Technology Requirements

Online and blended classes at Washington State Community College are delivered using the Sakai CLE learning management system. Sakai is a web-based system that allows instructors and students to create course web sites for teaching, learning, and collaboration/communication. Sakai requires the following operating systems and web browsers:

Microsoft Windows XP or Vista with Internet Explorer 5.5 and newer official releases or Mozilla Firefox 1.5 and newer official releases.

Macintosh OS X (10.x.x) with Safari 2.x and newer official releases or Mozilla Firefox 1.5 and newer official releases.

Linux with Mozilla Firefox 1.5 and newer official releases.

Useful Software & Utilities

Most online class content can be viewed using your web browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox). Instructors sometime put content that may require special software utilities to read or view. This may include textual material and multimedia (graphics, audio, video, animation). Below is a list of some useful tools and utilities that you can download and install on your computer to help you open and view certain file format. Moreover, the list includes some free open-source software that can be an alternative to commercial software packages:

Adobe Acrobat Reader: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF documents. Many instructors deliver documents (including course syllabus and course outline) in PDF format. [Download]

Flash Player: Adobe Flash Player may be needed to view embedded video, audio, or other multimedia content. [Download]

Java (Sun): Java Runtime Environment is needed if a web site is using Java applets to visualize or simulate certain concepts. To test if your computer already has Java Runtime installed, click HERE and check if you can see/use the simulation.