Help Center

User:
In Course: ()
Instructor:

1) Introduction to Educator

You are at the Help Center for the Ucompass.com Inc. online course management system, Educator. Although each section in Educator has its own context-sensitive help screens, what follows is a mini-orientation to the most-often used areas in your online 'classroom'. Not every instructor does things exactly the same way. So certain details involving variables such as timelines or grading will not be covered here.

Announcements

Course Materials

Exams

Discussions

Grades

Logoff

To begin your course, you will probably click on one of the navigation main links located on the side of your screen that will take you to a packet or folders containing course activities.
It will be labeled something like 'Course Materials', 'Weekly Sessions', or Course Activities--or even just 'Begin Here'.
Your instructor will choose either the folder method or the packet method of distributing course materials to you. Both are shown to you below, so that you can review the one that applies to your courses.

Folders

You are probably familiar with the folder concept since you are comfortable using a computer. All of the course documents and files are put into folders that are labeled either by topic, chapter or maybe even week or lesson number.

This example shows several folders and subfolders containing course materials.

Under the course materials is an additional folder called MY FOLDERS.

Any time you upload files, they are stored in MY FOLDER.
Note that the example shown has a lock icon next to the folder. This means that other students cannot see the contents in this folder. You cannot unlock the folder unless the instructor unlocks all student folders

At the very bottom of all of the folders is a command link to SHOW FILES. This will display every file contained within each folder on a single screen.

The main navigation buttons will lead you to the rest of the materials such as assignments, quizzes, examinations or discussion activities. You will probably get direction as to the order in which you should complete materials in the course syllabus. Be sure to check with you instructors for these important details.

Packets

The packet method arranges all of the course materials into a unit which is arranged in the order in which they should be completed.

Think of a packet as a bundle containing everything that you need to do for the current lesson. It may contain lectures, assignments, worksheets, tests and discussions. All of these will be individually explained in the next few pages.

To reach the packets, click on the Course Materials main navigator link. You might also see a packets sublink.

Click on the name of the packet to view its contents.

You’ll then see a page that contains a table of contents on the left side of the screen, with links leading to documents that will appear on the right hand side of the screen.

A sample packet appears below.

Sometimes instructors who use packets don’t display navigation links such as assignments and exams in the navigation column, in favor of placing those documents into a packet.

Now let's look at some of the types of document that you may typically find in a course packet or behind a navigation link…

Assignments

An assignment document is one that describes an activity that you must complete and turn in to your instructor for grading. Instructions for turning in assignments can vary depending on the nature of the assignment, so pay attention to the directions given during the class.

General directions for uploading assignment files and submitting worksheets follow.

Uploading Assignments

Some assignments require you to use an external application to create your file. For example, to complete a term paper, you might use a word processor, save the completed file, and then upload it to your course. To turn in your work as a file upload:

go back to the original assignment directions in your packet.
click on the [BROWSE] button in the middle of the screen
locate your saved file on your computer, highlight it, and click [open] to place that filename in the browse box.
Add any comments you wish to make about this assignment to your instructor.
If this is complete and you'd like your instructor to grade it, check the 'submit for grading' box located just above the buttons at the bottom of the form.
If you are not finished, but wish to save it as a draft, simply submit without checking the request for grading option.

Note the “Submit for Grading” option at the bottom of the form. If you don't checkmark this, your instructor will consider the submission a draft and you may not be graded!

After you have submitted your assignment, you will see a screen showing that the assignment was submitted. You can also check your student folder. If you can see your file listed, then it has been correctly submitted. You need not send a question to your instructor as he or she can only see what you can see.

Worksheet Assignments

Some assignments require you to input your work directly into the assignment form. These are called worksheets and can take many forms such as homework problems, pop-quizzes or tutorials. A sample worksheet follows:

Fill out the worksheet.

Mark whether you are finished and request a grade OR
mark it as a draft so your instructor does not grade it.

Then hit [Submit]

You may also see multiple choice questions, matching exercises or true/false questions on your worksheets.

Online Discussions

Online discussions are asynchronous….which means they don’t occur in real time, but over an extended period of time during which you can read messages left by others, and post messages yourself.

Your instructor may put a link to the discussion board in a packet, or you may enter from the navigation column by clicking on the [DISCUSSIONS] link.

A discussion is identified by the group that is having the discussion. A group may consist of the entire class, or a group may be limited to certain members of the class. You will only be able to view active discussions being carried on by the groups to which you belong.

In the example below, the first group is named “Entire Class” and the whole class is a member of this group. The subject of this group’s discussion will be “online courses”. So far there have been two topics or “threads” posted.

The second group is named “Team Three” and only has six members. They’ll be discussing thesis statements and so far, there is only one posting.

If you were to click on the first group name, Entire Class, you would view a table listing the two threads that have been posted by the professor.

The first message has a subject called
Student Tips for Taking Tests Online. This message shows that there has been a total of eight posts.

Clicking on the subject of a message will reveal that message.
The same messages can be viewed in different ways. Let’s look at each viewing method separately.

Linear vs. Threaded View

Linear View

Messages posted to a discussion board generally first appear in a linear view. This means that each message appears one under the other. To reply to the instructor’s initial message, you would scroll all the way down to the end of the page and click on the Reply to this message link. This would open up a textbox in which to type your response.

If you wanted to reply to one of your classmate's responses, you would do so by creating a subthread—in other words, a message directed towards another student’s comments and not the initial posting by the instructor.

Initial Message:

Subject: Student Tips for Taking Tests Online
Posted by Professor Educator Wed Jul 23 16:35:14:2003

Message:
If you have taken an online course before, please share your experiences with the rest of the class! What advice do you have on taking tests for your fellow online classmates?

The following replies have been posted:

Posted by Abigail Student Wed Jul 23 18:38:11:2003
Message:
Never wait till the last minute! It’s so easy to procrastinate in online classes! If you study all week you’ll be better prepared for the test. At least read everything early in the week. Don’t leave everything for the last day.

Form a subthread

Posted by Tad Grad Wed Jul 23 18:38:11:2003
Message:
Make sure your computer’s clock is set to the exact same time as the server clock, or the atomic clock. If you’re anywhere NEAR the deadline for submitting the exam, make sure you have enough time.

Form a subthread

Reply to this message

next thread

This is the linear view of a typical discussion board. The initial message is posted by the instructor.

<- Click on
FORM A SUBTHREAD
to respond to the post immediately above.

<- Click on
REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE
to contribute to the instructor’s initial message.

Threaded View

Some people prefer the threaded view. It has a split screen that shows the threads and subthreads listed to the left and the selected message itself displayed on the right.

Threaded view also has the advantage of indicating which messages have not been read yet.

At the top of the screen, there is a MESSAGE VIEWING option where you can set the view you prefer as your default so that every time you enter a discussion board, you can view it in either linear or threaded view.

Tip! The things to remember about either view are:

To submit a response to the instructor’s (or leader’s) message, click [REPLY]
To submit a response to a classmate, click [Form a subthread]

In the threaded example above, the “replies” to the professor are indented under the main message and are labeled: RE: Student tips…

Subthreads are further indented under the replies and are labeled RE: RE: Student tips.

Online Quizzes and Examinations

You may be required to take a quiz or examination online. Depending upon how your instructor has set up the exam, it may be

scrambled

timed

objective, with multiple choice, true/false, matching or short answer questions.

subjective, with essay questions

Here is an example of some question styles you may see. How many questions can you correctly answer?!

Final Orientation Exam

Warning: There is a checkbox at the bottom of the exam form that you MUST check prior to submitting this exam.

Question 1 (Multiple Choice worth 1 point)
To turn in an online assignment that you completed using a word processor,
you will usually save the file and then
º email it to your instructor
º go back to the original assignment page in your packet, click [Browse], and then upload the file.
º go to the MY FOLDER icon and upload the file to your folder.
º bring it to class

Question 2 (True/False worth 1 point)
A packet is a bundle of documents such as readings, assignments and tests that should be completed in the order that
they are presented.
º true
º false
___________________________________________________________________

Question 3 (Matching worth 1 point)
Match the name of the course navigation main link with its function:

Match	Term	Definition
—	Course Materials	A) Where you’ll find packets and folders containing the course files
—	Who’s Online	B) A function that scans for activity every few seconds, keeping a dial-up connection from becoming idle and disconnecting.
—	Discussion Board	C) An asynchronous discussion area where messages are left by people any time and read/replied to by others at a later time.
—	Chatroom	D) A synchronous discussion area where you can only share messages with others who are in chatroom at the same time.

___________________________________________________________________

Question 4 (Fill-in-the-blank worth 1 point)
A(n) _____________ is a type of activity where you will be expected to input your work directly into a form on your screen
and submit it directly into the system.

Answer for Blank:
|______________________________|

Question 5 (True/False worth 1 point)
Your grade report will be found under the STUDENTS main link
º true
º false

YOU MUST CHECK THE BOX BELOW PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR EXAM!

[ ] Check this box to indicate you are ready to submit your exam

Note the checkbox located above the [Submit] button. This is a safeguard to prevent you from hitting the [enter] key and submitting your exam before you are finished. Make sure that you check this box before you [Submit].

GRADES / PROFILES

You will have a Grades or Profiles link in the main navigator column that leads to your progress report. This not only contains grades for assignments and tests that you’ve turned in, but also links to instructor feedback, uploaded files and discussion board participation. Your profile is at the top of the page, and it contains your personal information. You may change the information contained in your profile by clicking on the Modify Profile sublink.

Your instructor may choose to display a grade builder summary at the top of your grades/progress page.

This section shows your current percentage, which is your grade based on what you have submitted.

Your total percentage reflects your grade based on everything that is currently due.

Sometimes the grade summary does not appear at all.

Separate tables also make up a breakdown of all graded activities in the course. These tables will tell you the status of any assigned activity:

date due
past due
submitted or
grade

You may also see links to your instructor’s feedback for the work you submitted.

Using Email

Every student registered for courses having online components receives an email account that can be accessed from any active course. If you already have an email account that you prefer to use, you can set up your preferences to forward course mail to that account.

Access to email is through the main navigator column [E-Mail] link which takes you to the Inbox.

The inbox will list your received messages and indicate whether they’ve been viewed, who they are from, the date sent and the subject link.

Click on the subject to open the message.

Messages are scanned for viruses before being placed in the inbox.

Note the mailbox icon at the bottom of the screen. This appears on most course pages and will provide a quick link to your mail.

To highlight and delete or move many messages simultaneously, click on the Manage Multiple Messages link. You may then click on several messages at once and click on the [Delete] or [Move to Mail Folder] buttons.

Note the sublinks under the main navigation link.

To send a message, click on the Send Message sublink. If you are sending mail to someone in this system, all you need to type is their username in the TO: field. Or check the checkbox in front of your instructor’s name. DON’T type your instructor’s email address or username in the TO: field AND check the checkbox or your instructor will receive two copies of your message.

You can create mail folders to separate your mail if you want to distinguish mail from different courses.

You may or may not be able to send or receive mail outside of your institution.

If you need more information about any of these areas, please check this help center for each individual topic: packets, external assignments, worksheets, etc. To report a problem or ask a question, click on the SUPPORT or HELP button on your navigation screen and submit a detailed explanation of your question or problem. If you cannot find such a navigation link, send an e-mail support request to support@educator.ucompass.com.

1.1) What is Educator?

Educator is a powerful yet easy to use Knowledge Management System. The terms "Educator Knowledge Management System" and "Educator Course Management System" are used interchangeably throughout this help section. As a Learner in the K-12, Higher Education, or Corporate and Professional Training industries, Educator provides an interactive and dynamic online community that promotes the effective transfer of knowledge.

People often refer to Educator simply as Ucompass. Of course, you are welcome to think of the program by whatever name is most comfortable. For clarification purposes however, Ucompass.com Inc. is the name of our company and Educator is the name of our interactive online knowledge management system.

To start, it may help to think in terms of fundamental principles with respect to online learning. As a learner using the Educator course management system, everything you do can generally be broken down into one or more of three broad categories:

Viewing Content

Communicating with your instructor or fellow students

Evaluating your learning

As you begin your online course(s), you will soon recognize that each of your activities can indeed be placed within these categories. It might also be helpful to note that each of your knowledge providers will be participating in one or more of these categories as well.

With respect to the Educator course management system, the goal of Ucompass.com Inc. is to provide a robust, user-friendly vehicle offering the highest possible number of knowledge distribution, communication and evaluation features. Each feature in Educator has been subject to careful analysis in order to ensure value-added tools are available that meet or exceed industry "best practices." As a learner using the Educator system and Ucompass.com Inc's service and support, you have access to what is believed to be the most advanced tool of its kind, anywhere.

The methodologies and functionalities of Educator covered within the Help Center will help you extract the maximum possible value from the Educator course management system and your online courses.

1.2) Basic Terminology

Educator is utilized by a wide range of educational providers with interests serving users in K-12, Higher Education, Corporate and Professional Training, and beyond. For ease-of-use purposes, this Help Center utilizes standardized terms that transcend the boundaries of any one industry.

