System Requirements
BioBeyond uses 3D graphics that make learning science more immersive and interactive. Please make sure your computer meets the requirements below, especially the browser settings. Also, use the most robust and stable internet connection you can.
Below are the minimum system requirements for the BioBeyond platform:
- Laptop and desktop computers: Smartphones and Tablets (iOS/Android) are NOT supported.
- Operating System: Windows 8 or higher, OS X 10.6 or higher.
- Processor: Intel Corei3 or greater
- Memory: 4GB or RAM or greater
- Video Card: Graphics that support WebGL.
- Internet Browser: Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome (most updated version)
- WebGL enabled: You can check WebGL is enabled on your browser here.
How to enable WebGL requirement
WebGL is a technology that allows you to view things in real-time in 3D. Firefox supports WebGL, so if you’re having difficulty loading WebGL on Firefox, first check to see that you are running the newest version of the browser.
You can check WebGL is enabled on your browser by going here. If you are still having trouble, please follow the steps below to ensure that Use hardware acceleration when available is enabled in your browser settings.
If you are still having trouble, please follow the steps below to ensure that Use hardware acceleration when available is enabled in your Firefox settings.
- Click the menu button.
- Select the General panel.
- Under Performance, uncheck Use recommended performance settings. Additional settings will be displayed.
- Check Use hardware acceleration when available.
- Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.
- Start Firefox the way you normally do.
Helpful information and troubleshooting tips on the lessons: A Course Like No Other, Scientific Reasoning, Scientific Tools, Graphing Skills, Scientific Skills
Student Troubleshooting
Which internet browser should I use?
We recommend using the most updated version of Chrome or Firefox for the most seamless experience.
Can I complete lessons on my phone or tablet/iPad?
No, BioBeyond does not support tablets, smartphones, or other touchscreen devices. While there are some lessons that are compatible there are some experiences that are not–you will need access to a laptop or desktop computer.
How do I reset my password?
When you are prompted to login, click Forgot password? and follow steps to reset it.
Why can’t I login?
Your free trial may be up and you’ll have to purchase access with a credit card or enter an access code purchased from your bookstore. As always, make sure to access the course from the link provided in your LMS (e.g. Blackboard, Brightspace D2L, Canvas, Moodle, Schoology, etc.) or email from your instructor.
What if I accidentally made more than one account?
If you’ve accidentally accessed BioBeyond with more than one email account, it’s important to make sure you are logged into the account with which you’ve completed your assignments when you purchased access. If you aren’t sure which email address you’ve been using to complete assignments and receive scores, please reach out to your professor.
Why is it asking me to pay again?
It is possible that you have two accounts and paid in one account but then logged in with the other. If you are accessing BioBeyond through your institution’s LMS (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L, etc) then you won’t need to enter an email or password, you’ll be logged in automatically. If you are accessing outside of an LMS, please make sure that you are accessing BioBeyond with the first email you set up an account with, usually, this should be your institution's email address.
Why does it look like I’ve lost progress?
To ensure your work saves properly, do not have BioBeyond open in multiple tabs, windows, or devices at the same time. If you need to step away from a lesson, close it or go back to Course Overview so that you can finish it later. Do not leave a lesson open on your computer for longer than an hour.
We recommend only accessing BioBeyond with your institution's email address. You can always ask your instructor to verify the email address they enrolled you with. If the BioBeyond course is linked in your LMS (Blackboard, Moodle, Canvas, D2L), you should only access the course via that link. Your work is linked to your email address.
I have completed my BioBeyond Lesson but my score in LMS (like Canvas or Blackboard) has not changed. Why not?
Scores from the BioBeyond lesson are synced with your grade book only AFTER you have completed the lesson. When you finish the lesson, a pop-up box congratulating you on finishing the lesson will be shown. You MUST click on the pop-up box for the grade to sync.
If you have finished the lesson & clicked on the popup and your score has still not synced, please do the following:
- Re-enter the lesson and take a screenshot. Make sure it includes your name and score (upper right side). Save the screenshot as proof of score in case other issues arise.
- If you finished the lesson completely, restart the lesson by clicking on the "toggle menu visibility" button on the upper right side of the screen and clicking "restart lesson." This will cause you to lose saved data but scores will be pushed to the grade book.
- If after you restart the lesson, your score does not sync in the grade book, let us know and we will manually adjust your grade after receiving your screenshot.
Why is the program taking a long time to load?
Unit 4: Time Traveler’s Guide and Unit 5: Into the Cell are graphically intensive and require a lot of processing power to run smoothly. For the best experience you can preserve your computer’s memory and processing power by following these steps:
- Close other open tabs in your browser so BioBeyond is all you have running.
- Close applications, especially ones that stream video or other data (e.g. Steam, Skype, Spotify, and VLC/Netflix/Youtube).
