Web browsers are computer programs used to find and display content on the World Wide Web. Many different browser programs are available on many different computing devices. For the purposes of using Blackboard at Loyola University, we recommend two browsers that experience shows are the most compatible with Blackboard: Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Other browsers may work with Blackboard to varying degrees, but may have problems playing some kinds of video, participating in Blackboard Collaborate (Web Conferencing), and uploading and downloading files. Note that the Internet Explorer browser should not be used to access Blackboard because Blackboard no longer supports that browser nor tests software using it.
Click Here for more information about the Google Chrome browser or to download a free copy.
Click Here for more information about the Mozilla Firefox browser or to download a free copy.
The default or factory configuration of Chrome or Firefox typically emphasizes ease of use rather than internet security. A browser set to impose few controls will rarely conflict with Blackboard or other educational content, but when used with other websites might deliver unwanted advertising or make the computer more vulnerable to malware. On the other hand, a browser set to impose tight security might have difficulties accessing some content in Blackboard courses. The configuration details most likely to conflict with Blackboard and related websites are described below. Of these, pop-ups and Flash media are the most likely to interfere with content in Blackboard courses.
Pop-ups - Pop-ups are small internet windows that are opened in your browser by commands from web programs rather than by your clicks and keystrokes. Pop-ups often contain unwanted advertising, so many users set their browsers to limit or prohibit them. But pop-ups are also used by sites like Blackboard to deliver vital information to you. If you have pop-ups blocked, you'll need to set your browser to make exceptions for Blackboard (*.blackboard.com) and related websites.
Cookies - Cookies are small files that websites can read and write on your computer or device. Blackboard and related websites need cookies in order to remember who is signed in and how to navigate from page to page. Because cookies can be used to track browsing history and influence advertising, some users set their web browser(s) to limit or prohibit cookies. If you do that, you'll need to allow exceptions for cookies created by Blackboard (*.blackboard.com) and related websites.
Third-Party Cookies - Third-Party cookies are a special class of cookies that allow information to be shared between different websites. Blocking this particular type of cookies won't impact Blackboard directly, but some providers of educational content for Blackboard courses claim their websites need to have third-party cookies allowed.
Add-on Installation - Websites may attempt to install extensions, plug-ins, or add-ons to a browser, and the browser can be set to allow or prohibit this. For security reasons, this should be set to require permission before installing any add-ons. For some trusted websites to operate smoothly, it might be necessary to allow exceptions for specific web addresses.
JavaScript - JavaScript is essential to the functionality of Blackboard webpages and many (perhaps most) other web pages. Some users turn JavaScript off for security reasons. If you do that, you'll need to add exceptions to permit Blackboard (*.blackboard.com) and related sites to run JavaScript.
PDF File Display - PDF files contain documents that have been formatted for easy display on a wide variety of computers and devices. Some of the content in many courses in Blackboard is implemented as PDF files. Many web browsers can directly display a PDF file without requiring you to download the file to your computer and then click on it to display it. Automatic display of PDF documents is usually the default, but can be turned off in the browser settings. If your browser won't automatically display PDF documents and you wand it to, a small change to the settings of the browser is likely all that is needed.
Camera and Microphone Access - Web-conferencing tools such as Blackboard Collaborate need to have access to your computer's web camera and microphone, if you expect others in the conference to see you or hear you. Collaborate has its own tools to help you manage the microphone and camera. But Collaborate works from inside of your web browser, and those tools might not work if your browser is set to prohibit access.
Flash Player - Some audio and video in Blackboard courses is streamed in Flash format. Google Chrome has a Flash media player built in, and needs no extensions. Mozilla Firefox needs an extension to play Flash media (see suggested Firefox settings, below).
Web RTC - Web RTC is an internet communication method used by some web-conferencing and media sharing programs, including Blackboard Collaborate. Generally, any required browser extensions are installed automatically, so no special steps need be taken.
Many browser extensions serving a variety of purposes are available. Most of these cause no problems with Blackboard or related sites, but a few can interfere with access to websites or correct display of their content. Extensions for blocking advertising or blocking tracking of sites visited are the most likely to cause difficulties. Such extensions might need to be configured to allow *.blackboard.com and related websites to pass through.
A web page can sometimes display errors or behave in unexpected ways because the browser is working with an outdated copy of the page. This can happen when the browser has a copy of a web page in the browser's own memory (called the "cache"), but the contents of that page or related pages on the web have changed. When this happens, the quickest fix is to tell the browser to discard all the potentially outdated copies of web pages and data that the browser is holding on to. It is usually sufficient to clear the web cookies and cache, without also clearing browsing history and forms data (such as recorded user names and passwords).
Support for the Google Chrome browser can be found at: https://support.google.com/chrome
In up-to-date versions of Chrome, browser settings can be accessed by clicking on the settings icon, which looks like three dots aligned vertically and is located near the upper right of the screen. Click on the word "Settings" in the menu that pops-up, then scroll down to bottom of the screen and click on the word "Advanced." In the "Privacy and security" section that appears, locate and click on the phrase "Content settings." In the section that appears you can click on Cookies, Pop-ups and redirects, Flash, JavaScript, PDF documents, Camera, or Microphone, to change those settings.
Cookies - Most users select "Allow sites to save and read cookie data." If you set this to "Blocked," you'll need to make sure that *.blackboard.com is listed in the "Allow" section (click the Add button in that section).
Block third-party cookies - Should be off (grayed out). If turned on, *.blackboard.com must be added to allowed exceptions.
