Technical Requirements
Operating System
Your computer's operating system should have Microsoft Windows (XP or above works best) or Macintosh (OS 10 or above works best). If you are taking a Computer Science course that requires a specific operating system, such as Windows, you can't use a Mac. Check with the instructor of the course if you are unsure.
Also, at this time, most of the proprietary course content used in the Math 55 and 65 online courses cannot be accessed on a Mac.
Processor speed
Any computer with a Pentium, Pentium clone, or PowerPC should work. Of course, the faster your processor speed (300 MHz or above), the better the performance.
Hard disk space
Make sure you have enough for all of your application programs, particularly your web browser. If you download a recent version of a web browser, you'll need anywhere from 50-150 MB to install and run the program. Your instructor might also have you download and install free media players, such as RealPlayer and QuickTime. Shoot for at least 1 GB on your hard disk.
RAM
64 MB is probably the minimum, 128 MB is better, and 256 MB or higher is preferred.
Web browser
Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox work best with Blackboard. If you are using Windows XP, IE 6 or 7 will work. If you are using Vista with IE 7, the visual text box editor in the Blackboard Discussion Board will not be visible.
To remedy this, disable the visual text box editor by going to Tools – Personal Information – Set Visual Text Box Editor Options – Unavailable – Submit. This will disable the visual text box editor and give you access to the default editor, which should work. Alternatively, you can use Firefox. If you are a Mac user, you should use Firefox.
For Windows users, it is best that you have both browsers installed on your computer because if something doesn't work in one browser, it should work in the other.
Blackboard requires that cookies be enabled in your browser. Cookies are small text files that are stored in your computer and contains information from web sites, such as your preferences when visiting those sites. To enable cookies in Internet Explorer:
- From the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
- Click the Privacy tab.
- Move the slider to Medium, and click OK.
To enable cookies in Firefox:
- From the Tools menu, click Options.
- Click Privacy.
- Check the box next to Accept cookies from sites, and click OK.
Also, make sure your browser updates properly.
Internet Explorer:
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From the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
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Click the General tab.
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Under Browsing history, click Settings.
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Under Check for newer versions of stored pages, select Every time I visit the webpage, and click OK.
Plugins
In order to view certain multimedia elements and documents on the Web, you need specific plugins. Your instructor will tell you exactly which plugins you need for your course. The most popular are Windows Media, QuickTime, RealPlayer, Flash, Shockwave, and Acrobat Reader, and they are all freely downloadable.
Note: If you do not have a particular plugin, Internet Explorer or Firefox may ask you to install it. Internet Explorer displays a yellow bar across the top of the window with instructions, and Firefox displays a similar message. Following the instructions will usually install the plugin sucessfully.
- Get Windows Media Player (Test Movie - 27 seconds)
- Get the QuickTime player (Test Movie - 6 seconds)
- Get RealPlayer. Look for the free player, not a free trial version. The free player is hard to find, but it's there. (Test here)
- Get Flash player (Test here)
- Get Shockwave Player (Test here)
- Get Acrobat Reader (Test PDF)
Internet Service Provider
It doesn't matter which ISP you use; just make sure it's reliable. If you use AOL, minimize it after launching, then open Internet Explorer to use Blackboard.
Modem speed
Blackboard works fine at 56k, but a cable modem or DSL is preferred in order to get the best experience with multimedia content.
Multimedia
High-speed CD-ROM drive (24x or better) or DVD-ROM drive with speakers. If you have a Mac, your speakers are built in.
Software
It's always best to have a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word, on your computer. This way, prior to submitting assignments, you can check work for spelling and grammar errors. If your instructor requires you to submit specifically formatted documents either through the Assignments tool in Blackboard or via email, it is suggested that you submit a Word document (.doc) or a Rich Text Format (.rtf) file. By doing so, you are ensuring that your instructor will be able to open your assignment on her computer.
Some online courses, such as many of LPC's Computer Information Systems courses, require specific software like Microsoft Office. This requirement will be detailed in the Schedule of Classes.
If your instructor allows you to submit assignments as web pages, you might need a web-page editor, such as Macromedia Dreamweaver. Netscape Composer is a web-page editor that you can download for free.