To participate in IST courses, students will need a computer with Microsoft Office software and Internet access. The majority of the coursework will be completed online through a web browser. Although Android and iOS tablets may be used to access online course materials, we recommend that students have a computer that meets the following minimum requirements.

Minimum Hardware and Operating System:

• 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or greater
• 2GB RAM or more & 1GB of free hard drive space or more
• If running Windows, Windows 10 or greater
• If running macOS, macOS 10.12 or greater
• Web camera, microphone, and speakers (your computer may already have this built-in)

Software:

• Latest version of Safari, Google Chrome, Edge, or Firefox
• MS Word 2010 or higher or a word processor that can create files with any of the following extensions: .docx (MS Word 2010 or higher), or a standard .rtf (rich text format)
• PDF Reader (current version)

Internet Connection:

• A reliable broadband Internet connection, either cable or DSL, of at least 2.5Mbps download speed (constant) for adequate audio and video quality.
• As of January 2020, Internet Explorer is no longer supported for certain platforms.
• An email address that will accept all emails, including attachments, from the domain name science.edu.

Minimum Computer Skills Required

• Ability to download and install files from the Internet.
• Knowledge in navigating the Internet.
• Proficient in use of search engines for research.
• Ability to send and receive email with attachments to correspond.
• File management skills: copy files from a flash drive or the Internet to a specific directory on the hard drive.
• Word processing skills such as: how to create files, open files, save files, print files, export to PDF, and edit documents.Note: Students are presumed to receive the messages sent to designated email addresses. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that messages from IST are not blocked and that the mailbox is not too full to receive messages.