Lesson 1.6:
Technological Expectations of Online Classes

Any back-to-school shopping lover knows that buying pens, notebooks, binders, and backpacks gets you back into the swing of school and prepared for the school year. When preparing for an online class, you may need physical tools like notebooks and binders, but you’ll also need to prepare yourself technologically to succeed in your online class.

You will find some general recommendations for getting the right technology to start online classes below. Remember that technological requirements are different from college to college. If you have any questions about the technology needed at your specific college or for a specific class, you should contact your college’s information technology department. 

• You must have daily access to a computer with reliable internet service. 

  • Some students use Mac computers. It is recommended to use the MacOS10.13 operating system or higher for your courses. 

  • Some students use Windows computers. It is recommended to use the Windows 10 operating system or higher for your courses

  • Be sure to update your computer when prompted for best performance during the semester

• A document-creation program like Microsoft Word installed on your computer

  • Most colleges and universities offer a free download of Microsoft 365 which gives you access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

  • You can also use Google Docs to write papers and collaborate on group projects with multiple writers 

• A PDF (Portable Document Format) program such as Adobe Acrobat for reading and annotating PDF documents

• A web browser like Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari that works with your school’s learning management system

• Apps recommended by your college or university, such as:

  • CoVerified, for COVID-19 prevention

  • Navigate, for tracking classes

  • The app version of your learning management system

  • Student Information Systems like such as EAB Navigate or PeopleSoft Navigator,  for registering for classes and clearing holds

  • Outlook or Gmail for accessing student emails

  • Zoom, for online meetings and classes

Computer Skills needed for Online Learning

• Basic document creation program for writing and editing papers, as well as how to copy and paste text

• Ability to properly save and organize files on your computer

• How to open a webpage and access the internet

• Familiarity with using email services such as Outlook or Gmail for your student email. You should be comfortable sending emails, using the CC and BCC function on emails, and attaching files to emails

• Uploading files to your learning management system and downloading files from the internet

• Basic familiarity with creating presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint or Prezi

• Logging onto a meeting in Zoom; scheduling a meeting, sending out Zoom invitations, and starting online meetings with Zoom. 

Part 2: Common Websites Used when Learning Online

Outside of your school’s website, there are several useful websites that you should familiarize yourself with before your first online class

• Your school’s library page. Searching your library’s database for peer-reviewed articles is key for finding evidence to support your claims and peer-reviewed articles

• Chegg.com. Rent or buy textbooks at prices that may be more affordable than your campus bookstore or Amazon. 

• Google Calendar. This is our top recommendation for building a master calendar that holds all due dates for all your courses. It’s easy to color code your classes, set reminders, and set classes as “recurring” so that they show up each week

• Quizlet. For those who love flashcards, Quizlet allows you to make decks of flashcards for different classes. You can also search for pre-made flashcards that other students have made

• Grammarly. Run your paper through Grammarly’s free paper editor to check for word usage, spelling, and grammar errors. Remember that you must approve any edits yourself and that no spell check aid is better than your own careful reading of your paper before submission. When in doubt, try reading your paper out loud to catch any errors!

• Pomodoro. This 25-minute timer helps you work in 25-minute increments of focused work. Focus Time is a similar option that tracks how much time you’ve spent on a certain task

• Evernote. Evernote is a notetaking app that you can use for taking notes during class or for crafting to-do lists. You can also use Microsoft OneNote or open up a Word Document for each class that you take notes in throughout the semester