Pop-ups and redirects - You can set this to "Allowed" if no Pop-ups are bothering you. Alternatively, you can set this to "Blocked" to keep most Pop-ups from appearing, then add *.blackboard.com to the the section named "Allow."
Flash - You must set this to "Ask first." Chrome will ask your permission before allowing a website to start a Flash video stream, and will automatically remember the sites to which you've given permission in the past. Because Flash is used in a lot of course content, blocking it entirely will cause numerous problems.
JavaScript - Most users select "Allow." If you turn that off, you'll need to make sure that *.blackboard.com is listed in the "Allow" section (click the Add button in that section).
Add-on Installation - Called "Unsandboxed plugin access" in Chrome's settings. This should be set to "Ask when a site wants to use a plugin." If set to "Do not allow any site to use a plugin," *.blackboard.com will have to be added to the list of allowed exceptions.
PDF documents - This option is called "Download PDF files instead of automatically opening them in Chrome." If you want to see PDF documents automatically, make sure this option is turned off.
Camera, Microphone, and Flash - Make sure these are set to "Ask before accessing" or "Ask first." You don't have to add any sites here, as Chrome will remember which sites you've blocked or allowed in the past.
Click on the settings icon at the upper right of the screen (it looks like three dots in a vertical column), then click on "More Tools," then "Clear browsing data." It is usually enough to check "Cookies" and "Cached images and files." Then click the "Clear Data" button to remove the old information.
Support for the Mozilla Firefox browser can be found at: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/
In up-to-date versions of Firefox, browser settings can be accessed by clicking on the "hamburger" icon, which looks like three horizontal bars in a stack and is located near the upper right of the screen. In the menu that appears, click on "Add-ons" or "Options" to set the options, as described below.
Cookies and Site Data - Most users select "Accept cookies and site data." If you block that you'll have to click on "Exceptions" and then add *.blackboard.com to the list of exceptions.
Third-party cookies - If you chose to "Block cookies and site data" in the Cookies section, you'll have options to block just third-party cookies or other types of cookies as well. Adding *.blackboard.com to the list of allowed exceptions will be necessary if any degree of blocking is selected.
Block pop-up windows - You can leave this box unchecked if no pop-ups are bothering you. If you check this box, you'll have to click on "Exceptions" and then add *.blackboard.com to the list of exceptions.
JavaScript - Firefox has no built-in option to block JavaScript.
Add-on Installation - In the "Permissions" section, there should be a check-mark in the box labeled "warn you when websites try to install add-ons." Click the "Exceptions" button to add any websites that need to be allowed to install add-ons without asking permission.
Camera - Click the "Settings" button if you want to block access from most websites but grant an exception to *.blackboard.com or other sites.
Microphone - Click the "Settings" button if you want to block access from most websites but grant an exception to *.blackboard.com or other sites.
PDF documents - Locate the entry for "Portable Document Format (PDF)" in the "Applications" section. Select "Preview In Firefox" to see PDF files directly in the browser. Select "Save File," to require the browser to download the file for you to view later, every time. Select "Always ask" to have the browser ask you what to do each time you click on a PDF file.
Flash Video - Find "Shockwave Flash" on the list of Plugins. Select "Always Activate" if you want to allow most Flash video streams to play without being asked for permission each time. Click "Ask to Activate" if you want the browser to ask permission before starting a Flash video stream. Click the "Options" button and make sure there is a check mark in the field labeled "Block dangerous and intrusive Flash content." If the Adobe Flash player for Firefox is not installed on your computer, you'll need to download it from https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ and install it.
Click the "hamburger" icon, then "Options" then "Privacy & Securty." Find the "History" section, and click the "Clear History" button. It is usually enough to clear just Cookies and Cache.
Some Blackboard screen contain "scroll bars," slider controls that let you scroll the screen contents from top to bottom or from left to right to be able to see more than will fit in the display window at one time. If you are using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox on a Mac computer, it is possible that the scroll bars (or just the horizontal scroll bars) will be hidden by default. To make sure they are visible and useable, click on the Apple logo at the top left of the screen, then click on "System Preferences." Near the middle of that screen you'll see an option labeled "Show scroll bars." Make sure the "Always" option is selected.
Some courses in Blackboard contain links to materials from third-party content providers such as Cengage, McGraw-Hill, and Pearson. Each set of third-party content might impose unique requirements on the configuration of the web browser.
Third-party content providers often recommend that browser settings allow cookies, pop-ups, and installation of browser extensions without limitations. A browser set to restrict access to those features will not be able to display third-party content properly, unless exceptions to those restrictions are allowed. The web addresses likely to be needed by the most common providers are listed below.
Content Provider | Web Address(es) | Other Requirements |
---|---|---|
Cengage Mindtap | cengage.com | Third-party cookies from this site must be allowed |
Cengage WebAssign |
cengage.com webassign.net |
Third-party cookies from these sites must be allowed |
McGraw-Hill | mheducation.com | Third-party cookies from this site must be allowed |
Pearson (including MyLab and MyITLab) |
pearson.com pearsoned.com pearsoncmg.com mathxl.com myitlab.com ecollege.com pi.pearsoned.com
|
Third-party cookies and permission to install browser add-ons must be allowed from these sites. |
Publishers generally provide a web page that will check a computer and browser for compatibility with their materials. Although not 100% reliable, these are often useful and informative.
Click Here for a system check from Cengage.
Click Here for a system check from McGraw-Hill Education.