links to mixed-content pages in Blackboard tabs?

[Chris R. Wieman]

Hi-

Following an update to Blackboard last fall, we began having a problem with the Library tab on our Blackboard site<https://usciences.blackboard.com/> (I administer the library site but not Blackboard). The problem occurs when you open the library website from within the Blackboard frame; although the exact symptoms vary by browser, generally the main issues are 1) the library page doesn't load and/or 2) links which are not https won't open. This occurs because Blackboard is now a secure environment and doesn't tolerate links within it that are not https. It's also caused by safety features in browsers which will not load pages of mixed content. There are ways around this issue, but they require the user to configure their browsers ...so we've been treating this as "educational issue" rather than a technical one, since the solution seems to be out of our hands. That said, one easy way it could be fixed is to configure the link within Blackboard so the Library site opens in a new window/tab ...however this can't be done because the links that appear in the Blackboard tabs can't be set to do this.

I suspect we are not the only ones who have run into this problem. Has it affected your institution? If so, did you find a workaround?

Thanks for your reads and replies. Best,

Chris Wieman
Information Science Instructor / Systems & Reference Librarian
J.W. England Library
University of the Sciences
600 S. 43rd St., Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 215-596-8962 | Ref Desk: 215-596-8967
c.wieman at usciences.edu<mailto:c.wieman at usciences.edu> | Ask a Librarian<http://ask.library.usciences.edu/> | www.usciences.edu/library<http://www.usciences.edu/library>


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2014-06-25
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