1. A Computer, Modem and Phone or Broadband Connection
You will need a computer, modem and phone or broadband connection to receive and send class materials. We recommend that your minimum computer configuration be a of a Pentium-III 500 MHz with 64 MB of RAM, a 256-color display card with 8Mb Ram, a 56K modem, with Windows 98, ME, XP, 2000 or XP.
While this minimum configuration will enable you to take classes, the faster the computer, the larger the memory capacity and the faster the connection you have, will always give you better service. If possible we highly recommend that you purchase a computer with Pentium 1 Gig or higher with 128 MB of RAM.
2. An Internet Service Provider
The online classes require students to connect to the Internet to view the course content, and to download notes from the Discussion Board. In order to connect to the Internet you will need an Internet Service Provider (ISP). There are many options available that generally vary in cost from around $20 a month to free. It is your responsibility to be sure you have an ISP you can access and one that will not filter our web sites or discussion group server.
We have found Earthlink or AT&T to be the most reliable. We have also found AOL to be the least reliable for using as an ISP. If possible we recommend that you invest in Broadband connection or a cable modem for the two-year program.
3. An Internet Browser Software Program
In order to navigate in the World Wide Web (Internet) you will need an Internet Browser. We recommend that you use Microsoft Internet Explorer. It is a free program included with Windows. We also recommend that you use version 6.0 or higher. This may be downloaded for free from Microsoft’s web site.
NOTE: Java Scripting, Active X, and Cookies must be enabled
On Windows operating system, the following are recommended:
Internet Explorer -- 6.0 or higher
Netscape -- 4.78 or above
Firefox -- 1.0.x
Safari -- Not supported
On Mac operating system, the following are recommended:
Internet Explorer -- 5.2 only
Netscape -- 4.78 or above
Firefox -- 1.0.x
Safari -- 1.0 only on OS 10.2, 1.1 or above on OS 10.3
Java plugin -- 1.4.1 or above
4. E-mail
A great amount of communication is done through e-mail. You will be given an e-mail account through the NNU system as a student that you will need to check on a daily basis. You may maintain a separate personal e-mail account but you will be expected to check your NNU account regularly for any communication form the on-campus offices. Again, it will be your responsibility to check your account daily.
Please Note: Please be aware that hotmail.com does not deliver all e-mail that is sent to their e-mail accounts. We highly recommend that you do NOT use hotmail.com. Also, you can use AOL for your ISP, but we recommend that you not use AOL for e-mail.
5. Microsoft Word and PowerPoint or the Viewers
In order to read files that are included in your courses, you will need to view some documents created with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel. If you have these products (MS Office 2000 or XP) on your computer, then you are all ready to go! If, however, you do not have them, you can download free viewer programs for each application.
If you need the viewer for Word (.doc extension) get it here.
If you need the viewer for PowerPoint (.ppt extension) get it here.
Educational Discounts are available through our local bookstore if you would like to purchase the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint and FrontPage) and other computer software and supplies. You must be a fully accepted NNU student with an ID # and will be given contact information and order information through the Graduate Theological Online Education link in Blackboard once you are enrolled in Blackboard as a student.
6. A Word Processor Program and FrontPage
You will be creating various assignments for your online classes that will require a Word Processor. You need to use Microsoft Word. You can create your documents in Word, and you can paste them into the message box in the Discussion Board; however, you may lose some formatting.
FrontPage is not a requirement of the program but you can it to type your responses to messages in html format and may lose less formatting in a copy and paste.
Please remember that if you are using any other program such as Works or WordPerfect you must save your files as Word files before sending them to the class. Educational discounts are available as mentioned above for the Microsoft Office Suite through the NNU bookstore at 208-467-8416.
7. Acrobat Reader for Reading PDF Files
In order to shorten the download time of some larger files, some documents will be distributed in PDF format by your instructor. These files can only be read by using Acrobat Reader. Please download free Acrobat Reader. If you have a version earlier than 5.0 you should uninstall it, download, and install version 5.0 or higher.
8. Anti-Virus software
It is essential that each student protect themselves and others from the potential damage that can be done from a computer virus. We require that each online student have an anti-virus software program installed on their computer and actively running while taking classes. NNU recommends that you use either Norton Anti-Virus or MacAfee Anti-Virus software and that students regularly download updated virus lists.