Technology

We realize that not everyone’s a computer whiz, but E-Learning doesn’t require you to be a rocket scientist. In fact, E-Learning often makes the learning process easier! You have the freedom to work from your own home at the time of day or night that best suits you. Sit down at your computer and you’re already in the classroom, ready to learn.

What You Will Need:

• A working computer
• Internet
• Video software (Real Media, Windows Media or Tegrity)
• Speakers or headphones

Computers and the software they run are constantly changing. Even though it may not seem like it, these changes are usually made in order to take advantage of advances in computing technology. Utilizing these advances is an important part of the mission of the ITS Infrastructure Department at CU. These advances allow for the delivery of meaningful, relevant, and up-to-date course material by faculty members to students, gives students the ability to generate work and complete research using advanced techniques, and allows staff to support faculty and students as efficiently and cost effectively as possible.

In order to utilize these advances, the ITS Infrastructure office must constantly maintain and upgrade CU’s network and available software packages. This means that it is the student’s responsibility to obtain and maintain a certain base technological level in regards to their own Personal Computer or Apple Computer. In order to make this easier for the student, and allow the ITS Infrastructure Department to maintain proper networking standards, ITS recommends that a student’s computer meet the following minimum criteria:

Personal Computers (PC)

Hardware

• 1.6 GHz Processor with 2 Mb Cache and 400 MHz Data Bus Speed
• A minimum of 128 Mb of 266 MHz DDR SDRAM, 1 Gb recommended (Wikipedia article on what this is and means: DDR SDRAM)
• 30 Gb Internal Hard Drive (4200 RPM minimum)
• An optical drive capable of reading and burning CD’s and CD/RW’s, and reading DVD’s
• “Business” level video and audio capability (This means that as long as your computer can play sound and can display color at 24-bit color levels, you’re ok)
• A Network Interface Card (NIC) that has 10/100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet) connectivity capability (This Wikipedia article may help with understanding data rates: Data Rate Units)
• A Wireless NIC that is 802.11 b/g capable (Wikipedia article on wireless network cards: Wireless Network Cards)
• At least one open Universal Serial Bus (USB) port recommended
• One open VGA (video) port (for connection to a Data Projector) recommended

Software

• Microsoft Windows XP* (Home or Professional) with Service Pack 2 and all subsequent updates installed
• Microsoft Office 2007*, with Word, Excel, and Powerpoint installed
• A contemporary, standards-compliant internet browser (examples include Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 3.0, and Safari 3.1 – Now availabe for PC) with all updates installed (All of these browsers are available for free download)

Apple Computers (Mac)

Apple products and operating systems are designed together to work together, and while the operating system may be upgradeable, the hardware usually isn’t. When you buy an Apple product, you buy both.

Hardware

Minimum technology standards can be found in the Apple iBook G4 series computers (specs for this series can be found on the c|net site here: Apple iBook series Computers) All of the minimum hardware technology standards the the PC needs to meet can be found and met using this Apple series of products.

Software

Software can be upgraded on an Apple product, so these are the minimum specs that need to be met:

• OS X operating system (All versions)
• Microsoft Office 2004* Productivity Suite, with Word, Excel and Powerpoint installed
• A contemporary, standards-compliant internet browser (examples include Firefox 3.0, and Safari) with all updates installed (These browsers are available for free download)

Miscellaneous Items

These items are definitely not required, but can be extremely useful:

• A Flash Memory stick (“jump drive”, “thumb drive”, “flash drive”) at least 512mb in size
• A small spindle of blank writable CD’s (10-15 CD’s available on the spindle)
• A Mini-DV tape (This is a mini digital video tape)
• A 6′ Category 5, 5e, or 6 ethernet cable (See Wikipedia: Cat5/5e and Cat6 articles for cable information)

Concordia-Provided Software

Any software market with an * can be obtained free from the Concordia ITS department provided that you are either a) a currently enrolled student paying a technology fee as part of your tuition, or b) a currently employed faculty or staff member.

Windows XP and Office 2007 for students can be obtained by filling out a media request form located here. (You may be required to log into the CU intranet using your network username and password before accessing this software.)

Faculty and staff members are not eligible for Windows XP for home use, according to Concordia’s licensing agreement with Microsoft. However, you can obtain a copy of Office 2007 by going through the knowledgebase article on Office 2007 located here: Office 2007 Overview. (You may be required to log into the CU intranet using your network username and password before accessing this software.)

CU’s Sophos Antivirus client can be obtained Installing Sophos Antivirus. (You may be required to log into the CU intranet using your network username and password before accessing this software.) Make sure you follow the instructions for download and installation located in the knowledgebase article in order to have the Sophos antivirus client install and update correctly.