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Technical Requirements

Michigan Tech Online Learning uses Blackboard Learning Management System to manage your course content, and various delivery technologies to let you hear/view the lectures. To ensure that you will be able to successfully access the course content, check that your computer meets the hardware and software requirements listed below and view the sample video stream.

Michigan Tech Email

How to use Michigan Tech email

Blackboard Learning Management Sysytem (formerly WebCT)

After you register for a course, you will be assigned a university email address, user name, and password that will allow you access to all course materials (lectures notes, homework assignments, grade information, streaming video files, email chat, etc.) posted on Blackboard. You can use any browser to get to Blackboard/@mtu.

• Log onto Blackboard
• Informationabout Blackboard

Streaming Media (RealPlayer)

Many course lectures are currently delivered in the Real streaming video format. Free player applications for viewing the streams are available for all major computer operating systems: you will need to have either the RealOne (v9) player or RealPlayer 10 installed on your computer.

To test your computer for proper configuration click on the link below. Your machine should connect and play the sample lecture with the RealPlayer application.

Click here for sample RealPlayer video file.

iTunes U

Michigan Tech is an iTunes U member university. MTU on iTunes U is a free service hosted by Apple that distributes, educational audio and video content for students at Michigan Tech using the Apple's iTunes Store infrastructure. Users can download, or subscribe to course content and listen to or view it on their computer, iPod, or other MP3 player. To use this service you must have the free iTunes software installed on you Mac or PC computer.

Click here to download iTunes.

Mediasite

Some online courses are delivered with Sonic Foundry's Mediasite rich-media delivery system. The systems allows for the synchronous streaming delivery of audio, video, and computer image sources to the viewers computer on demand.

Live videoconferencing and Marratech

H.320 and H.323 videoconferencing technology may also be used in some courses to provide live interaction between students and faculty. Marratech is an Internet collaboration solution for virtual and emeetings.

You are also required to have a high-speed internet connection (cable modem/DSL).

Minimum computer system requirements

CPU	350 Mhz Pentium III processor or greater (Windows) G3, G4, G5 (Macintosh)
RAM	128 MB (256 MB recommended)
Operating System	Windows 98 SE, ME, NT 4.0 (w/SP6), Windows 2000 (w/SP2), XP Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later
Internet	Cable Modem, DSL, LAN
Hard Disk Space	4 Gb or greater
Sound Card	Sound card and speakers
Monitor and Video Card	800 by 600 or higher screen size
Web Browser (free)	Windows: Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher download Netscape Navigator 7.x download Firefox download
	Mac: Safari download Firefox download
Real Media (free)	RealOne Player (v9) or RealPlayer 10 or higher download
Mediasite (free)	Windows Media Player (series 9 or higher) download Note for Mediasite and Macs: Intel Macs need to open browser using Rosetta. Control-click browser in Applications folder. Select "Get Info" and click on "Open using Rosetta." Click here for more information.
Acrobat Reader (free)	Version 6.0 or higher download