Student Tech

Your students may not all have the technology or high-speed Internet at home to stay as actively engaged in the course as you might anticipate or like. It is important to be flexible within reason. If your students have IT issues accessing the course, if you are using Blackboard, make sure you give them the appropriate contact information.

FYI:

• Browser: Latest version of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox (AVOID SAFARI when interfacing with Bb).
• For operating system: minimum of Windows 7 or Mac OS X v10.12 ("Sierra"). Computer should meet the minimum hardware requirement for its operating system (see website for Apple or Windows for info).
• For reliable audio-visual sharing: a consistent Internet upload speed of at least 2Mbps. You can check your connection on speedtest.net.
• Processor: 2.0 GHZ or better.
• Memory: 2GB or better.
• External or built-in webcam/microphone/speakers/mouse.

It's a good idea to gauge student internet/bandwidth access in order to anticipate possible assignment difficulties down the road. This could be as simple as an email to your class asking students who have poor or inconsistent bandwidth access to contact you or as complex as a Google Form survey about specific technologies. If you want to survey your students, make sure you do so early in the semester, ideally the first week of class.

Remember FLEXIBILITY is key