Where do I access my online course?
Online courses are accessed using Blackboard, CUNY’s enterprise Course Management System (CMS), centrally supported and managed by the Office of Computing and Information Services. Blackboard is accessed from the top navigational menu bar on the Hostos Community College website. Access to Blackboard requires your CUNY Login credentials.
If you have not claimed your CUNYfirst account, you must do so before accessing Blackboard. Your CUNY Login username is your CUNYfirst username followed by @login.cuny.edu and your CUNYfirst password. For example, if you log into CUNYfirst as george.washington76, your CUNY Login will be george.washington76@login.cuny.edu. For a more detailed guide about logging in, download this document.
Preparing to use Blackboard
As an online student, you need…
- To have basic grasp of computer literacy
- Be familiar with using internet browsers, pop-ups, plugins
- Be familiar with productivity software such as Microsoft Office
- Be familiar with media players such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, VLC.
You should have access to high-speed internet service, such as DSL or FIOS. If you do not have high speed internet at home, you can use the computers in the computer labs, library or open spaces. Public places like Starbucks and McDonalds also offer WIFI service.
Browsers:
The internet browser you use to access Blackboard is very important. Some work better with Blackboard 9.1 than others. Mozilla Firefox is generally recognized as the best choice for accessing CUNY Blackboard 9.1. For the latest information on browsers supported by Blackboard, see Browser Support.
You can check your browser compatibility on this page: Browser Compatibility with Blackboard
Application Software, Plugins and Players:
Professors are going to have different types of print and audiovisual media posted in their Blackboard courses for download or online viewing, from Word and PDF documents to Powerpoint slideshows to Quicktime movies. They may also link to websites that have these assets or even require you to submit them as assignments.
Recommended Software:
Microsoft Office for Word, Powerpoint and Excel files. Office applications can be used to open documents posted in Blackboard as well as create documents for assignments, and they can generate PDF files. On the Mac, the iWorks applications Pages, Keynote and Numbers can do the same tasks.
Plug-ins and Players:
Your professors may post files that require users to have various players and plug-ins installed on their computers.
The following are the most commonly required ones:
