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Whether you're studying or researching entirely online or through a blend of on-campus and online sessions, you'll need a computer and reliable internet access to carry out your work successfully.
We've put together this guide to the technical requirements appropriate for the majority of our courses and research programmes, to make your learning journey as smooth and trouble-free as possible. Please see the detailed hardware requirements section for the minimum and recommended hardware specifications that should enable the majority of our learners to study effectively online.
A small number of our art, design and creative courses have additional requirements. We've also established links with DELL and Academia to offer all ARU students discounted devices to support their studies, which are listed under 'Additional technical specifications'.
The following are our preferred recommendations, but other hardware, browsers and operating systems will work and are detailed in later sections of this guide.
Depending upon your choice of computer we have the following as recommended specifications.
Our IT Services team is here to help and support you. The team provides lots of resources as well as technical support and guidance, helping you to access all your ARU applications so that you can study or research online using your PC, laptop or another personal device.
Take a look at their remote work help and guidance, email itsupport@aru.ac.uk or call 01245 684357 (UK) or (+44) 1245 684357 (international). Lines are open from 8am–6pm weekdays (UK local time).
Whatever PC, laptop or device that you are using, we recommend the following hardware specifications.
| Hardware | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system |
Microsoft Windows 10 |
Microsoft Windows 10 (version 1909, May 2020) |
| |
Mac OS 10.13.6 |
Mac OS 10.15.5 (released May 2020) |
| Processor |
1.6GHz 32-bit processor |
2GHz or faster 32-bit processor, 64-bit processor preferred |
| Memory |
2GB of RAM |
4GB of RAM or higher |
| Graphics card |
128GB graphics memory |
Larger graphics memory allocations and hardware acceleration |
| Monitor resolution |
1024 x 768 |
Higher resolutions that reflect modern screen sizes |
| Free space on hard disk |
5GB |
20GB or higher |
| Video |
Standard laptop camera or USB2.0 webcam with a resolution of 720p |
Standard laptop camera or USB2.0 webcam with a resolution of 1080p |
| Sound input |
Internal or external microphone |
|
| Sound output |
Internal or external speakers or headphones |
|
Depending upon your subject, you may be using non-standard software or software that requires higher than normal computing power. Details are given in the 'Additional technical specifications' section below.
If you're a current student or researcher, we recommend that you discuss this with your course leader, supervisor or DProf Director/advisor as soon as possible.
If you're studying an art, design or creative course, you'll be working with software applications that need a higher specification of computer than we would ordinarily recommend. You may also need some specialist equipment and materials. These are detailed below.
We don't expect you to buy software for the year ahead; this will be provided for you.
Product links are included for clarification of requirements only and do not constitute an endorsement of the product, service or company by ARU. ARU accepts no liability in this regard.
Discounted devices to support your studies
All ARU students are eligible for discounted DELL and Apple devices.
Find out more:
To access the full range of software applications we suggest the following specification.
Internet broadband speed of 6 mbps minimum, or mobile data dongle of 6 mbps (10mbps recommended).
You'll be working with software applications that will need a higher specification of computer than we would ordinarily recommend. To access the full range of applications we suggest the following.
Hardware:
System:
You will also need:
You will be working with software applications that will need a higher specification of computer than we would ordinarily recommend. To access the full range of applications we suggest:
You will also need:
You may wish to consider:
You will be working with software applications that will need a higher specification of computer than we would ordinarily recommend. To access the full range of applications we suggest:
You will also need:
If you're studying Drama (any combination) or BA (Hons) Musical Theatre, you will also need:
You will also need:
You will be working with software applications that will need a higher specification of computer than we would ordinarily recommend. To access the full range of applications we suggest:
You will also need:
You will be working with software applications that will need a higher specification of computer than we would ordinarily recommend. To access the full range of applications we suggest:
You will also need:
You will also need:
You will also need:
To be confirmed.
You will also need:
You will also need:
You will also need:
You may wish to consider:
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You will also need:
You may wish to consider:
You will also need:
Your learning or research content will consist of a mixture of media-rich webpages, audio-visual content and documents and files that you can download. You will need to interact with your tutors and fellow students online at different times, either in ‘real-time’ or by recording and uploading materials for later viewing.
A broadband internet connection, operating with a consistent download speed of at least 2 Mbps and upload speed of no less than 1 Mbps will provide an acceptable user experience in normal circumstances. e.g. when downloading/uploading files or when viewing streaming videos and listening to pre-recorded audio.
Faster broadband speeds are recommended for video conferencing and transferring large media files. A minimum of 4 Mbps download speed and 2 Mbps upload speed are recommended.
Our Learning Management System (LMS) will operate at lower speeds, but some of our more media-rich resources may run more slowly, which may reduce the quality of your overall learning experience.
Check your internet speed. We recommend that you repeat the test several times, changing the location of the test server, in order to accurately measure the capabilities of your internet connection.
Most web content is authored in HTML. For the best browsing experience, you'll need a web browser that is compatible with HTML version 5 (HTML5). You can check the compatibility score of your chosen web browser at arul.ink/htmltest.
We recommend using Google Chrome as your preferred web client. It is a well-supported HTML5 compliant browser that has been compatibility tested against our Learning Management System. Chrome is available for all common types of computer, laptop and tablet.
Our currently supported web browsers are:
Most web content is authored in a language called HTML. For the best browsing experience, you will need a web browser that is compatible with HTML version 5 (HTML5).
Check the compatibility score of your chosen web browser. The site includes a comparison chart of common browsers and feature lists for previous browser versions.
You should always use a recent version of your preferred web browser and upgrade soon after a new version becomes available. More information on supported web browsers.
Our Learning Management System (LMS) is an online environment where you will engage in your studies, access your course materials and interact with your tutors and fellow students. It is provided by Instructure/Canvas, a leading online-learning organisation that partners with universities across the world to deliver a premium online learning experience to millions of students every year.
Our LMS is compatible with a wide variety of web browsers for desktop and laptop computers. We recommend that you use one of the following:
Instructure/Canvas products are optimised for desktop and laptop displays. Limited support is available for tablets such as the Apple iPad and some Android devices, including:
Your learning content is accessible anywhere through mobile devices but is not designed specifically for mobile learning. In some cases your browsing experience may be limited because some features are unavailable for both Android and iOS. You may prefer to download Canvas Student, the Instructure/Canvas mobile app, which is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
You can also access Canvas directly via ARU’s mobile app or visiting https://canvas.anglia.ac.uk.
Your learning content is designed to be delivered online via Canvas, with streaming presentations, multimedia resources and online activities. There may be some material for you to download and access offline and you may need to upload files for some activities or assignment tasks.
Our content is designed to be compliant with the Government’s accessibility regulations, ensuring an inclusive learning experience for all our learners and researchers. If you use assistive software you'll be fully supported. We are also implementing subtitles or creating transcripts for audio-visual content.
Similarly, Instructure’s commitment to ensuring that Canvas is accessible for all users is detailed in their accessibility statement.
Want access to your emails, timetable, Canvas, Student Engagement Dashboard, maps and much more? Our handy app will give you all the information you need to make yourself at home here. You can download it on your smartphone and tablet, so you always have access.
To get ready for your course you’ll need to make sure you have access to Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is where you can chat and share files, as well as initiate and participate in video and audio calls.
You may be expected to interact with your lecturers and classmates using Microsoft Teams, so it’s really important that you have access to Teams for the start of your course.
The app can be downloaded to your personal PC/Laptop or to your mobile device.
If you don't already have access to Office 365 applications, you can download a copy of Office 365 on up to five personal devices. The software download is free and access lasts for the duration of your studies at ARU. It’s important to note that downloading Office 365 will overwrite all previously purchased and installed copies of Office on your device.
Your student desktop provides access to ARU software applications, including Office 365. You can download our remote desktop app which means you can access your student desktop from home, on your personal PC or laptop.