Knowledge Provider - An individual using Educator to distribute knowledge. Common synonyms (depending on the environment) include: teacher, instructor, moderator, facilitator, or trainer. Individuals involved in roles that could be described by the titles above are referred to as Knowledge Providers

Learner - An individual using Educator in a knowledge receiving role. Common synonyms (depending on the environment) include: student, trainee, employee. Individuals involved in roles that could be described by the titles above are referred to as Learners

Learning Object - Any electronic resource that contains knowledge. Examples include images, documents, movies, sounds, etc.

Web-Viewable Content - Resources viewable with a browser. Examples include GIF/JPG images and HTML documents

Non Web-Viewable Content - Resources that must be downloaded to the user's computer and opened in the application that created them

Hybrid Content - Resources that may be Web-Viewable or Non Web-Viewable depending on the user's computer configuration. Some Non Web-Viewable content can become Web-Viewable with the aid of a downloadable player. An example of this is a resource saved in the Shockwave Flash format and viewed using the Shockwave Flash player.

PDF Document - Non-editable resource that must be viewed using a plugin called Adobe Acrobat Reader. This is a free download available at http://www.adobe.com.

Educator Explorer - The feature represented by this

icon enables users to browse through course content areas

If you need technical support, please click on the SUPPORT or HELP button on your navigation screen and submit a detailed explanation of your question or problem. If you cannot find such a navigation link, send an e-mail support request to support@educator.ucompass.com.
If you need help with course content, please contact your instructor.

1.3) Educator Landscape

Your online classroom may look a little different than the examples shown here since every institution creates their e-learning environment a little differently. But you probably will have a course layout that puts navigation buttons on the left side of the screen, with the content to the right of it. Clicking on the different buttons will take you to the different areas of the course.

To ensure consistency, different course areas will be referred to as follows:

Navigation Panel - The navigation panel refers to the main links provided along the left-most side of the viewing area. These are links to main program features arranged according to the preferences set by your institution.

Main Links - The main links are the larger links located within the navigation panel. Main links open the main program features and also display the sublinks under them. Since all main links can be customized to show text and graphics selected by your institutions, they may differ slightly from those shown here.

Sublinks - The Sublinks are the smaller links found within the navigation panel under the main links.

Head - The Head is the area occupying the top right portion of the Educator interface usually consisting of your school/institution logo.

Educator Desktop - The Educator Desktop is the portion of the interface that displays course content.

If you need technical help in this area, please click on the SUPPORT or HELP button on your navigation screen and submit a detailed explanation of your question or problem. If you cannot find such a navigation link, send an e-mail support request to support@educator.ucompass.com.
If you need help with course content, please contact your instructor.

1.4) About this Help Center

This Help Center provides generic information about using Educator from the perspective of a learner.

It is important to realize that your institution and even your instructor has a tremendous amount of flexibility with respect to how your course looks and what type of features and functions are available.

They also have the ability to change the verbiage that describes specific course features. What we refer to as Exams for instance may be referred to as Quizzes or Tests by your instructor.

Information in parts of this Help Center may not pertain to what is going on in any of your courses. So the important thing is to pay attention to the directions given by your institution or instructor, and use these help features as a general reference only.

1.5) Technical Requirements

Technical Requirements: The equipment including hardware and software, needed to access Educator courses

The Lowest Common Denominator technical requirements for using Educator are summarized below:

PC (IBM compatible):

Pentium II (233 MHz minimum, higher recommended)
Windows 98, NT, or higher
256 MB Ram
12x CD-ROM (CD/DVD Recommended)
Internet connection of at least 56k
Display setting 800x600 resolution, (1024x768 recommended)
Printer required
Internet Explorer (web browsing software) - a version between 5.5 or higher
Students need a method to save work to a removable disk (Floppy, Zip, CD-ROM)
AmericaOnline is not recommended

Macintosh:

Power Mac G3
OSX
Students need a method to save work to a removable disk (Floppy, Zip, CD-ROM)
128 MB Ram
12x CD ROM (CD/DVD Recommended)
Internet connection of at least 56k
Display setting 800x600 resolution, (1024x768 recommended)
Printer required
Safari browser
AmericaOnline is not recommended

Recommended for all operating systems:

Flash 7 player

Adobe Acrobat Reader

Java enabled (in browser) (for Whiteboard)

Updated 7/2005

1.6) Security

Providing a stable and secure online environment is a critical function of the Ucompass.com technical staff.

It is strongly suggested that users adhere to the following guidelines to ensure a secure online environment:

ALWAYS log out of your course when finished with your work by clicking on the [Logoff button found in the navigation panel

If others have access to the computer you're using, you should also close your browser completely upon logging out of Educator. To quit or close your browser, either go to the menu drop down under File and select Close or use the X located in the top corner of the browser window. This will provide an added layer of security

For security reasons, bookmarked pages are not allowed within Educator. If a course page is bookmarked, the bookmark will expire within 24 hours

It goes without saying that you should be extremely cautious regarding your password and should not share your password with anyone else. Any individual with whom you share this information should thoroughly understand the ramifications that could result from carelessness in compromising the integrity of your knowledge management system.

If a user attempts to open a new window and sign into Educator while already signed into an open session in another window, the following appears in their original session:

If you use Educator from more than one location, we recommend you set up Educator to cancel your sessions upon Autologout. Every 10 minutes, a program runs to determine if you have been inactive for more than 10 minutes. If you have, you are logged out of the system. If you have the 'Cancel Session upon Autologout' feature set, then your session will be cancelled if you are auto-logged out. This will help prevent the security of your account from being compromised if you forget to log out of the system. However, if you take long exams or quizzes that cause you NOT to submit content for more than 10 minutes, you should not implement this feature.

When signing into Educator, your username is NOT case sensitive but your password IS case sensitive

If you forget your password, you can send an e-mail to support@ucompass.com. You MUST include the name of the organization you are associated with, your name, and a phone number where you can be reached. Be prepared to answer a series of questions before anyone from Ucompass gives out username and/or password information.

1.6.1) Your Username and Password

Your username in Educator cannot be changed once your account is created.

As soon as your account is formed, you will automatically have an e-mail address of $username@educator.ucompass.com.

Your password can be changed at any time by clicking on your profile in your course. This may be under a main link labeled Grades, Grade Report, My Profile, or something similar. There is also access through the security key icon at the bottom of your course screen, just above the help center topics.

You may want to change your password periodically as an extra security precaution.

If you forget your password, your institution has probably set up a policy to deal with that. Those directions may appear if you attempt to put in a password that is incorrect. Otherwise, call your help desk, or send an email to support@educator.ucompass.com.

Please send your own tips or comments to aforte@ucompass.com for inclusion in this topic.

1.6.2) Privacy

Be aware that any content or information that you post into Educator can be accessed and viewed by the following individual(s):

Your knowledge providers

Administrators of http://educator.ucompass.com

Technical staff from Ucompass.com, Inc.

Teaching Assistants that have been given the rights to view Student Records

Anything that you do not want viewed by ANYONE including your instructors and system administrators should just NOT BE PUT INTO EDUCATOR!

Educator is a teaching and learning instrument and there may be times when your knowledge provider or an administrator needs to go into your account.

In each of your courses, you have a Student Profile that can be edited by clicking on the [Grades]/[My Profile] link and then the Modify Profile sublink.

You have the ability to keep your profile information private from other learners in your course as illustrated in the capture below which shows an example of a Student Profile:

1.7) Legal Info

In the following information, you are the USER, Ucompass is the PROVIDER:

Information posted by the User on the User’s server that is furnished
by Provider is property of the User. The Provider assumes no liability
for material posted by User. User retains all rights he or she may have
for such information.

Under no circumstances will User attempt to view, access,
manipulate, download, transfer or intervene with the source code of the
Educator software. The Educator software source code is the
intellectual property of Edward Mansouri, Ucompass.com, Inc. CEO. Any violation of this will result in immediate suspension of service. In addition, Ucompass.com, Inc. and Edward Mansouri, Ucompass.com, Inc. CEO will aggressively seek financial restitution and damages from User incurred from the compromise of the Educator source code.

User will not use any of Educator's communication tools including Instant Messaging, E-Mail, Discussion Boards, or Chat to harass, intimidate, or offend any other user of Educator. Users who believe they are victims of harassment or intimidation within Educator should contact support@ucompass.com immediately with a description of the issue. Ucompass will prosecute those participating in harassing or intimidating behavior to the fullest extent of the law.

Any User who attempts to access another User's account without that User's express, written permission will have their access to Educator removed immediately.

Provider will not be responsible for failures, delays, interruptions or
hindrances of Provider's services where such failures, delays,
interruptions or hindrances are caused by war, riots, embargoes, strikes
or acts of its vendors and suppliers, or acts of God including
earthquakes, hurricanes, flash floods and tornadoes.

NEITHER PROVIDER, NOR ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS, ARE RESPONSIBLE TO USER OR ANY OTHER PERSON USING USER'S ACCOUNT FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGE OR COST, INCLUDING CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES AND/OR LOST INCOME OR PROFITS, ARISING FROM USER'S INABILITY TO USE SAID SERVICES.

User is responsible for all hardware and software necessary to connect to Provider.

User warrants that any material submitted for publication with Provider through User's account(s) does not violate or infringe any copyright, trademark, patent, statutory, common law, or proprietary rights of others, or violate any laws, statutes or regulations of the United States, and further covenants that such material shall not contain any obscene or arguably obscene matter.

If Provider feels information posted by User is of an obscene, threatening, radical or offensive nature, Provider will remove User's account immediately without warning.

Use of distribution lists in electronic mail, or other mass electronic mailing, is subject to approval by Provider.

User agrees that any and all activity or use of Provider accounts
adheres to all applicable laws and regulations as well as Provider
policies and guidelines. This includes, but is not limited to,
unauthorized access (" hacking"), or any variation thereof, mass mailing
or Spamming (unless authorized by Provider), and posting of lewd and/or
morally obscene material.

User is responsible for all use of User's account(s). User must ensure
that User's passwords remain confidential and must take precautions to
ensure that only authorized persons gain access to User's account.
Failure to take such precautions constitutes a breach of security and
may result in the immediate suspension of User's account. Repeat
suspensions for breach of security may result in permanent denial of
service with Provider.

Provider will change access codes to User's accounts immediately upon
the notification by User via phone, mail, E-mail or fax that his or her
password has been lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised.

Any Interface or function implemented by the User will NOT be
supported by Provider.

Ucompass has the right to suspend or remove any User accounts if it has evidence that any of the above terms and conditions have been violated.

If violations of the above terms and conditions involve any legal or civic damages to Ucompass or any other individual and/or organization, Ucompass.com, Inc. a Florida Corporation, will work with local, state, federal and international law enforcement authorities to prosecute those involved to the fullest extent of the law.

Comments or questions regarding this information can be sent to support@ucompass.com

1.8) Support

It is important to distinguish between the kinds of help you may require in your online course components.

Help with accessing your course must come from your institution. They should have a procedure in place for forgotten passwords, course registration procedures, etc.
Help with coursework (understanding concepts, performing calculations, broken links within course documents, exam timeouts etc.) must come from your course facilitator. This could be your instructor, TA, or workshop leader. To ask for help with course content, please email your instructor, or follow policy set by your institution.

Help with the Educator Course management system will come from one of two places:
- Local administrators servicing http://educator.ucompass.com
- Directly from Ucompass.com, Inc.
Support will be offered to you in one or more of three different formats:
1. E-Mail Support Handled within Educator
2. Immediate Callback assistance
3. Help Desk

Filling out a Support Request Form

The first thing you will see is a search box where you are able to type in the topic with which you need help. For example, if you have questions about taking an exam, you can type in the word 'exam'. This will lead you to the appropriate help center area where you may find a solution to your question. If your question is not general, but more specific--say about your particular exam, you may have to email your instructor directly.

The next area may give you institution-specific directions for getting help. There may be a phone number to a help desk, or directions for finding help in different areas such as enrollment options, logins for external sites such as library access, etc.

If there is a form to fill out, please make sure you describe your problem in complete detail including the course location in which you experienced difficulties, time of day and any actions you were doing at the time.

Finally, there will be a place where you can type in contact information. Your course email address will be pre-filled, but you can request your answer be directed to any address you prefer. If your institution provides call-back assistance, you will see a place for your telephone number.

Most institutions, however, will offer support via email.

To recap: To get technical assistance for such things as links or activities malfunctioning click the [Technical Support] or [Help] button on your navigation panel. Follow the directions there. If there is a form to fill out, please make sure you describe your problem in complete detail including the course location in which you experienced difficulties, time of day and any actions you were doing at the time.
If you cannot find such a navigation link, send an e-mail support request to support@educator.ucompass.com.

Again: Different institutions make different levels of Educator Support available to learners so all methods of Support covered in this subsection may not apply to everyone.

1.8.1) Support Cases

When you have a question, one of the best things to do is to open up a Support Case.

Your Support Case will either be answered by a local administrator of http://educator.ucompass.com or from someone at Ucompass.com, Inc.

An example of the flow of information in a Support Case is illustrated below:

Technical Support / HELP

First click on the Technical Support main navigation link.

At the top of the support form you'll see a search box that will allow you to search for information in the online Help Center.

Under that is information that your institution may provide for seeking help. There may be a helpdesk phone number, email address or specific directions addressing different problems such as library access, password changes etc.

