WebCT Supported Browsers

If you are experiencing frustration trying to use all the tools in WebCT, it may be because your web browser is too old and you need a newer version of Netscape or Internet Explorer or AOL. We sent this Browser requirement out at the beginning of the semester, but
you might not have realized the significance of it. Read (IT guru) Dann Foster's email below and see if this applies to you.
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Hi, all--
Just a reminder that WebCT 3.7 is a little fussy about web browsers. Now that the dust is settling a bit you may want to reinforce this with your students. Below is the list of the supported browsers. Use of other browsers may cause some of the more interactive features to fail or perform erratically. Note that you can usually check your browser version by clicking on the Help menu and then on "About ."
Thanks.
--Dann

Windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Netscape 4.76 and 6.2.1
Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, including 6.0 (Note: IE 5.5 SP1 is not supported)
AOL 7.0

Mac OS 9.x

Netscape 4.76 and 6.2.1
Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher (Note: IE 5.5 SP1 is not supported)
AOL 7.0

Mac OS X 10.1

Netscape 4.76 and 6.2.1
Internet Explorer 5.1
AOL 7.0

--
Dann Foster
Manager of User Support Services
& Painless Instructional Technologist
Information Technology Dept.
Oakton Community College
1600 E. Golf Road
Des Plaines, IL. 60016
(847) 635-1674
FAX (847) 635-1890
dannf@oakton.edu

What to do if you can't find your discussion posts

Here's how you see what you've just tried to post:

1) After you post a message (which won't post until you hit the "post" button at the bottom of the message box), go back to the message list for the week and look for a little purple button called "Update Listing" at the top right hand side of the list. Click on that to add in recent postings.

2) You may have a wrong setting on another button up there. Just under the Update button, you will see a choice called "show all/show unread". The show all part should be black and the show unread should be underlined and probably blue. If it is not this way, click on show all to change it.

3) You may see little blue triangles next to some entries on the list of messages. Click on the triangle and you will get an expanded list of everyone who replied to that individual's message. Then you can read what everyone else had to say, too.

Let me know if this doesn't fix the problem.

What to do if you have trouble emailing the quiz results

Read the forwarded message below for a handy tip from one of your fellow students that may save you some time and frustration. If the publisher's website is overloaded and you are having trouble emailing your quiz results to me, you can follow Vicki's method to bypass the problem. I will accept any results emailed to me this way. Thanks to Vicki for the good suggestion.

If you don't know how to attach a file to an email as suggested, ask someone who does to show you how. It is a skill you all should learn! I'll be happy to talk you through it, if you need me to, but you could probably learn it quicker by asking your children or your younger siblings who seem to be born knowing how to do these things. Or you could suffer in frustration for a long time, determined not to bother me, but I don't give bonus points for pain and suffering. I'd rather have you ask for help. I enjoy helping students. Weird, huh?

Are you having fun yet??? Don't worry, you'll get there.

Judith
---------------------- Forwarded Message: -------------
From: VJMurphy@aol.com
To: judithw@attbi.com
Subject: Re: Chapter 2 quiz
Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2002 22:18:47 EDT

Here is what I did step-by-step:

I highlighted the content (the quiz results page) I wanted to copy.

I clicked on Edit, and then Copy.

I opened Microsoft Word (new document), clicked on Edit, and then Paste. If it is a lot of content, it may take a few minutes.

You can then attach that Word file to an email on your own email program, and send it to Judith.

That's it!

Panic Attacks -- Remedy Available

So far I've received panicked calls/emails from 4 students who were overwhelmed, confused and/or frustrated. That's about right for approaching the end of week 2.

Are you feeling overwhelmed, confused, frustrated or panicked too? First take 3 deep breaths. Keep breathing...

The most important things on the website (WebCT or the backup website) for you to have read so that you know what's going on are:

1) the calendar (tells what's due when),

2) the weekly assignment choices (tells you what your assignment choices are for the week--Don't say "What assignments?" Just read it and see. It also tells you what to include in your journal response. If you need to say "What journal?" here, please call me.)

3) the description of the program observations (You have to do 2 observations during the semester. Plan ahead.)

4) the discussion topic for the week (and accompanying instructions.)

