Print copy of this posting as it contains valuable information concerning this online class and Sakai.

      What should I do in my online class before class starts and before I am entered into Sakai?  There is plenty for you to do before class starts!  Refer to the welcome letter on the syllabus for a list of several items that you should complete BEFORE class even starts.

     Where do I obtain information such as the textbook required or any software I need to buy? All of your questions are answered in the welcome letter or the syllabus. Please read all of this carefully BEFORE you register for an online class so that you understand exactly what is expected of you in this type of learning environment.

     What is Sakai? Sakai is the course management tool we will be using in the class.  It is crucial that you go through the Sakai Student Support page so that you learn how to use it.  There is a link to DL Student Support on the course content page.  Sakai is extremely easy to use but you do have to review what is available and how you use each of the components. http://seminolestate.edu/dl/students/

      Does the DL web site have information about Sakai?  Yes, and  everything you ever wanted to know about Sakai is available on the DL site at http://seminolestate.edu/dl/angel/.

      What is the Sakai Discussion Board (FORUM)?  You access the Sakai Discussion Boards by clicking on Communicate tab along the top of the screen or the Forum link in the left navigation pane.  You can also access Discussion Boards directly from within each lesson or module in the course.  Discussions should be used to discuss course content related to the course with your student peers and with your instructor.  The instructor will monitor the Boards and if your question cannot be answered by other students, you will receive a reply from the instructor. Participation points will be earned by answering questions posted to the Board. 

      How do I ask a question on the Discussion Boards? First, click on the Discussion Board link. To ask a question simply click on the "New Post" link in the top right corner of the discussion screen.  Type a description of your question or comment in the Subject box. Click in the Message area and type your message. You may then Post the message to the Board by clicking Post.  You can also Cancel the posting or Preview it by clicking the appropriate buttons.  If you want to attach a file to the message, you can also do that by clicking in Attachments, Browse, and then find the file you want to attach.

      How do I start a New Topic?  Use the "New Post" to start a new topic.

      How do I reply to a posting?  To reply to an existing question or statement, simply click on the link to the message.  When the message text appears in the lower frame of the screen, click on the "Reply" link at the bottom of the message. Type your reply, then click post.  It is important that we  keep these Board topics organized so that you can always refer back to a  topic and read all posting related to that topic. 

      How do I send a message to the Instructor if it is not something I want to send to the whole class? If you have a question directed only to the instructor, e-mail the instructor to the e-mail within Sakai.

      How do we keep the Discussions organized? The discussion Board is meant to be a threaded message Board. Please place the topic of your message in the Subject line. If you want to answer the message or add comments to the message, please use the reply function. Do  not post an entire new message.  This is how we can keep the message board organized. 

      How do I find a previous posting? You may use the Search command to  search for topics that have been discussed in the Board. It is important that you review all postings on the Board. Understand that I will NOT ANSWER A QUESTION BUT ONCE. Once a question has been answered, the answer is always available to you.  

     What is Sakai E-Mail? Each of you has an e-mail within Sakai and this is the e-mail you should use to communicate with me and with the other  students. Click on the Communicate tab in the top of the screen or the Messages link in the left navigation pane to access your Sakai course mail. To send an e-mail, click on "Send Course Mail." In the "Recipients" box, select the instructor's e-mail or the e-mail for any student in the class.  Then, select the "To" button to address your email to that person.  You must click on the name as you cannot type it in as you can do in many e-mail programs. Include a Subject line and type your message. Then click Send to send your message.  You should only send the instructor a message to her Seminole State e-mail if there is an emergency.  Always use Sakai e-mail to contact me personally.

      What do you do when you have a question?  Generally, you will post this to the appropriate Discussion Board so that all students in the class can see the question and the answer (when it is posted.)  If you want to communicate with a particular student in the class, use the e-mail within Sakai to send a message to the student.  If you want to communicate only with me, use my e-mail within Sakai. However, if you have a question that the entire class will benefit from the answer, post it to the Discussions. At this point in the class, please do not use the e-mail posted on the Contact Page unless there is an emergency or Sakai goes down.  Using the e-mail within your course lets me know exactly who you are and what course you are in. If you ever use my Seminole State e-mail, keeters@seminolestate.edu, be sure to sign your complete name and identify which class your are in.

     Who will answer your question?  Hopefully, another student in the class will answer the question. There is no way that I can read and answer every question posted on the Discussions.  I generally have 100+ online students each semester. I will, however, monitor the Discussion Boards and make postings as well as jump in with an answer if I see there is a problem.  There may easily be over a thousand postings to a Discussion Boards in just one class.  Students receive points for participating in the Board and helping answer student questions.

     Will there be specific times I must be online for a Chat session? No, there are not. Students may use the Chat rooms if they wish. I do not set up required Chat times for a couple of reasons:  1. In the past, I have found that a lot of time is wasted in chat rooms.  2. If I set up a specific time for a chat, 50% or more of the students would not be able to attend the chat and that is really not fair to all students. If you would like to establish a study group in the class, you are welcome to do so. Just be sure that if you do so that you show up at the time set. Someone in the group will need to take the lead on this. Let's just not have tons of e-mail regarding a chat time. I am saying this because I have seen 20 plus postings in one day to establish a chat time and students get irritated about reading unnecessary board postings. Use the "Pub" discussion (not required reading) and those wanting to establish a chat time can do so there.

