FAQs

The technology skills you need vary according to the online course you take. In most cases, you do not need to be a computer "whiz", but you need to know how to send and receive email with attachments, perform word processing skills and utilize a web browser for internet searches.

You do not need to have a computer at home in order to take an online course. Computers in the college computer lab and library have the necessary specifications and software for online courses. All DCTC computers are connected to the internet. It will of course be more convenient for you if you have a computer at home, but it is not required.

Generally speaking, you do not need a new or extremely powerful computer to take an online course. Having good internet access (broadband preferred) and the correct internet browser is more important than having a very expensive or powerful computer. Still, your computer should meet or exceed some very minimal hardware requirements to ensure that you don't experience technical problems wile accessing your course.

Connecting from an ISP or corporate site outside of DCTC should be very similar to connecting from a workstation or computer at DCTC. The differences are in the way the service provider configures their connection to the internet. Some providers "firewall" or block certain ports or activities. You may need to check with them to find out if there are limitations on certain activities or uses. In the case with other universities or corporate locations, they may employ different security measures on their computers as well as on their network. D2L does require certain settings in your web browser that allow it to function in an interactive way. If a location has security measures in place on their workstations (for whatever reason), it may impede or prevent D2L from working well. You will need to talk with the administrators at that site if this is the case and see if they have restrictive settings.

For best results with AOL:

• Connect to the internet using AOL version 4.0 or higher
• Open a private chat within AOL (this allows the AOL client to remain open, without asking if you wish to disconnect while minimized)
• Minimize AOL
• Launch a recommended browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla, Safari)

Yes, if you are using a pop-up blocker on your computer please disable it and then try logging in again.

The college does not provide any software for online courses. Online courses may require you to download Adobe software (Adobe Acrobat). Some courses (Introduction to Computers, Word, Access, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.) may require you to go out and purchase the software if you cannot come into the school and use the computers here and you do not have the appropriate software at home.

Online students are required to have access to a computer with internet capabilities and an internet account through an internet service provider (ISP). Some courses may require special software as part of the course.

If you believe you are having a problem please email the D2L support at DCTC at online@dctc.edu. Make sure to include your full name, your tech id, what course you are trying to access and a description of your problem. You can also check with your course instructor.