Student LMS Orientation

Technical Requirements and Troubleshooting Suggestions


The specifications listed below are the minimum requirements necessary for accessing and navigating in Moodle. Depending on the use of streaming media, interactive multimedia, or other content in the individual courses, additional hardware/software or browser plug-ins may be required (see below for additional plug-in information).

Device type laptop, desktop
Device operating system Windows 8.1, MacOS (X, 10.9+)
Device memory 2GB
Device hard drive 2GB free space
Screen 13 inch
Keyboard wired, wireless
Connectivity able to connect to the internet via wired or wireless connection
Pointing device mouse, trackpad
Power 3 hours of available power, either connected power in the exam room or battery power to power the device for a minimum of 3 hours
Administrator access able to install third party software on the device

 

Operating System & Network


Windows: Windows Vista or higher and a high-speed Internet connection.

Macintosh: Mac OS X or higher and a high-speed Internet connection.

Note: Depending on the use of streaming media, interactive multimedia, or other content in the individual courses, you might need additional hardware/software or browser plug-ins.

Browsers

Recommended minimum browser:

Google Chrome (recent version) >> Download Here
Mozilla Firefox (recent version) >> Download Here
Safari (recent version) >> Download Here

NOTE: There are known issues using Internet Explorer/Edge to access and navigate in Moodle. It is recommended to use one of the browsers listed above.

How to Configure Common Pop-up Blockers to Work with Moodle


Moodle's secure quiz environment requires that popup blockers allow Moodle to work in a pop-up.

What are pop-ups?

Pop-up windows, or pop-ups, are browser windows that appear automatically without your permission while viewing the web. Typically pop-ups vary in size, but rarely do they cover your whole browser window. They can be intrusive, typically advertising, and in some instances are necessary -- as they are with Moodle's secure quiz environment.

Listed below are some of the most popular pop-up blocking software packages and instructions to enable pop-up blockers to allow Moodle to work. There are dozens of pop-up blocking software packages and we are unable to list each here, but we have chosen the most popular. Generally, most pop-up blockers will install themselves either within the browser toolbar or within the Windows Taskbar along the bottom right corner of your screen.

Depending upon what is installed on your computer, it is possible that you may have more than one pop-up blocker running. You will have to either disable all of your pop-up blockers or configure them to allow Moodle as an exception for Moodle's secure quiz environment to work properly.

Once you have reviewed these instructions and have disabled the pop-up blockers in your system or allowed Moodle as an exception, you should be able to access your quiz.

How do I know if I have pop-up blockers?

Let's first test to see if you have a pop-up blocker installed. Click on this Pop-up test link and you should get 10 pop-up windows. If you don't, you have a pop-up blocker installed.

Wireless Connection Caution!

If you use a wireless Internet connection to submit assignments, participate in discussions, or take tests in Moodle, be aware that your connection may be interrupted by interference from a cell phone, blue-tooth device, cordless telephone, microwave oven, or another Wi-Fi network.

Recommendation

Use a desktop computer that is hardwired to an Internet connection or temporarily hardwire a laptop to a modem with a Category 5 (Cat 5) Ethernet cable to minimize the risk of losing your connection while you are working on assignments or tests in Moodle.



Some Suggestions for Solving Technical Difficulties Before You Call/Write For Help



Determine the scope of the problem. This takes practice, but it will do no good to complain to your instructor if the problem is with your home computer or your Internet Service Provider.

Here are some ways to tell.

  1. If you can't get your computer to work at all or if your computer frequently freezes, but not at times that seem to have anything to do with each other, the problem is probably with your own hardware or Local Area Network. Whoever maintains that network or computer will have to find a solution. Your instructor or other technical contacts might be able to help.

  2. If your computer works, but you can't get online, are frequently bumped offline, or have access problems at a particular time of day, the problem is probably with your Internet Service Provider. Call the provider's technical help resources. If they are non-responsive and your friends have better experiences, strongly consider switching providers.

  3. If you can get online, can visit other Internet sites, but can't get to the course site (or can't get the course site to display correctly), the problem could be many things, but may be a problem with the server that the course is on. Consult the instructor or the technical support staff at the college. They can help you determine if the server is down, if it can't be accessed from certain places, if you forgot a password, or if the problem lies elsewhere.

  4. Try these steps before asking for help:

Write down the solutions to problems you encounter. They'll probably come up again and you may not remember how you fixed them.

Learning to troubleshoot computers is a cumulative process.

    • Save any work if applicable and possible.
    • Write down what programs were open and what you were doing when the error occurred. Write down the exact text of any error messages.
    • Reload (also called "refresh") the web page.
    • Restart the web browser. This may require that you reconnect with your Internet Service Provider.
    • Restart (also called "reboot") the computer.
    • Make a short list of the things you've tried and the specifications of your computer. Call (or email if you can) for help.
    • Inform the instructor of problems or mistakes in the course site such as broken links. He or she can't fix the problems if no one lets him or her know the problems are there.
    • Let your instructor know if technical difficulties will prevent you from completing work. He or she might be able to help you find a place to work, solve your problem, or extend a deadline.
    • Don't be afraid to ask for technical help from a variety of sources, but be nice to the people who help. Their job is hard and you'll need them again. Don't blame them for the problems.
    • Finally, accept that problems are going to occur. Computers are complex and complex things break in interesting ways. If you keep a level head and learn from the experience, you'll survive and be better prepared the next time problems occur.