Online Technical Requirements

• Personal Computer recommendations and requirements:
  • Windows 7-10 or MAC OSX 10.6 or Higher.
  • Chrome is the preferred browser for Canvas.
  • Internet Explorer or Safari is required for email.
  • We do not recommend Chromebooks, or Microsoft Surface tablets.
  • Webcam and microphone may be required.

• Minimum of iPad 2 or iPhone 4s on latest IOS version.
• Canvas conferencing tools are not compatible with iPads or iPhones.

• Adobe.com (FlashPlayer and Acrobat Reader)
• Java.com
• VLC audio/video player
• iMovie for Mac Users or Windows Movie Maker for PC
• Current Anti-Virus software recommended
• Respondus LockDown browser
  • Respondus Troubleshooting. These support articles can fix most of your students trouble with Respondus.
    • Cannot Detect or Configure the Webcam
    • How Can I Change My Webcam
    • Webcam Blocked
    • Help Center

• Cox College provides an email account to receive communications from college services.
• Cox College provides an additional inbox within Canvas to communicate within your courses.

Due to our relationship with Cox Health we are unable to allow students to sync their student email accounts with personal mobile devices.

For the best experience we recommend:

Device

• PC – Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10*
• Mac – Mac OS® X 10.9 or later

Browser

• Firefox 36+ – http://www.mozilla.org
• Google Chrome 41+ – http://www.google.com/chrome
• Safari 6.2.7+ (Mac Only) – http://support.apple.com
• Internet Explorer 9 or 10 (Version 11 Not Recommended)

*For Windows 10, Only Firefox and Chrome Are Recommended. Use of Microsoft Edge Is Not Supported At This Time.

• We recommend high speed/broadband internet from either a cable company or a DSL service
• Satellite internet can experience issues when using Canvas.
  • Some modems provided by dishNET or WildBlue prevent access to secure web sites. If you are unexpectedly redirected to the sign-in page while using a web site, please contact dishNET or WildBlue for help changing your modem’s configuration.

We have heard of this issue from clients using satellite internet; sometimes not being able to access Canvas or being able to login. Due to the nature of this matter, this appears to be caused by how the ISP handles connections, such as using accelerators or blocking connections to secure sites.

Satellite internet when compared to DSL, High-Speed connection (coax/fiber), or other ground type connections, have a high latency due to how the signal is transmitted. The signal has to travel from earth to the satellite and then back to earth. This Latency can impact initializing a secure internet connection, due to many packets being exchanged back and forth between the client and the server. This results in the server sometimes sending a reply saying it did not receive the packet, even though the packet may be in transit. This causes issues with synchronous communications, causing them to get errors or preventing them from sending or receiving data.

It is recommended that if their ISP uses an accelerator that they turn this feature off, as it seems to cause issues when connecting to a secure site. For HughesNet users they should be able to turn this function off on their modem, if they are not sure how to do this they will need to contact them directly. If they are using other Satellite ISP’s, I would recommend having them contact the ISP directly to get more information on how to disable this function. They may also need to ask their ISP if their modem allows for them to access secure websites.

Compared to ground-based communication, all geostationary satellite communications experience high latency due to the signal having to travel 35,786 km (22,236 mi) to a satellite in geostationary orbit and back to Earth again. Even at the speed of light (about 300,000 km/s or 186,000 miles per second), this delay can be significant. If all other signaling delays could be eliminated, it still takes a radio signal about 250 milliseconds (ms), or about a quarter of a second, to travel to the satellite and back to the ground.[11] The absolute minimum total amount of delay is variable, due to the satellite staying in one place in the sky, while ground based users can be directly below with a roundtrip latency of 239.6 ms, or far to the side of the planet near the horizon with a roundtrip latency of 279.0 ms.[12]

For an internet packet, that delay is doubled before a reply is received. That is the theoretical minimum. Factoring in other normal delays from network sources gives a typical one-way connection latency of 500–700 ms from the user to the ISP, or about 1,000–1,400 ms latency for the total round-trip time (RTT) back to the user. This is much more than most dial-up users experience at typically 150–200 ms total latency, and two orders of magnitude higher than the typical 15-40 ms latency experienced by users of other high-speed internet services, such as cable or VDSL.[13]

For geostationary satellites, there is no way to eliminate latency, but the problem can be somewhat mitigated in Internet communications with TCP acceleration features that shorten the round trip time (RTT) per packet by splitting the feedback loop between the sender and the receiver. Such acceleration features are usually present in recent technology developments embedded in new satellite Internet services.

Latency also impacts the initiation of secure Internet connections such as SSL which require the exchange of numerous pieces of data between web server and web client. Although these pieces of data are small, the multiple round trips involved in the handshake produce long delays compared to other forms of Internet connectivity, as documented by Stephen T. Cobb in a 2011 report published by the Rural Mobile and Broadband Alliance.[14] This annoyance extends to entering and editing data using some Software as a Service or SaaS applications as well as other forms of online work.

The functionality of live interactive access to a distant computer—such as virtual private networks—is working much better with the new generation of satellite Internet service than in the past.

This causes unexpected results with any type of synchronous communication. It may cause error messages to appear, or may simply prevent some data from being sent or received. Please use a dial-up, DSL or cable connection to avoid these problems.

Note: If your Internet connection includes an accelerator or turbo feature, we recommend that you turn it off. If you’re not sure how to do that, please contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for assistance.

Cox College

Technology Usage Agreement

Faculty, Staff and Students of Cox College are privileged with the opportunity to use iPads provided by the college to enhance the learning experience. Technology is the property of the college and will be used in accordance with this Technology Usage Agreement:

“Technology”, as referred to throughout this document, refers to iPads, computers, printers, audience response systems, presentation remotes, and all associated peripherals.

• Technology will remain in its protective case, if available, whenever possible.
• The identifying serial number sticker (or C#) on the technology will not be defaced, damaged or removed.
• The borrower may be responsible for loss or damages to the technology while in his/her possession or use.
• Users will not attempt to circumvent security measures on technology.
• Technology should not be removed from campus without prior approval.
• Technology should be used appropriately. Inappropriate use of devices may be reported.
• Users must be certain to sign out of any personal accounts when finished using technology and must return to the configuration it was received in, should any changes be made during use.
• Technology shall be returned immediately upon request.
• The iPad camera will not be used for anything other than that which is pertinent to the educational experience.
• The student will not take the iPad off-campus without prior approval of administrator.