Technical Requirements

World Campus Technical Requirements

Technical Requirements at a Glance
Operating System

Penn State's LMS, Canvas, supports most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems.

To determine if your operating system is supported, please review the Canvas Computer Specifications.

Hardware For a list of required computer hardware specifications and internet speed, please review the Canvas Computer Specifications.
Browser
Canvas supports the last two versions of every major browser release. We highly recommend updating to the newest version of whatever browser you are using.
 
To determine if your browser is supported, please review the list of Canvas Supported Browsers.
 
Please note that due to Instructure's reduction of support for Internet Explorer, students and instructors should choose another browser to use such as Firefox, Chrome, Edge, or Safari.
 
Note: Cookies must be enabled, and pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites.
Additional Software

All Penn State students have access to Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Students will need Adobe Acrobat, available through Adobe Creative Cloud.

Internet Connection Broadband (cable or DSL) connection required
Sound Card, Microphone, and Speakers Required
Monitor Monitor (Capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution)
Mobile Device (optional) The Canvas mobile app is available for versions of iOS and Android. To determine if your device is capable of using the Canvas Mobile App, please review the Canvas Mobile App Requirements.

Not sure if your computer is set up correctly? You can use the links below to test your settings:

  1. Adobe Acrobat
  2. Cookies
  3. Frames
  4. Java
  5. JavaScript