Technical Settings for Blackboard Access


Blackboard is a web based piece of software which allows faculty and students to share learning materials, online. In order to access Blackboard you will need...

  • A username and password. Your Blackboard username and password are exactly the same as your MBU network username and password (which are also used to access your MBU e-mail and the MBU Portal System)
  • If you have forgotten your username or password please contact the MBU IT Office at (314)-392-2377

  • Internet access. You can access Blackboard on or off-campus from anywhere you have Internet access.

We suggest the following for students and instructors.
Platform: Windows XP, Vista, or 7, MacOS X 10.3 or later
Hardware: A modern processor (1GHz Pentium III/Athlon or newer, or Mac G4/Intel or newer), 256MB of RAM, 512MB recommended, 1GB+ preferred (required for video production); 5GB of free disk space (up to 20-40 GB or more if producing videos)
Browser:

  • For Windows:
    • Firefox 3.5 or later (recommended), or Internet Explorer 8
    • Internet Explorer 7 is supported (except on Windows 7), but the performance is better with Internet Explorer 8, and best with Firefox
    • Internet Explorer 6 is NOT SUPPORTED
  • For Mac
    • Firefox 3.5 or later (recommended), or Safari 3 or later
  • Google Chrome is not supported at this time on any platform.
  • You MUST also have the latest version of Java from Sun Microsystems (Windows users especially)

Helpful Links: You can download the required software for free at the following sites.

Modem: 56K modem minimum (broadband connection strongly recommended) Although a broadband connection is not strictly required to access Blackboard, media-rich course content may not be accessible on a dial-up connection, faculty teaching online courses should have broadband access (cable or DSL)

Note to AOL Users: AOL's web browser is NOT compatible with Blackboard. If you must use AOL for your Internet access (i.e. no other option is available to you), you will need to follow the following procedure to access Blackboard (yes, this is absolutely necessary).

  1. Log into AOL as usual
  2. Once your connection is established, minimize AOL, and launch Internet Explorer 7 or later, or Firefox 3.5 or later from the Start Menu
  3. Type http://blackboard.mobap.edu into the Address Bar, and press Enter, or click the Go button.
  4. Log into Blackboard as normal

Supported Web Browser/Operating System Configurations


Microsoft® Windows® Operating System



Internet Explorer® 8
Internet Explorer 7 		Firefox 3.6
Firefox 3.5
Firefox 3.0

Windows® XP (32-bit)
Compatible
Compatible		 Compatible
Certified
Compatible

Windows Vista® (32-bit)
Certified
Compatible		 Compatible
Certified
Compatible

Windows Vista (64-bit)
Compatible
Compatible		 Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

Windows 7 (32/64-bit) 		Certified
Unsupported		 Compatible
Certified
Compatible


Apple® Mac OS® Operating System



Safari® 4.0
Safari 3.2 		Firefox 3.6
Firefox 3.5
Firefox 3.0

Mac OSX 10.5 "Leopard®"
Compatible
Compatible		 Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

Mac OSX 10.6 "Snow Leopard®"
Certified
Unsupported		 Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
  • Sun Java™ Runtime Environment 6 is the only supported version of Java for Windows users. You can download it from http://www.java.com. All users should visit this site to make sure that they have the latest version of Java for their computer.
  • Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 5 are not supported.
  • Firefox 1.x and 2.0 are not supported.
  • Safari 2.0 is no longer supported.
  • Google Chrome is not supported.

In the above tables, the following designations may be used:
Certified: fully tested and supported.
Compatible: partially tested but should function properly.
Provisional: future technologies considered supported by Blackboard Support.
Unsupported: either impossible or not tested. Need Further Assistance?

 If you can't find the information you require please contact the MBU Center for Distance Learning at 314-744-5349 or distancelearning@mobap.edu.
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