Increase security and your audience!
Authenticating users not only helps to improve security, but it also increases the number of users that are more likely to log into your District's mobile apps and other school tools. Different authentication features are available to you:
- Add your district's terms and conditions for logging into mobile apps.
- Set your system so that users can log in using third-party products, such as Facebook or Google's Gmail.
- Allow students and parents to log in through a student's birth date.
- Enable your LDAP server to manage your authentication needs.
- Enable SAML for your third-party service provider.
- Embed code to your website for user login for messages.
What makes Blackboard's Community Engagement authentication process unique is your district or school can use multiple processes at once. For example, you can use Google, with LDAP, and student birthdate, and when your users log into Blackboard, the login will go through the processes to help authenticate the user.
Check out how each authentication process works!
Set the user authentication
- From the Blackboard Communications HQ interface menu, select Settings > Global Settings.
- Select the Authentication link.
- Type the Login Help Text to include when users experience difficulty logging into the app.
- Select or clear the Forgot Password link from either the web interface or the mobile app.
- Type your text in the Terms and Conditions box.
When mobile app users login, they will see the Terms and Conditions link sending them to this information.
- Select any Third-party Login Options for users. Determine if users can login using their Facebook or Google login credentials.
- Select Enable Student ID/Birth Date Sign Up to allow student access with their identification codes and birth dates.
You will need to upload the student's IDs and birth dates from your student information system.
- Determine whether or not to update a user's login name and password during user data imports from the Import Login/Password Updates area.
- Determine whether or not to add the Community Messenger feature. Select Enable to allow access, and select Allow login to automatically log in the user.
How does Community Messenger work? Community Messenger allows those that are outside the district to sign up to receive notifications. The person can choose to follow one or more schools, or the entire district. As an administrator you can send messages to community members using the Community Member group in the Send Message interface.You can copy the embed code to include the Community Messenger sign-up form to your website.
- To use your LDAP database for user authentication, Enable the feature, and set the server and certificate information.
- To use your SAML single sign on for user authentication, Enable the feature, and set the third-party identity provider information.
To embed a login widget to your district or school website, copy the Login Widget embed code to your website.
- Select Save when finished.
