CE 6 and WebCT 4.1.
Students will log in the way they always have logged in: by clicking the Login button on the WebCT welcome page (webct.fiu.edu) and using their Panther ID and their 8-digit birth date as their default password (mmddyyyy).
Browser Requirements for CE 6
CE 6 has very specific browser requirements:
· You must use a web browser validated for CE 6.
· You must have an approved version of Java runtime environment installed and enabled.
· You must disable any pop-up blockers.
· You must have JavaScript enabled.
Supported Web Browsers
For Windows OS:Browser Versions / Validated / Unsupported
Microsoft IE / 6 SP1 & SP2; 7
Netscape / 7.2 / 8
AOL / 9
Mozilla / 1.7.x / 1.5, 1.6
Firefox / 1.0.x, 1.5.x
For Mac OS:
Browser Versions / Validated / Unsupported
Mozilla / 1.7.x (OS X only) / Browsers running under Mac OS 9 and earlier; Firefox 1.5, Mozilla 1.5 and 1.6.
Firefox / 1.0.x (OS X only)
Safari / 1.2, 1.3, 2.x; and 2.x for Intel x86 platform
Browser Configuration Problems
1. If you think you may have a problem with your web browser, try logging into CE 6 from a different computer. If all computers in your house have a problem connecting, it is probably a home network configuration issue. If only one computer in your house has a problem connecting, it’s probably a problem with the web browser on that computer. Use the Browser Check feature of CE 6 to troubleshoot the problem.
- If the Browser Check window doesn't open, you will see this warning about pop-up blockers.
3. People often add additional “plug-ins” to their browsers such as the Yahoo! Toolbar, the Google Toolbar, etc. These can interfere with the use of your browser for CE 6. You may be able to correct a browser problem by disabling or removing a plug-in.
4. If your computer has firewalls or port blockers installed for security reasons, these should be configured so that http://online2.fiu.edu is a trusted site. Note: you may have several firewalls installed on your computer: Windows firewall, Norton Antivirus firewall, etc. You will have to allow access in all your firewalls. Don’t leave them disabled. Instead, get help to identify the problem and properly configure that program.
Check Browser
CE 6 automatically checks to see if your computer is properly set up when you log in. (You can also click the Check Browser link on the log-in page.) This is the easiest way to see if your browser is set up correctly for CE 6. You will see the Browser Check Results window as shown below.
Scroll down the window to ensure that your browser has "passed" all aspects of the browser check. Green check marks are good; red crosses indicate a problem. If any requirements are marked with red crosses, click on the Step-by-Step Instructions to Properly Configure Your Browser link and follow the instructions.
Setting up Java Correctly for CE 6
CE 6 uses the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for many features, so Java-related problems can affect your ability to use CE 6 tools. There are three steps to setting up Java correctly:
- Install the correct version of Java for CE 6: Java 2 Runtime Environment version 1.5.0_07 (Sun Microsystems Inc.)
2. Remove all other versions of Java from your computer.
- Turn off Java automatic update
TO REMOVE JAVA 2 VERSION 1.6 (JRE6) FROM YOUR COMPUTER:
1. Click Start
2. Select Settings
3. Select Control Panel
4. Double click the Add/Remove Programs control panel icon
5. The Add/Remove control panel displays a list of software on your system, including any Java software products that are on your computer.
6. Select Java Runtime Environment 6 by clicking on it.
7. Click the Remove button.
8. If there are other versions of Java listed, it is recommended that you delete them all and reinstall to be sure.
9. Go to the java.com for JRE 5.0 web page to get the correct version of Java or follow the instructions below:
TO REINSTALL JAVA 2 VERSION 1.5 (JRE5) ON YOUR COMPUTER:
· Go to http://java.sun.com/products/archive/j2se/5.0_10/index.html
· Click Download JRE (make sure you don't click JDK!)
· Click the button next to Accept License Agreement
· Click Windows Online Installation (typical download size is ~7.1MB), Multi-language.