If you haven't found the answer to your question in these areas, then open a new support case. Indicate the nature of your question or problem. Then, in the textbox provided, describe in detail where in the course you are referring to and any actions or experiences that would help technical support staff arrive at a solution.

Your email address will be pre-filled. You may change the address to another one if you want to receive an answer at another account.

Submit your request.

1.8.2) Help Desk

A Help Desk telephone number may be available for you. The Help Desk will either be staffed by

local administrators of http://educator.ucompass.com

Ucompass.com, Inc. Technical Representatives

or both.

Send an e-mail to support@educator.ucompass.com to find out if a Help Desk Number is available for you.

If you need technical help in this area, please click on the SUPPORT button on your navigation screen and submit a detailed explanation of your question or problem. If you cannot find such a navigation link, send an e-mail support request to support@educator.ucompass.com.

1.9) Before you Take that Online Course!

Taking courses online can be scary and intimidating if you've never done it before. All the worse if you don't consider yourself computer or internet savvy. However, with a little thought and planning, you will be able to not only take an online successfully, but you'll find that it's often better than a face-to-face course. Especially when you can move at your own pace, rereading and even redoing some of the work until it 'clicks!'.

First let's talk about your 'fit' to the online environment. In order to complete an online course successfully--this means learning the material--you must have the following traits:

You must like to work independently. If you're the type of student that needs a lot of dialog with your instructor to understand the concepts, then you might not be a good candidate for an online course. Online courses expect that you will find your own way much of the time, although keep in mind that asking questions of your instructors is still KEY!

You must be time-wise. Letting time get away from you---we're talking procrastination here--is going to get you into a lot of trouble. Work piles up in any course, and online courses just let you get away with it if you let it. Be persistent!

You must like to read and write! Online courses are basically text-based, although you may have an occasional sound bite here and there. Remember that even a lot of multimedia--slides and images--are visual and textual.

You must be a participator! If you're usual style in the classroom is to sit quietly and listen, you'll be challenged to change your ways in an online course. Whereas one student may answer a question in the classroom, everybody answers everything in an online course.

What's an Online Course Like?

An online course has pretty much the same content and conceptual basis as a face-to-face course. The biggest difference is the delivery of the materials. As we said above, most online course lessons are delivered through print media. In addition, most communication among classmates and between you and your instructors will be via discussion boards, chatrooms and email.
The advantages to this are many... For anyone who has tried to keep up with fast-speaking lecturers, or for anyone trying to communicate in a different language, print and other 'captured' media is a distinct advantage. Lectures can be reread or replayed, and a record of communications is automatically kept. Research is finding that written communication results in more thought-out dialog within the virtual classroom, resulting in better quality work all around.
Of course there are disadvantages as well, and these are what must be overcome. You may be sitting there in front of your computer with a horror-struck look of bewilderment--but your instructor can't see that. Nor will you be able to see your instructor's visual cues or hear voice inflections.
So how do we overcome the disadvantages? Through communication! Ask questions! Clarify! If there is a Frequently-Asked-Question Discussion board, read it! Chances are others had the same questions before you. Take advantage of it.

Before you write that Email!

Although it is always a good idea to ask questions when something isn't clear, make sure that you've made the attempt to find the information in the course first. If there are 25-50 students in your class and everyone sends an email asking about something that is clearly stated in the course already, your instructor will be inundated with more trivial matters and won't get to the big problems at hand. What are trivial questions? Thinks that are probably in your syllabus or course readings: Like

When is ___ due?

What do we have to read?

How do I use the course features?

First Help Yourself

Before beginning your course, take any available orientations. If nothing is available, click through the buttons and see how they function.

Find out what help files are already available within your virtual classroom. Educator has a Help Center located at the bottom of each screen. There are context-sensitive topic headings--or to review the whole thing, click on the Question Mark icon.

Read carefully--and more than once!

Read the course literature on how to study.

Manage your time wisely. Schedule time consistently and regularly to work on the class. Try to do it in the same place as well as the same time.

Download or print out pages for referral when you're offline.

Listen to your instructor's directions! Even if you've taken an online course before, don't think every instructor is the same. You would not expect that in the classroom. So try to discover what is important to your instructor--and make those things important to you!

Don't give up! The more experience you have working online, the easier it gets! And most students will report that what terrified them at first is a snap now.

Netiquette

Just as the physical world expects certain behavior, so it is with online courses. Keep this pointers in mind as you progress through your courses:

Reread what you write before you hit [Send!]. Writing can be cold, and humor can be misread. It goes without saying to never write in anger!
Help each other out. Ask questions not only of your instructor, but of your classmates too. They'll have their own opinions about what works and what doesn't.
Be patient. Most institutions have policies regarding a reasonable amount of time for emails to be answered and assignments to be graded. Find out what they are and adhere to those timelines.
Don't plagiarize. It's easy to do and easy to catch. And it's NOT going to help you learn!

If you have any tips that you think are important to include here, please send them along to aforte@ucompass.com I'd be happy to include them!

1.10) Message from Ucompass

Dear Educator Learner:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for using the Ucompass.com Inc, Educator Knowledge Management System.

The most important information we receive is from you, the user, whose suggestions have been an important ingredient in Educator's success as a robust yet user-friendly knowledge delivery system.

The next few years will likely bring more exciting innovations in Educator's capability to serve as an outstanding learning instrument. Its continued success will largely be a function of how it serves you, the individual learner.

I would like to invite you to contact me personally at any time at my e-mail address mansouri@ucompass.com to provide me with your suggestions for improvement or any other ideas that will help keep Educator the best such system of its kind.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Mansouri, CEO

2) Course Management

Educator is a Course Management System. Each
learner has the capability of enrolling into an unlimited number of
courses.

In the next few pages you'll learn how to

move from within one course to another course using the Course Manager navigation link.

enroll into courses (if applicable)

use the course calendar for time management.

2.1) The Course Manager

The main purpose of the Course Manager link on your main navigation panel, is to allow you to move in and out of all the courses in which you are enrolled.
Depending upon how course enrollment is handled within your organization, you might also use this feature to add new courses or remove courses from your course list. Because the options to drop or add courses varies by institution, the methods cannot be covered here. Ask your local Educator administrators or instructors for specific directions if you see these links.

The listing of your active courses will appear on the right hand side of your screen. It will list your course name and ID, your instructor's name and your 'level'. Your level will usually be 'student'. But it is possible that you may be made a teaching assistant in your course.

At the bottom of the course list will be a link that will allow you to rearrange your course list into the order that you wish to view them.

Once you click on the Arrange Course List link, you'll be able to change the drop down-menus next to each course listing to renumber the order in which they are listed.

2.2) Enrolling Into Courses

There are three ways in which you can be enrolled into a course:

Auto-enrollment as soon as you register for the course at your institution (often referred to as Database Integration)

Manual self-enrollment into the course (Open Enrollment)

Mananual enrollment into the course by your instructor. (Controlled enrollment)

The way you are added to a course will depend on the procedures at your particular institution. Contact your instructor or enrollment offices for specific instructions.

For your own academic protection, under NO circumstances should you ever have more than ONE username in Educator. Should you change your name, follow school policy for identifying yourself in online courses to prevent a loss of credit.

2.2.1) Database Integration

Database Integration occurs when Educator is tied into the Student Course Registration System at your institution/organization.

Many institutions have phone or Internet-based registration systems. If Educator is connected to that system, as soon as you enroll into a course using the institution's registration system, you will be enrolled into the corresponding online course in Educator. That does not necessarily mean you have instant access to your course. Depending upon your institution's policy, you may need to wait until a specific access day or a certain number of hours until your course will appear upon login.

To find out if this method of registration occurs with http://educator.ucompass.com, send an e-mail to support@educator.ucompass.com.

2.2.2) Open Enrollment

Open enrollment is the second of three methods that your institution may use to register students into courses. If you don't see screens or commands like those shown below, then this method does not apply to you.

The open enrollment method is used if your institution does NOT have an automated registration procedure. If the course you are adding to your account is set up as Open Enrollment then you will be able to freely add it without any barriers to enrollment by following the procedures shown below:

If your institution uses open enrollment methods, it will be apparent when you click on Course Manager
You will see a link to Register for Course on the left side of the screen next to your current course list.

This will allow you to locate a course into which to enroll.
You may search by instructor, course ID or department.

Once you've selected the criterion by which to search, a search-box will appear. If you have selected instructor, type in the instructor's last name. If you have selected Course ID or Department, type in those specifics.

Click on the Register for Course button.

Finally, fill in your student information.

Payment policies and procedures vary by institution. It is a good idea to find out these details before enrolling into any courses independently.

2.2.3) Controlled Enrollment

Controlled enrollment is the third of three possible methods that your institution may use to register students into courses. If you don't see screens or commands like those shown below, then this method does not apply to you.

The controlled enrollment method is used if your institution does NOT have an automated registration procedure. Your instructor or institution administration will initiate the enrollment process by issuing a 9 digit access code to you. Once this code has been created for you, you'll receive an e-mail similar to the one below:

Go to the registration URL provided where you will see options by which to search for a course.
Click to search either by your instructor's name, the Course ID or the Department.

Then type in the specific information and click [find course]

Click to enter the course if you have your 9-digit access code with you.

Finally fill in the student registration page.

2.3) Calendar

Educator supplies you with a Calendar that doubles as both a Course Activity Calendar and a Personal Daily Planner Calendar.

The Calendar sublink is found under the syllabus/Course Information main navigation link.

By default, all 12 months appear on your calendar with past months appearing in blue and future days appearing in white. At the bottom of your Calendar you can specify which months you would like to have appear upon clicking into the Calendar. Dates that have passed are shaded in blue, the current date is shaded in red and future dates are shaded in white. Below is a screen capture showing the calendar for October as it would appear October 21:

Notice each current and future date is a hyperlink on the calendar. In this example, notice that on the 25th of the month there is a red 'R' icon representing a "Reminder". The "R" indicates that there is something scheduled on your calendar for which you are being reminded. You can click on the icon to view and or edit the information.

To schedule an upcoming event, first click on the date the event will occur.

To enter information for a course event, enter the desired information in the Course Activity text box.
To enter information for a personal event, enter the desired information at the appropriate times and dates located in your Personal Daily Planner. Any activities scheduled in your Personal Daily Planner calendar will only be viewable to you.
Once you have entered your information, press the [Submit] button at the bottom of the screen.

3) Receiving Knowledge

Course content is stored and accessed in some sort of electronic format.

Educator is designed to let your knowledge providers easily take content in the form of files of any type from their computer, scanner, network, or CD and post it in Educator in an organized manner ready for distribution to you.

You also have tools as a learner that will let you transfer files to other learners or to your instructor(s).

In this section we will cover strategies of maximizing Educator's powerful content delivery and publishing capabilities.

An understanding of the types of content, i.e. file types, is extremely important when working on the web. Please read over the next several sections that go into web-readable and non-web-readable files and how to manage them.

After that, go over the course-specific documents that you will be using such as syllabi, folders, bookmarks, and posting your own home page on the web.

3.1) Types of Content

Files can be stored in a variety of electronic formats resulting in an unlimited number of ways to store information.

The most common are

word processing documents (.doc files)

html documents (.html or .htm files)

PDF documents (.pdf)

In addition, you may be asked to view Flash^TM movies or download Excel spreadsheets, depending upon the type of course you're taking.

You will be provided with some fundamental information within this Help Center to help you understand different content formats you may encounter.

bottom

3.2) Web Viewable Resources

Web-Viewable Resources are those that are viewable within your web browser.
Educator is a browser-based application, meaning it runs completely within the infrastructure of the web browser. You are generally viewing Educator in a web-viewable format (through your browser). As a student, however, you will be asked to complete and turn in work by your instructor, who will give you direction as to what format you need to use. If you are taking a writing class, for example, your instructor may request word processing documents be uploaded to your folder. If you are taking accounting, you may be asked to complete and upload a spreadsheet. These are NOT web-viewable. On the other hand, if you are asked to complete a web page as an assignment, the files you create ARE web-readable.

HTML

HTML which stands for the Hyper Text Markup Language, is a coding methodology for marking up content to be displayed in a web browser. You can also insert links to other files within an HTML file. The World Wide Web itself is an endless connection of links from one HTML file to another creating a network that spans servers across the planet.

You can embed other types of web viewable media into an HTML file including pictures, illustrations, movies, sounds and more.

Images

Images are served up over the web in one of two formats: GIF and JPG

GIF stands for Graphic Interchange Format

JPG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group.

PNG files are a newer format that are also viewable on the web.

GIF is pronounced 'jif', JPG is pronounced 'jay-peg' and PNG is pronounced "ping".

Web designers follow a simple rule of thumb regarding GIF and JPG images. The rule is that GIF images are better for saving illustrations or text while JPG images are better for saving photography. The differences in the two file formats relate to how they render and process colors. PNG images are an attempt to hybridize the two earlier formats.

There are many software applications for both the Macintosh and PC computers that enable you to save graphics into different formats.
Programs range from the freely available GIF Converter software to professional commercial products such as Adobe Photoshop.

This Help Center does not offer training in using Graphic software packages and you are encouraged to explore books or local training opportunities if you wish to learn more about designing graphics for the web.

