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Bluefield State College suggests that all students own (or have access to) a personal computer. A working knowledge of its operations and up-to-date programs also boosts the learning experience and instructional curves throughout the educational programs. This means that you should know how to get your computer to do what you want it to do, when you want it to do it. Certain skills and hardware/software recommendations for taking online courses are provided below as well. It is in the best interest of all students, staff and faculty members to become familiar with your personal computer before classes start. Students have indicated that individual ownership of a personal computer or laptop is preferable. BSC houses many general and specific-use computer labs for use by all students, staff and faculty. As a student, staff or faculty member you have certain resources available for you to purchase discounted software. |
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| Suggested PC Specifications |
Minimum
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Recommended |
| Pentium III Processor 200 MHz or higher |
Pentium IV Processor |
| Windows 2000 or higher |
Windows XP |
| 256 MB of RAM |
512 MB of RAM |
| 20 GB Hard Drive |
40 GB Hard Drive (or higher) |
| 56.6 fax/modem |
56.6 fax/modem |
| Network card |
Network card |
| Color monitor |
Color monitor |
| Mouse |
Mouse |
| Sound card and Speakers |
Sound card and Speakers |
| CD-ROM |
CD-RW |
| Optional (highly recommended): Internal or external Floppy Drive, High-speed Storage Media USB (thumb or flash drive) or other equivalent portable storage media. |
| Please note: the minimum requirements are suggested for individuals that already possess a personal computer. The "Recommended" configurations are meant for guidance in obtaining new equipment compatible with school technology standards. |
| Many college instructional buildings and computer labs have been configured for a WiFi connection, or Wireless Internet. To access the WiFi infrastructure, it is necessary to obtain a Wireless Ethernet Card with a new purchase, which may come pre-packaged in newer laptops. Otherwise, these cards can be obtained at local electronics stores. |
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General-use Computer Labs
| Building |
Room # |
PCs Available |
Hours |
| Dickason Hall |
116, 119 |
40 |
8am - 4pm Monday through Friday |
| Mahood Hall |
308, 310, 311 |
60 total |
8am - 4pm Monday through Friday |
| Ned Shott P.E. Building |
405 |
20 |
8am - 8pm Monday through Thursday
8am - 4pm Friday |
| Ned Shott P.E. Building |
403 |
20 |
8am - 8pm Monday through Thursday
8am - 4pm Friday |
| Basic Science |
108 |
30 |
8am - 4pm Monday through Friday |
| Library |
main |
20 |
8am - 7pm Monday throughThursday
8 - 4
Friday
10 - 2 Saturday
2 - 7 Sunday |
Contact individual labs for applicable holiday hours.
Some labs are scheduled in advance for various classes. These hours vary from semester to semester.
There are also WiFi capabilities throughout the campus for use with personal laptop computers that contain wireless network cards. Click here for a listing of wireless locations on campus.
Special-Use Labs also available on campus. |
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Technology Support
BSC students:
Order Software at JourneyEd or call 1.800.874.9001:
Discounted Student/Staff/Faculty prices
- Microsoft Office 2007- $84.98
- Microsoft Windows Vista Business Upgrade - $79.98
- Adobe Acrobat Professional 8 - Win $159.98
- MS Office Pro Plus 2007 w/Symantec - $109.98
- Antivirus 2007 Bundle - $109.98
- Microsoft OneNote 2007 - $19.98
- PNY 1 GB Flash Drive - $19.98
Thousands of software titles available from vendors such as: Adobe, Macromedia, etc.
Bluefield State College has arranged a purchasing program with DELL computers in order to save you money. Visit WWW.DELL.COM/BLUEFIELDSTATE for more details. See chart below for basic PC guidelines.
Ad-Aware is a program that can monitor PC's to help you stay up-to-date on any new malicious spy-ware or ad-ware bugs hiding in your system. Spy-ware and ad-ware bugs can do great harm to a PC and it is recommended that you take special care to maintain your PC's freedom from such exploits. Ad-Aware SE Personal 1.06 can be downloaded for free from Ad-Aware Resource.
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Requirements for Online Courses ( WebCT/CARTlink )
Print PC requirements for online courses
HARDWARE
To be successful in your online courses, you must have the following:
- Regular access to a computer
- Internet Connection through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) - High-Speed connectivity is highly recommended
- A compatible Internet browser such as
Internet Explorer (4.0 or higher), Netscape Navigator (4.0 or
higher) or Mozilla Firefox (1.0 or higher)
- A word-processor program such as Corel WordPerfect or Microsoft Word or WordPad
SOFTWARE
Most online courses require the use of the following free software:
SKILLS
Technical skills required for taking an online course are present in most students who simply have experience browsing the Internet. Below is a list of a few technical skills that are recommended (if not required) for taking most online courses:
- Experience and fluency with a word
processor such as Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect
- Capacity to:
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- copy and paste information between
documents and/or from program to program
- create a new folder/directory on
your computer
- save files on a disk drive
- locate and open a saved file on
your computer
- download and install software programs
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