Technical Requirements

We recommend using a standard laptop or desktop computer for online courses.  We do not recommend using tablets and smart phones as a primary station for taking online courses.  While some may work, many mobile devices use apps which may not be able to display or run some online course content and resources.  As a general guideline, a computer three years old or less is best. It should be running at least Windows 10 or Mac OSX.

ATTENTION MAC USERS:  Canvas requires macOS version 10.13 High Sierra or higher.

A high speed connection (Cable, DSL, or satellite) is required.  If you rely on your employer's Internet connection, be aware that firewall restrictions and network policies may exist that prevent you from accessing all or part of your course when using our online tools.

Test your connection by running an internet speed test

We recommend that you install multiple browsers to use as options.  For PC users, we require the Firefox, Google Chrome, or Microsoft Edge, browsers.  (Note: Internet Explorer is no longer supported by Microsoft and is not recommended) For Mac users, we require the Firefox and/or Google Chrome browsers.

Depending on your course and instructor, you may have to purchase software. Contact the instructor for this info, or look at the course description page located on the SBCC course schedule page.  Additionally, many instructors post lecture materials online in various file formats (typically PowerPoint, Word or PDF files). To open these files, you will need the appropriate software or software viewer plug-in.

INSTALL anti-virus software on your computer and keep the virus definitions up-to-date. Hundreds of viruses are discovered monthly, and your software is only as good as the most up-to-date definitions! 

SET UP your anti-virus software to boot automatically when you start up your computer. 

MAINTAIN your anti-virus software by keeping it up-to-date. 

KEEP your anti-virus software running at all times. 

NEVER automatically open attachments in your email. Let your anti-virus software scan them first. Most anti-software settings can be setup to scan incoming files automatically. 

USE CAUTION when downloading files that contain an .exe in the file. Save downloads in one place, and then scan each program before running it. 

DELETE chain emails, and junk mail. These are commonly unsolicited, intrusive mail that may have been passed through unknown sources. 

TURN OFF your computer when you are not using it. Broadband connection which are "always connected" to the Internet, provide an unlimited time for hackers to potentially do damage to your computer. 

BACK UP your important files to an external storage drive on a regular basis. 

USE COMMON SENSE! If you are unsure about where an attachment came from, are unfamiliar with an email that's in your Inbox, or cannot verify the origin of a file, then delete it. It's better to err on the side of caution.