Technical Requirements
Due to the wide variety of computer hardware/software/browser combinations available, it is nearly impossible to give a comprehensive list that accounts for all variations. What follows is the most common equipment necessary for a successful Blackboard experience.
Computer
Students should own or have daily access to a computer. Students can use a PC or a Mac that meets these
minimum hardware requirements. BusTc classes and CIS 105 require the use of a PC.
Operating System
You'll need a computer that uses an operating system that is compatible with Blackboard.
The operating systems recommended for use with online classes in Blackboard are Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista for PC, and OS X (10.3 or higher) for Mac.
Internet Access
You'll need a reliable connection to the Internet for online courses. You can connect to the Internet by signing up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). There are many ISPs to choose from. Your local phone or cable company may offer Internet access
E-mail Account
To take an online course, you need to have an e-mail account. Most ISPs provide you with an e-mail account as part of their Internet
access package.
If you use Hotmail, Yahoo! or AOL for e-mail, we strongly recommend that you get a Shoreline e-mail account to use for your online course.
All Shoreline students can sign up for a free Shoreline e-mail account.
Web Browsers
The web browsers recommended for use with online classes in Blackboard are Internet Explorer 7.0, Firefox 2.0 and Safari.
You can download any of these web browsers by clicking on the following links:
Software and Browser Plug-ins
You will need a word processor in order to create documents for your online class. The most common are Microsoft Word and WordPad. Also, if you do not have Microsoft Office, these free downloads will allow you to view files created using Word (.doc), Excel (.xls), or PowerPoint (.ppt).
Some of the Blackboard pages may have content that requires a plug-in or other software to be viewed. Plug-ins are small software programs that let you hear music or other sounds, watch full-motion video, or enjoy multimedia presentations.
Here is list of additional recommended plug-ins for Java, Acrobat, and various media players.
Information for AOL Users
America Online is incompatible with Blackboard and students cannot use AOL to with their Blackboard classes. To access Blackboard, AOL users must download a standard (or stand-alone) version of either Mozilla's Firefox or Internet Explorer. Then follow these procedures to access Blackboard:
- Connect to AOL as you normally do, but stay at the AOL welcome page.
- Minimize but do not close the AOL window to keep AOL running in the background. (Explorer or Firefox will use your AOL Internet connection).
- Launch Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.
- Login to Blackboard usingInternet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.
