Background | Protected Systems | Adding 2FA to Blackboard | Frequently Asked Questions |

2FA Roadmap

2FA Required for Blackboard Effective April 5

On Tuesday, April 5, 2022, Information Technology Services (ITS) will enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for Blackboard, Mason’s learning management system. Once enabled, all users, including students, faculty, and staff, will be required to authenticate using 2FA with their Patriot Pass credentials when accessing Blackboard/myMason services, including Organizations and Courses.

The following information is intended to provide faculty, staff, and students with information about the upcoming expansion and changes to the Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) program at Mason.

Last Updated: March 22, 2022

Background

George Mason University remains committed to your security and keeping your information protected. One way we achieve this is by using Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) when accessing Mason systems.2FA and your Patriot Pass Password are #Better2gether.

As part of the final phase of the 2FA implementation, ITS will be Adding 2FA to Blackboard/myMason. Previous implementations are outlined in the Protected Systems section below.

Protected Systems

To best protect your personal information and Mason’s resources, 2FA will ultimately be used everywhere you use Mason Credentials (NetID and Patriot Pass Password). It is currently used for the following services as of the dates below:

  • April 2022: Blackboard and related services
  • June 2020: Office 365 email, calendar, OneDrive for Business, MS Teams; Zoom; and other applications that use Active Directory Federated Services (ADFS) for authentication. For more information about 2FA for Office 365, see 2FA for Office 365 Tips.
  • March 2020: Salesforce, LinkedIn Learning, Qualtrics, and other applications that use Mason's Shibboleth authentication services
  • April 2018: Patriot Web, Travel Request System, Parking Services, and other applications that use Mason’s Central Authentication Services (CAS)
  • November 2016: Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Adding 2FA to Blackboard/myMason

Beginning April 5, 2022, all users accessing Blackboard services with their Patriot Pass credentials will need to use 2FA.

See the How to Use 2FA With Web Apps for information and instructions on how to use 2FA with Mason sites.

Frequently Asked Questions

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When will 2FA for Blackboard be enabled?
ITS is targeting Tuesday, April 5, to enable 2FA to Blackboard. The maintenance window is scheduled to take place overnight during non-business hours to limit the impact.

Will Blackboard be available while 2FA is being enabled?
The change should take approximately 5 minutes to implement and is not expected to result in significant downtime or changes to this service. Users logged into Blackboard during the maintenance window will not be impacted. If users attempt to access Blackboard during this brief window, they will receive an error that Shibboleth is unavailable. Should they receive this message, they should refresh their browser, and the login prompt will display.

Who will be required to use 2FA to access Blackboard?
All users—students, faculty, and staff—accessing Blackboard services with their Patriot Pass credentials will need to use 2FA.

What should users expect once 2FA is enabled for Bb?
Once enabled, all users will be required to authenticate using 2FA with their Patriot Pass credentials when accessing Blackboard/myMason services, including Organizations and Courses. 2FA is already enabled for other Mason services, including Patriot Web, Office 365, Zoom, LinkedIn Learning, Qualtrics, and the VPN.

Will I have to use 2FA every time I access Blackboard?
You will be prompted to use your second authentication method every time you access this service. If you are using a personal device that is not publicly accessible, you can use the "Remember Me" feature, and your second factor will be saved for 14 days. For security reasons, you should never use this feature to access a service from a public computer.

How will this impact how I use Blackboard in my online or face-to-face courses?
There should be no impact as it is simply an added layer of protection for accessing the tool. However, if it is practice not to permit students to have mobile devices open during exams or class sessions, faculty may need to consider building in time to allow students to authenticate before putting away their devices. Please note, 2FA will be required when using Respondus Lockdown Browser.

Last modified: March 22, 2022