Technical Information

Here you will find the technical requirements for the two technology platforms used for online course delivery at the College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS): the Penn LPS Commons and Adobe Connect Professional.

The Penn LPS Commons is a new social learning platform dedicated to supporting online learning at LPS. Its design sets new benchmarks at the intersection of online learning and social networking, allowing users to create a social identity and interact with each other through forums, blogs and microblogging (think Twitter). All courses delivered on the Commons include live lectures with renowned Penn faculty using Adobe Connect Professional, an industry leader in web conferencing solutions.

Technical Requirements

LPS Commons

PennLPSCommons.org is our social learning platform, which integrates traditional online learning tools with social networking tools for robust interaction between faculty and students.

Requirements: We recommend Firefox 3 on Macs, Windows and Linux due to better security, performance and community support. As for the system requirements, as long as you're on a computer that can run today's modern browsers with relative ease and speed, there are no specific requirements. Versions of Internet Explorer 6 or older may experience problems.

Adobe Connect Professional

Adobe Connect Professional is the online lecture delivery tool for Penn LPS Online courses. Most courses require students and faculty to participate in class sessions using voice audio. To communicate in live sessions, you need to have a compatible microphone and headset.

Classes in Adobe Connect Pro can be fairly high bandwidth. We strongly recommend the use of a wired internet connection rather than a wireless connection.

Software Requirements: To run Adobe Connect Pro, you will need an up-to-date browser (like Firefox 3, Safari 2, or IE 7/8), as well as a compliant version of Flash. The first time you login, Adobe Connect Pro will ask to install an add-in, which is required for optimal performance.

Click here to conduct a Meeting Connection Diagnostic to test your computer's compatibility and bandwidth availability, as well as to access core support materials.

Headsets

All users must listen to class sessions using headphones, not computer speakers, to avoid feedback when their microphones are enabled. If you have a built-in microphone that you prefer to use (such as is available on many newer Macs), you must use basic headphones in conjunction with the built-in microphone, or else there will be feedback problems with the audio. Please make sure that you have your headset in time for the first class session.

PC: We recommend a USB-based microphone and headset. We recommend Logitech Premium USB Headset 350 or Logitech ClearChat Comfort USB Headset, but other standard microphone-headset arrangements are supported.

Mac: If your Mac has a built-in microphone that you wish to use, then you only need standard headphones. Otherwise, we recommend a USB headset, and recommend the use of Logitech ClearChat Comfort USB Headset, but other standard microphone/headset arrangements are supported.

Getting Help

Need help? Please submit queries through our LPS Commons Help Form. Please expect up to 24 hours for a response.

Use the form for anything related to the technical aspects of your course. They cover most questions except those related to the course content and due dates, for which you should contact your instructor or course teaching assistant (TA).