Technical Requirements

Taking an online or blended class involves some technical requirements for the user and the technology.

Hardware & Software

Users who interact with BSU Online must have access to a computer with a stable Internet connection. Other minimum specifications include:

• You should have at least Pentium II processor if using Windows or a G4 processor if using a Mac
• Operating system: Windows XP or Mac OS X
• At least 512 MB of RAM
• CD-ROM drive
• Sound card and set of speakers or headphones

Software requirements include:

• Productivity suite - word processor, spreadsheets and presentation such as Microsoft Office or Google Docs
• Some courses may require the use of PowerPoint and Excel as well as SPSS and other specialized products. Please check with the instructor for specific information.

The University supports Microsoft Word only for documents. If you do not have Word, you can purchase a copy of Microsoft Office at significantly reduced rates through the licensing agreement with eAcademy. NOTE:  If you use Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows or Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, you must save your documents as *.DOC rather than the default *.DOCX. If you use another word processing program, you must save your documents as Rich Text Format (*.RTF).

• An internet browser, such as Internet Explorer 7, Firefox or Safari.

NOTE: AOL's internal browser is not reliable for using BSU Online.

  Plugins

Computers that access BSU Online should have the following plugins installed:

• Adobe Reader
• Flash Player
• QuickTime
• iTunes
• Real Player
• Windows Media Player

  Internet Access

The University provides Internet access through its dorms, labs and offices. When off campus, users must provide their own internet access. Ideally, this access would enable broadband connectivity such as DSL, cable modem or FiOS.

  User Technical Requirements

To successfully manager this course, you should have some basic computer skills. For example, you should be able to:

• Create, save, open and close documents
• Copy and paste text
• Add attachments to emails or discussion board posts
• Download attachments from emails or discussion board posts
• Navigate to designated web pages