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.
Video players
Adobe Flash Player is required to view lecture videos. Please go to www.adobe.com/getflashplayer to download the latest version of the Flash Player.
A select number of courses have lectures in RealPlayer format. For those courses, please go to www.real.com and download the free version of the latest RealPlayer.
Install a player
Download and install the following software before trying to view the lectures:
Hardware and software specifications
- Cable modem, DSL, or T1 access is recommended for optimal performance. At a minimum, a reliable 56 kbps dial-up modem is required to view the lectures.
- A sound card and a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768 are also required.
- 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 | Flash Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mac OS X (10.4.0 and higher) | IE not supported | 3.0 or higher | 3.0 or higher | Adobe Flash Player 10 |
| Windows Vista | 7.0 or higher | 3.0 or higher | not supported | Adobe Flash Player 10 |
| Windows XP, SP2 | 6.0 or higher | 3.0 or higher | not supported | Adobe Flash Player 10 |
| Windows 2000 | 6.0 or higher | 3.0 or higher | n/a | Adobe Flash Player 10 |
Note: Harvard does not provide dial-up Internet access to students. You must subscribe to an Internet service provider or have other Internet access.