Students completing an online course or program require enthusiasm, dedication and drive. Online learning provides greater access and flexibility in terms of how, when and where you study.

Online courses are not self-paced. Instructors will post deadlines for submission of work and expect students to keep up on readings and other work required to successfully complete the course. The online format is just at rigorous as on-campus formats and this requires students to be self-disciplined and organized.

Students must also consider the technical requirements needed to fully participate in an online course. Below are minimum requirements however, in some cases, units have technology requirements that differ from those outlined below. Students will hear directly from those units where requirements differ. Any additional hardware or software requirements beyond these minimums for a specific online course will also be included in our course listings. In the majority of circumstances, the standards outlined below are sufficient for studying in Memorial's online teaching and learning environment. 

Note: If you are completing a course through Remote Instruction for the Fall 2021 semester, there may be additional requirements. Please refer to your course syllabus or contact your instructor for more information.

Requirements

Experience

• Basic level of comfort using a personal computer (file management, word processing, and printing)
• Experience using modern web browsers such as Edge, Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome

Computer

While much of the course can be completed using a recent mobile device, it is recommended that you have access to a desktop computer or laptop with the following specifications:

• Modern PC or Mac or Chromebook
• A recent (and actively supported) operating system that can run modern web tools (ie: Windows 10, macOS 10.13+ , ChromeOS)
• Free hard drive space to adequately run software and work on course files
• Speakers or headset for listening to audio/video or participating in synchronous sessions
• Microphone and webcam (headset with microphone preferred) for participating in synchronous sessions

Display

• Full color monitor running at 1024x768 resolution or higher

Web Browser

• Latest version of Edge, Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome
• Javascript and Cookies support
• Complete the Browser Check to see if you support the minimum requirements for Brightspace
• Complete the Cisco Network Test to see if your computing environment supports the minimum requirements for Webex

Mobile Devices

• Android 5 or higher
• The latest iOS release point release greater than 9. (For example: 9.3.5 or 10.3.2)
• Windows 10

Internet Connection

• Regular access to high speed internet (e.g. DSL, Cable, Fibre) with an upload and download speed of at least 3Mbps

Additional Specific Requirements

Each online course will use a variety of tools and services, which could require additional technical requirements. Some of these technologies and requirements are noted below.

Online Rooms

Some courses may have optional or required synchronous components. The following additional system requirements are needed for use of the Online Rooms tool:

• Computer: PC, Mac (Desktop or laptop)
• Mobile: iPad, iPhone or Android
• Web Browser: Most recent version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox
• Bandwidth: 1 Mbps download and upload speed (wired connection recommended)
• Network Ports:
• TCP: 80, 443
• UDP*: 16384-65535 (UDP outbound communication not required, but will improve performance)

Online Proctoring

Instructors of online courses have the option of using online proctoring as part of their assessment strategy. If you avail of this service, you will need to meet these additional requirements.

• Windows or Mac computer
• Windows 10 or macOS 10.13 or higher
• Download speed of 1.5 Mbps
• Upload speed of 1 Mbps
• Webcam and Microphone
• Google Chrome (preferred) or Mozilla Firefox
• ProctorU browser extensions. These can be found here.
• Following open ports (UDP and TCP): 1935, 843, 80, 443, 61613

Once you have your ProctorU account, you can test your system here.

If you are still unsure if you have all of the necessary hardware or software, please feel free to contact our Support Centre.