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Computer Requirements

As a part of your enrollment in School of Biomedical Informatics courses you are agreeing to meet and exceed the following Minimum Technical Requirements outlined by SBMI for all School of Biomedical Informatics students. Your computer must meet the Minimum Technical Requirements listed below so that you can complete all required coursework.

To ensure a better online learning experience, we recommend that your computer and internet connection exceed the Minimum Technical Requirements and match the following Recommended Technical Specifications.

Mobile operating systems such as iOS, Android and Chrome OS are NOT approved for grade generating course activities including assignments and exams. You may use the Canvas IOS and Android apps for accessing SBMI online courses for browsing / reading course materials.

Minimum required Recommended
Internet Connection: Cable or DSL (at least 3 megabit download / 512 kilobit upload) Higher upload speed recommended if course requires large file upload (e.g. uploading video to Panopto)
Operating System:
  • Windows 10
  • Mac OS 10.11+
  • Linux Ubuntu 12.04+, Debian 7++, OpenSuSE 12.2++, or Fedora Linux 17
Current / latest
Computer Processor: Intel Core i5 CPU or equivalent Current / latest
Computer Memory: 8 GB 16 GB or more
Hard Drive Capacity: 256 GB 512 GB or more
Screen Resolution: 13 or larger w/ a resolution of 1980x1080 pixels or higher Higher screen resolution and/or larger display is recommended if running graphic intensive programs

Other Hardware and Software Requirements

Webcam and microphone You will need a webcam with at least a 720p resolution and a microphone. Laptops may already come equipped with a webcam and their built-in microphone is preferable. If you use a desktop computer you may need to purchase an external webcam. Do not use noise-cancelling headsets during proctored assessments.

Proxy servers or VPN cannot be used during proctored assessments. Students' real IP address and physical location need to be identified by the proctoring software. VPN, proxy servers, or any identity concealing services can not be used during a proctored assessment. 

  • Synchronous Online Learning
    You will need to be able to hear and talk in order to participate in course activities using virtual environments (e.g. SecondLife, Avaya) or synchronous online learning (e.g. GoToMeeting). These technologies are commonly used in online courses. A USB headset with a microphone is recommended. 
  • Browser Information
    Our courses require use of a Web browser. We highly recommend Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. You may use the latest version of:

Mozilla Firefox recommended
Google Chrome recommended
Internet Explorer 
Safari 

Make sure your browser is set to the following preferences:

- Cookies accepted and enabled
- JavaScript enabled
- Style sheets enabled
- Pop-up blockers disabled

Note that these are the default settings in most browsers, so if you have not changed these settings before, then the browser should be set to have cookies, JavaScript, and style sheets enabled. Consult the help file in your browser to adjust these settings.

  • Plug-Ins
    You will need the following plugins to benefit from all of our courses’ interactive features 

Flash Player
Get Adobe Flash Player

Shockwave Player
get.adobe.com/shockwave/

Flip4Mac
To play wmv files on a Mac
Download here

MS Silverlight
To play multimedia content
Download here

Java
Download Java here

Adobe Acrobat Reader
To access some files in the course, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader.
get.adobe.com/reader/