Student-Faculty Handbook - College of Pharmacy - University of ...

UF COMPUTER POLICY
Access to and on-going use of a computer will be required for all students to complete their degree
program successfully. The University of Florida expects each student to acquire computer hardware and
software appropriate to his/her degree program. Competency in the basic use of a computer is a
requirement for graduation. Class assignments may require use of a computer, academic advising and
registration can be done by computer and official university correspondence is often sent by e-mail.
While the University offers limited access to computers through its computer labs, most students will be
expected to purchase or lease a computer that is capable of network connection to the internet, graphical
access to the World Wide Web, and productivity functions such as word processing and spreadsheet
calculation. Individual colleges will define specific configurations required for their curricula. The College of
Pharmacy requires a laptop computer for all pharmacy students. Cost of a computer will be included in
financial aid considerations.
COLLEGE OF PHARMACY STUDENT COMPUTER REQUIREMENT
Pharmacy students are required to have the hard drives encrypted on their personal laptops. Whole disk
encryption is just one key element in ensuring that the information on your laptop is secure. There are
many whole disk encryption software packages on the market. Two products that COP IT is familiar with
are TrueCrypt and PGP, many more are available and these are provided only as an example.
Information about computer requirements may be accessed at http://www.cop.ufl.edu/education/studentaffairs/admissions/student-computer-requirements/.
SECURITY TIPS: We expect our incoming pharmacy students to educate themselves and have a raised
awareness of the need to secure their laptops in the Health Science Center computing environment.
• Never store Restricted Information (patient name, social security number, address, phone, date
of birth, drivers license number, maiden name, credit card number, etc) on removable media
such as thumb disks, memory sticks, or cd’s; they’re too easy to lose track of
• Never put Restricted Information in email or in an instant message
• Never leave laptops or personal digital assistants (PDAs) unattended and unlocked, not even for
a minute; They’re highly desirable, and very easy to steal
• Use a strong password (min 8 chars and contains at least 1 letter, 1 number, 1 capital, 1 lower
case, and 1 special character) on your computer so it cannot be easily guessed
• Ensure you have set an inactivity timeout on your computer so it automatically locks requiring a
password to unlock
• Always wear your Gator 1 ID badge at all times; it helps us determine when someone else is in a
place they should not be
• Your computer activity is tracked by HSC IT services
• We STRONGLY discourage Pharmacy students from using Peer 2 Peer software on their
Laptops. Please refer to the bullet above.
WEBCAM REQUIREMENT
Incoming students Fall 08' are required to purchase a webcam that can connect to their laptop computers.
The minimum technical requirements are:
• Video resolution minimum of 640 X 480 at 15 frames per second for a 320 X 240 window
• USB cable connection
• Built-in microphone or separate microphones are acceptable. A webcam with a built-in
microphone is easier to configure and less likely to cause a conflict with other audio hardware.
• No special software is required. Students will use the free Windows Movie Maker to capture and
produce video. (A detailed tutorial will be provided.)
The College of Pharmacy does not recommend a particular brand webcam. We do tend to have more
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