How do I access my online course and are there any specific technical issues that may affect my experience?

CSI’s online courses are designed to give you the best learning experience.  You do not require advanced computer skills but you should be familiar with web browsing, have a stable internet connection and  an updated internet browser.

Some of CSI's courses contain interactive material. For best results please make sure that you have a minimum highspeed Internet connection.

To get the maximum benefit from your online course, please take the time to review the following information on:

• Screen Resolution
• Browser requirements
• Adjusting browser settings
• Downloading Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Downloading Flash Player
• Enabling/Disabling pop-up blockers
• Trouble Shooting: Frequently Asked Questions

Screen Resolution

If your screen resolution is 1024 x 768 or less, you will see the mobile version of the website. Instead of a menu bar across the top of the page, you will see a menu icon at the top right corner of the page which consists of three (3) horizontal lines. The mobile version's menu icon contains the same content as the menu bar of the full desktop site.

Browser requirements for CSI Online courses

Please take a look at the chart below for supported browsers when accessing CSI's courses. Please note: Some of our courses contain multimedia content. You may need a "browser plug-in" to access parts of your course.

Are you having issues logging into Blackboard?

Blackboard™ has been tested with a variety of technologies. Please review the charts below and compare the browser requirements based on the Operating System (OS) you are running.

Certified: fully tested and supported.
Compatible: partially tested but should function properly.
Provisional: future technologies considered supported by Blackboard Support.
Unsupported: either impossible or not tested.

Microsoft® Windows® Operating System

OS	Internet Explorer® (ALL VERSIONS)	IE Edge	Firefox	Google Chrome
Windows® XP (32-bit)	Unsupported	Compatible	Compatible	Compatible
Windows Vista® (32-bit)	Unsupported	Compatible	Certified	Compatible
Windows Vista (64-bit)	Unsupported	Compatible	Compatible	Compatible
Windows 7 (32-bit)	Unsupported	Compatible	Compatible	Compatible
Windows 7 (64-bit)	Unsupported	Compatible	Compatible	Compatible
Windows 8 (32-bit)	Unsupported	Compatible	Certified	Certified
Windows 8 (64-bit)	Unsupported	Compatible	Certified	Certified
Windows 10 (32-bit)	Unsupported	Compatible	Certified	Certified
Windows 10 (64-bit)	Unsupported	Compatible	Certified	Certified

Apple® Mac OS® Operating System

OS	Safari® 5.1	Safari 5.0	Safari 4.0	Firefox	Google Chrome
Mac OSX 10.6 "Snow Leopard®"	Certified	Certified	Compatible	Certified	Certified
Mac OSX 10.7 "Lion®"	Certified	Unsupported	Unsupported	Certified	Certified

• Blackboard products have been tested fully tested to be accessible for all users. JAWS for Windows 11 and 12 were used during accessibility testing.
• Blackboard supports all newer stable versions of Chrome and Firefox.
• Firefox 8 and Mac OS are not compatible with the drag and drop functions on Blackboard Learn.

Technologies Not Supported

• All versions of Internet Explorer (6 - 11)
• Firefox 1.x, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5 and 3.6
• Safari 2.0, 3.x (or any version on Windows)
• Mac OSX 10.3, 10.4, 10.5
• Java 5, although it may continue to work

How to adjust your Browser Settings

Many of the multimedia elements in the CSI Online Courses are programmed in a language called "Java". Your web browser must be configured to view these Java multimedia elements (also known as "applets"). To configure your browser:

Browsers	Settings to enable Java and JavaScript	How to set your Cache to always reload a page
IE	1. Select Tools > Internet Options. 2. Select the Advanced tab. 3. Make sure the Java console enabled and Java logging enabled boxes are checked. 4. Click OK. 5. Restart your computer if you checked the Java console enabled box.	1. Select Tools > Internet Options. 2. Select the General tab. 3. Under Temporary Internet Files select Settings. 4. Select the Every Visit to the Page radio button. 5. Click OK.
Firefox	1. From the Tools menu, select Options 2. In the left-hand pane, click Web Features 3. Make sure the Enable Java checkbox is selected 4. Make sure the Enable Javascript checkbox is selected 5. Click the Advanced button. 6. Make sure the following checkboxes are selected, if shown: Move or resize existing windows Hide the status bar Change the status bar text Change images 7. Click OK, then click OK again.

Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader Software

CSI Online course material may be presented in Adobe Acrobat, or .PDF format. To view these files, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader Plugin installed. You will usually get a warning message when you try to open a PDF file that will lead you to the download page. If not, you can download the latest version.

After installation, the Acrobat plug-in will open the PDF file for the module you are working on in your browser, and/or you may download the text file to your hard drive where it can be viewed/printed using Acrobat Reader.

Download the Flash Player

Many of the activities in your online course are powered by Flash. Usually you will already have installed the Flash Player, which allows you to see the activities or animations. If you can't see the CSI logo on the left, then you need to download the latest version of the Flash Player.

Please note: A minimum version of Flash Player 7 is required to ensure that interactive learning activities function properly.

Enabling Pop-Ups

Pop-up blockers work in the background while you browse the internet. When they detect a pop-up window that may be an unwanted advertisement, they automatically close the window. This can prevent your course from performing properly. If you are unable to view discussion postings, assessment windows and download links, then disable pop-up blocking on your system.

Depending on the pop-up blocking software you are using, you may be able to set your Blackboard server as an allowed site, or you may need to disable the pop-up blocker while using Blackboard.

To disable pop-up blockers for Blackboard:

• Search your hard drive for any software with "pop-up" in the name. Disable it or set your Blackboard server as an allowed site. Examples of popular pop-up blocking applications include:
  • Pop-Up Stopper
  • Pop-Up Defender
  • Pop-Up Zapper
• Pop-up blocking functions are included in some browser, anti-virus, internet security, and personal firewall programs. Disable the relevant setting in the program or set your Blackboard server as an allowed site. Note: Refer to the Help in the affected program to learn how to disable pop-up blocking.

Examples of programs that include pop-up blocking functions include the following:

Browsers	Anti-Virus	Internet Security	Firewalls
Internet Explorer Mozilla Firefox Safari AOL 8.0 and later	Norton Internet Security	Google Toolbar Yahoo! Toolbar MSN Toolbar ICQ Toolbar	Microsoft Windows XP, - Service Pack 2 Zone Alarm Pro

How to disable Browser Pop-up blockers:

Browsers
IE	Select Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Turn Off Pop-Up Blocker
Firefox	Select Tools > Options Click the Content tab Make sure "Block Pop-up Windows" is unchecked

Trouble Shooting: Frequently Asked Questions

Are CSI courses accessible through a mobile device?
Currently CSI Courses are only accessible through the recommended browsers stated above through the use of your laptop or desktop computer. However, we are working towards a solution that will allow our courses to be mobile compatible.

I can't view readings in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format - how do I fix this?
You may not have the Adobe Acrobat plug-in installed. This is required to view PDF Files. The solution is to download and install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat.

Where can I get technical assistance?
If you are having trouble with the function of any part of your online course, try closing your browser and starting it up again. If that doesn't work, check that your settings correspond to the setup we describe in Browser requirements.

Finally, contact us at CSI customer support.

How do I logout out of an online course session?
Select the word Logout on the right end of the top menu bar, or close your browser.

Session already Running

Should you run into a message "Session already Running":

1. Complete the browser tuneup at http://www2.blackboard.com/tuneup/viewpage?name=tuneup_start

2. If you have an additional search bar (Google, Hotbar, etc) that has been installed on your browser by a third party, try removing it. To do so, go to Start at the bottom left of your computer screen, and then go to Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs.

3. Spyware and/or a browser hijacker may be causing the problem. Spyware can prevent users from accessing websites or installing programs like Java. Download and run Ad-Aware (visit http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ and click on the Ad-Aware FREE link on the right side of the page).

4. Clear all cookies (in IE, go to Tools > Internet Options, and in the General tab, click on Delete Cookies)

5. If you are using a bookmark to access Blackboard, make sure that you're going to www.csi.ca, and not bookmarking the page you get to after you log in.

6. When leaving Blackboard, make sure you close down your browser completely before trying to log in again.