What will you need to take online courses in the program? The short answer is: a current generation computer and operating system (4 year old or less), a Web browser that has been certified to work with Blackboard 7.3 and a high-speed Internet connection.

For a checklist of technical requirements for your computer, click HERE.

For more details, see the specific information below. Or to print a copy, click HERE.

* All browsers do not work with all operating systems. To avoid problems, use an operating system and browser combination that has been certified by Blackboard to work with Blackboard 7.3. See the table below. In general, Internet Explorer and Firefox work better with Blackboard than Netscape or Safari.

Software Requirements Blackboard 7.3

• Adobe Reader
• Java
• Flash
• Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007 for Windows
• Microsoft Office 2004 or 2008 for Macintosh
• McAfee for Windows (or an equivalent anti-virus application)
• Virex for Macintosh (or an equivalent anti-virus application)

Note: McAfee for Windows and Virex for Macintosh are free to Ohio University students. MS Office 2007 for Windows or MS Office 2008 may be purchased at substantial discounts.

http://www.ohio.edu/software/index.cfm

Internet Connection Speed

You will need a high-speed Internet connection (also known as a broadband connection). The FCC defines broadband service as data transmission speeds exceeding 200 kilobits per second (Kbps), or 200,000 bits per second, in at least one direction: downstream (from the Internet to the user’s computer) or upstream (from the user’s computer to the Internet).

• Minimum Internet Connection Speed: 200 Kbps
• Recommended Internet Connection Speed: 384 Kbps or higher
• To determine the speed of your Internet connection, go to: http://www.pcpitstop.com/internet/bw.asp

If your Internet connection speed is less than the minimum of 200 Kbps, you will still be able to use Blackboard. However, downloading or uploading assignments may take a long time. Additionally, video and audio playback will be very choppy.

Supported Operating System and Browser Combinations Blackboard 7.3

Source: http://kb.blackboard.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=25368490

Mozilla® Firefox and Netscape® Navigator Web Browsers

Apple® Safari® Web Browsers