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  • Windows 7 or greater, Macintosh OS X, or comparable Linux system
  • High-speed Internet connection (cable, DSL, etc.). A dial-up connection will likely not work, due to the required streaming audio & video in each course.
  • Computer sound card
  • Word processor and spreadsheet program (Microsoft Word & Excel recommended; OpenOffice is a free alternative)
  • Internet Web browser (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox recommended – both free downloads)
  • Personal e-mail address (can use Gmail orYahoo free accounts)
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download from http://www.adobe.com/acrobat/)

Students requiring technical support should email enquiries@autech.education

Usage Recommendations

Required Browser & Settings

Either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are well-suited to display American College Technology class web pages and the interactive elements of our online courses. We recommend that students install one of them before beginning their studies, if they have not done so already. Both can be downloaded for free.

We also provide limited technical support for Microsoft Internet Explorer. (Microsoft Edge is preferable on Windows 10, if Chrome or Firefox are not available.) The latest version of Internet Explorer can also be downloaded for free.

Note that while we provide a link to a mobile app which can be used to view your courses, it was not developed by us, so we cannot provide full technical support for it. It is only offered as an additional benefit and is not a requirement for students to use.

Browser Settings

In order to use American College Technology’s learning management system, you will need to enable cookies in your Web browser. They should be enabled by default, but if there are not, you may read this article to learn how to do it in various Web browsers. For the most recent versions of Firefox, you should read their instructions.

Monitor Settings

American College Technology website is best viewed at 1024 x 768 screen resolution or greater. You can change your monitor’s display settings from the Control Panel in Windows.

Playing Audio & Video Files

Recorded lectures – both audio  and video  – used in American College Technology courses are provided to students in a totally online format, occasionally using an embedded Flash player. Most of the videos are included from YouTube or Vimeo.

Follow the steps below to ensure that you can receive this content properly:

  • Check to make sure that your computer has a sound card and speakers
  • Then, select the link below to see if you have the Flash plugin properly installed on your PC: Trust Me: Building, Losing, and Rebuilding Trust
  • If you cannot hear the presentation, Flash is probably not installed properly on your PC:
  • Click here to install the latest version of Flash.
  • Also notice that there is a link below each audio presentation called “Download audio file.” If you right-click on this link and choose either “Save Target As…” (Internet Explorer) or “Save Link As..” (Firefox), you will be able to save the file to your own computer. The file is in an MP3 format, so you can add it to your iTunes or whatever audio program you prefer.
  • If you still cannot hear the presentation after you have installed Flash and restarted your web browser, contact us for help via email at support@autech.education.

Some of our courses have a podcast icon in them. If present, this is a link to our iTunes© course podcasts. This feature allows you to download the lectures to your iPhone, Android or other smart phone that can use iTunes©. You can also listen to the lectures on your PC using the iTunes© application. Here’s an example of a course on iTunes©

Reading PDF Documents

Because PDF documents are used in all American College Technology courses, you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader working properly on your PC in order to access assigned readings and other online learning resources used in American College Technology courses. You may download it here.

Managing Word & Excel Documents

In American College Technology courses, Microsoft Word  and Excel  document files are used mainly for study guides that you will complete with answers taken from assigned readings or recorded lectures. We encourage you to create a special directory (or “folder”) on your PC just for the storage of your American College Technology word processing files.

When you access one of these files, your web browser should prompt you to either open the file or save it to disk. You will want to save them to your computer’s hard drive and remember the name of the directory to which you saved them. You will need to be able to access the files later.

Word and Excel documents used in the courses are typically in the 2007 format. If you are using an earlier version, download the free file converter from Microsoft Downloads.

If the files have a .docx, .xlsx, or .pptx extension and you can’t open them even after attempting to use the file converter, contact technical support at support@autech.education and we can create a version of the files that is compatible with older versions of Office.

Printing Pages You View Online

You may print any of the course pages by going to File > Print Preview, then clicking the Print button, and then selecting the printer you wish to use. Alternatively, you may highlight the specific text that you wish to print, right click to select Copy, and then Paste it into a blank Word document before printing.

Virus Detection and Prevention*

  • Do not open any files attached to an email from an unknown, suspicious or untrustworthy source.
  • Do not open any files attached to any email unless you know what it is, even if it appears to come from a friend or someone you know. Some viruses can replicate themselves and spread through email. Confirm that your contact really sent an attachment.
  • Do not open any files attached to an email if the subject line is questionable or unexpected.
  • Delete chain emails and junk email. Do not forward or reply to any to them. These types of email are considered spam – unsolicited, intrusive messages that clog up the inboxes and networks.
  • Do not download any files from strangers.
  • Exercise caution when downloading files from the Internet. Ensure that the source is a legitimate and reputable one. Verify that an anti-virus program checks the files on the download site.
  • Update your antivirus software regularly. Many providers like Microsoft Security Essentials (free in Windows 7 and up) or McAfee update automatically and continuously via the Internet once they have been activated.
  • Back up your files on a regular basis. If a virus destroys your files, at least you can replace them with your backup copy. You should store your backup copy in a separate location from your work files, one that is preferably not on your computer.
  • When in doubt, always err on the side of caution and do not open, download, or execute any files or email attachments. Not executing is the most important of these caveats. Check with your product vendors for updates for your operating system, web browser, and email. One example is the security site section of Microsoft located at http://www.microsoft.com/security.

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