BlackBoard Question of the Week

Q. Which browsers work best and are approved for use with Blackboard?

A. For an overview of which browsers are supported by Blackboard, visit Loyola’s Blackboard 9 Browser Guide. For more information, visit the Blackboard 9.1 SP6 Supported Browsers and Operating Systems webpage.

 Q. I heard the University is moving to Windows 7. Will Blackboard continue to work in this environment?

 A. Yes, since Blackboard is Web-based you can get to Blackboard on any computer that is connected to the Internet.

But you may need to review the browser you use in Windows 7. Browsers that are recommended for Windows 7 (64-bit) for our version of Blackboard as of August 15, 2011, are: 

• Mozilla Firefox (Version 3.6x) **Recommended for best performance**
• Internet Explorer (Versions: IE 8, IE 9)
• All newer stable versions of Chrome

Q. After I log into Blackboard, when I click on my course, I get taken immediately to “Announcements” instead of to “Home Page” for the course. How can I change that?

A. If you have already created a Home Page for your course, you can change the course entry point so it opens to that new home page.

1. Log into Blackboard and go to your course.
2. Click on Customization, then Style  in the Control Panel.
3. Scroll down to 4. Select Course Entry Point.
4. Drop down the list and select the Home Page you created.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Submit.

If your course doesn’t already have a Home Page and you want to create one, visit this link Your Course Home Page  and click on the link for Adding a Home Page.

Q. I am trying to provide a URL to a website students need for my course and Blackboard is saying “cannot navigate to page, the content is outside of the blackboard learn environment.” What can I do to make sure students have access to the link?

A. Because of the way Blackboard 9 works with Internet Explorer 8, the easiest solution is to change the settings for the URL in Blackboard so it opens in a new window. To set the URL to open in a new window, follow these steps:

1. Log into Blackboard.
2. Click on the chevron beside the URL you want to open in a new window.
3. Select Edit.
4. On the Edit URL page, scroll down to 4. Options.
5. Select “Yes” for Open in New Window.
6. Click Submit.

Q. I have used Articulate lectures in the current version of Blackboard. I want to upload the same in version 9 but I think the steps are different. Can you please help me figure out how to upload (.. and unpackage) an Articulate lecture?

A. Uploading an Articulate file in Blackboard 9 is a two-part process. First, you will upload the file to the course’s Files area, a kind of storage area to keep files so they can be accessed from any content area in  your course; then you will add the file to a content area.

Upload the file

1. Scroll down under the Course Menu to see the Control Panel.
2. Click on the chevron next to Files in the Control Panel.
3. Click on the Create Folder button in the Course Content window. It’s important to create a folder for each of your Articulate presentations since, for each .zip file you upload, the file you will link to so students can play the presentation has the same name: player.html.
4. Name the new folder with the same name as your Articulate file (this is not required, but will help you organize your Articulate files).
5. Click on the new folder you made.
6. Click on Upload and select Upload Package.
7. Browse for your Articulate zip file and click Submit.

Add the file to a content area

1. Click on the content area where you would like the Articulate file to be accessed, such as Course Documents or Content.
2. Under Build Content, select Item.
3. Give the Articulate presentation a name
4. Next to Attach File, choose Browse Course, then click on the appropriate Articulate folder (the one you created).
5. Click in the box beside player.html.
6. Click Submit.
7. Click OK to the “Message from Webpage.”
8. Under File Action, accept the default.
9. Select the options you want and click Submit.
10. Students will access the presentation by going to the content area, finding the appropriate Articulate file name, and clicking on player.html.