If you need technical help in this area, please click on the SUPPORT or HELP button on your navigation screen and submit a detailed explanation of your question or problem. If you cannot find such a navigation link, send an e-mail support request to support@educator.ucompass.com.
If you need help with course content, please contact your instructor.

3.3) Non Web Viewable Resources

A knowledge provider or Learner who attempts to view content after downloading the content to their computer is viewing the content as a non-web viewable resource. Content displayed within the infrastructure of the web browser is accessed as web-viewable content.

Non web-viewable resources need to be opened in an application that can read the file in its native format.

Educator lets you publish and receive resources saved in any format. However, whenever possible we recommend saving resources into web-viewable formats such as HTML, GIF or JPG.

Most software applications that have been produced in the last several years have built in programs that let you export resources to a web-viewable format.

When you convert a resource into a web-viewable format, you can usually expect to see some change to the structure or appearance of the content depending on its complexity. Therefore, it will not always be possible to convert to a web-viewable format and you may need to deliver the resource in a non web-viewable format giving specific instructions about how to download and view the content.

As an example, if you had a Microsoft Word document comprised of text, you could save it as HTML and other than some minor font and/or formatting changes, the HTML resource would look close to how it originally looked in MS Word.

However, if you had something like an elaborate blueprint created in a desktop publishing software like Adobe PageMaker, when you convert to HTML, you may experience format changes which may be unacceptable with something as precise as a blueprint. This can result in a lower grade. When in doubt, look for directions regarding how to upload your course work within your course or ask your instructor for details.
Learning how to save content and convert from one format to another is a skillset that takes time and practice to develop.

3.4) Resources that Require Players

You will find that some content can be web-viewable if the user has a specific player installed within the browser. Without the player, the content is either non viewable or must be downloaded to your computer to be viewed. Often, the user will be automatically prompted to download the necessary player in order to access the file desired.

A common example is Macromedia Shockwave Flash files. These file types can create and display animated, interactive web presentations when the flash player has been installed on the computer.

If your knowledge providers author content in a format that you know requires a player, they should be prepared to communicate this to you and also be able to direct you to a web address where you can download the player.

Educator has a number of downloadable players built in but there are literally thousands of different types of players and it is impossible to account for all of them.

CLICK HERE for a list of freely downloadable players for Macintosh and PC computers.

If you need technical help in this area, please click on the HELP or SUPPORT button on your navigation screen and submit a detailed explanation of your question or problem. If you cannot find such a navigation link, send an e-mail support request to support@educator.ucompass.com.

3.5) Course Folders

Your instructor can put course folders onto the Educator desktop and populate the folders with course files.

You are probably familiar with the folder concept since you are comfortable using a computer. All of the course documents and files are put into folders that are labeled either by topic, chapter or maybe even week or lesson number.

This example shows several folders and subfolders containing course materials.

Under the course materials is an additional folder called MY FOLDERS which is where you keep your own files that you add to the system. This is covered in the next section.

At the very bottom of all of the folders is a command link to SHOW FILES. This will display every file contained within each folder on a single screen.

Just about any type of file can be stored in a folder. However, only HTML and text files will actually open without the help of a helper application. Files such as Microsoft Word documents (.doc) or Excel spreadsheets (.xls) need a compatible word processor or spreadsheet program resident on your computer in order to open. Educator will download such files to your computer. Sometimes, instead of the document, you'll see a download progress screen instead.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties in this area, please click on the SUPPORT or HELP button on your navigation panel in your course (not the help center) and submit a detailed explanation of your question or problem. If you cannot find such a navigation link, send an e-mail support request to support@educator.ucompass.com.
If you need help with course procedures or content, please contact your instructor.

3.6) My Folder

Every learner has his/her own folder in all online course environments. The learner can upload/create/transfer files to My Folder for review/evaluation by their knowledge providers. Also, if the file is set as Unlocked you can share your resources with other learners in the course.

The My Folder sublink is found under the Course Materials main navigation link.

A shortcut icon

can be found in the toolbar at the bottom of most course pages

My Folder Settings

Your folder, along with all other student folders, is actually contained inside another folder that your instructor controls. Your instructor's master folder is usually kept locked. That is why you cannot normally unlock your own folder. However, some instructors want students to share files, so they unlock the master folder. If this is the case, then you will be able to unlock your folder so other students can view the contents. You can create subfolders within your folder and lock those if you have contents that you wish to keep private.

To unlock (or lock) your folder, click on the MY FOLDERS

icon at the bottom of the page (or enter through the navigation column).

Then click on your own name to access the folder itself.

Now click on the Modify folder link.

If the status is Locked, but there is a drop down menu allowing you to change to Unlocked, you may do so. If there is no way of changing the status, you'll see a lock icon

instead.

If your folder is locked, then only you and your instructors will be able to see and access the folder. There is another way to share files within your folders that will be explained below. If it is unlocked then any learner in your online class will be able to access and view your resources.

Uploading Files

Once you access your folder, you will see a link labeled Upload to this folder. CAUTION! If it is an assignment that you are uploading, then there is an upload mechanism within the assignment document itself that not only uploads your file, but also identifies it as an assignment submission.

To upload a file to your folder directly...

click on the UPLOAD TO THIS FOLDER link

Click the [Browse] button.

Search your directories for the saved file on your computer

Highlight the file and click [Open] (or double-click the file)

Click the [Upload File!] button.

After your file has been uploaded, you should see the filename in your folder. If you can see it then your instructor can see it too.

Note: If you are not in your folder, you can upload files through the upload center, a sublink in the Course Materials area of the virtual classroom. In this case, Educator will ask you to select a destination folder. After you choose the folder, you can proceed as outlined above.

File Permissions

If your folder is UNLOCKED then each file you put into your folder can be locked or unlocked.

Files that are locked are only accessible by the owner of the folder and the course instructor. Files that are unlocked are accessible by anyone having access to the Student Folders area.

Often, when you are given a team assignment, you need to transfer files among your team members. Although the method that comes to mind first is probably using email to attach files, this is not the most efficient way to transfer files. This results in multiple copies of files being stored within the course environment, which eventually will result in a slow-down of the system. It also can lead to confusion as multiple files pile up.

A better way for you to share files is right from your own folder. There are, in fact, several ways you can do this.

Marking a file for viewing by other students.

If you were to go onto the discussion board and click on the group TEAM 1: ETHICS, you would see, in the control panel, a link called Group Files. Clicking on this link will show a list of files that have been made accessible to this group. Even though the files in this example don't exist, you could still go into the discussion board and find the Group Files link. There just won't be any files in it yet.

Sharing Files from within the Discussion Group

Group Files

Add file

If you are experiencing technical difficulties in this area, please click on the SUPPORT or HELP button on the navigation panel in your course (outside this help center) and submit a detailed explanation of your question or problem. If you cannot find such a navigation link, send an e-mail support request to support@educator.ucompass.com.
If you need help with course procedures or content, please contact your instructor.

3.7) Adding/Uploading Resources

Uploading a file means to transfer a it from your computer to your Educator course folder.

You can either upload a file directly into your folder through a sublink under Course Materialscalled the Upload Center, or you can upload it through an assignment. The latter is recommended if the file actually is an assignment you're submitting for a grade. This way, the file will be identified as belonging to that assignment and your instructor will easily find and grade it.

Uploading from the Upload Center

Click on the Course Materials main navigation link
Click on the Upload Center sublink.
Click on the [Browse] button.
Locate your file in the drive and directory you saved it.
Double-click the filename to make it appear in the upload window (or alternatively, highlight the filename and then click on the [Open] button).
Click on the [Upload File!] button.

This is very important: If you can see your file name in your folder, then your teacher can see it too. There is no need to send an email to ask if they 'received' it. They don't receive it as if it was an email message. They simply go to your folder when they need to view it.

Manually Adding Text or HTML

Using the New Text or HTML file link, you can manually create HTML or Text documents online as is illustrated below:

3.8) Using Educator Desktop to Upload Files

Educator Student Desktop: Attaching files to assignments is often one of the more troublesome tasks for new students as files have to be uploaded within the confines of the web browser. Now, with the Educator Desktop, the online classroom interface and the student's desktop computer are one in the same, enabling students to simply drag and drop desktop files to a target assignment.

To start:

You must have the latest Flash player installed. Please go to http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/ and follow the isntructions to install the software.

Next, you will need Adobe Apollo. Please go to http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/apolloruntime.html and download either the PC or Mac version depending on your computer. Once you have downloaded the software, please double-click the icon to install it.

Last, you will need the Educator Desktop. Please go to http://www.ucompass.com/EducatorDesktop.air and download and install the software.

Once you have installed all the files, you will be taken immediately to the Educator Desktop login screen unless you uncheck the box prior to clicking Finish.

If you are not ready to enter the program, you may enter it at any time by clicking on the Educator Desktop icon which will be on your Desktop.

When you open the Educator Desktop, you will need to enter your Educator E-Mail Address and your password for your course(s).Your Educator E-Mail address is your username and then the URL (http address) at which you login. If you are unsure of the URL, simply go into any of your courses and click on the Email link on the navigation bar. When you click Send Mail, you will see your Email address.

Remember, your password is case-sensitive!

Once you are in the Educator Desktop, you will see the following screen:

In this screen, you will need to first choose the course in which you would like to submit assignment files.

Highlight the course from the dropdown box. All of your ACTIVE courses will be shown.

Once you have chosen your course, you will need to choose the Assignment for which you would like to submit a file. The Assignments shown will be those assignments within your course and will include assignments that have been submitted as well as those which have not been submitted.

Notice on the left side of the screen is a list of your files and folders on your computer. You may choose the Desktop dropdown box to choose another drive or area of your computer. The files listed below are those files within that folder.

Once you have found the file you wish to upload to the assignment, simply drag it from the list to the File box at the bottom of the screen.

You may type any notes to the instructor in the My Assignment Comments box.

If you are ready to Submit your work, make sure to click the Grade checkbox and then click Submit.

NOTE: If you do not click Grade, your instructor will not be able to see and grade your work.

Once the file is submitted, the assignment will disappear from your Assessment list in your course. Remember, though, the assignment will remain listed on the Educator Desktop.

If necessary, you may submit more than one file for each assignment or, if you mistakenly click and drag the wrong file to the assignment, you can click the Clear File button (see below).

Once you have submitted your work, you will see the following screen. Please do not close the Educator Desktop until you have clicked Ok.

Once your instructor has graded your work, when you re-enter the Educator Desktop, you will be able to see the grade and the comments from the Instructor.

If you need to resubmit the assignment, you can do so here by clicking Clear File, finding the additional or new file and dragging and dropping it into the File box.

Again, if you need to submit a new or edited file, remember to check the Grade checkbox and then click Submit.

Please send your own training tips or comments to training@ucompass.com for inclusion in this topic.
Note: Technical support questions should be addressed to support@educator.ucompass.com

3.9) Adding Audio/Video

Audio/Video Recordingare new features in Educator that lets users record an audio or video into their Educator account. No special equipment is needed other than an ordinary sound input (and web camera for video).

IMPORTANT NOTE: This feature is only available to students when the instructor has turned the function on.

Your browser must have the Flash Player, Version 7 or later, to use Educaster and the Audio/Video tools.

To start, make sure you have your microphone and camera plugged in to your computer. At the bottom of any Text box where you normally type, there will be icons to Add Audio and Add Video.

When the instructor has turned on the feature, you will see the following icons.

Click on the link for the tool you wish to use. Audio can currently be recorded for up to 12 minutes for each file. Video can currently be recorded for up to 3 mins per file. Once you click on the tool, you will see the following window.

Choose Accept to allow the server to connect to your webcam and/or microphone.

NOTE: If you are not allowed access, please make sure Port 1935 is opened on your firewall.

In the filename field, type a short name for your file. You may use alphanumeric characters only. Spaces are allowed. Click Start Recording when you're ready.

You should see the recording time moving. If you do not see the blue volume indicator bar moving while recording, please make sure you're speaking directly into your microphone and that you're speaking clearly and loudly. When you have finished, click Stop Recording.

You will then have various choices to make.

You may wish to preview your file first or simply save the file. If there is a problem and you wish to start over, simply click Discard. If you close this window prior to clicking the Save button, you will lose your work.

Once you've saved your file, you will be given choices. You may:

Play: Play the file again

Discard: Delete the file

Make Link: Create a link which will be used so users may access the file

Close: Leave the Audio/Video area (make sure you save first!)

Clear: Clear the information for that file

When you save your file, the link will automatically be embedded in whatever text box you're currently viewing.

Your instructor will then see the following in the textbox in which you embedded the file.

Please send your own training tips or comments to for inclusion in this topic.
Note: Technical support questions should be addressed to support@educator.ucompass.com

3.10) FlexTV

FlexTV: FlexTV is a new feature in the Ucompass.com, Inc. Educator Learning Management System designed to help students and teachers find television programming where they live that is supplementary or complimentary to the subject material of their courses.

NOTE: FlexTV is a Flash application. You need the latest version of the Flash Player from Adobe. Click the following link fo Adobe's website to download the latest version of the free Flash Player: Download latest version of Flash

You will be provided a link on the navigation bar or in the content to FlexTV if your instructor chooses to use this feature.

