To allow students and instructors to take full advantage of Blackboard/Live Classroom functionality, UMKC Instructional Technologies strongly advises that computers meet the minimum standards listed below. Users whose computers fail to meet one or more standards may still be able to use most tools; however, some advanced features may not be accessible.

 Hardware 

• Memory: 512 Mb of RAM or more
• Free disk space on hard drive:  1 Gb or more
• Processor speed:  1.7 GHz or faster
• Monitor: 800 X 600 resolution or greater
• Soundcard, microphone, headset/speakers, and video camera may be required for students enrolled in courses using videoconferencing or virtual classroom technology.

Supported Operating Systems

• PC: Windows XP, or Vista (install all patches and updates)
• Macintosh: MacOS 10.3 or higher

 Internet Connection

• A high-speed internet connection is strongly recommended. Broadband access is required for instructors presenting content via Wimba Live Classroom and may be required for students enrolled in courses using videoconferencing or virtual classroom technology.

Browser 

• PC:
  • Firefox: 1.0.xxx or higher
  • Internet Explorer: 6.0 or higher (install all patches and updates)
  • Netscape: Netscape Navigator 7.1 or higher
     
• Mac:
  • Safari: 1.2 or higher. For users with Intel-based Macintoshes, Safari is currently the only browser supported for Wimba Live Classroom. Safari users are advised to disable the Visual Text Editor in their Blackboard preferences in order to avoid problems with tests and discussion boards. To do this, go to My UMKC Bb tab > Tools > Personal Information > Set Visual Text Box Editor Options and set the VTE as unavailable.)
  • Firefox: 1.0.xxx or higher
  • Netscape Navigator: 7.1 or higher.
  • Internet Explorer: 5.2 or higher

For fullest functionality, recommended settings are: (1) Browser set to accept all cookies; (2) Browser security level set at Medium; (3) Browser set to enable JavaScript; (4) Browser set to enable Java; (5) Firewall set to permit full access to websites in the umkc.edu domain.

 Other Software 

• Microsoft Office 2000 (or later.) For Office 2000, XP, and 2003 users, we advise installation of the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack. The Compatibility Pack allows you to open files saved with Office Vista and to save files in a Vista-compatible format.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download)
• Up-to-date anti-virus software (free download for UMKC students)

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