VI.3 Technologies required for this course are either provided or easily downloadable.

(Very Important Standard -- 2 points)

Expectations

• 1. If your course uses additional software other than a standard web browser, you should be easy for your students to access. For example, Adobe Acrobat PDFs are a common document format, so if you utilize these, you should direct your students to download the viewer from Adobe's website.

  2. It is recommended that you save office documents as PDFs; however, if you choose not to do so, you will need to make the students aware of what office suite and version you use and that it will be required for them to use as well. Additionally, you may want to direct them to download the free Open Office (http://www.openoffice.org/) as it can open, print, edit, save and create MS Office-compatible documents, except for Microsoft Access.

  3. When utilizing multimedia stick to formats that are widely utilized and cross-platform and cross-browser supported. (see Examples below for a list of recommended media formats)

  4. When using any of these technologies, if they are not built into the students’ browser and/or platform (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, etc.) you will need to provide them with a download link to the appropriate viewer.

  5. If the software is included with your textbook, simply direct the students to installation instructions or include them in your course.

  6. Again, when utilizing technologies in your courses, make sure to keep your students' experiences in mind. A video may work well for a student on campus or one with a high-speed/broadband Internet connection; however, a user with a modem may have difficulties accessing or viewing the video in an acceptable amount of time.

Examples

• • Try to stick to using popular, web-based technologies, such as YouTube, Google Docs, etc.

  • Avoid relying upon Adobe Flash, as it not mobile friendly, and is quickly losing ground to other technologies, such as HTML5.

  • In terms of media formats:

    • audio: stream if possible, or use the MP3 format, as it is the most universally accessible

    • video: streaming is highly recommended, or use the MP4 (MPEG-4) format, as it is the most universally accessible

    • images: acceptable image formats are PNG, GIF, or JPEG; be conscious of image file sizes

    • documents: PDF is the most universally accessible format; consider using Google Docs for the management of your course documents, to ensure accessibility