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Blackboard Policies, System Requirements, and Browser Support

Blackboard Policies

  1. Blackboard user accounts
    1. All faculty, staff, administrators, and students listed in the Datatel system are automatically created as users in Blackboard. In order to be listed as an instructor or student in a course, users must be listed as the instructor of record or enrolled in the course as a student.
      1. Students will not be able to see their course sites unless the instructor has made the site "Available" in the Control Panel Settings.
      2. Call the Help Desk at x3200 if you think you do not have an account in Blackboard.
    2. Passwords: All user account passwords follow this pattern: Mc + your seven-digit Mercyhurst ID number. The Mc is case sensitive. Students can find their ID numbers in Webadvisor under "My Class Schedule." Faculty can find their ID numbers on their pay stubs. Passwords can be changed after logging in under "Personal Information" or by using the "Forgot Password?" link on the Blackboard login page.
  2. Course creation cycle
    1. In the standard course cycle, Blackboard course sites are created for new courses about one month before the beginning of each term.
      1. No new course site is created for a course and section that is being taught again by the same instructor. The system cannot create two courses with the same ID and assumes that the site is being re-used.
      2. Students from previous terms must be removed by the instructor before the new rosters are uploaded or both rosters will occupy the same site.
    2. Student rosters are uploaded to course sites on the last weekday before the first day of classes.
    3. Course IDs consist of the course number and section and the faculty username: ENGL10203bpittman.
    4. Instructors who are listed as the instructor of record in Datatel are automatically enrolled as instructor on new sites. Contact the Help Desk at x3200 if you do not see your course site.
    5. Students are automatically enrolled as students; instructors may change a student's role in a course in the Control Panel.
      1. After the initial enrollment of students in Blackboard courses, faculty are responsible for maintaining the roster by removing students who have dropped the course and adding students who have added the course.

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Blackboard 7 System Requirements

  1. Minimum system requirements; in most cases your system will exceed these minimums:
    1. Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, or ME; Mac OS X 10.2
    2. Minimum 64 MB RAM, 1 G of free disk space
    3. 150 MHz or higher processing speed
    4. 56K modem or better
    5. Monitor capable of at least 800 x 600 resolution
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Supported Browsers

  1. Download these browser guidelines from Blackboard or follow this grid:

    grid

  2. Download sites for browsers:
    1. Internet Explorer (for Windows PCs only): http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.mspx Microsoft no longer supports IE for Macs and recommends that Mac users use either Safari or Firefox.
    2. Mozilla Firefox (for both PC and Mac): http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
    3. Netscape no longer supports the Netscape browser and recommends that users use Firefox.
    4. Safari (for Mac). Safari is provided with all versions of Mac OS X.
  3. Required browser settings:
    1. Enable JavaScript
    2. Accept all Cookies
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Recommended Plugins

  1. Apple QuickTime 7: Test your QuickTime capabilities here: QuickTime Test Movie.

    2. http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mac.html for Mac or http://www.apple.com/quicktime/win.html for Windows PCs

  2. Adobe Acrobat Reader 8: Test your Acrobat capabilities by opening this PDF flier about application assistance in the CIT.

    http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

  3. Adobe Flash Player 9: Test your Flash capabilities with this tutorial on creating a jump menu. If you see a gold bar above your browser window on IE 7, click it to allow the ActiveX Control.

    4. http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

  4. Windows Media Player: Try the RealPlayer test video below on a Windows PC, where Windows Media Player will open AVI files, too. Check out some WMV sample animated videos here: CreaToon®.

    Windows Media Player Version 9 for Mac or Version 11 for Windows PCs
    Flip4Mac to play WMV files on Mac QuickTime

  5. RealPlayer: Test your RealPlayer capabilities here: RealPlayer Test Movie.

http://www.real.com/

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