BY ULRICH BOSER
Will Bryant and Al Williams graduated from the same online M.B.A. program at the University of Baltimore last January. Bryant, 41, a finance director at Johns Hopkins University who lives in the city, used a fairly basic Dell desktop computer with a Pentium II processor but says he couldn't have managed the almost daily correspondence without his high-speed, 128-plus-kilobytes- per-second cable modem. Williams, 39, had no trouble using a slower 56-kbps dial-up modem. What made it possible for him to do the class work, he says, was his Pentium III Dell Latitude laptop; he travels extensively in his job as chief information officer at MRO Software.
Bryant's and Williams's experience demonstrates that the equipment you need to take an online course depends as much on who you are as on the type of class you take. Universities typically impose minimum requirements based on the extent of their multimedia applications–the University of Baltimore, which does not use many video or audio clips, asks students to have at least a 28.8-kbps modem. But most experts say that any Internet-ready PC that is less than five years old will suffice for most text-based classes. High-speed Internet access becomes a necessity for students like Bryant who get restless during downloads and for anyone enrolling in the growing number of multimedia-heavy Web courses.
See the site. Most schools list the basic necessities for taking their courses on the Web. At the site for Indiana Wesleyan University's online M.B.A. program, for instance, you'll find that like many schools that use some video applications, the university recommends high-speed Internet access, a Pentium processor, and the most up-to-date Internet browser, although dial- up modems and even 166-MHz processors are acceptable. Most programs run on both PC and Apple computers. Although few schools mandate a laptop, some suggest them for students who travel often. Brigham Young University offers an American government course to high school students that doesn't even require a computer: The work can be completed using a personal digital assistant such as a Palm organizer and a wireless modem.
Having the right equipment isn't enough to guarantee a good experience, though, notes Bob Norden, director of Colorado Community College Online. You have to come to class knowing how to use it. That means already being prepared to search the Web effectively, attach a Word file to an E-mail, and view an Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) file. If you don't have a copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader software that allows you to view PDF files, you will want to download it, free of charge, at www.adobe.com. "If a word is blue and underlined and you don't know it's a hyperlink, you are going to be lost from the beginning," says Tim Wiederaenders, 34, a news director at the Daily Courier in Prescott, Ariz., and an online graduate student in educational leadership at Northern Arizona University.
Because of the danger of running afoul of Murphy's Law, you should also know how to avert–or handle–a crisis. So before enrolling in a Roman history or calculus Web class, figure out how to restart your computer, load software, and create back-up files in case the system crashes. And since some technical issues will undoubtedly be over your head, look for schools that back you up by manning their computer help desks well into the night with computer professionals rather than students.
Courses that feature video and even live lectures require the right kind of software. Most new computers, including the latest inexpensive $800 desktops, come with multimedia applications installed. Students with older technology might want to visit Real.com and Quicktime.com both of which offer free video players. Check with the school first, however, since some universities require other software programs like Shockwave Player, an animation program. As high-speed Internet access becomes the norm over the next few years, as many predict, so will classes that use streaming video, which allows students to attend professors' lectures in real time from home. To enroll, students will need direct, broadband Internet access through cable or digital subscriber lines, which now runs $50 or more a month.
Finally, you might think about buying a high-quality printer if you don't have one. Even Bill Gates prints out anything longer than three pages, if he really wants to read it.
