I.6 Minimum technology requirements, minimum student skills, and, if applicable, prerequisite knowledge in the discipline, are clearly stated.

(Important Standard -- 1 point)

Expectations

• 1. Explanations of technical requirements and skills, and prerequisite knowledge and skills may be found within the course, and/or in supporting material not on the course site. The more places you provide it the better the chance that students will see it.

  2. Providing the technical requirements in advance will cut down on the drops that occur when a students gets into a course and finds that they cannot complete it.

  3. Examples of technology requirements include hardware, software and plug-ins and ISP requirements.

  4. Examples of technology skills may include using email with attachments and saving files in software programs like Word and Excel.

  5. It is important to provide directions for downloading plug-ins and other software that will be used in a course.

Note: if you require your students to use a word processor in your class, it is not always a safe assumption that your students will have the same word processor (e.g. Microsoft Word, Pages, WordPerfect, etc.) as you. Even if all of your students have Microsoft Word, they may have different versions, which can be incompatible. For this reason, it is recommended that you specify exactly what word processor and version you require. If your students do not have a word processor, you can request that they purchase the necessary software, download OpenOffice (http://www.openoffice.org/), which is compatible with most of the features/formatting of Microsoft Word, or use Google Docs, which can be used to create Word-compatible documents. (see also Review Standard VI.3)

Examples

• • Minimum technology requirements can be found in the CDE Online Orientation (http://www.usd.edu/cde/upload/Online-Orientation-Guide.pdf).

  • NOTE: Instructors are encouraged to reference the requirements by providing a general summary of the requirements and then referencing the URL in—not copying the requirements into—your syllabus. You are free to expand upon these requirements to suit any additional needs of your course (certain software, hardware, etc.)

  • It is strongly recommended that you have taken CHEM 101, and received a C or better, prior to taking this course.

  • This course has an established list of minimum technical requirements, which are stated in the CDE Online Student Orientation (http://www.usd.edu/cde/upload/Online-Orientation-Guide.pdf). Additionally, this course requires the use of video conferencing software, for which you will need to purchase a webcam and microphone. These can be obtained from the campus bookstore, or from any retailer selling electronics (Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc.).