Unfortunately, each browser on each platform works slightly differently. The following is a list of the most common browser quirks experienced by Blackboard users.
Macintosh OS: Netscape Navigator / Communicator
Virtual Classroom
This feature does not work with Netscape on a Macintosh; you will need to use Internet Explorer to use the Virtual Classroom.
Quizzes and Surveys
Re-sizing the browser window, reloading the page, or using the Back button in the browser will cause the student's quiz attempt to be immediately submitted. This will result in an incomplete quiz. Students will not be able to re-take the quiz unless you have enabled multiple attempts. Also, the clock that tracks how much time the user has spent on the assessment may not display the time, and the warning that should appear when the user has 1 minute to complete the assessment does not always appear. For this reason, we recommended that quizzes be taken with Internet Explorer.
Course Map
Macintosh users working with Netscape 4.7 may encounter difficulty when using the course map feature. When navigating to a course area through the course map, a Browser Cookies Disabled message will appear in the main Blackboard frame instead of the expected content.
Online Gradebook
Instructors using a Netscape 6 Web browser may experience difficulty with the Spreadsheet view in the Gradebook. In some instances, the entries appear above the cell. If the page is refreshed, it is often rendered incorrectly and cannot be viewed.
The Gradebook renders the quickest in Internet Explorer. If you are using Opera, Saffari, Netscape, or Firefox plan on waiting for a little while for the Gradebook to show up.
Macintosh OS: Internet Explorer
Logging In
There is a problem with the Blackboard 5 entry page, which in some
situations will result in a "cookies disabled" error page
to be displayed instead of the login page. A solution is to type:
http://blackboard.humboldt.edu/?bbat=N
This will force the browser to re-check the browser cookie. It will
notice that no session cookie has been set and will request one from
the server. After this everything should work fine. Note also that clearing
both the cache and the history will temporarily fix this problem. It
is important never to bookmark the page:
http://blackboard.humboldt.edu/?bbat=Y
This url will only work while you have a session active with Blackboard.
As soon as you quit and re-open the browser, the cookie for the blackboard
server will expire and the above url will no longer work.
Quizzes and Surveys
Instructors: If you click "Advanced" to access the Advanced Question Options, the page will lock up unless you have already entered text in the Question field.
Windows OS: Netscape Navigator / Communicator
Quizzes and Surveys
Re-sizing the browser window, reloading the page, or using the Back button in the browser will cause the student's quiz attempt to be immediately submitted. This will result in an incomplete quiz. Students will not be able to re-take the quiz unless you have enabled multiple attempts. For this reason, we recommended that quizzes be taken with Internet Explorer.
Online Gradebook
Instructors using a Netscape 6 Web browser may experience difficulty with the Spreadsheet view in the Gradebook. In some instances, the entries appear above the cell. If the page is refreshed, it is often rendered incorrectly and cannot be viewed.
Windows OS: Internet Explorer
Screen Readers
If you use JAWS screen reader to access Blackboard, you need to use the correct version of Internet Explorer. Those using JAWS 3.5.37 should use Internet Explorer 5.01, while those using JAWS 3.7 should use Internet Explorer 5.5.
Modified from a document created by Blackboard Support at the University of Otago