WHAT DOES FlexTV LOOK LIKE?

Below you can see a sample screen capture of FlexTV. It shows a user taking a Meteorology course searching for television programming relative to the keyword, Climate.

1. When you first access FlexTV, you'll be asked to input your zip code. Enter a five-digit zip code (currently only United States and United States territories are supported) then press the 'Go!' button. Each person would put in their own zip code.

2. Then, you will see a list of all registered television service providers and cable operators assigned to your zip code. Simply click on the company you use as your television provider. Unfortunately, while our data is very complete, we may not have all providers in all parts of the country.

3. Again, this student has searched for the word Climate in this instance.

4. At first, you will see a grid that lists all of the current day's television programming, fast-forwarded to the current time of day. You can use the time pull-down interface controls to move forward or backward in half-hour increments. You can also use the calendar interface control to move ahead up to 2 WEEKS into the future to display television programming by time.

5. There is also a drop down box that may show you terms provided by the instructor.

When you click on a TV program, you'll see something similar to the following:

When you click on the name of a TV program, you'll see a dialogue that lets you click on the name of the program and (sometimes) the names of any actors/actresses in the program. When you click on these links, you'll see info within the FlexTV interface straight from the IMDB (Internet Movie Database):

ADDING A TV PROGRAM TO YOUR CALENDAR

Upon clicking on the name of a TV program, you'll see an "Add to Calendar" icon. After you click this link, the television program will be added to your Educator calendar. You would then be prompted to watch the program you marked.

Please send your own training tips or comments to training@ucompass.com for inclusion in this topic. Note: Technical support questions should be addressed to support@educator.ucompass.com

3.11) Content Navigation

Educator generally makes navigation within course content pretty easy. If your instructor uses Packets, the navigation is either in a table of contents on the left side of your screen, or via NEXT and PREVIOUS arrows at the bottom of the screen.

Navigation in a packet consists merely of clicking through the materials in the order the links appear.

If your instructor stores course materials in folders, the folder structure is displayed at the top of the screen as shown in the example below:

3.12) File Management

Once you've uploaded a file into your folder, Educator will give you several options to manage that file depending upon what it is. For example, if you upload an image, Educator will automatically offer an option to display the photo in your profile. If it is a text or HTML file, Educator will offer you options to VIEW or EDIT the file.
If it is an external application file such as a Word Doc or Excel spreadsheet, you cannot edit it without using the external application.
If it is a zipped folder, Educator will give you an unzip option.

This is an example of an image file that has been uploaded to a student folder.

If you check the checkbox in front of
[]Display this picture in my profile,
then your image will show in the profile as long as you have it set to display to others.

Listed under the checkbox are standard file options that allow you to email the file,
delete the file from your folder,
copy the file to the common folders to make it shareable, or
grant access to specific students--a way to share files with group members or individuals you select.

The filename can be changed, but don't change the extension of an uploaded file.

The label is the way it will appear in your folder contents listing or the link name if you link to this file. You can customize that or leave it blank, in which case the filename will be used.

The assignment association should only be used if this file is to be graded. If you upload an assignment through the assignment page itself, it will automatically have the assignment association filled in correctly.

The Object ID is the way Educator identifies the file. If you use the object ID tag in any other document, email, the chatroom or discussion board, you will create a link to this file. Be sure to use the brackets carefully and put a colon between the word object and the ID number.
< object:s65>
If you wish to make notes about this file, you may do so in the My Comments box.

The status indicates whether students can view your file (unlocked) or not (locked). Remember that a file that is in a locked folder cannot be unlocked. Your instructor may need to unlock the folders first.

The file type is automatically indicated upon upload.

The "ALT" tag appears only on image files. This is what shows if people view a web page with no image viewing capability. On some operating systems and browsers, it also appears as a 'tooltip' if you place your cursor over an image.

3.13) Object ID Numbers

Every time you add a file to your folder, the resource gets stamped with a unique Object ID Number.
The primary purpose of this is to give you a way to link to that resource while you are working in chatrooms, discussion areas or assignments.

How do I find the Object ID Number of a resource?

When you click on a file in your folder, that resource's Object ID Number will be displayed.

Also, you can click on the Educator Explorer icon located in the toolbar at the bottom of most course screens

to open up a small window that will display the paths to all your resources in all your courses. This is a quick and easy way to locate an Object ID Number:

As you can see from both examples shown above, Educator provides you with the correct formatting of a tag that can be used to embed the file into any course area--documents, chatrooms, mail, etc. The syntax includes the brackets on either end of a specially constructed 'tag'.
<object:s18393>
<object:s159>

How do I use Object ID Numbers to form links?

There are some basic techniques to learn about constructing Object ID links. Object ID links can be embedded into any part of Educator where text can be entered.

All Object ID links are structured in the following format:

<object:#>

Where # refers to the Object ID Number of the linked object.

For instance, in our screen capture above, if we wanted to embed the selected multimedia which has an Object ID Number of s159, we could embed the command: <object:s159>.

Object ID Link Attributes

You can also add special attributes to the tag in order to customize the display to take on a custom height or width, come up as a popup or to customize the text of the clickable link. The attribute scheme of an Object ID Link is shown below:

<object:#:Display Option:Custom Text:Height of Popup:Width of Popup>

Display Options

Popup: You can force certain types of content to open in a popup window. For instance, if we wanted Object s159 in the above capture to be opened in a Popup window, our Object ID link could be modified as follows: <object:s159:popup>. The Popup Display Option will only work with HTML, Text, GIF, JPG, Shockwave, QuickTime or AVI file formats.

Embed: You can embed HTML or Text resources directly into the part of the program you are working using the embed display option. If we had an HTML Resource that had an Object ID Number of s84, we could structure our Object ID Link as follows: <object:s84:embed> and the content of Object s84 would be embedded into whichever part of Educator we are working. All media files default to the 'embed' display option. This includes image and movie files such as GIF, JPG, Shockwave, QuickTime and AVI resources.

Custom Text

You can customize the link in your Object ID link by entering in a value into the Custom Text field.

If we wanted to give learners a link to the Energy and Heat movie from the above capture and we just formed the link as <object:159> then the link would be to the filename, energyandheat.swf. However, if we wanted to customize that link, we could format our Object ID link as follows: <object:159::Movie about Energy and Heat!>

Notice that there are TWO colons between the Object ID Number and our Custom Text. This is because the Display Option is blank. The Custom Text field is always found after the third colon in an Object ID command and if you are not using a display option, then the Display Option field is blank.

Setting the Display Height and Width

If you are using the popup Display Option or if you are embedding a Shockwave, QuickTime or AVI resource, you can specify the Height and Width of the movie playing area that is created upon executing your link. The Height and Width are in pixels. For example, if we wanted our Object 159 movie from above to open in a 550 pixel wide x 400 pixel high player we could format our Object ID command as follows: <object:159:popup:Movie about Energy and Heat!:550:400>

Object ID Table

Use the following table as a reference when forming Object ID links:

File Type	Popup Option	Custom Text
HTML Text	popup embed	Supported
GIF JPG Shockwave QuickTime AVI	popup	Supported
All Others	None	Supported

If you embed an Object ID link to a file that is locked in your folder, you will still be able to share the resource as embedding an Object ID link directly to a resource will override that resource's security settings.

3.14) Student Folders

Your student folder is where all files you upload are stored. Even if you upload a file from an Assignment page, it will be stored in your student folder--labeled with that assignment association.

You can get to your folder two ways:
One is through the Course Materials main navigation link.
The second is through the MY FOLDERS icon in the toolbar that's at the bottom of most course pages.

Your folder is normally locked, which means that no one but you and your instructor can view the contents. All student folders are located within a master student folder that your instructor controls. If your instructor unlocks the main student folder, you will be able to unlock your folder. You will also see the main Student Folder listed in the course folders. Clicking on this will allow you to browse the folders of other learners in your course who have unlocked their folders. You will not see this folder if your instructor keeps it locked.

Files within a folder can be locked even if the folder in which it is located is unlocked.

You can share files even within a locked folder by providing a link to it by using the object ID number that is associated with that file. To do this, locate a file within your folder and click on its file name.

In the center of the file information area, you'll see an Object ID number and tag, for example:

If you highlight the tag from bracket to bracket, right click your mouse and choose COPY, you can then go to any other part of the course, including email, the chatroom, discussion board, or another HTML or Text-format document^*, and paste (right-click) the object ID tag. If the file is a document, this will create a link to it. If it is an image file, the image itself will display.

^* Note: A Text document here refers to a special format having a .txt file extension such as those created in Notepad or TextEdit. A Word-document or other application documents containing text will not work unless you choose Save as type: 'plain text' when you save it.

3.15) Course Syllabus

If your knowledge provider has posted a syllabus or course guide, it will be available at the Syllabus main link.

The resource will be saved as either a Microsoft Word document or an HTML/Text resource.

If it is in Microsoft Word, you will be prompted to download it to your desktop.

If it is in HTML or Text, you will be able to view it with your browser.

3.16) Packets

The packet method of delivering course materials arranges all of the materials into a unit which is arranged in the order in which they should be completed.

Think of a packet as a bundle containing everything that you need to do for the current lesson. It may contain lectures, assignments, worksheets, tests and discussions. All of these are individually covered in more detail in this help center.

To reach the packets, click on the Course Materials main navigator link. You might also see a packets sublink.

Click on the name of the packet to view its contents.

You’ll then see a page that contains a table of contents on the left side of the screen, with links leading to documents that will appear on the right hand side of the screen.

OR

You'll see the first item in the packet with an navigation arrow that takes you to the next packet item like a slideshow.

Sample packets appears below.

Sometimes instructors who use packets don’t even display navigation links such as assignments and exams in the navigation column, in favor of placing those documents into a packet.

3.17) Tasksheets

A tasksheet is a time-oriented list of tasks that you need to complete for your course.

Although you may make comments to your instructor about the tasks, the tasksheet itself is not a graded object but an organization tool.

3.18) Glossaries

You may have glossaries in your courses in Educator. The glossary function is a sublink under the main link Course Materials.

If the glossary has more than ten terms, you'll have an opportunity to play two word games: the matching game and hangman.

Click the links at the top of the glossary to start playing.

3.18.1) Matching Game

Educator automatically includes a link to a glossary terms Matching Game whenever your instructor develops a glossary containing 10 or more terms.

The game contains 10 terms pulled at random from the entire glossary. Your goal is to match the terms or images provided on the left with the definitions or names displayed on the right. Submit your answers to get your score. You can reset and play again as many times as you like.

Below is an example of the glossary terms matching game in action:

3.18.2) Hangman

Educator automatically includes a link to a Hangman Game whenever a Knowledge Provider develops a glossary containing 10 or more terms.

The Learner clicks on the Hangman Link and the Educator Course Management System selects a random term from the glossary. The following Hangman layout is displayed:

In the above example, the Learner has already tried several letters that do not appear in the term we are looking for. The "Clue" is actually the set of letters that the Learner has guessed which are included in the term.

We think we know this one.....

Got it!

3.19) External Resources

Your instructor can link to a nearly infinite number of resources located on the Web to enhance the delivery of information. Because these resources are located outside of the Educator Course Management System, special features were developed that allow external web resources to be 'wrapped' seamlessly into your course.

To find the External Resources prepared for your course,

click on the

External Links

button in your naviation column.

External resources can be presented two ways: actively and passively.

The active method can be found by clicking the Interactive Web Tour link. In order to be active, however, your instructor must be online and interacting with you.

To use the external resources on your own, click on one of the folders to access the resources in that subject category.

The next two pages will go into more detail on both of these methods.

3.19.1) Interactive Web Tour

The Educator Interactive Web Tour is a Macromedia Flash collaboration feature that allows your instructor to select course files, external links or any URL and cause them to open in a new window on the screens of participating class members. This is a synchronous tool requiring your and student(s) to access at the same time. Unlike a chatroom, however, although your instructor can make comments about the site or document onscreen, the communication is one way.

There are a few things you must know before using this feature:

1. You must have Macromedia Flash 7 Player installed on your computer. This is available free of charge at http://www.macromedia.com/downloads/.

2. You must have popup killers disabled. Each page launches from the previous popup, so it's best to permanently allow popups from this site. If you only temporarily disable the popup killer, each new window will have to be set to allow popups again. (You should get a dialog box that asks you if you wish to always allow popups from this site...simply reply yes and your other popup blocking won't be affected)

To find the Interactive Web Tour click on the

External Links

button in your navigation column.

When you and your instructor click on the Interactive Web Tour link, a popup will appear listing the participants and an audio function on the left. On the right side of the popup you will see a simple dialog window where any comments sent by your instructor will appear.

If your instructor clicks on any web site URL contained within the External Links folders, or types in any other URL, a separate window displaying this site will launch for you and all other students who have entered the Web Tour at the same time.

Your instructor can also display course files in this manner.

Activating Audio Narration

To use the Audio feature, you and your instructor need to have a microphone and speakers activated. Place a checkmark by clicking on the [ ]Auto checkbox in front of the [Talk] button. Educator will ask permission to access your camera and microphone. Note that although the stock dialog box mentions cameras, it is not currently possible to use a camera in this feature--only microphones. Answer [Allow].

