The University of Alabama in Birmingham

UAB Instructional Technology - Mac OS Setup Guide

Blackboard Learn Computer Setup for Mac

Adobe PDF File To download a PDF version of these set up instruction for printing click here.

UAB's Department of Instructional Technology recommends the following for optimal performance of Blackboard Learn on your computer. If your computer is not set up correctly, you will experience errors in feature functionality.

1. Blackboard only supports specific browsers for Macs. For a list of supported browsers, click here. To learn how to check your browser version, go to click here.

2. Disable all Pop-up Blockers. To learn how to disable your Pop-up Blocker go to click here.

3. Plug-ins that must be installed: RealPlayer, Adobe Reader, Flash Player. To learn how to check for Plug-ins go to click here.

4. You must Accept/Run the Security Certificate when prompted at log-on. To learn how to Accept/Run security certificates go to click here.

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Supported Browsers for Blackboard Learn

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How do I check which browser version I am using?

1. In your web browser (we will use Safari for this example), go to Safari in the Toolbar.
2. Go to the About Safari option.
3. A pop-up window should appear that gives you information about the browser that you are using. Look for the version information to verify that you are using a supported version.

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How do I disable Pop-up Blockers?

In the Safari browser:

1. Click on Safari – Preferences.
2. Choose the Security tab
3. Make sure that the Block pop-up windows option is unchecked.

Note: If you are running Pop-up Blocker, and have the option to allow sites (we are using Firefox for this example), it is necessary to add three (3) sites as trusted sites. This can be done by doing the following:

1. Open your browser and click on Firefox - Preferences.
2. Navigate through the different tabs to locate the Block Popup Windows setting and choose Allowed Sites
3. In the address field, there are four (4) trusted sites that need to be added. In the field type each of the following and click Add after you enter each one. Here are the sites you will need to add: *.uab.edu, uabvoice.wimba.com, uab.wimba.com and www.respondus.com.
4. Click Close once you have finished adding these four (4) sites.

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How do I check to see if I have the Plug-ins that I need?

The required plug-ins for Blackboard Learn that must be installed are Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Flash Player and RealPlayer. There are also three (3) recommended plug-ins that you may want to install.

To check and see if you have the plug-ins installed, click on the links below.

On this page you will be able to test to see if you have each of the required and recommended plug-ins. If you do not have them install, there will be a link to the site where you can download them.

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How do I Accept/Run Security Certificates?

The first time you log in to Blackboard Learn, you should receive two (2) pop-ups for validating the Java application. Click on the OK button for each certificate.

You have now accepted and run the authentication certificate.

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