Technology Requirements
A Computer & Broadband Connection
Students will need a computer, preferably with broadband access to access course materials. NNU recommends that a minimum computer configuration of a Pentium-III 500 MHz with 64 MB of RAM, a 256-color display card with 8Mb Ram, a 56K modem, and Windows 2000, XP, or Vista.
While this minimum configuration will enable students to participate in online courses, faster computers, increased computer memory capacity, and faster Internet connections are optimal. It is preferable for students to use a Pentium III 500 MHz computer with at least 128 MB of RAM.
An Internet Service Provider
NNU's online courses require students to connect regularly to the Internet to view course content, email, and to download materials provided. In order to connect to the Internet students must have an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Fortunately, many options are available to most people today, with a wide variety of costs -- including some with free access. Students must ensure that their ISP will permit them to access NNU's system without filtering our sites or our online discussion group server. Our experience has found AOL to be among the least reliable ISPs for accessing our systems. If possible, NNU strongly recommends that students invest in a broadband connection or a cable modem during the span of their online studies.
An Internet Browser
In order to navigate the Internet, students will need an Internet browser. NNU recommends Mozilla Firefox.
- Please note that Java Scripting, Active X, and Cookies must be enabled
- For Windows users, the following are recommended:
- Firefox 3.0.X
- Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
- Please note that Safari is not supported
- For Mac users, the following are recommended:
- Firefox 3.0.X
- Internet Explorer 5.2 only
- Safari 1.0 only on OS 10.2, 1.1 or above on OS 10.3
- Java plugin 1.4.1 or above
While most course communication is done within Blackboard, NNU's online course management platform, additional communication is done through email. While students likely have other email accounts, they are assigned an NNU email account, which they are expected to check on a daily basis for communication with other students, professors, or other campus sectors.
Microsoft Word & PowerPoint
In order to read files that are frequently included in courses, students will need to view some documents created with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Often, these products are pre-installed when computers are purchased. Students who do not desire to use Word or PowerPoint can download free viewer programs for each application below:
- Viewer for Microsoft Word (.doc extension)
- Viewer for Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt extension)
Educational Discounts are available through NNU's campus bookstore for Microsoft Office Suite, which includes Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Students are encouraged to seek out other competitively priced software from other vendors. to take advantage of educational discounts, students must be fully accepted, have an NNU identification number, and identification card. These are provided by NNU's Graduate Theological Online Education office.
A Word Processor Program
Students will be creating various assignments for online courses that will require a word processor. Given that all of our faculty use Microsoft Word, students are strongly encouraged to use it as well.Students using any other program such as Works or WordPerfect must save their files as Word 2003 (.doc) files before uploading them in Blackboard.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
In order to shorten the download time of some larger files, professors frequently provide some documents in PDF format. These files can only be read by using Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free by clicking here.
Anti-Virus Software
It is essential that students protect themselves and their colleagues from the potential damage that can be done from a computer virus. NNU requires that all online students use anti-virus software regularly while taking classes. NNU recommends that students use either Norton Anti-Virus or MacAfee Anti-Virus software and that students regularly download updated virus lists to keep their system safe from malicious, potentially damaging viruses.