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Here are a few tips to help you as you begin to find your way in this course.


Modules
The modules are where you go instead of walking into a face-to-face classroom. This is where the bulk of the course content and explanations reside. Each week you will work your way through all the pages of the module for the current week. You'll do this in conjunction with the Tasks List. (Directions and detailed requirements for work that takes place in the discussion forums are found in the Instructions message inside each forum.)


The Jiffy Lube icon
This icon is explained in your student user guide (in Modules), but I thought it was worth emphasizing here. Clicking on this icon will take you back to the main page of each section of the course. For example, if you are viewing the particulars of an assignment in Tasks, Tests and Surveys, clicking on the this icon will return you to the main page that lists all the assignments and due dates and such. Be careful, though, because you will lose any work you haven't saved if you leave a submission screen abruptly like this.





Two browser windows no son buenos
When you are logged into our course site, please do not ever open a second browser window or a second browser "tab" in order to "be in two places at once," to view instructions and discussions or to have one of the modules and a Tasks, Tests and Surveys assignment open at the same time, for example. Bad things can happen. Trust me on this one and don't take any chances (lost work, overwriting work by mistake, etc.). Only have one browser window or tab open to our course at one time.


The two exceptions to this are the Tasks List and the Course Info buttons on the navigation bar. These buttons will open a new window to am external web page, so it's safe to leave the Tasks List or the Course Info pages open in a separate browser window or tab. I think this is the simplest way to be able to check information in the syllabus or refer to your requirements for the week while you work (but note the Tasks List is repeated in each module, as well, for an extra convenience).


When you want to view information from two different parts of our course site, there is usually a quick solution, but you need to stop to think about the best approach. You might print out the page you need to refer to while you complete a task in Tasks, Tests and Surveys, for example, or you can copy the text you need for directions in a discussion and paste it into a word file or into an email message or plain text editor---this way you can switch back and forth between the word file and the browser window as you complete your work.


Modules arrows
Often you'll want to go back to previous modules to find specific information you want to review. I find the simplest way to make the modules work for me is to choose to open all of the modules at once and list all the contents. Viewing the modules in this manner is like being able to look at the table of contents. It helps you be able to locate previous sections and to return to them easily.





There are double arrows (black triangles) at the top left of the main modules page that open and close all the modules at once, and there is an arrow next to each module that allows you to list the contents of just that module.





The Questions forum
This is the place to go if you can't locate something or need clarification about any instructions. (It's located at the top of the list of forums on the main page of the Discussions and Private Messages section in our classroom.) Please don't hesitate to post questions here. I promise you other people will be wondering the same thing! It's great for me to be able to respond to your questions in the forum (just like asking questions during class) so I can elaborate more on the topic and everyone will benefit at once.


And feel free to post comments here and in the Cyber Cafe, as well. These forums are here for you to use. And I am here to help in any way I can.


Looking at the whole page
When I get nervous or stressed or have not left myself enough time to complete my work in an online class (or I'm just worried because I want to do it "right" and can't figure it out!), I often have trouble following instructions. I think I am trying to do what they said, but I can't find things. So, if this happens to you, try to remember to slow down and look at everything on the screen. Often when I do this, I'll see what I was looking for---I was just expecting it to look different. ;-)


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