College of Nursing

UMSL Home
>
College of Nursing
>
Current Students
>
Computer Proficiency

Technology and Computer Proficiency

Computer Proficiency Requirement

The College of Nursing requires all students to be computer proficient prior to entering their clinical courses. Students must indicated proficiency in the following skills:

Required Skills:

Logging on to the University's MyGateway portal (mygateway.umsl.edu)
Send, receive, and respond to web-based email on and off campus
Attach a document/file to an email message
Familiar with using a graphical interface to access programs (use of Icons on the desktop)
Start up and switch between multiple programs/windows
Copy, move, rename and delete files
Create, move, rename and delete folders
Able to use a web browser to access the Internet
Able to create and organize bookmarks in web browser
Be familiar with several different search engines to find information
Use the Internet to collect and print information
Able to download programs from the Internet to your computer
Able to save, copy, and incorporate Internet information into a word processing program
Create a document using a word processor
Able to save, edit, and print a document in a word processing program

Preferred, but not Required:

Able to create, edit, enter formulae for calculations, and create graphs using a spreadsheet
Able to create PowerPoint presentations (including adding video clips, sounds, and links to other presentations)

The College of Nursing has adopted:

Windows/PC as its operating system
Microsoft Word as its standard for word processing
APA, the latest edition, as the standard manuscript style. (The University bookstore has APA disks available for Word and WordPerfect.)

The University has adopted:

Internet Explorer and Firefox as its standard browsers
Blackboard's MyGateway as its course management software

Resources for computer literacy proficiency:

Computer courses, including free Short Courses
Computer lab training

Essential Software
What follows is a list of software that we think is a MUST for anyone owning a computer. Some of the software listed is supplied with most new computers, others you will have to download from the manufacturer's homepage. Where apppropriate, we have included the download links for your convenience.

Internet Browser and plugins
Once connected, you will need a web browser; Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or others (like Opera or Google Chrome) will work just fine. The College recommends that you install the following FREE plugins:

Adobe Flash	used to view an increasing number of modern web sites
Adobe Reader	allows you to view PDF files
Apple Quicktime	for viewing Quicktime movies and sounds
Cosmo Player	a VRML plugin used to view 3D models

College of Nursing

Technology and Computer Proficiency

Technology and Computer Proficiency

Related Links