At this point anyone who has a microphone and speakers will be able to participate by actually speaking.

Usage Tips

If for some reason you no longer see yourself in the list of participants, close your browser. Then launch your browser again and before accessing the Web Tour, clear the cache. Explorer users: Tools Menu > Internet Options > Delete temporary files.
Netscape Users: Edit Menu > Preferences > Advanced > Cache > Clear Cache
Firefox Users: Tools Menu > Options > Privacy > Cache [Clear]
Some versions of the above may vary.

3.19.2) Site Folders

A Site Folder is a collection of topic-specific links to sites outside of Educator collected and posted by your Instructor.

They can be found by clicking on the

External Links

button in your navigation column.
A table of External Folders that have been created by your instructor will appear.

Clicking on a folder will display the bookmarked sites that have been collected on that topic.

Clicking on one of the URLs on the list will open the site itself within the course. Information about the site will be located at the top of the screen. You may open the link outside the frame by clicking on the full screen view link in the top frame. That way you can bookmark the site in your own browser.

3.19.3) My Bookmarks

One of your assignments may be to gather website bookmarks on course-related topics. You can store bookmarks in Educator that will automatically be viewable to your instructor, and, depending on how your instructor sets the preferences for Bookmarks, learners may be able to browse through each other's bookmarks.

To add a bookmark:

Go to the My Bookmarks sublink under the

External Links

button in your naviation column.

Click on the link that reads add a new bookmark.

Name the site and type in the web address under URL.

You will not be able to view other students' bookmarks unless your instructor has set them to be viewable.

3.19.4) Building Links in Content

This section refers to building External Links: Links from a course web page to another site outside of the course. To create links between internal pages, see the section in this help center titled Object ID numbers.

Like internal documents, external web sites may be linked into any area of your course. There are two different ways to do this, one using the object syntax, and one using HTML code.

The object syntax is based upon the object ID tag. Simply replace the object number with a complete web address (including http://).

<object:http://www.google.com::Link to Google>

Note the two colons between the URL and the custom text. If you put nothing between the two colons, the default action is to create a link. However, if you want this external link to come up in a popup window, type
<object:http://www.google.com:popup:Link to Google>

putting in the display option of 'popup' between the two colons.

Because you often want to specify the size of a popup, here is an example. The syntax for this is the same as in the object ID tag, leaving three colons between the custom text and the width and height specifications:
<object:http://www.google.com:popup:Google:::600:500>

If you are already familiar with HTML coding, to create the same link as above,use the following HTML syntax:
This would look like this to the user: Link to Google

The advantage to using HTML syntax is that you may specify attributes such as the target, window style, etc.

For more information on linking internal pages, see the Help Center section: Adding/Uploading Resources

3.19.5) Search Tools

If you click on the Course Explorer icon located in the toolbar at the bottom of most course pages,

, you will see an interface that lets you search the course and, if your institution has set it up, the web:

If we search the course for the keyword Sleet, all files containing that term will appear:

Below is the result we see upon searching the web for the keyword Sleet using the Alta-Vista Web Search Engine:

As you can see in the capture below, there is also a Discussion Search Engine which allows you to search discussion postings for keyword content.

3.20) My Home Page

You can maintain your own website on the Educator system by uploading HTML files to your folder and designating one as your home page. This will assume you know how to create and link HTML files as it is beyond the scope of this help center to teach web design.

Once you have created your HTML file:

Go to the Course Materials main navigation link.

Click the Upload Center sublink.

Click on your folder. You may create a subfolder to store web page files if you wish.

Click [Browse] to locate your HTML file. If there is more than one, you might want to click on the Upload Multiple Files link first. Then [Browse] for each file.

Upload the files.

After the file(s) are uploaded...

go to the Students (sometimes called Roster) main navigation link.

Click the My Home Page sublink.
All of your uploaded HTML files will display. Select the file that you wish to function as your home page.

Click [Submit].

If you already have a home page at another location, you can submit an external web address as an alternative.

4) Communicating

Establishing communication between Learners and Instructors is critical within an effective online learning and teaching environment.

Communication within Educator can be classified as Asynchronous or Synchronous.

Asynchronous communication occurs without the need for the course members to be using the program simultaneously. Educator's Discussion Board feature is an example Asynchronous communication tools. For example, a Learner can post a question to the Discussion Board in the morning, then in the evening, the instructor can answer that question.

Synchonous communication can occur among class members who are signed into Educator simultaneously. An example is the Educator Instant Messaging tool that enables a Learner to invite a classmate or instructor into a private, real-time chat.

In this section of the Help Center, we will focus on these and other synchronous and asynchronous communication methodologies and will present scenarios highlighting how they can be put to work to enhance the quality of instruction delivered to you.

4.1) Course Announcements

The announcements page appears as soon as you enter your course. Announcements are generally temporary bits of information declaring general information, changes and reminders. Your instructor may choose to archive old announcements right on the same page by dating new ones each class period.
Alternatively, you may see a link to an announcement archive which allows you to view different announcement files within your instructor's announcement folder.

To get back to the announcements from a different part of the course, click on the Announcements main navigation link.

4.2) Educator's E-Mail System

Using the Course Email System

Your e-mail address in Educator is $username@educator.ucompass.com.

This may or may not be the only email address you have at your institution, but it is the one issued by the online course management system.
Educator's E-mail system is similar to most web-based e-mail system, enabling you to send and receive e-mail through your browser. There are many advantages to this - one of the greatest being that you can access your e-mail from any computer connected to the Internet unlike a traditional POP mail account that would require you to adjust settings on each different computer you used. You can also attach files, create an address book, automatically forward messages, and store them in folders.

Let's take a tour of the mailbox environment.

When you first enter the mail system, you'll be in the inbox area where your received messages are kept. A sample inbox is shown below. The Mail Folder can be changed at the top. You can view the inbox, outbox (sent mail) or any other folder you create to store messages.

Under the Mail Folder option is the option to sort your mail. The default is Newest to oldest, but you can also set it to sort by recipient, class, sender or oldest to newest by changing the drop-down menu choice and then clicking on the [View Mail Folder] button.

If you have a lot of messages, you can click on the Manage Multiple messages link which will display all messages in such a way that you can highlight several at once. This is explained in a later section below.

Clicking on the sender's name in the Who column will bring up that person's profile if he or she is in the system.
Clicking on a message subject will open the message.

Note that messages are automatically virus-scanned, however, you always have the option to scan files manually.
Under the toolbar on every educator screen will be a notice if you have received new mail.

Reading your Mail

To read a message in your inbox, click on the subject. If the person neglected to put a subject, which isn't a good habit, Educator will label the message subject No Subject.

The message will be displayed along with options to

Delete

Forward

Move to a folder

Keep as New (this means to label it as "unread" even though you viewed it)

Send it to the Spam Cop (this will cause the sender to be blocked

You can also navigate to a new message form, the inbox of the current folder or the next or previous message if one is there.

Sending an E-mail Message

To send a message click on the Send Message sublink in the navigation column.
A form will open which will allow you to address and send a message.

First look at the top of the form which displays all of your current instructors from any online course component you are taking.
If you wish to send the message to an instructor, you may simply check the checkbox in front of their name. If you check the BCC column, the recipient will not be aware that a blind copy was sent to the instructor.

If you don't want to send a message to an instructor, you may either click on one of the 'Email specific students' links, or type in an email address at the TO: field.

NOTE: Do not check a checkbox in front of a recipient's name AND type their name into a TO field.

Depending upon how your institution has set up the email program, you may be able to email anyone at all on the internet, or be restricted to users within the online environment at your institution.

If you wish to attach a file, click on the Attach File paperclip icon, and then browse and search for the file.

Type your message in the message box and then click on the [Send Mail] button.

Deleting or Manipulating Many Email Messages Simultaneously

If you have a lot of messages in your inbox, you may sometimes have a need to delete or move many of them at one time. You can do that by clicking on the Manage multiple messages link in your inbox. This displays all messages in such a way that you can highlight several at once.

If you highlight a message (1) and then scroll down to another message(2), click on it while holding down the [Shift] key to highlight every message in between.

If you want to highlight only select messages, then hold down the [CTRL] while clicking on the messages you wish to select.

After selecting the messages, you may either click on the [Delete] key or the [Move to Mail Folder] key. (Read, Reply and Forward are single-message only options)

4.2.1) File Attachments

Sending File Attachments in e-mail

At the top of the new mail form, you will see a paper clip Attach File icon.

Once the Attach File button is clicked you'll see a file attachment preference form:

You may choose to either attach a file saved on your computer or one that has been uploaded to your course. Select From Your Computer on the drop-down menu in order to activate a [Browse] button that will allow you to search your computer drives for the file to attach.

Choose: Course Files from the file location pulldown if you wish to attach a file from your course folder. Then insert the Object ID Numbers of the outgoing file attachments.

Receiving File Attachments

When a file attachment is attached to an e-mail in your Educator mailbox, you can conveniently import that resource into My Folder.

Note! If you are forwarding mail to another email account, attachments may not be transferred properly. Make SURE that your forwarding preferences are set to preserve a copy of your mail within your Educator account.

4.2.2) System Etiquette

When using the Educator-provided e-mail program, you should follow the System Etiquette rules below to ensure optimal functioning of the system:

Clean out your mailbox on a regular basis - this will help preserve system resources and disk space

Whenever possible, please distribute files to other users using the My Folder or Assignment upload feature as opposed to e-mailing attachments individually.

In all cases, the use of Educator's mail program for commercial purposes such as unsolicited commercial e-mail (spam) is prohibited. Anyone choosing to ignore this system rule will have their Educator acount terminated immediately.

4.2.3) E-Mail Preferences

Users can set E-Mail Preferences at the Preferences a sublink under the Mailbox main navigation link. You can set forwarding and return-to options for incoming and outgoing e-mail messages and control if a copy of the forwarded mail is also contained within the course management system e-mail.

Forwarding E-Mail outside of Educator

The first thing you'll see at the top of the preference form is a place to type in a forwarding address.

Be Careful! Make sure that you check the option to preserve a copy of any course mail in your course account! Otherwise, you may lose important information.

In addition, realize that forwarding mail to another account encourages mail to be replied to from your other account. This may not be recognized by your instructor who may delete it as spam. So it is wise to always use your course account to send official course email.

You can add a signature in the space provided that will appear on each message that you create whether it is a reply or a new message. You'll be able to see it easily on a new message since it's the only thing visible yet in the message area. On a reply, however, it will appear at the bottom of the copied received message.

The next thing you can customize in preferences is your return-to address. The same cautions apply.
You can have the system automatically reject any mail that comes from outside the course, or reject mail from certain addresses.

Finally, you can customize the folder defaults.
For example, if you want the email screen to display your sent mail, or a custom-made folder, you can set that here.
Likewise, if you want the screen to display the inbox after you send a message, instead of the sent mail folder, you can also set that here.

4.2.4) Address Book

If you have an Address Book sublink under your course mailbox navigation link, then you will be able to access an address book. All of the students in all of your courses will already be listed as well as your instructors. You may add additional entries of people within or without of your institutional system. Be careful, however, as it is often the practice that you may not be able to access your Educator email unless you are taking a class with an online component.

When you click on the Address Book sublink, a form will display that will allow you to type in the name, address, phone number and email address of people you wish to include.

Once you click on [Add Entry], you will be taken to the alphabetical directory listing of the entry you just made. If you wish to create more entries, scroll down to the form at the bottom of the listings.

To leave the address book, use a link or sublink in your navigation column.

4.2.5) Mail Lists

The Mail Lists sublink is located under the Mailbox main navigation link. This feature allows you to build contact lists for the purpose of group mailings of up to 100 recipients with a single click.

Below we summarize the process of building a mail list:

Click on the Mailbox main navigation link.
Go to the Mail Lists sublink.
Click the NEW MAIL LIST link.
Enter a name for your mail list.
Specify how many people should be on the new mail list
Enter the names and e-mail addresses of your mail list members
As soon as you form a mail list, it will appear as a choice when you go to Send an E-Mail
Note that recipients are blind-copied so that all addresses will not show to everyone.

4.2.6) Mail Folders

Mail Folders are a convenient method of organizing and storing e-mail. You can form an unlimited number of Mail Folders within the Educator e-mail feature.

To create a new folder in e-mail, click on the Subject of your mail to view the e-mail message. Next, click on the Move to Mail Folder button located at the bottom center of the screen (as shown in the example below).

Once the 'Move to Mail Folder' button is clicked, the following dialogue appears:

At this point you can either select one of the folders that you've previously made, or scroll further down and locate the field in which to name your new Mail Folder. Then click the Submit button. You can view all your Mail Folders by going to the Main Link and clicking on the Mail Folders sublink from the Navigation Panel.

4.3) Groups

Your instructor has the ability to break up your course into groups of learners ranging from the entire class to specific groups or teams. When you click on the Discussion navigation link, you can only view groups to which you belong. By the same token, only members of your group can view the discussion carried on within that group.

Each group has its own Discussion Board for asynchronous communication and Chatroom for synchronous communication. The next Help Center topics describe each of these tools in detail.