- Clear your browser cache and cookies of all time. Sometimes our browsers store information (cache) that can speed up load times in the future, but can slow down your current performance. Click here for instructions to free up memory and delete your browser’s cache.
If this doesn’t help, the next best thing is to go to a different internet source (e.g. a school library, coffee shop, friend or relative’s house), or try using a different computer if that is an option.
I can't move on. What do I do?
If the screen is frozen:
- Make sure you are not in "history" mode. (If the arrows on the bottom left of your screen are solid, then you are in history mode. You need to advance with the right arrow until you are on the last screen you attempted to get out of the history screen. You are out of history mode when the right arrow goes from solid to gray).
- Make sure you can see the entire screen to navigate by zooming out (Chrome and Firefox).
- Try deleting your browser's cache, history, etc. Then close the browser, re-open it, and re-enter the lesson.
- Be patient and allow screens to load fully (can sometimes take 3-5 seconds).
- In unit 5 especially due to images in the lesson, if you experience issues, try to use a computer that is less than 5 years old (a newer graphic card).
- Contact our BioBeyond Help under "need further assistance"
- If none of the tips above work, you can restart the lesson by clicking on the "toggle menu visibility" button on the upper right side of the screen and clicking "restart lesson." Note that this will cause you to lose saved data but saved scores up to that point will be recorded. You can restart to raise your score.
- Finally, send your instructor a follow-up email if problems persist after trying the tips above.
If you are hitting red incorrect feedback bubble, please reach out to your instructor to ask for help about the material.
Why am I unable to see parts of a lesson? Am I too zoomed in?
Depending on the computer you’re using, BioBeyond lessons will display a little bit differently. This is particularly true if you have a small computer screen. Sometimes results in text or buttons getting partially covered. Simply zooming in or out in your browser can help resolve this.
On most browsers and operating systems you can control the zoom from your keyboard by pressing command or control + the Plus(+)/Minus(-) buttons. Please click these links for more information on how to zoom in with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Another way you can see more of your screen is to go into fullscreen mode.
Pictures are not loading in BioBeyond. What can I do?Make sure you are using Chrome or Firefox as your browser. Make sure you are using a computer (not a phone, tablet, or Chromebook).
I get a WebGL error message
Sometimes this happens if a page takes too long to load. The first course of action is to refresh your screen and wait (around thirty seconds.) If it doesn’t work the first time check the following before refreshing again:
- Ensure that you are running a supported operating system on your computer (Windows/Mac OS) and browser (Chrome/Firefox). Remember that BioBeyond is not supported on phones or tablets.
- Make sure WebGL is enabled on your browser. You can check by going here. Follow the steps in the System Requirements sections for enabling WebGL.
- Ensure that all of your extra tabs AND background applications are closed. By doing this you are freeing memory available for running the unit in your browser and maximizing processing power dedicated to supporting a smooth experience.
- Log out of your lesson, quit your browser and then log back in again using the course link your professor provided in your LMS (Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, Moodle, etc.) or the link in the original email invitation.
- Try loading the lesson again. If this doesn’t work you will need to clear your browser cache and cookies. The instructions are found below in the “How do I clear my browser’s cache and cookies?” section.
- If after these steps you are still unable to load the lesson, switch to a different computer or internet source.
If you’ve tried all these steps and you still can’t load your lesson, reach out to Inspark Support.
How do I clear my browser’s cache and cookies?
We recommend you use Google Chrome to complete lessons in BioBeyond. Follow these steps to clear your cache and cookies in Chrome.
- Open Chrome.
- On your browser click on the three vertical dots, this will bring up a menu. Select More Tools.
- Click Clear browsing data.
- In the Clear browsing data box, click the checkboxes for Cookies and other site and plug-in data and Cached images and files.
- Use the menu at the top to select the amount of data that you want to delete. Choose the beginning of time to delete everything.
- Click Clear data.
For instructions on how to clear your cache and cookies in different browsers click here.
Can I redo a part of a lesson?
No, once you have progressed past a screen it is not possible to redo it, you can only review it. However, you can restart the entire lesson and start over from the beginning. Click here to learn how you can restart a lesson.
Student Support
At the bottom of the Course Overview, you should see “Get Support” which will redirect you to https://kb.inspark.education/. Argos Education is an Inspark Partner that offers 24/7 support.
**Expedite your support request by providing this information to Argos**
- What link/lesson are you trying to access?
- What is the name and email address of your professor?
- What computer and operating system are you using?
- What browsers have you tried? What versions of the browsers are you using?
- Have you cleared your browser's Cache and Cookies of all time?
- Have you disabled any browser extensions such as AdBlocker?
- Can you forward us a full-page screenshot of the error that is occurring? Please include the entire browser window and URL if possible.
- What is the email address that you are using to log into your lessons with? This may be different from your personal email address.