Distance Learning
Blackboard CE (WebCT) 4.1 Web Browser Requirements and Settings
Web Browser Requirements
Web Browser Settings
System Requirements
Blackboard CE (WebCT) 4.1
Blackboard CE (WebCT) 4.1 supports the following browsers and versions (note AOL users must use the versions indicated below of the AOL browser or open another supported browser while in an AOL session):
- Microsoft Internet Explorer - 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 7 (version 5.5 SP1 is NOT supported)
- Netscape Navigator - 6.2x, 7.0, and 7.1 (6.0 and 6.1 are NOT supported)
- AOL - 7.0, 8.0, and 9.0
- Mozilla - 1.5 and 1.6
Technically, Firefox is NOT supported for this version of Blackboard CE (WebCT). Some users have run this software in Blackboard CE (WebCT) with very limited errors.
See http://www.webct.com/tuneup/viewpage?name=tuneup_browser_tuneup_information#browsers for more information.
Important Notes:
- For all browsers enable JavaScript.
- To use Chat, Whiteboard, the edit-on Pro HTML editor, and the WebEQ Equation Editor, enable Java.
- To use ticket-based authentication, client browsers must allow cookies.
- To use all features in Content Module, client browsers must allow cookies.
- For all browsers, enable cascading style sheets (.css ).
Each of these browsers will have their own system requirements. These requirements tell you what hardware and software is specifically needed on your computers to run the software properly.
Typical system requirements include:
- Processor:
- The chip running the computer, usually a Pentium or AMD. Often a Power PC on a Macintosh.
- Operating System:
- The operating software the computer runs on. Most often Windows 98, ME or XP but sometimes Windows 2000, Mac OS, or Unix.
- Memory (RAM):
- This memory is temporary memory that is active while the computer is on. It is different from the memory on your hard drive. Most PCs will display the amount of memory (RAM) available when they are booted up (started). Typical amounts can run from 64 MB to 256 MB or higher.
- Disk Space:
- The amount of ROM (Read Only Memory) available on your hard drive. ROM is permanent memory, such as your hard drive or other disk drives. Unlike RAM, ROM does not disappear when the system is turned off. Typical Disk Space requirements range from 10-100 MB depending on the software. This number must be checked against the available space on your hard drive.
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Other system requirements may be added depending on the software you are using including sound card, video or graphics card, and other hardware. System requirements for the primary web browsers can be found in documentation for the software. Check the "read me" files and web sites for details.
Web Browser Settings (Java, JavaScript and Cache/Temporary Internet Files)
In order to run Blackboard CE (WebCT) effectively, your web browser must be configured properly to download pages and the changes that occur as you work with them, as well as be configured to handle the special programs that come with web pages in Java and JavaScript. The following sections deal with how to configure your browser to handle these issues. With current versions of WebCT and supported web browsers, these settings are usually already correct. This section is provided just in case you run into connection errors or Java/JavaScript errors as a means to potentially diagnose them:
Cache/Temporary Internet Files Settings
In order to download web pages faster, the web browser stores files to a folder on your computer as they download them from the WWW. This folder is called the "cache" in Netscape Navigator and "Temporary Internet Files" in Windows Internet Explorer. These files are stored on your computer so that you can access pages faster from the hard drive, rather than downloading them again from the Internet. The "cache" though consists of old versions of the page. To see the changes on a regular basis your web browser must be configured as follows:
| In Microsoft Internet Explorer:
- Go to the View or Tools menu (depending on the version of Internet Explorer) and select Internet Options. This will open a window with several tabs to select from.
- Choose the General tab if it is not already selected. Under General you will see a section entitled Temporary Internet Files.
- Select Settings.
- Under "Check for newer versions of stored pages", select "Automatically" or "Every visit to the page".
- Click on OK to exit the Settings.
- Click on OK to exit the Internet Options.
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| In Netscape Navigator:
- Go to the Edit menu and select Preferences.
- Under the Category window on the left, select the + box next to Advanced. This will open that section and reveal two sub categories, Cache and Proxies.
- Select Cache. The Cache section will appear in the right part of the window.
- Under Document in cache is compared to document on network: select "Automatically" or "Every time" (or in version 7.0 "when the page is out of date").
- Click on OK to finish.
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| In AOL:
- On the AOL toolbar, click Settings.
- In Settings, click Preferences.
- In Preferences, click Internet Properties (WWW).
- In Internet Properties (WWW) find the General tab (It should come up first).
- On the General tab, find Temporary Internet Files.
- In the Temporary Internet Files section, click the Settings button.
- In this Settings area, under Check for newer versions of stored pages, select "Every Visit to the Page".
- Click OK.
- Click OK as needed to get out of the windows. Don't select Cancel or the settings may not take effect.
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Note: If you do not have access to these areas, contact your network administrator or internet service provider to see if restrictions have been placed on your web browser software.
Note: One other tip regarding the Cache/Temporary Internet Files. It is useful to occasionally clear out these files from time to time as the browser limits the amount of cache you can store (you can adjust the limits). By clearing the cache you can eliminate old files for pages that you may no longer visit.
- To clear the cache in Internet Explorer, select the Delete Files button under the Temporary Internet Files section of Internet Options (under the General tab).
- To clear the cache in Navigator, select both the Clear Memory Cache and Clear Disk Cache buttons in the Cache section of the Advanced Preferences. (Actually, the Disk Cache is more important to clear as the Memory Cache should clear each time you turn off your computer.)
Java and JavaScript Settings
Blackboard CE (WebCT) uses Java and JavaScript to perform certain functions that HTML (the regular language of the WWW) cannot do on its own. (Note: Java and JavaSrcipt are languages that allow special kinds of programming to be used in web pages. Java is an actual programming language while JavaScript is what is called a scripting language...not as powerful as Java but easier to use.) Consequently, your web browser must be set up to run Java and JavaScript. Internet Explorer 4.0 and above, and Navigator 4.0 and above will run Java and JavaScript properly, but the settings must be correct. In most cases when you install these browsers, the default settings for Java and JavaScript are the correct ones. However, if you are getting Java or JavaScript errors, you will want to double-check the following settings to make sure they are correct:
| In Microsoft Internet Explorer:
- Under the View Menu, select Internet Options. This will open a window with several tabs to select from.
- Choose the Advanced tab if it is not already selected. Under Advanced you will see several headings. Look for the one entitled Java VM.
- Underneath Java VM, make sure the box "Java JIT compiler enabled" is checked.
- Click on OK to close.
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| In Netscape Navigator:
- Under the Edit menu, select Preferences.
- In the left hand window of Preferences, select Advanced.
- Make sure the check boxes next to "Enable Java" and "Enable JavaScript" have a check in them.
- Click the OK button.
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For more information on using web browsers with WebCT see http://www.webct.com/quickstart/viewpage?name=exchange_browser_tuneup#notes.
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