Public Health Programs

Computer Requirements

The online certificate program will transmit materials to the student in a format that can be processed by the listed software. The student must transmit materials to the instructor or college in a format that can be processed by the listed software. The minimum hardware standard is a computer that will run the listed software with reasonable speed.

Internet access and e-mail address are requirements. All students in the Public Health Certificate program are required to create and use a Gatorlink e-mail address as soon as possible for all college-related activity. This Gatorlink e-mail address must not be forwarded to another e-mail provider.

PC COMPATIBLE COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS
All courses are delivered on WebCT VISTA through the University of Florida. The college uses PC compatible tools to create video presentations and interactive content. WebCT VISTA was designed to function with a PC and may be difficult to use with a Mac. The video lectures are not viewable on a Mac computer as they are created by Digiscript which uses a PC based software that is not compatible with a Mac. Some content is incompatible with the Mac and with PC emulators for the Mac. Some exams will not function on a Mac and must be taken on a PC system. We strongly advise you use a PC computer system versus a Macintosh computer system for these courses.

INTERNET PROVIDER
It is recommened that you conduct your course in Internet Explorer. In addition, this platform does not operate very efficiently within AOL due to AOL's pop-up blocker nature. We suggest that you use another Internet provider to complete your course work. UF can provide you with a Gatorlink Internet provider service, for a fee, that will operate smoothly with WebCT VISTA. For exams you will be required to download a Respondus Lock-Down Browser that will be the only means by which you may access and take some of the exams within your courses online. NOTE TO AOL USERS: If you use America Online (AOL) for Web access, you must first access the Internet with AOL, minimize the AOL browser, and then use one of the preferred browsers noted above. The only compatible AOL browser is version 5.0, with Internet Explorer 5.0 also installed on your computer. Do not use earlier versions of AOL's browser, as you will have difficulty accessing many of WebCT's tools. If you have an older version of AOL, connect through AOL, but then minimuze it and use the other browser.

BROWSER SETTINGS
Don't know what browser you have on your computer? WebCT can help you run a diagnostic on the browser settings on your computer to make sure it is in compliance with the setting required to operate within WebCT correctly. Go to the website http://www.webct.com/tuneup/viewpage?name=tuneup_start and follow the step-by-step instructions. Or you can follow the directions below for each browser setting that WebCT requires.

Pop-up blockers on your computer must be disabled to allow WebCT VISTA to operate correctly.
~If you use Internet Explorer, here is a website to explain how to disable your pop-up blocker: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/web/sp2_popupblocker.mspx
~If you use Netscape, their browser help website can give you more information at http://browser.netscape.com/ns8/help/popups.jsp
~If you use another browser, check out their help sections for browser settings.

To operate within WebCT you must have your browser set to accept "cookies." In order to check your computer for this ability here is a website that explains this process in easy steps for most browsers: http://www.google.com/cookies.html

Your computer must also have current JavaScript. When you log onto WebCT at the http://lss.at.ufl.edu/ site, it has a built in Java checker that will notify you if your version is working or current enough, and where to go to update it.