The following technical requirements are necessary for an optimum online learning experience.
- Preferred Operating Systems: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Microsoft Vista, or Mac OS 10.3. When using the Microsoft Vista operating system, participants may experience problems sending messages within Blackboard courses. If so, log into the course>Click on Personal Information on the left of the screen>Click Visual Text Box Editor Options>Change “Set Availability” to Unavailable>Click Submit>Log off and then log back into the course.
- Preferred Internet Browsers: Blackboard does not operate properly when using AOL. For an optimal experience, use Internet Explorer 6.1 or 7.0 (PC), Internet Explorer 5.2 (Mac), or Safari 1.2 (Mac). Mozilla Firefox 2.0 works well for both PCs and Macs. If using Internet Explorer, security settings must be set to accept cookies and allow pop-ups. Please add “pls.blackboard.com” to your list of trusted Web sites by going to: Tools > Internet Options > Privacy tab > Sites. Updated versions of Web browsers are free from the following links:
Internet Explorer, Firefox, Apple Safari
- Required Internet Browser Plug-In: Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader. This plug-in is required to view any of the PDF documents within a course. Adobe Reader may be downloaded for free using the following link: Adobe Reader
- Required Software: Microsoft Word
- E-mail Account: PLS will send your registration information to your personal email account, which is recorded in the registration process. To prevent emails regarding your class from being flagged as spam, we recommend you add “plsweb.com” as a trusted sender in your email account. Please contact your email provider or review your email client software documentation for instructions.
Download a copy of these requirements: Online Course Technology Requirements