- PDF is our top recommendation for a format to use when uploading materials for students to view in Blackboard. This format should be the most accessible for the widest number of students, and it also tends to save in a reduced file size.
- Microsoft Office file formats (.docx, .pptx, etc.) are also likely to be easily accessible for your students. For files that you only need the students to view (not edit), PDF format is preferable.
If you attended Blackboard training a number of years ago, you might have gotten a recommendation to post materials to Blackboard in rich text format (.rtf) so the files would be accessible by students who might not have Microsoft Office or other compatible software on their computer. While that may have been a good recommendation at the time, it is no longer the case that rich text format (.rtf) is more accessible than other readily available file formats.
The Rich Text Format (.rtf) file type is not supported by default on Chromebooks, which more of our students have begun using. Also, G Suite (Google Drive and its collection of related apps) does not support Rich Text Format (.rtf) files; our students have G Suite built into their ICC email accounts.