Just in case you have trouble finding these things, I'll give you a link to the first three here. These are from the backup website. The discussions you have to log on to WebCT for, so I can't give you a direct link. But here are the first three:

http://servercc.oakton.edu/~teach/fall02calendar.html

http://servercc.oakton.edu/~teach/assignonlinefall02.html

http://servercc.oakton.edu/~teach/onlineobservation.html

If you find WebCT too confusing to navigate, try the backup website. It's easier to use. However, you will still have to use WebCT for the weekly discussions and your private journal (which is also on the discussion board on WebCT, in case you haven't found it yet.)

I hope this will simplify things for you and not confuse you further. Please let me know if you are having difficulty with the technology. Don't get discouraged and give up. Think of how proud of yourself you will be when you know how to do it. It will all seem so simple
then--or at least not overwhelmingly complex. It might even (gasp!) get to seem like fun...

If you have been suffering in silence and feel like it's going to take you time to catch up, let me know. I have mercy on suffering students... at least once during the semester. After that, I expect you to ask me for help without me begging you to.

Detailed Instructions for the Weekly Discussions

Go to the discussion board on WebCT. Click on the topic for the week. For example, if it's week 2, then you would click on the link called "Week 2, Special Ed Law". When that opens you will see several listings. The first one is mine. You read that first because it has the topic and instructions in it. Read that and then think about what your answer would be. Then you click on "compose discussion message" and write your answer and proofread it. When you are done, press "post".

After you do this, you should click on the other students' messages and see what they had to say. You choose the one you want to say something about. While you are in that person's message, up at the top of his/her message, you will see a link called "reply". Click on that and write your response to that person's message. Write a paragraph or so explaining your reaction to what that person said and then proofread it. When you are done, press "post".

You don't have to do both messages at the same time. Sometimes you might be the first person to post on that discussion and there won't be other messages to respond to yet. Go back another time and read the posts, and then choose one (or more) to reply to.

Whenever you log on to WebCT, the log in page will tell you if there are new messages you haven't read yet. It's important to read all the other students' messages, even if it's a week later that one pops up. Sometimes I respond to messages too. This is all part of your learning. You learn from each other and from me.

Don't forget that some of the other students may be responding to your message. You will want to know what they have to say about your ideas too.

These weekly discussions are SEPARATE from your private journals. The weekly discussions and the private journals are different things. The private journals are also done weekly, but those are responses to your chosen assignment for the week.

Let me know if you have any questions about this.

Week 2 Reminders

Don't forget that on week 2 you start choosing your weekly assignment and recording your journal entries in your private journal on the WebCT discussion board. This is SEPARATE from the weekly discussion topics. Let me know if there is any confusion about this.

And speaking of the weekly discussion topics, in order to receive full credit for the discussion, you need to do 2 things:
1) answer my discussion question(s), and
2) reply to at least one other student's post.

Good luck with week 2, everyone. Remember I'm around to help. Just ask me.

Proofread and Edit your Work, including the Discussion Posts

Now is a good time to remind you that you need to proofread your work, including your discussion posts. In several people's intros, there were typos. Better that I draw it to your attention now on an ungraded assignment, rather than having you surprised at a lower grade on the next one. For an explanation of how I grade written work, see the Grading Guide for Papers at the end of the syllabus.

For AOL Users: Taking Quizzes Online

In order to avoid getting thrown off by AOL in the middle of a quiz, you can print out the quiz and read it offline to choose your answers. Then you can go back online to finish the quiz. Just realize that when you go back to take the quiz, the questions will probably be in a different order. I think the website randomizes the order of the questions to avoid just getting a list of answers from someone else.

When WebCT is down...

In accordance with Murphy's Law, WebCT is bound to be down a time or two during the semester. However, you know you can use the backup website at: http://servercc.oakton.edu/~teach/

You may do your discussions there, by entering the backup site and then clicking on the link at the bottom of the page, marked alternate discussion board. When WebCT is restored, I will probably move those entries to the WebCT discussion board.

Also anytime you have a problem with WebCT during the semester, you can post your journal entry on the alternate discussion board. Just make it a new topic on the ECE 180 board with your name on it, so I will know to read it and move it to WebCT for you.

I am assuming that as soon as one of the techies realizes WebCT is down, he/she will fix it. When I know WebCT is down, I leave a
message on the help desk voice mail. If anyone else wishes to leave a message too, feel free.

Signed, Your Fearless Leader