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Technical Requirements


Technical Equipment Information

In order to participate in a distance education program or course, you are required to have a desktop or laptop computer, and you should be familiar with its basic operation.  Your computer will be the primary conduit for information exchange and communication for your online courses, and the primary tool with which you will perform your academic tasks.  The reliability and performance of your computer will be a significant factor in the quality of your distance education experience and will contribute to the success of your efforts. 

Your computer must be reliable.  Either a PC or a Mac will work well.  If you have an older computer, or if your computer is experiencing operating problems and you cannot have it repaired to a reliable level of operability, we strongly encourage you to purchase a new computer.  Also, with a new computer, we recommend that you purchase a warranty for the duration of your academic program; and one which will provide either immediate technical assistance or a replacement computer while yours is being repaired.

 

You will also need a headset (computers headphones with attached microphone).  In many of our online courses, you will view videos or presentation online, and headphones are a convenient way to listen.  Many of our courses also have synchronous, virtual classroom sessions in which you will interact with your instructor and classmates in real time.  A computer headset with attached microphone is the best way to do this.  Even the most inexpensive set will be sufficient and you can get them at almost any electronics store or electronics department or online retailer.

Software

Beginning Fall 2011, all enrolled students are eligible for free Microsoft products!  Products can be instantly downloaded or CD/DVD media can be ordered (students pay shipping).  For more information: https://www.ecu.edu/cs-itcs/officeDistribution/index.cfm

E-Mail

As a student you will have an ECU email account.  All official communication with your instructor will be performed using your ECU email account.  You will be required to learn how to use the ECU email system. For more information on ECU student email: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-itcs/email/outlooklive.cfm

Web Browser

You should have both Internet Explorer (IE) and Mozilla Firefox as browsers on your computer.  At times, when the university updates certain DE tools such as Blackboard or Centra, there might initially be an issue with the new version of the application working with one or the other of the browsers.  It's a good idea to have both, so that if one doesn't work, you can switch to the other.  For Mac users, you should have both Safari and Firefox.

Additional Information on Technology at ECU

For more information related to computing resources at ECU, this link will take you to an excellent resource site: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-itcs/welcome/NewStudentResources.cfm