Technology for Online and Distance Education Students

As an online or distance student, you’ll need access to a computer with a high-speed connection to the Internet to access course Web sites, perform online research, view videos, prepare homework assignments, and use our online classroom technologies. We also ask that you be in possession of a webcam and microphone (headset preferred). You will need this for proctored tests and other assignments administered by the instructor.   

Also, course confirmation letters, e-bill notifications, and other university correspondence are e-mailed to your Ball State e-mail account. So it is important that you have your "work station" in place before you enroll in a distance education class.

Most Ball State faculty members use Microsoft Word for their word processing tasks as well as other programs in the Microsoft Office suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook). Make sure to ask your instructor if you will need to use specific software for your course. Ball State offers several free or discounted software titles for you.

Tech Support
If you have technical questions, you can contact Ball State's Technology HelpDesk. Plus, staff there have put together many how-to video clips in its Tech Clips section that can guide you through many of the most common questions.