4.3.1) Discussion Boards

Online discussions are asynchronous, which means they don’t occur in real time, but over an extended period of time during which you can read messages left by others and post messages yourself.

Your instructor may put a link to the discussion board in a packet, or you may enter from the navigation column by clicking on the [DISCUSSIONS] link.

A discussion is identified by the group that is having the discussion. A group may consist of the entire class, or a group may be limited to certain members of the class. You will only be able to view active discussions being carried on by the groups to which you belong.

In the example below, the first group is named “Entire Class” and the whole class is a member of this group. The subject of this group’s discussion will be “online courses”. So far there have been two topics or “threads” posted.

The second group is named “Team Three” and only has six members. They’ll be discussing thesis statements and so far, there is only one posting.

If you were to click on the first group name, Entire Class, you would view a table listing the two threads that have been posted by the professor.

The first message has a subject called
Student Tips for Taking Tests Online. This message shows that there has been a total of eight posts.

Clicking on the subject of a message will reveal that message.

There are three types of communication activities that take place within
a Discussion Board:

Posts

Replies

Subthreads

Posts

A post is the initial branch or Initial Message of a Discussion Board event usually by the instructor.

Replies

Once a post has been initiated, course members can come in and issue a Reply:

Subthreads

This is a reply to a reply.

4.3.1.1) Linear Mode

The Linear Mode of Discussion Board viewing is the default environment.

Linear vs. Threaded View

Linear View

Messages posted to a discussion board generally first appear in a linear view. This means that each message appears one under the other. To reply to the instructor’s initial message, you would scroll all the way down to the end of the page and click on the Reply to this message link. This would open up a textbox in which to type your response.

If you wanted to reply to one of your classmate's responses, you would do so by creating a subthread—in other words, a message directed towards another student’s comments and not the initial posting by the instructor.

Reply to this message

next thread

This is the linear view of a typical discussion board. The initial message is posted by the discussion leader--usually the instructor.

<- Click on
FORM A SUBTHREAD
to respond to the post immediately above.

<- Click on
REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE
to contribute to the initial message.

Within every group, there is a MESSAGE VIEWING option where you can set the view you prefer as your default so that every time you enter a discussion board, you can view it in either linear or threaded view.

Tip! The things to remember about either view are:

To submit a response to the instructor’s (or leader’s) message, click [REPLY]
To submit a response to a classmate, click [Form a subthread]

In the threaded example above, the “replies” to the professor are indented under the main message and are labeled: RE: Student tips…

Subthreads would be further indented under the replies and labeled RE: RE: Student tips.

4.3.1.2) Threaded Mode

The Threaded Viewing Mode allows you to view replies and posts on a single screen.

There is always an option to change the default viewing mode when viewing messages. Set the Message Viewing drop-down menu to the desired mode and then check Make Default View. Be sure to click [GO] to save your settings.

4.3.1.3) Roundtable Mode

The third mode of discussion board viewing is the Roundtable mode.

Roundtable viewing lets you see what each group member has posted for each discussion. Each of your classmates is listed in alphabetical instead of chronological order.

The UNREAD reference means that the message has not been read by the user. Note: If you view a thread in linear mode, all current postings will display. This means if you switch to threaded or roundtable mode, all of those postings will be considered to be read--even if you never scrolled down to read them. Educator can't differentiate between which displayed messages have actually been read or not.

4.4) Chatrooms

Learners have access to five different types of synchronous Chatrooms in Educator. The real-time Chatroom types are:

General Course Chat

Moderated Chat

Custom (temporary) Chat

Group Chat - made up of discussion board group members.

Private One-to-One Chat

In this section we will explore the different chat methods in Educator.

4.4.1) Chatroom Mechanics

The General Chatroom

The General Chatroom in Educator is broken up into three panels:

The Chat Speaking Area is located in the top center panel which contains the text box and refresh options

The Content Area that is displayed in the panel on the right side of the screen and contains the text, images, tables and other "content" pushed to the Chatroom

The List of Chatrooms is located in the bottom panel of the screen just to the right of the Navigation Panel when in the default position.

The panels can be seen in the screen capture below:

The two images below show a close up of the Chat Speaking Window (Panel) and the Content Window (Panel):

You can show more of the dialog in the discussion window by setting the message limit to a larger number. It will not take effect until you post your next message.
You can change the font of the discussion messages.

You can spell-check before posting.
You can view the entire conversation.
Click on [return to course] to leave the chatroom.
The icon bar is present in the chatroom just as it is in any other course view.
You can quickly move to another online course by clicking the menu under CURRENT COURSE. Any other online course you are taking will appear as a selection option.

Chat Speaking Area
Type your message in the top box.
Click the [Post Message] button to enter your message into the conversation.
Change the [Everyone] menu to a single name if you wish the message to be sent privately.
You can make the discussion window update more quickly or slowly by changing the refresh rate from every 6 seconds to every 2 seconds or 12 seconds, etc.

Custom Chat Areas

As a student, you may have a need to chat privately with fellow students, or group members. You can create a custom chatroom at any time by scrolling down to the lower left side of the screen and clicking on the Form new chatroom link. This chatroom will not be logged.
The example here shows a custom chatroom called Chapter Six Homework Lab.

Chat Logs
Chat logs are transcripts of the entire chat conversation. They do not form until approximately one hour after the last person has left the chatroom.

4.4.2) Moderated Chatrooms

Knowledge Providers can utilize the Moderated Chat feature which gives instructors the ability to control who is able to post comments in a particular chat session.

You will only see a link to the Moderated Chatroom if such a session has been opened by the instructor or designated moderator. The link will appear in the General Chatroom:

The Moderated Chat has three panels:

The Current Questions panel which lists student questions/comments

The Chat Post panel

The Dialog panel

As soon as an instructor enters the Moderated Chat, the session begins and Learners are able to enter and pose questions or post comments to one another through the instructor.

Once you have posted a message, it must first be approved by your instructor before it can be accepted to the Stage area for all participants to see.
You cannot post another comment or question until after your current question has been rejected or accepted and posted.

4.4.3) Temporary Chatrooms

While within a General Chatroom, Knowledge Providers and Learners can form a new Temporary Chatroom by clicking on the Form New Chatroom link located in the List of Chatrooms panel.

Knowledge Providers and Learners can invite specific members of the course into the Temporary Chatroom or it can be open to all members.

The Temporary Chatroom will automatically expire after 10 minutes of inactivity and be removed from your course. It will not provide a chat log of the postings as is provided within the General Chatrooms and Group Chatrooms.

4.4.4) Group Chatrooms

When an instructor forms an official course group, a Group Chatroom and a threaded discussion board are automatically created.

Group Chatrooms are ONLY open to members of the associated discussion board group.

When you enter the general course chatroom, you will see a listing of group chatrooms you belong to in the lower left corner of the chat screen.

Clicking on any one of those chatrooms will let you enter. In the lower left corner you will now see new links that will allow you to either navigate back out of the group chatroom and into the general chatroom or the course.

Another link will allow you to view any discussion board postings made by your group by clicking Group threads. For example, clicking on Group threads in the example above leads to the display of the thread as shown below:

4.5) Who's Online Function

Knowledge Providers and Learners have the ability to utilize the Who's Online function and view who is signed into the course at that moment in time. This feature can be set to open as a small pop-up window within the course screen; or defaulted to open when the user clicks on the Who's Online Main Link located in the Navigation Panel on the left side of the screen when in the default position. The value for users is the ability to initiate instant online two-way chats with students or other instructional staff signed in to http://educator.ucompass.com.

You will be able to see which students and Course Instructors are signed in to any of your courses. (Note: Although users are listed under the course that they are members of, which course they are currently in is not indicated. If users are taking or teaching more than one course, they will be shown online under all of them.)

The image below shows the pop-up window and related functions. Note the link that allows you to temporarily hide your online presence. Learners find this helpful when signed in to complete tasks for which they do not wish to be interrupted. This precludes the ability of other users to request an instant message session as they are unable to see your presence in the system.

4.6) Instant Messaging

Knowledge Providers can send an invitation to Learners or other instructional staff for a one-to-one, two-way chat. To send an invitation to chat, click on the Who's Online link, and then click on the name of the user to whom you wish to initiate an Instant Message session. Click on the link to send an invitation to Chat.

The user receiving a chat request will see a message on their screen alerting them they've been invited to a chat. The user has the option of entering the chat or rejecting the chat. This dialogue is depicted in the image below:

The image below shows an example of an Instant Messaging session in progress. Note on the bottom panel of the window that the sender is including an object ID tag in the chat dialog box. The recipient will automatically see a link to the file that has been sent using the ojbect ID command.

The entire transcript of the Instant Messaging session can be e-mailed. By placing a comma after the users e-mail address, the user can send copies of the chat to multiple e-mail addresses.

4.7) Broadcasting Messages

Instructors have the ability to Broadcast Messages to all Learners signed into the course at a particular moment in time. The message sometimes startles students, who aren't aware of this capability. The broadcasted message will not appear until you have taken a course action such as submitting or clicking a link. So you won't be disrupted in the middle of an exam or quiz.

In the following example, the Instructor has requested that the two Learners signed into the course meet in the Chatroom with the Instructor. Note that in this scenario, the contents of the General Chatroom session would be available to all students even if they did not participate in the Chatroom discussion. The Learners would simply access the Chatroom logs sublink located under the Chatroom Main Link.

4.8) Paging Center

Users can utilize the Paging Center in Educator to increase the number of interactions and communication opportunities in the course. The Paging Center tool supports communications between Learners and Knowledge Providers who can communicate with each other at their cell phones and or pagers via an Educator course.

Knowledge Providers can locate the Paging Center sublink by going to the Announcements Main Link on the Navigation Panel.

Users utilize mobile devices by entering in the e-mail addresses of the phone or paging devices that are capable of receiving alphanumeric text messages.

Users who have been given permission to page you will see an indicator posted next to your name in their paging center.
So if John Doe gives John Scholar permission to page him, John Scholar will see the notation shown to the right in his paging center.

Users are responsible for any charges incurred from cell phone or pager providers.

5) Evaluation

Evaluation objects in an electronic classroom refers to just about any document or activity that can be graded. Specifically, these can include:

quizzes
exams
discussions
externally produced assignments such as papers, analyzes, reports, etc.
worksheets such as tutorials, problem sets, etc.

There is even a practice test that can be given, which will not be graded, but will help you work toward bettering your scores in actual tests and exams.

The next sections in the Help Center will help you understand how these evaluation objects work within your online course segments.

5.1) Taking Quizzes

Quizzes in Educator are often administered as quick, formal assessments.

Although they are not usually timed, they may have a due date associated with them.

Quizzes can have one of the four types of questions:

Multiple Choice
True/False
Fill In The Blank (Math)
Fill In The Blank (Non Math)

You can only submit a quiz for grading once. You cannot back into a quiz and change your answers once you have submitted it, so be sure you're ready when you click on the [submit] button.

Note the two types of multiple choice selection options.
A checkbox

means you can select MORE than one answer.

A radio button

means you may select only one answer.

Here is some information that may help your quizzes go as smoothly as possible:

Once you start filling in a quiz form, if you leave that page or reload the page, the work you've done thus far will disappear! So don't ever leave a quiz form for any reason.

If you allowed to go to other parts of the course while you're taking the quiz, try right clicking on a link and opening the link in a new window (hold down the mouse button and open the link in a new window if you're using a Macintosh). If you are not allowed to do this, this action will result in your quiz answers clearing out or the session cancelling. So be sure to ask before trying this.

Be careful about resizing your browser while you're taking the quiz. On some browsers, answers that you've filled in on the quiz form are cleared upon resizing.

Depending on how your instructor has set up the quiz, you may or may not be able to view your grade and/or the quiz answer key until after the due date. Ask your instructor for details.

Make sure you check the box pictured below before submitting your quiz:

Again, this is a safeguard against accidentally submitting your quiz as some browsers interpret an [Enter] keystroke the same as clicking the [submit] button.

5.2) Taking Exams

Exams are formal electronic assessments that ask you questions about what you've learned. In order to answer, you will have to either choose the correct choice(s) from an array of answers, indicate whether a statement is true or false, complete a sentence with a word or phrase that makes it a correct statement, match terms with examples or definitions or, in the case of an exam, write an essay about a topic.

To find an exam, follow the directions given by your instructor. Some courses have an EXAM navigation button, while others integrate tests into packets.

If you see a link to an exam you haven't taken, it may display the date due as illustrated in the exam table shown here.

Your instructor may have set this in preview mode, which means you can see the link and the due date, but the exam will not yet be accessible to you.

Time Restrictions
If it is active, you'll either see the exam itself, or a notice that it is a timed exam with an option to enter when you are ready to activate the timer. If you click on Enter the exam, you'll activate the timer and be able to view all of the exam questions.
At the top of a timed exam, above the instructions, you'll see a link that allows you to see how much time is left. But this timer does not update automatically. You need to click on the UPDATE TIMER link periodically.

Once you have reached the point where you have only five minutes left, a reminder will pop up to tell you your remaining time. (Make sure popups are not blocked!)

