Blackboard is the leading course management software system used by colleges and universities across the U.S. and worldwide.

Here at McDaniel, Blackboard allows faculty to distribute course content and organize out-of-class communication using the Internet. The system combines many online tools and resources, including e-mail, chat, and online discussions, and helps faculty organize them for individual academic courses. Blackboard is designed to enhance student-centered learning and increase peer-to-peer connections.

At McDaniel, Blackboard is also used to enhance communication and the distribution of information for several campus organizations and initiatives, including Honors, Residence Life, alumni as well as several academic departments, majors and clubs.

Our initial orientation to the college also occurs on Blackboard. First year students will be directed to a specific site ("My First Year"), where they select first year seminars, connect with advisors, take online placement exams, submit housing and medical forms, register for fall classes, introduce themselves to their classmates, and more.

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Your Blackboard username and login is the same you use for email and Archway.

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YES!

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Go to:

• http://blackboard.mcdaniel.edu
• click login
• enter username and password

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If you are using Windows XP or a Mac OSX, the most recent versions of Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox will work just fine.

Do not use AOL SE 9.0. This "security edition" browser disables scripts. Blackboard is a database driven site that uses Java and JavaScripts.

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Yes. Blackboard is a database driven site and requires cookies and JavaScript to be enabled.

Enable cookies. To do this in IE (will be similar for other browsers):

1. Click the Tools menu
2. Click Internet Options
3. Click the Privacy tab
4. Slide the bar down to medium or low
5. Click OK

NOTE: You may need to ensure that other security programs on your machine are not blocking cookies.

Allow popups for McDaniel Blackboard site. To do this in IE (will be similar for other browsers):

1. Click the Tools menu
2. Click Internet Options
3. Click the Privacy tab
4. In the Popup Blocker area, click the Settings button
5. Type *.blackboard.mcdaniel.edu in the area marked Address of Web Site to Allow
6. Click Add
7. Click Close
8. Click OK

NOTE: You may need to follow a similar procedure to allow popups for McDaniel Courses in third-party popup blocking software.

Enable Java scripting. To do this in IE (will be similar for other browsers):

1. Click the Tools menu
2. Click Internet Options
3. Click the Security tab
4. Click the Trusted Sites icon if you've added McDaniel Blackboard to your trusted site zone (otherwise, click the Internet icon)
5. Click the Custom Level button
6. Scroll until you see Scripting of Java applets and set that option to Enable
7. Click OK

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Browser Configuration Guide for Blackboard 7.1

Blackboard 7.1 uses the latest Web technologies to provide a rich interactive Web experience. These applications do not function well, if at all, in older browsers. For Blackboard 7.1, your browser also needs to be Java 2 enabled which is done when you install the supported version of Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for Windows or Macintosh Runtime for Java (MRJ). Therefore, it is likely that you will need a software tune-up. When doing that, upgrade your browser first; then uninstall any older version of Java before installing the supported version. The table below includes the supported browsers and Java 2 applications for the operating systems specified.

Note: Older versions of operating systems and browsers have not been tested by Blackboard, but are expected to work properly. For best performance, the ITS recommends the platforms listed here.

All browsers need to have Cookies, JavaScript and Java 2 enabled. Click on the link in the chart above to find instructions for the platform and browser you are using.

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You can't.

You can only change your system password (Archway, email, and Blackboard) at:

https://www2.mcdaniel.edu/it/email/password_login.php

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Yes. You will use this username/password for all McDaniel classes with online components.

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Your instructor has the option to use Blackboard or not. If you are in a “Blackboard class”, your instructor will announce it. Even then, your instructor needs to make it available to his/her students (which may not occur for several weeks into the semester).

If you know you are in a class currently using Blackboard, and you don't see it listed under MY COURSES on your welcome screen, contact Steve Kerby at skerby@mcdaniel.edu or Kate Ensor at kmensor@mcdaniel.edu.

