Technical Requirements
Suggested computer configurations for best accessibility to distance ed courses and for those courses using Canvas Learning System:
- Pentium computer - 2Ghz processor
- Windows XP or Windows 7 - current updates installed
- 1 GB of RAM
- Video display 1024 x 768
- DVD drive
- 15 GB of free hard drive space
- Capable of sound (with internal or external speakers)
- Flash drive to save your work
- Internet Explorer 9 and Mozilla Firefox 8
- Cable modem or DSL high speed Internet
- Pop-up blocker disabled
- Cookies enabled, medium security setting
- Web cam and microphone are recommended; required for some courses
- If a personal firewall is enabled on the home computer, make sure it allows video through to the computer
Suggested software applications for distance ed courses:
- Microsoft Office 2010 – Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Some computer courses may also require the Access database program
- Windows Media Player 10
- Java
- Active X enabled
- Current virus scanning software
- Some computer courses may also require Microsoft Access
Additional Free Applications which are needed:
Technical Skills Needed to be successful in a distance ed course:
- Ability to use send and receive email, with attachments, using the campus email system.
- Ability to use Windows operating system
- Ability to navigate your computer's desktop
- Ability to use the mouse
- Ability to connect to the Internet
- Ability to use a web browser such as Internet Explorer 7.0+ or Firefox
- Ability to locate information on the Internet by searching
- Ability to use the keyboard and word processing software
- Ability to save files onto a floppy disk
- Ability to use virus scanning software
- Ability to find files located on another drive (such as on your hard drive or a flash drive)
- Ability to save files in different file formats or types (such as saving a Works file as Word 6.0, OR as .rtf file, OR saving a spreadsheet as an .xls spreadsheet)