     What do I do if Sakai is down and I cannot access it?  Unfortunately, Sakai may go down sometimes due to various reasons. That is why it is important to keep a three-ring binder with important information always available, especially assignment information. This way you can still work on material from your textbooks. Not having access means that you cannot communicate via the Discussions and e-mail and you cannot take quizzes or exams in Sakai if your class uses the Sakai testing tool. Remember that if you cannot access Sakai, neither can the instructor so e-mailing her about this won't really help.

    When is the Instructor available?  I will be available by e-mail every day Monday through Friday.  Please send your questions during this time frame. Remember that you will receive participation points for answering questions on the Discussion Boards.  Also, please do not post questions or comments that are not clear and just take up space. (I answer e-mail within 24 hours unless I am out of town or during the weekend or a school holiday.) Although I am a full-time instructor, I do not have an office on campus. As an online instructor, I work totally from home and am only on campus for meetings. In the event a student does need to meet with me, we will need to set up a time and place via e-mail. I also have voice mail (407-708-2431) which I check at least every 36 hours. The quickest and best way to get a response from me is via e-mail as I am online regularly throughout the day.

    What if I ask a question that is clearly explained on the website?  It is important that you carefully review the class syllabus and assignments!  Oftentimes questions are posted to the Discussions that are clearly stated on the website or have been answered.  I will not repeat these instructions in an e-mail. If you are NOT comfortable with reading and obtaining information from this website, PLEASE withdraw and enroll in a campus class.  Reading the website and accepting responsibility for obtaining course information on your own is just as important as attending class in a campus class.

     What if I have a questions regarding an assignment? If you post a question concerning an assignment, it is crucial that you clearly identify the assignment and exactly what your problem is.  Postings must be clear or my guess is no one will answer them (I know that I won't). Generally, on-line students are successful, busy people and we want to run this class as efficiently as possible.

     How will the instructor communicate with me? I will periodically post a News Update on the Discussions as I see the need.  Remember, this is my only way of communicating with you since you do not come to campus. If the website will be taken down or I have to make a schedule change, etc., it will be posted on this Board. You should check into this course at least three times a week and preferable five (five times a week if you are in a mini-term). This is how you attend class. Not attending the class on a regular basis subjects you to being withdrawn from the class per Seminole State policy.

    What is my instructor's background in distance learning? I have been teaching online classes since 1997 and they are very rewarding to me and to the students. Like you, I am always learning and get my best ideas from my students. If you have any suggestions for making this class better or ideas I might incorporate, please e-mail me. Your comments and ideas are appreciated. Also, if you see a typo on my site, please e-mail me and let me know so that I can correct it.

     What do I do if some of the links, like the syllabus or calendar do not work? Or, if I click on a quiz/exam and the page goes blank? This is not a problem with the site but probably with how your computer is configured. Or, if you have a firewall which may be part of your virus program, it is blocking your ability to access certain items. You need to resolve this. In the meantime, go to an Seminole State lab and get all information you need there until you get the problem resolved.

       What do I do if I encounter a problem opening or downloading files from my Sakai course? It may have to do with a new security feature in Internet Explorer which blocks file downloads.  Adding Sakai to your "trusted sites" in your web browser can help you avoid this.  The DL department has created a short video tutorial on how to add Sakai to your trusted sites.  If you are experiencing this problem, please feel free to link to this tutorial from your Sakai course.  There are different links for on-campus and off-campus users.

On-Campus:  http://scc-dl.seminolestate.edu:23083/ramgen/dl/angel-student/trusted_sites.rm
Off-Campus:  mms://scc-dl.seminolestate.edu/angel/student/trusted_sites.wmv

      I am having problems with attaching files in Sakai. I am getting a message "Unexpected System Error" and have trouble access some links. How do I troubleshoot my problem?  Here are some things that you can try to fix your problem. 

Do you have Norton Antivirus or Norton Internet Security on your computer?  That can sometimes cause problems with the email on Sakai.   You might need to disable it while using Sakai, or set up the settings to trust Sakai.

Another problem could be spyware.  You can try downloading Adaware SE Personal for free at www.lavasoft.com and run a full system scan to make sure that spyware isn't blocking your browser from Sakai. 

Please contact the DL office if you continue to have problems.  Be specific if you contact them.  You might need to use a friend's computer or come to campus to use the labs until you can get this worked out to avoid getting behind in your coursework. 

    I am getting a Runtime error message when I try to open a file. What should I do? The "RUNTIME ERROR" may have a code of numbers, letters or both. I usually paste them into Google to find out where the errors are coming from. This is a good way to troubleshoot a problem.

     Do I need to print out items from the Web Site? Although everything remains in the Discussions or on the Site throughout the term, it is required that you obtain small three ring binder for the class.  Print out the "Introduction and FAQ" link along with a copy of the Welcome letter, Syllabus, and Course Calendar. Also, print out the assignment information so that you always have that available in the event you cannot get on the website. Print out additional important (not all) Board postings so that you have them for easy reference. Keep your Course schedule in the front of the notebook so that you are constantly aware of what is expected of you each week along with due dates for assignments and exams.