My instructor is going to have chat sessions this semester. How do I connect to the chat room?
You will need to click the Communication menu button.
(If you click the button and a message shows saying "Folder Empty", your instructor doesn't have the Communication Tool activated. You will need to notify your instructor of this.)
| In Communication, you should see several "tools": |
Announcements
Collaboration
Discussion Board
Roster
Send Email |
Click on Collaboration. You will see various sessions to join.
(There will be two "default" sessions - Office Hours, and Lecture Hall.) Your instructor will probably have a specific session for you to use.
When you find the appropriate session, click on JOIN at the right.
You should see a Java Chat window pop up. Type text in the text area at the bottom and click SEND.
Use this as you would any other chat or immediate messaging program.
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I am trying to connect to the chat session, but I do not get the chat pop-up window.
If you don't see the window pop up, there are a couple of items you need to check.
1. You may need to allow pop-ups to the Blackboard site.
You can allow pop-ups by clicking on the notification bar at the top of the screen and selecting either "Temporarily Allow Pop-ups", or "Allow Pop-ups".
"Temporarily Allow Pop-ups" will permit pop-ups only while the current window is open to the site.
"Allow Pop-ups" basically turns off the Pop-up Blocker.
You can also allow pop-ups by opening a browser window (Internet Explorer), selecting TOOLS at the menu toolbar and then selecting POP-UP BLOCKER. Here you can turn off or change the settings of the Pop-up Blocker.
Turning off the Pop-up Blocker will allow ALL Pop-ups from ANY page.
Changing the settings of the Pop-up Blocker lets you specify sites for allowing pop-ups.
You can set a specific web site as "trusted". This will prevent pop-ups from being blocked only at this site.
To do this, enter an internet address in the text area and click ADD to make it a "trusted site".
You can also change the filter setting at the bottom.
Setting the filter to "LOW: Allow pop-ups from secure sites" will allow some pop-ups.
If you want more information, you can also look at the "Pop-up Blocker FAQ" link at the bottom left corner of the Settings window.
2. You may need to install the Java Plug-in.
If you need to install the Java Plug-in, click on the Java Plug-in link on the Blackboard page and follow the directions.
(To avoid problems, this should be checked well in advance of the time of the Chat Session.)
