Even if you rely on machines in the campus labs, to utilize the email aspect of a course, you must have your own email account. The fundamental piece of software required to take an online course is a web browser. The primary choices for browser are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer . There are other choices, but these are the two for which our online courses are optimized and the two we most recommend. For example, you'll want a browser which supports HTML forms, frames, tables, and so on.
Browsers are readily available at no charge on the Net.
Again, many choices. You can simply use the email functionality built into your web browser, or you can use a stand-alone email application such as Eudora . Freeware versions are available on the Net. We use RealAudio , and you can download the player at no charge. This is also true for video clips, although they're less common in our online classes.