Minimum Technology Requirements
Below you will find minimum technology standards to access basic online services at Towson University . It is recommended that you verify with your academic program any additional technology requirements (i.e., high-speed Internet access, discipline-specific software applications, microphone, etc.). Check the home page of your academic program for contact information.
Minimum Connection Speed
A minimum connection speed of 56k dial-up is required for all Towson University online services, although broadband (DSL, cable modem, etc.) is strongly encouraged. Towson University strongly recommends securing Internet service through a vendor in your area.
Browser
To use Blackboard, Towson University Online Services (PeopleSoft), Cook Library e-Reserves, student Open WebMail or faculty/staff MS Outlook Web Access, you will need an Internet Web browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape preferred) version 6.0 or higher with:
- Javascript enabled
- Cookies enabled
- JAVA enabled (JAVA Run Time version 1.5 or higher)
- To check your JAVA version click here
- Make sure Pop up Blockers are turned off
Use the Browser Check to determine if these technologies are enabled in your browser.
To view the full list of browsers supported, click on the Supported Browsers link below:
Please note: Opera and some other Internet Web browsers are not fully supported by Blackboard at this time.
AOL Users: There are several known issues when using AOL's browser to access Blackboard. Complete instructions and details of these issues can be found below.
Additional Browser Plug-ins
While these plug-ins are not required for all courses and programs, they are commonly used for many courses, as well as administrative and academic services.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 7 or higher recommended)
- RealPlayer (version 10 or higher recommended)
- Macromedia Flash Player (version 7 or higher recommended)
To verify that you are capable of accessing Blackboard and other related Towson University online services, please use the Browser Check.
AOL Users
When using AOL to access Blackboard you may experience the following problems. After entering your username and password the page just refreshes and does not log you in, or Blackboard keeps asking you to login over and over again. This is a problem with using the AOL browser page to access Blackboard. It is recommended that you do not use AOL to access Blackboard.
If AOL is your Internet service provider, you will need to complete the following steps to login to Blackboard successfully.
- Login to AOL as you normally would
- After you have logged in successfully minimize the AOL browser
- Search for Internet Explorer either on your Desktop or by clicking on Start, Programs and open Internet Explorer or Netscape.
- Type in http://bbweb.towson.edu . Make sure you have the correct browser settings using the Browser Check
- Login to Blackboard using your Tiger username and password
Note: When AOL is not in use it will disconnect you. You will need to open the AOL browser page and browse to a page or do some type of activity so AOL knows you are still on line. You will need to do this about every half hour or so.
Maintenance Window
Blackboard is backed up regularly every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday from 1:55am - 5:00am and will not be available at these times.
Questions Not Listed?
E-mail: blackboard@towson.edu
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