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University of Colorado Denver

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Course Materials and Technology Requirements

Course Materials

The books required for each didactic course are listed within the course syllabi, which are available through eCollege 24 hours prior to the first day of class.  All books required for use in NTPD courses are available through the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Bookstore. NTPD students are not required to purchase books through this vendor; some books may be available through professional organizations such as the American Society of Health System Pharmacists or through many online book retailers.

Equipment

Students are also required to obtain a USB headset with a microphone for use during teleconference sessions.  USB headsets are available through many online and traditional electronics retailers.

Technology Requirements

NTPD students will spend many hours with their computers and accessing information from the Internet. Students are expected to have basic computer skills to download materials, print copies, use e-mail, and send attachments. This section provides general information about the computer equipment (hardware and software) and Internet access needed to best support the activities for NTPD students. Note:  The products listed in the sections below are trademarks of their respective companies.

Course Materials

The books required for each didactic course are listed within the course syllabi, which are available through eCollege 24 hours prior to the first day of class.  All books required for use in NTPD courses are available through the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Bookstore. NTPD students are not required to purchase books through this vendor; some books may be available through professional organizations such as the American Society of Health System Pharmacists or through many online book retailers.

Equipment

Students are also required to obtain a USB headset with a microphone for use during teleconference sessions.  USB headsets are available through many online and traditional electronics retailers.

Technology Requirements

NTPD students will spend many hours with their computers and accessing information from the Internet. Students are expected to have basic computer skills to download materials, print copies, use e-mail, and send attachments. This section provides general information about the computer equipment (hardware and software) and Internet access needed to best support the activities for NTPD students. Note:  The products listed in the sections below are trademarks of their respective companies.

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Computer Operating Systems and Internet Browsers

The educational vendor for the NTPD Program didactic coursework is eCollege® through CU Online. The eCollege system is designed to work on either PC or Mac computers and supports Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

More specific information about technical requirements is available at http://strata.ecollege.com (click on the “Technical Info” tab). The “Browser Test” checks whether your system works smoothly with the eCollege system. At this time, NTPD students do not need the software listed for the Class Live features.

Software

Microsoft Office® software version 2003 or later is required for the NTPD Program, including Microsoft Word® and PowerPoint®. Many of the courses use slide shows developed using PowerPoint. Having the full program makes it possible to modify slides to black and white for printing, to reformat the slides as note pages or handout formats, and to make other helpful modifications. NTPD students will be required to prepare PowerPoint slides in at least one course. Microsoft Office software is available at discounted rates through the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Bookstore as either the standard or professional version. Other software in the Microsoft Office package is not required.

Adobe Acrobat® is also required to read and print some of the handouts and papers NTPD students receive as PDF files. A free downloadable version is available on Adobe's web site.

Many audio lectures for NTPD courses are provided in MP3 format, which allows lectures to be played with a variety of software including: Windows Media Player®, Quicktime®, iTunes® or Real Player®. All of these are available free on the Internet. The free versions of these programs are sufficient for the NTPD audio files; you do not need to purchase a media player.

Please Note: The DDP office is continually working on updating technology used in the program.  Because of this, technical errors may occur from time to time.

Internet Access

High-speed access, such as cable or DSL, is not absolutely required but highly recommended. NTPD students will download many large files from the Internet to the computer and listening to many audio lectures. If high-speed access is not available, NTPD students should consider installing a second phone line for dedicated computer use.

Some Internet service providers such as America Online use their own proprietary browser, which is not fully compatible with the eCollege system. NTPD students may use AOL; however, it may be easier to navigate through the eCollege courses with a recommended Internet browser as a secondary browser. The eCollege/CU Online help desk can provide instructions about how to do this.

Attendance to the program is dependent on internet access. Because the online course work is available wherever there is Internet access, it is usually possible to accomplish coursework, even when away from home. Computers are available for use in airports, hotel business centers, libraries, copy centers such as Kinko’s, etc. Payment of a fee may be required.

Getting Help

For any questions about the technology requirements or technical problems while in an eCollege course, NTPD students can contact eCollege Technical Help at 877-740-2214 or helpdesk@cuonline.edu anytime, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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