Online Teaching

Minimum Technology Requirements for Instructors & Students

 

What you need to succeed

Online teaching and learning at Dal requires access to a computer or laptop and internet. Below are the minimum requirements needed to teach and learn online at Dal.

Windows

OS

Windows 10
RAM 8 GB
CPU Core i5
Storage 256GB (SSD Recommended)
Internet Speed 1Mbps upload, 5Mbps download of available bandwidth for group video calling. Faster would be even better for large video/lecture uploads
Web Browser

Firefox/Chrome
Resolution

1024x768
Accessories

Webcam and microphone if not built-in. Instructors only: Moderate quality external microphone as many Windows built-in microphones are lower quality.

Mac

OS Mac OS X 10.15 or higher
RAM 8 GB
CPU Core i5
Storage 256GB (SSD Recommended)
Internet Speed 1Mbps upload, 5Mbps download of available bandwidth for group video calling. Faster would be even better for large video/lecture uploads.
Web Browser Firefox/Chrome - Safari in certain cases (VPN)
Resolution 1024x768
Accessories Webcam/Microphone if not built-in


Additional Selected Software System Requirements

Note: Some software on the software download page is only available on Windows. If a Mac is going to use Bootcamp or Virtualization to run Windows, better specifications are recommended.

Bootcamp – 512GB storage
VM – 16GB RAM, 512GB storage

Aside from running Windows in a Mac environment, some software would benefit from having a better CPU or more RAM, or even a discrete GPU -- SolidWorks, for example.