A dialog box will open: File Download
· Click Save.
A dialog box will open: Save As
· Choose the folder location.
(Save the file to a known location on your computer, for example, to your desktop).
· Click Save.
A dialog box will open: Save As
· You may be asked: "File jre-1_5_0_(version)-windows-i586-p-iftw.exe already exists. Do you want to replace it?"
Click Yes.
· Verify that the:
Name of the file is jre-1_5_0_(version)-windows-i586-p-iftw.exe
Size is approximately 237 KB.
· Close all applications including the browser.
Turn off automatic Java updates
1. Log into Blackboard. This will cause the Java icon, , to appear in the windows system tray at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
2. Right click on the icon and select Open Control Panel from the list of options.
3. Click the "Update" tab and uncheck the box box labeled "Check for Updates Automatically."
4. A box will appear asking you to if you want to "check monthly" for updates or "never check." Select Never Check.
5. Click OK.
I'm using Internet Explorer and I keep getting a prompt to dowload files, and when I click it, I get sent back to the My Blackboard page. Will I have to go through this everytime I download a file? Can I disable this in any way?
Answer:
You can disable this in Internet Explorer. In the menu at the top, select Tools -> Internet Options. Click on the Security Tab and then click on the Customize Level... button. A new window will pop up. Scroll down to the Downloads are. Beside the setting labeled "Automatic prompting for file downloads," click the Enable button. Click OK to save the setting and close the window. Click the Apply button in the Internet Options window and click OK to close it.
I am getting an error when using chat even though I don't have any other chat session open.
Answer:
This error commonly occurs when you are either using Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.6.0 or if you have multiple versions of Java installed on your computer. Blackboard has certified their product to work with JRE version 1.5.07. Due to known documented security vulnerabilities with JRE versions up to and including version 1.5.09_b03, use version 1.5.10_b03, which works with both WebCT 4.1 and Blackboard CE6.
If you have multiple versions of Java, delete the older versions and leave the newest one. You can also opt to upgrade to version 1.5.10.
JRE version 1.5.10 can be downloaded from http://www.java.com.
For Macs (OS X), the best options are to:
1. Use Safari - Blackboard recommends Safari 1.2, 1.3, and 2.0 on a Mac OS X
2. Prepare Safari for Blackboard by going to http://www.webct.com/tuneup/viewpage?name=tuneup_browser_tuneup_mac_safari#prepare
Is Windows Vista supported?
Answer:
Blackboard has announced that they are now supporting Windows Vista BUT it still does not support the recent version of Java that is packaged with the latest releases of Vista. The recent version of Java, Java 2 version 1.6, may cause problems with the Chat or Whiteboard features. As it may cause problems with these two tools, it can also cause the Browser Checker to create pop-up warnings repeatedly during a user's session, warning that the right version of Java is not being used.
In order to prevent these warnings from popping up repeatedly or problems with Chat occurring, it is recommended that you do not upgrade to Vista yet AND DO NOT upgrade your version of Java until WebCT/Blackboard is supporting this release of Java. Windows XP may ask you automatically to upgrade to the latest version of Java. Please ignore this request.
I cannot open or create emails, take quizzes, and/or join a chat room.
Answer:
Blackboard CE 6 uses pop-up windows for quizzes, chat rooms, and when reading and creating email messages. You MUST disable pop-up blockers in order to do these activities. If you are unable to open your mail messages or cannot get a quiz to open, it is likely to be caused by a pop-up blocker.
For Fall 2007, will all courses be on Blackboard Learning System CE 6 instead of WebCT 4.1?
Answer:
No, some courses are still using WebCT 4.1 while others are using Blackboard Learning Systems CE 6. All courses will be on Blackboard CE 6 by Spring 2008.
You will log in to your course using WebCT 4.1 environment and a link on the bottom of the page called "PowerLink" will take you to your courses in CE6.