Blackboard uses pop-up windows as an essential part of its operation such as quiz or test windows, discussion board postings, download links, and more. Therefore, it is important that pop-up windows be allowed for Blackboard to function correctly.
You can manage this by turning off the pop-up blocker in your browser and all pop-up blockers on any additional Yahoo, Google, or other third party toolbars that you may have added. However, if you find pop-up ads too annoying to allow, you might choose instead to make an exception for Clark’s Blackboard site. Directions for the certified Blackboard browsers are below. Select your browser from the list and either turn off the pop-up blocker or allow an exception for Blackboard. View Full Article »
This issue won’t be a problem if you’re a student, but faculty might come across it when trying to download a zipped file of submitted assignments from the Gradebook using “Item Download.” The error is triggered by spaces in the assignment title, such as “Project 6″ or “Research Paper.” The workaround seems to be removing the space(s) in the assignment name in the content area where the links are. You can use an underscore, hyphen, or just remove the space and then try the item collect routine again. A report from an English professor advises Mac users to remove the spaces and not use an underscore or hyphen – theallonewordapproach worked best for her Mac.
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Getting the right browser set-up and running is critical to your success with Blackboard. Mozilla Firefox is the browser of choice, as it is fully certified by Blackboard and presents few issues for users. Clark eLearning Tech Support recommends that all users download and install Firefox and use it to access Blackboard, unless your instructor requires you to use Internet Explorer for your class.
Internet Explorer 7 is also fully certified for use with Blackboard. Internet Explorer 8 is not fully certified, but users can click the “Compatibility View” button to improve the situation. By placing the IE 8 browser in compatibility mode you will force the browser to behave as an IE 7 version while working in Blackboard. This is important so you can view all content, such as assignments, discussion board text boxes, etc.
Users should also be aware that two other popular browsers, Safari and Chrome, are not fully certified with our current version of Blackboard. Once again, Firefox for Windows or Mac should be the browser of choice.
If you’re using AOL or NetZero as your ISP, you’ll find that Blackboard does not support their web browsers. When trying to view various pages or content, you may get error messages such as “Navigation Cancelled” or “Page Not Found,” due to this incompatibility. Quest also has a specialized version of Internet Explorer which can cause certain items or tables to not display. To remedy the situation, you’ll need to download and install Firefox (for PC or Mac). After you’ve installed the new browser, you’ll need to connect to your ISP using the AOL or NetZero browser as you normally would, then minimize that browser and open Firefox to access Blackboard and your courses.
