This page contains content from the 2008–09 academic year. For current information, visit the Harvard Extension School website at www.extension.harvard.edu.
Technical Requirements
Distance education courses require Internet access and the necessary computer hardware and software to view course lectures throughout the term and to complete course assignments. Download and install the following software before trying to view the lectures:
A limited number of courses provide lectures in Flash as well as Real media format. If you want to use the Flash versions for these courses, please download Adobe Flash Player 9.
We recommend that you use the free version of the video players. There are versions of the software available for both Mac and PC platforms and for some versions of Unix/Linux. Please note that RealPlayer 10 is the preferred player for most distance education lectures. RealPlayer 11 is still a beta product and is not supported at this time.
At minimum a reliable 56 kbps dial-up modem is required to view the lectures, but cable modem, DSL, or T1 access to the Internet is recommended for optimal performance. A sound card and a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768 are also required. Please set your browser preferences to allow pop-up windows from *.dce.harvard.edu. Safari users should set the browser to allow all popups while viewing lectures.
| Platform | Internet Explorer | Firefox | Safari | RealPlayer Version | Flash Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mac OS X (10.3.9 and higher) | IE not supported | 2.0 or higher | 2.0.Version 3 in beta; not supported | RealPlayer 10 for Mac OS X | Adobe Flash Player 9 |
| Windows Vista | 7.0 or higher | 2.0 or higher* | In beta; not supported | RealPlayer 10 | Adobe Flash Player 9* |
| Windows XP | 6.0 or higher | 2.0 or higher | In beta; not supported | RealPlayer 10 | Adobe Flash Player 9 |
| Windows 2000 | 6.0 or higher | 2.0 or higher | n/a | RealPlayer 10 | Adobe Flash Player 9 |
| Linux (Ubuntu) | n/a | 2.0 or higher | n/a | RealPlayer 10 for Linux | Adobe Flash Player 9 |
*Vista users: At this time, we do not support the use of Firefox and Flash Player 9 with Windows Vista. We suggest that Windows Vista users taking classes with Flash video lectures use IE 7 with Flash Player 9 until further notice.
Note: Harvard does not provide dial-up Internet access to students. You must subscribe to an Internet service provider (ISP) or have other Internet access.
Linux Support
There is limited support available for Linux. Distance education lectures have been successfully tested only with an Ubuntu installation. However, there is limited functionality for the synchronization of slide materials accompanying the video, which might not work in some configurations. Therefore, you are encouraged to download and print your course materials before viewing the lectures so that you can follow the material as the lecture is presented.