Technical requirements
The Faculty of Health Disciplines delivers course material using a web-based system. In order to access the courses, complete assignments, and communicate with instructors and other students, each student must own or have ready access to basic computer hardware and software.
Required system
Bachelor of Nursing program students: ProctorU is the only approved invigilation option for assessments in NURS courses. Therefore, learners must own or have ready access to computer hardware and software that aligns with .
Make sure you have a secure and stable internet connection. Please note that if you are using Wi-Fi, you may experience connection loss during periods of high use or due to other environmental factors. You may want to connect to the internet via an Ethernet cable. Please contact the IT Help Desk for further information.
Windows computers are the primary equipment supported by Athabasca University's Help Desk, but limited assistance is offered for other hardware and software platforms. Learners are responsible for their own communication costs such as long-distance telephone charges and subscriptions to an internet service provider, or any other communications service requirements.
| PC minimum hardware requirements | MAC minimum hardware requirements |
|---|---|
| Built in the last 10 years | Built in the last 10 years |
| 2 GB memory or higher | 2 GB memory or higher |
| 50 GB free disk space | 50 GB free disk space |
| Integrated web camera | Integrated web camera |
| Colour screen with 1024x768 screen resolution | Colour screen with 1024x768 screen resolution |
| High-bandwidth internet connection (LTE, ADSL, cable or satellite) | High-bandwidth internet connection (LTE, ADSL, cable or satellite) |
| Mouse or trackpad | Mouse or trackpad |
| Sound capable | Printer |
| Printer | |
| PC minimum software requirements | MAC minimum software requirements |
| Microsoft Windows 7 or 10 | Mac OS X or higher |
| MS Office 2007 (or newer version) - MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint | MS Office 2008 (or newer version) - MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint |
| Up-to-date Browser: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, latest versions | Up-to-date Browser: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, latest versions |
| Current anti-virus program Adobe Acrobat Reader Media player for both audio and video | Current anti-virus program Adobe Acrobat Reader Media player for both audio and video |
Learners are solely responsible for purchasing and maintaining the required computer system and should have a contingency plan in the event of system failure. If you have not already purchased a computer, you may want to consider obtaining a laptop.
Learners are expected to be able to use computer-mediated communications for:
- creating course assignments in various formats
- instructor-student and student-student interaction in computer conferences
- emailing
- file transfer or file attachment of assignments
- interaction and feedback on joint student projects
- accessing audio and video materials
- accessing electronic databases (library resources, Web resources)
Allowing pop-ups
You may access the online systems using any of the recommended browsers above. You must allow pop-ups to use this system smoothly. Please check the browser instructions to enable pop-up windows.
Plugins
- Adobe Reader (free at )
Internet connection
Make sure you have a secure and stable internet connection. Please note that if you are using Wi-Fi, you may experience connection loss during periods of high use or due to other environmental factors. You may want to connect to the internet via an Ethernet cable. Please contact the IT Help Desk for further information.
Technical support
Athabasca University's Computing Services Help Desk will provide technical and usage support for online learning. If you have any problems using the online learning platform, you may contact the Athabasca University Help Desk and identify yourself as a Faculty of Health Disciplines student.
Help Desk contact info
- Computing Service Help Desk website
- Phone: 780-675-6405
- Toll-free: 1-800-788-9041 ext. 6405 (North America)
Updated August 31, 2026 by Digital & Web Operations (web_services@athabascau.ca)