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Blackboard, Inc. recommends:

• Windows XP
• Mac OS X
• Minimum 64 MB RAM, 1 G of free disk space
• 150 MHz or higher processing speed
• 56K modem or better
• Monitor capable of at least 800 x 600 resolution

Additional Suggested Software

Microsoft Office 97 of higher (or Microsoft Office Converters and Viewers), Adobe Acrobat Reader, Windows Media Player or equivalent, QuickTime plug-in, Real Player plug-in.

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Yes.

Because these settings affect how scripts are read, you might not be able to log in to Blackboard. If you do get in, you won't be able to use most of the features (Discussion Board, Tests, etc.)

We suggest:

• click on Tools-->Internet Options-->
• click on the Security Tab
• then click on "default level"
• make certain the bar is set at medium or medium low (not high).

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Yes.

You may get messages on your screen about trusting (or accepting, or running) an applet that is a third-party product used by Blackboard. If you choose to always trust content from the publisher, the message should not re-appear. If you do not trust the content then you may have problems running certain features in Blackboard.

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Since the login and password is system wide, there is no specific lost password for Blackboard.

If you cannot get into email or Archway or Blackboard, call the HelpDesk at 410-871-3390.

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You could be using an unsupported browser.

• if you are using a PC, use Internet Explorer 6x or higher or Mozilla FireFox 1.5+
• if you are using a Mac OS x, use Safari 1.2 (Mac OS 10.3), 2.0 (Mac OS 10.4)or Mozila FireFox 1.5+

None of the above work? Clear your page cache:

In Internet Explorer, go to Tools --> Internet Options --> General Tab and choose to clear browsing history.

In Firefox, go to Tools --> Options --> Security Tab --> Cache Tab and choose to clear cache.

Directions will be similar for other browers or older versions of Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Also, check out the browser configuration guide.

Email Steve Kerby at skerby@mcdaniel.edu or Kate Ensor at kmensor@mcdaniel.edu.

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You probably clicked on the Class Announcement instead of the Class Link. Go back to the Welcome page and look for the class link under MY COURSES (to the right of your screen).

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Yes. Not major ones, but annoying ones.

The most annoying problem you are likely to encounter is that many Mac computers automatically put files you try to download (including audio metafiles) on the desktop.

That means after you have clicked on a file to download it, you then need to then navigate to your desktop and click on it once again to open it.

If you click on a streaming audio file, for instance, your Mac will automatically place a link to the audio on your desktop. In order to hear the audio, you need to find that link on your desktop and click on it.

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Yes. Major problems.

AOL SE (Security Edition) disables JavaScripts. JavaScript runs Blackboard.

The easiest workaround is:

• sign on to AOL
• minimize it
• open a new browser (recent versions of Netscape, Internet Explorer) and run that "on top of" AOL

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Yes, Safari is now suppoted with the release of Blackboard 7.1.

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Yes, Firefox is now suppoted with the release of Blackboard 7.1.

This typically happens when users bookmark Blackboard after logging in. When you go back to that bookmark, the page will be retrieved from your computer's memory, and will not launch a new session with Blackboard. This will result in having to enter the login information twice.

You should Bookmark http://blackboard.mcdaniel.edu You should not Bookmark anything beyond that page.

Still an annoying problem? Then your browser may be reading from cache or from the form data memory. Here's what you can do.

• If you are using INTERNET EXPLORER:
  • Tools --> Internet Options --> Content tab -->
  • Under Personal Information click on AutoComplete
  • UNcheck "Forms" and "Usernames and Passwords on Forms"
  • Click "Clear Forms" and "Clear Passwords"
  • Quit and restart the browser before trying again.

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If you are using a Mac, you MUST include the appropriate extension for the file (e.g.. .doc, .rtf, .ppt). You will have to do this manually when you save the file.

Or....it may be that you had the document open on your computer at the time you uploaded it. Save, then close the file. Then upload.

Or....it may be that you used a character in the file name. Stick with letters, numbers, and the dash or underscore when naming your files.

A common problem is to include a # sign in the file name. That's a database code. The file will not read.

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Contact Steve Kerby or Kate Ensor

• You can call Steve at 410-386-4686, the Help Desk at 410-871-3390 or Anita at 410-857-2543
• email, especially during off-hours, is usually quicker skerby@mcdaniel.edu or athier@mcdaniel.edu.

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