We do not require students to have Microsoft Word to take a course, although it is strongly recommended. Many courses ask students to upload papers and other written assignments for a grade. All assignments (unless otherwise specified) must be uploaded as a ".docx" file, a file type that all of our instructors can read. Microsoft Word creates this file type easily. However, it is not the only way to do so. There are a few alternatives.
WordPerfect, Open Office or other word processing software should have the ability to save your files in a Microsoft Word format (.docx) for accessibility. You can usually find this option under the Save As menu of the program. If you do not have Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Word Online, and Zoho Docs are some free (or reasonably priced) online alternatives that can also create .docx files.