set the number of attempts to “unlimited,” so if you upload something and then get a better idea, simply load the new one. I will only grade the most recent attempt.
• My due date policy is that you will lose 5% of the maximum possible grade, to a maximum of 20%, for each school day it is late. A “school day” is a day that Ashland University is open for classes. If you are trying to submit an essay more than five school days late, your drop box has disappeared; in that case you must send your essay as an email attachment.
• If Blackboard doesn’t work for some reason, send your paper as an email attachment to the address in the footer below.
• Because Blackboard Ultra is an online product, there is always the possibility that the company will change something (or everything) tonight. This tutorial is correct as of the date below.

The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author.

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by Ashland University.

Revised 6/26/25 • Page author: Curtis Allen • e-mail: callen@ashland.edu.