Taking the Exam

As you begin the exam itself, you need to review and answer all of the questions carefully. Make sure to fill in radio buttons and textboxes completely. This is a common mistake students make. Note in this image that there is a shadow around the true selection on the bottom example. Although the cursor on the selection produces a 'mark', this will NOT register as a selected answer unless you actually click and fill in the radio button as shown in the answer selection at the top.

When you have finished answering all of the questions, before you click on the submit button be sure to check the checkbox that indicates you are ready to submit the exam. This is there to prevent you from submitting before you are finished.

(Some browsers treat the [Enter] key like a submit button causing you to inadvertently submit your answers before you finish.)
Once you submit, your exam is over. There is no chance for you to go back to add or change answers.

Below is some information that may help your exams go as smoothly as possible:

Once you start filling in a exam form, if you leave that page or reload the page, the work you've done thus far will be cleared

Be careful about resizing your browser while you're taking the exam. On some browsers, form elements are cleared upon browser resizing

Depending on how your instructor has set up the quiz, you may or may not be able to view your grade and/or the quiz answer key until after the due date. Ask your instructor for details.

5.2.1) Proctored Exams

In certain instances, your knowledge provider may require you to go to a specific location to take an exam under the supervision of a proctor.

You may be requested to nominate a proctor in your area. Proctor qualifications vary and will be provided by your instructor.

If you are asked to nominate a proctor, then the following procedures should be followed. First click on the title of the exam that you wish to take. This will result in a proctor information form that you need to fill out and submit. This sends the information to your instructor who will contact the proctor and accept or reject his or her suitability. You will be notified either way.

Once your proctor has been approved, set a time and date to take the test. In the meantime, your instructor will have the password for the exam sent to the proctor at the email address you've provided and your instructor verified.

When it's time to take the exam, appear at the time and place agreed upon by your proctor who will give you the exam password. This time, when you click on the exam title, a place to input the password will appear. Type in your password and take the exam.

5.3) Question Types

There are six different types of questions you may have to answer on quizzes and exams:

Multiple Choice Questions

May have more than one correct answer

Checkboxes indicate that you can select more than one answer.

Radio Buttons indicate ONE correct answer.

Example of a question using checkboxes:

True False

Example of a true/false question.

There are two types of Fill-In-The-Blank questions. In order to be scored correctly, they require different types of answers--either letters (text) or numbers.

Fill-In-The-Blank Non-Math
Fill-In-The-Blank non-math questions require TEXT answers.
Example of a Fill-In-The-Blank non-math question:

Fill-In-The-Blank Math
Fill-In-The-Blank non-math questions require NUMBERS as your answer.
Only use numerical values with no units. Any text typed into a Fill-In-The-Blank math answer will be marked wrong.
Example of a Fill-In-The-Blank math question:

Matching
Matching questions require that you choose the correct definition or example of the term or image presented.

Essay
Essay questions require you to write a paragraph or essay to answer the question. Answers will not be graded automatically like the other types of questions. Credit will be manually assigned by your instructor.
Example of an essay question:

5.4) Taking Surveys

A survey is an information or opinion gathering tool in Educator.

The image below shows a typical listing of surveys that may be presented in a course. Note that the top one is marked Not Anonymous. This means that your instructor will see your name on the survey responses you submit. The second one is marked Anonymous, which means the results will be tabulated without a record of who submitted what.

You may only participate once in a survey. If you have not yet taken the survey, a Participate link will take you to the beginning of the survey. Once you've taken it, you'll see a notation that you've Already Participated. If your instructor allows you to view survey results, you'll see a link to the submission results.

Although a survey cannot be directly graded, your instructor may associate participation in a survey with an assignment. In that case, grades for taking a survey will appear in the assignment listing of your grade summary.
(Click the main navigation link GRADES or PROFILE to view your grade summary.)

5.5) Taking Worksheets

Some assignments require you to input your work directly into the assignment form instead of creating an external file. These are called worksheets and can take many forms such as homework problems, pop-quizzes or tutorials. Here’s an example of a worksheet in the form of a tutorial:

Simply read the directions provided in the worksheet, type in your answers or responses and hit [Submit].

If the worksheet is long, you may wish to prepare your answers offline. Save your work on your own computer and then copy and paste each section into the appropriate workspace.

There is a 'do not grade' option that you may choose if you have not completed all of the worksheet segments and wish to return later to finish.

5.6) Taking Practice Tests

Practice Tests

Practice tests are self-paced, question-by-question assessments that provide an opportunity to test your knowledge of course content.

Below is an example of a practice test situation:

When you begin a practice test, you will see a single question appear on the screen. It may be a multiple-choice, true/false or fill-in-the-blank question.
Click the submit button to find out if you're answer is correct.

Since all practice test questions are objective...in other words, have only one correct answer, the system will let you know immediately if your answer was correct or incorrect. If incorrect, your instructor may have left you a hint and a second chance to answer correctly.

After each answer is answered, you may find feedback from your instructor about the question and answer.
You must click on the continue link to get to the next question.

Once the practice test has been completed you may either reset it to take it again, or if you have successfully completed a test, you may print out the answer key as a study aid. Note that you must complete a practice test before you can view the answer key or reset it to take again. If you leave a practice test after completing only part of it, you will take up where you left off when you return to it later.
Practice test scores are not reported to instructors, however, your participation (whether or not you took the test) is reported. Look in your grade report to see your practice test notations.

5.7) External Assignments

An External Assignment is one that describes an activity that you must complete in an external application (like a word processor, spreadsheet, etc)and turn in to your instructor for grading. Instructions for turning in assignments can vary depending on the nature of the assignment, so pay attention to the directions given during the class.

Uploading Assignments

Some assignments require you to use an external application to create your file. For example, to complete a term paper, you might use a word processor, save the completed file, and then upload it to your course. To turn in your work as a file upload:

go back to the original assignment directions in your packet.
click on the [BROWSE] button in the middle of the screen
locate your saved file on your computer, highlight it, and click [open] to place that filename in the browse box.
Add any comments you wish to make about this assignment to your instructor.
If this is complete and you'd like your instructor to grade it, check the 'submit for grading' box located just above the buttons at the bottom of the form.
If you are not finished, but wish to save it as a draft, simply submit without checking the request for grading option.

5.7.1) Linking a File to an Assignment

You may link files to one another by using the Object ID tag that Educator generates every time you upload a file into the system. .Go to your folder and locate the file that you want to attach TO the assignment.

.A file information page will come up.
In the center of the page is the Object ID number.

.Highlight and copy the Educator-generated HTML style tag. You must copy both angle brackets:
<object:s18323>

.Paste the tag into your assignment (or any other course area where you wish this document link to appear--even email, discussion boards or chat rooms).

The link will be whatever the filename is OR the label if you supplied one.

Associating a File with an Assignment

Associating a file you have uploaded with an assignment means to identify that file as a specific assignment that needs to be graded. Each time you upload a file, you will see an option labeled Assignment Association.

If you click on the pulldown menu next to the label, you'll see all of the assignments from the current course. Selecting one of these assignments will identify this file as part of that assignment. Checking the Submit for Grading checkbox will alert your instructor to grade it.
If you choose no association, the file will just reside in your folder.

5.7.2) Using Educator Desktop to Upload Files

To start:

You must have the latest Flash player installed. Please go to http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/ and follow the isntructions to install the software.

Next, you will need Adobe Apollo. Please go to http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/apolloruntime.html and download either the PC or Mac version depending on your computer. Once you have downloaded the software, please double-click the icon to install it.

Last, you will need the Educator Desktop. Please go to http://www.ucompass.com/EducatorDesktop.air and download and install the software.

Once you are in the Educator Desktop, you will see the following screen:

Once you have submitted your work, you will see the following screen. Please do not close the Educator Desktop until you have clicked Ok.

Once your instructor has graded your work, when you re-enter the Educator Desktop, you will be able to see the grade and the comments from the Instructor.

Please send your own training tips or comments to training@ucompass.com for inclusion in this topic.
Note: Technical support questions should be addressed to support@educator.ucompass.com

5.8) Worksheets

Fill out the worksheet.

Mark whether you are finished and request a grade OR
mark it as a draft so your instructor does not grade it.

Then hit [Submit]

You may also see multiple choice questions, matching exercises or true/false questions on your worksheets.

5.9) Attendance

Attendance can be tracked and displayed in your grade summary. (To reach your grade summary, click on the navigation link called GRADES or PROFILE.)

This is a function usually used in face-to-face classes rather than online courses so you may not see an attendance section in your own grade report.

5.10) Tracking Events

At the Notification Center sublink under the announcements main navigation link you can track course events initiated by your instructors.

In the example below, the user wants to track Discussion Board Events that have taken place since the start of the course. A checkmark is placed in front of the Discussion Board Events option and the All Events is selected.

Upon submission, a list of discussion board postings made by the instructor is displayed, with links to each message as well as a notation as to whether or not each one has been read.

5.10.1) Advanced Event Tracking

If you would like to get an email summary of all new course activities such as discussion postings, quizzes, assignments or unread course email, you can set up the advanced notification center in any or all of your online courses. The email can be sent to an address outside of Educator.

Suppose you want to be e-mailed each night with a summary of all new Discussion Board postings as well as any new quizzes that were posted to your course.

You could go to the Advanced Notification Center and set up the table there similar to the following display:

Usage Tips

Don't check all events AND the option to send email as soon as the events occur or you'll be getting dozens of emails every day. Only track what you really want to know about, and decide on a logical time and day to receive the mail.

Don't use your Educator email address to track new email or you'll get a notification of new mail every time a notification is sent out! This should be used as a method of checking course activity without having to go into the course itself.

Please send your own tips or comments to aforte@ucompass.com for inclusion in this topic.

5.11) Tracking Homework

In addition to finding grades, you should also be aware of how much unfinished work you currently have in your course. One easy way to do this is to check the workload, which is the wheelbarrow icon in the toolbar at the bottom of your course pages.

Once you access your workload, you'll see a set of links leading to each assignment, worksheet, quiz or exam that is due. Once you complete and submit an item for grading, it disappears from your workload. Once the due date passes, it will disappear as well.

5.12) Tracking Your Grades

There are generally two places that you can find your grades for submitted work.
First is in the work itself. Most assignments, exams, quizzes and discussions have a place where a grade and possibly comments from your instructor can be found. If your institution uses the ASSIGNMENTS, EXAMS and QUIZZES link, you can just click on these to go to the individual assessment. If your institution uses packets instead, go back to the packet sublink and access your assessment there.

A central location is in your grade report which should be accessible from the main navigation panel.

You will have a Grades or Profiles link in the main navigator column that leads to your grade report.
Your instructor may choose to display a grade builder summary at the top of your grades/progress page.

At the bottom of the grade summary is your current grade, which is your grade based on what you have submitted as well as your total percentage reflecting your grade based on everything that is currently due.

Sometimes the grade summary does not appear at all.

The rest of the grade report is made up of separate tables listing all graded activities in the course. This area will either give you the status of the assessment (due date/submitted/not submitted)or the grade and link to feedback.

Your grade report will also include a listing of uploaded files and discussion board participation.

If you are given letter grades, your instructor may display the letter grade range, highlighting your earned score.

6) Wireless Educator

Wireless Educator lets you take the powerful Educator program with you anywhere you go by bringing the content delivery, communication and evaluation capabilities of Educator to wireless devices such as PalmOS and Windows CE handhelds.

Wireless Educator is a version of Educator that has been optimized for small screens.

You can perform many of Educator's web-based features with Wireless Educator including e-mail, chat, instant messaging, discussion boards, and much more.

6.1) PalmOS Devices

To use a wireless PalmOS device with Wireless Educator, do the following:

1) Download the WIRELESS EDUCATOR PQA. A PQA is a Palm Query Application that enables your wireless PalmOS device to clip Internet content.

2) Install the Wireless Educator PQA onto your PalmOS handheld

3) Find the Educator icon on your Palmtop and click on it

4) Enter your sign in URL for Educator, your username, and your password

5) Notice the different landscape of Wireless Educator where the navigation menu is a dropdown menu at the top of each page

6.2) Windows CE Devices

If you are using a Windows CE handheld or any other small screen device, including a PalmOS browser, you can point the device's browser to:

http://educator.ucompass.com/educator/wireless.html

and sign into an Educator environment optimized for small screens.

6.3) Pushing Course Info to Cell Phones/Pagers

At the lower part of the Advanced Notification Center, you can set up Educator to push information about course events to your cell phone/pager at specified time intervals.

First, complete the form at the top of the page specifying the learner actions you wish to be notified about:

Then finalize your settings:

If you have a pager or cell phone and are not sure if it is capable of receiving e-mail text messages, contact your wireless service provider.

The information that comes to your cell phone or pager is very brief and just provides a summary of events.

Many mobile phone/pager services limit pages to 150 characters or less. Therefore, we have derived the following special codes:

The codes are summarized below:

A - New Assignment

PK - New Packet

E - New Exam

Q - New Quiz

W - New Worksheet

PT - New Practice Test

S - New Survey

SF - New Site Folder

D - Discussion Board Activity

T - New Tasksheet

EM - New E-Mail

When using mobile phone/pager capabilities with Educator, you are FULLY RESPONSIBLE for any charges that you incur from your mobile phone/pager provider! Many mobile phone/pager companies charge customers on a per page basis!