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Recommended computer standards

Deakin requires its students to have access to a computer and the Internet. This does not necessarily mean that students must own a computer. Deakin provides on-campus computer facilities and computer laboratories.

For students who do not study on campus (distance education or off-campus students) and who do not own a computer or have access to the Internet, in most cases it will be sufficient to be able to access computing facilities at locations such as libraries and internet cafes.

However, some courses and units require computer and internet access at a more sophisticated level, including the ability to install Deakin provided software. Students should check the course and unit requirements prior to enrolment.

This document details the minimum computer specification (as recommended by the Information Technology Services Division - ITSD) for students studying at Deakin University from summer semester 2007-2008.

While it is possible that many of the University’s IT services will function on a computer with a lower configuration, ITSD will not support computers with less than the following minimum specifications:

PC
  • CPU Celeron 1 GHz (or equivalent)
  • Memory 512 MB RAM
  • Hard Disk 40 GB HDD
  • DVD Drive
  • Video Card capable of 1024 X 768 resolution
  • IE 7.0 or Firefox 2.0 (available on the DLT) * see below
  • Sun JAVA 1.5.0
  • Windows XP or Vista
  • Adobe Reader 8.0
  • Quicktime 7.1
  • USB support
Macintosh
  • CPU G4 - 700 MHz
  • Memory 512 MB RAM
  • Hard Disk 40 GB HDD
  • DVD Drive
  • Video Card capable of 1024 X 768 resolution
  • Safari
  • JAVA 1.5.0 and above
  • Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above
  • Adobe Reader 8.0
  • Quicktime 7.1 USB support

The university strongly recommends the use of anti-virus software with your computer.

Other hardware

Internet Service Provider

In order to connect to Deakin University’s facilities you will need an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and either a broadband or dialup modem service capable of at least 56 Kbps access. The University has negotiated a broadband scheme for students and staff with BigPond. See www.deakin.edu.au/it-schemes for details.

Note that internet connections from your workplace may have firewalls that limit access or other restrictions placed upon them that limit some functionality, such as the installation of software. It is your responsibility to work with your employer to resolve any issues arising from this or obtain your own personal internet access.

Additional notes

In general, students at Deakin University will be required to make use of computers and other information technology at various times during their coursework and in certain aspects of academic administration.

The following list of recommended basic information technology skills is to assist the student in assessing their level of competency and outline the expectations of the University for the use of information technology resources.

Wireless networking

Wireless networking is a way to connect personal computers to the campus network without having to plug a network cable into a wall socket. The Deakin wireless network allows students and staff to connect to the Deakin network and the internet from various locations on campus. See the wireless website for information on getting connected and wireless locations at Deakin.