Requirements

Minimum Technology requirements

These are the minimum technology requirements you must meet to take online courses:

• Internet Access. All Online courses require a reliable Internet connection. You are responsible for setting up your own connection to the Internet. There are many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) available across Wisconsin. Click here to search for ISPs near you. UW Colleges Online strongly recommends using a broadband connection of 384 Kbps or higher due to the rich media content in most online courses.
• Hardware and Software. Make sure you meet the minimal requirements for taking UW Colleges Online courses. Please perform a System Check on your computer for compatibility with the various software used in Online courses.

  Supported Operating Systems

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP / Vista
  • Apple Macintosh OS X 10.4 or higher

  Supported browsers for Desire2Learn (D2L)

  • Windows: Internet Explorer 6 and 7
  • Windows/Mac OS X: Firefox 2.0
  • Mac OS X: Safari 1.3 or 2.0

  Software required for all UW Colleges Online courses

  • Microsoft Office Suite 2007 (Microsoft Works is NOT supported)
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0 or above
  • RealPlayer 10 or above or Real Alternative
  • Adobe Flash Player
  • Apple Quicktime Player
  • Windows Media Player

  Microsoft products and other popular software are available to UW Colleges students at discounted prices from the Wisconsin Integrated Software Catalog (WISC). You will need your Campus (ISO) ID number to use this website. You can obtain your Campus (ISO) ID number from the University of Wisconsin Colleges Student Account Management System at https://selfservice.uwc.edu.

• A note about pop-up blockers: If you use a pop-up blocker in your browser, such as the ones included with Internet Explorer or the Google toolbar, please ensure that you allow pop-up windows for the following sites: http://online.uwc.edu, http://d2l.uwc.edu and https://helpdesk.uwc.edu. For directions on how to disable pop-up blockers click here.
• Course Requirements. Ensure that you meet the technology requirements specific to your course. Find out what is required by reading the Course Description for that class.

About Viruses

A computer virus is a small program that attaches itself to e-mails, images, documents, and other programs. When an infected file is opened or executed, the computer virus is activated. Computer viruses can send themselves to people in your e-mail address book, collect and send personal information, damage files and programs on your computer, or completely erase your hard drive.

As more and more people use the Internet, the likelihood that a computer virus will infect your computer increases. If you don't already have one, we strongly advise you to acquire an anti-virus program. You can download the Symantec Antivirus Client for MS Windows here [log in required].

If you have an anti-virus program installed, it is very important to update the virus definitions frequently in order to provide yourself with the best protection available.