Make sure you have read all the guidelines first. Check the Course Introduction or Syllabus for guidelines from your Instructor. If it is still unclear, then contact your Instructor, they may have experience in some of the difficulties that you are having and can guide you through. Also call the Online Help Desk (575-6412) times and days are normally posted on your WebCT Log-in page.
Required plug-ins will usually be listed as a requirement to your classroom. There may be times that you computer will require an upgrade to the version. Please go to this site to check your plug-ins on your home system. WebCt Tune-up http://www.webct.com/exchange/viewpage?name=exchange_browser_tuneup
Can I use the new Mozilla FireFox Browser?
You may have been hearing about the popularity of Mozilla Firefox, it is not validated for use with WebCT. There are times in which pages will not load correctly. Therefore if you insist on using it, be aware that it may not work correctly when rendering some WebCT pages.
Sometimes it can be difficult to understand just what is expected of you in an online class. To ensure that you are going to get the optimum learning experience you may want to print out and read over everything. In developing a sense of community with your classmates you may find clarifying some of the assignments in your online discussions or Emailing a classmate is helpful. If you find that you are still unclear, be sure to let your Instructor know as soon as possible that you are having difficulties. You may find that you are not alone.
Sometimes you cannot login to WebCT (restriction error) or when you click on a link within your WebCT class, you are directed to other non-class oriented sites. Sometimes these sites are commercial sites designed to sell a product or sometimes the sites are "search" sites. The following solutions are recommended:
This is rare, but it can happen. All of a sudden you and your classmates feel neglected by your Instructor. Always attempt to contact the Instructor with your concerns first, giving them an opportunity to respond. If this still does not solicit a response contact the host school. Online communities mirror real life and just as in real life there may be something wrong with your Instructor such as an unforeseen illness or technical difficulty.
There is quite a bit of assistance for those of us with disabilities. Each college will have a Student Services Department that can assist your needs. As an online student it is your responsibility to notify the school that you have special needs. This can be done either via registration or a phone call or Email to the Student Services Department. Here are some online resources that might interest you:
New Technology for converting Text to Audio files.
Website Free Plug-in for Text to Speech Conversion http://www.speaksforitself.com/speaksforitself/
A Tool that allows blind and visually impaired users to read any document in Adobe PDF form. http://access.adobe.com/
National Center for Accessible Media http://ncam.wgbh.org/cdrom/
This is largely dependent upon your Instructor and yourself. Your Instructor will usually give you guidelines as to how many posting are necessary and how many times a week you will be required to go online. Some courses will have student-monitoring reports and your time may count as part of your grade. Again, please check with you Instructor to confirm what is expected of you. As time goes on, you may encounter more connectivity with your online class since you have more time and flexibility to participate.
If you are having difficulties with your Internet Connection you will need to contact your Internet Service Provider. Document what has been happening so when you do talk with them you can review step by step the problems you have been experiencing. When the school site’s server is down/being serviced or your online classroom is experiencing problems you will be notified most likely from the Instructor of the host college. This can help you rule out possible reasons for access difficulty.
You will be given an address or link to your classroom. Sometimes you will be given a reserved user name and a beginning password. It is important to write this down and keep it in a safe place. Usernames and passwords are often case-sensitive. You are responsible for your passwords, but in an extreme case your Instructor will be able to add you in the class again.
My quizzes and threaded discussions are being blocked by my Pop-Up Blocker.
Pop-ups are all those annoying pop-up windows that
appear as you surf the Web. Pop-up stoppers usually have support for both
pop-ups and pop-under ads and will kill them even before they appear on the
screen.
To allow pop-up windows you can temporarily disable the pop-up killer by holding
Control, Shift or 'a'. If you are in WebCT and you want to take a Quiz, Email,
post in Threaded Discussions or view these Internet Tips a Pop-Up Blocker may
interpret this as a pop-up and block it. Try the temporary disable technique or
you may have to disable the Pop-up Blocker Program until you are done with your
task.
A virus is a worrisome annoyance and to ensure yourself that you will not be exposing your computer system follow the basic rules: after downloading a file run your antivirus software, do not open file attachments from people you do not know and update your virus software frequently. Here’s free antitvirus software called Housecall, suggested by the Rio Hondo Community College District, http://housecall.antivirus.com.
Note: Downloading a file will not activate the virus, running it will, only if it is infected.
Do
you have a question about online teaching and learning with WebCT?
Ask Dr. C is a question-and-answer
service moderated by a dedicated, international community of experienced WebCT
users, who will accept any question about WebCT. Select the student user
category. http://www.webct.com/ask_drc
Updated: 03/18/2005