RODP Orientation - Technical Skills Assessment






Online learning requires certain skills, behavior, study habits, computer equipment, and discipline in order to be successful. Therefore, students enrolled in online courses through RODP/ROCE are encouraged to complete an Online Mastery Test each semester and e-mail the Proof of Completion to all their online instructors using the WebCT e-mail attachment in each class.

Assessing Your Equipment / Computer	Computer Skills for Online Learning
Assessing Your Computer Skills	Technical Services

Are you ready technologically?
Assessing your Equipment

Answer the following questions honestly to determine if you have adequate computer hardware and software to successfully take an online course. Respond YES or NO to each question.

I have Internet Explorer 5.0 or later or Netscape 4.x or later on my computer. For other approved browsers contact the Technical Help Desk (866-550-7637).
Yes No

I have a current word processing program on my computer (MS Word recommended).
Yes No

My Internet access is via a 56K modem or better.
Yes No

I have either of the following systems:

- A Pentium II class PC with Windows 98, 2000, or XP -800 MHz or greater - 64 MB of RAM or more - Sound Card & Speakers	Yes No
- A Power Mac or better with MacOs 9 or later -800 MHz or greater - 64 MB of RAM or more - Speakers	Yes No

If you answered YES to all of these questions, you most likely have the technical requirements to take an online course. NOTE: Individual courses may also have technical requirements, check with the instructor prior to the first class meeting.
If you answered NO to any of these questions, you may lack the technical requirements to take an online course. Therefore, to be successful you will need to upgrade or obtain the recommended equipment.

Are you ready as a Computer User?
Assessing your Computer Skills

Answer the following questions honestly to determine if online learning is a good match for your current level of computer skills. Respond YES or NO to each question.

I have frequent access to a computer and to the internet (both must be true).
Yes No

I can perform the following computer tasks:

Turn my computer on, off, and reboot	Yes No
Comfortably use a mouse	Yes No
Create folders on the desktop and organize files	Yes No
Find lost files on my hard drive	Yes No
Create a new word processing document	Yes No
Open, spell check and save a word processing document	Yes No
Save files to the desktop	Yes No

I can perform or am aware of the following Internet skills:

Use a URL (Universal Resource Locator) or web address	Yes No
Use the Refresher Reload button on my browser	Yes No
Create and use bookmarks or favorites	Yes No
Search the web using a search engine	Yes No
Download and install programs or plugins	Yes No
Send and receive e-mail	Yes No
Attach a file to an outgoing e-mail message	Yes No

I currently have an email address.
Yes No
I can download documents, images or other files from the Internet.
Yes No
I can participate in an online chat, listserv or bulletin board discussion.
Yes No

If you answered YES to most of these questions, it is a good sign that you have the computer skills needed to succeed in an online course.
If you answered NO to most of these questions, its possible that taking a fully online course may not be your best option. You may wish to try online learning in a web-enhanced course or taking an online course after developing the computer skills mentioned in the questions above.

Information and questions provided by Armstrong Atlantic State University, 2005.

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