Troubleshooting and contacting the Digital Learning Helpdesk
Troubleshooting steps to solve common issues, and details about how to get in touch with us.
Start here: common fixes
Most Digital Learning tools that you’ll use are browser-based, and many minor problems can be resolved by trying the following troubleshooting steps.
If the problem persists after trying these fixes, contact us.
- Try a different web browser
Try and perform the same task which you are having problems with in a different web browser. The most common ones are:
- Clear your browser’s cache and cookies
Browsers store information from the sites you visit to help them load faster, however clearing your cache and cookies can often fix issues and improve performance.
Make sure you close and reopen the browser before attempting to access the page again.
- Update your browser to the latest version
Out of date browsers can become incompatible with tools such as Blackboard and can cause them to stop working. Update your browser to have the best chance of avoiding this.
- Disable Extensions / Ad Blocker
Sometimes third party extensions can interfere with the way that your browser behaves. Disabling them will uncover if this is the case.
- Check your internet connection
Sometimes your internet connection might be affecting your access to online tools. Here are a few things you can try:
- Run an internet speed test to check the quality of your connection.
- Use a wired internet connection instead of WiFi if you're able to do so.
- On a mobile device, connect to WiFi if you’re using your mobile network.
- Disconnect and reconnect to your network.
- Move closer to your WiFi router.
- Check the status page of your network provider to see if they are experiencing any issues.
- Check for firewalls
If you are struggling to access the University systems from a workplace such as an NHS hospital, please contact your local IT department to see if a firewall has been set up which can block access to certain sites.
My problem is with a specific tool
Some tools have specific troubleshooting steps which you should try before getting in touch.
- Class Collaborate
- PebblePad
- External Blackboard courses. If you have forgotten your password you will need to get in touch.
Get in touch
You can contact us directly with any enquiries by sending an email to:
digital.learning@sheffield.ac.uk
We are open Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm. We aim to respond within two working days.
For support with technical issues, try the above troubleshooting steps before contacting us.
If the problem persists, please include answers to the questions below to help diagnose the problem. This helps us find out if the issue is related to an individual computer, system or browser.
- Is this a new problem? When did it start?
- Where are you working? At home or at work?
- What network are you connected to?
- Which device are you using? Desktop, tablet, mobile?
- Which browser are you on? Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, other?
- Which version of the browser are you on?
- Which operating system are you using? Windows, Mac, iOS, Android?
- Which version of the operating system are you using?
Blackboard’s Browser Checker automatically detects a lot of this information. You can then copy and paste it into the email to us with details about your problem.