Online Learning
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Online Learning

Online Learning FAQs

General questions about online courses

Login problems

Technical issues within Blackboard

Technical issues outside of Blackboard

How do online courses work?

An online course brings LPC to you through your home or work computer. Class sessions, course materials, exercises, and even field trips are accessible any time and any day convenient to you. All of your coursework, including discussions, groupwork, and writing assignments, is done electronically. You simply log into your course through a web browser, and you're in class.

So are online courses self-paced?

No, most are not. Depending on the instructor, you will have assignments that require you to communicate with other students just as you would in a face-to-face course. Most online courses require you to adhere to due dates for assignments, quizzes, tests, etc. If you register for an online course, expect to finish the course on the instructor's timeline, not yours.

Will I ever have to physically come to LPC?

Well, that depends on the instructor. Some instructors like to hold the first class meeting on campus, some like to give midterms and final exams on campus, and some like both. Then there are those who never see their students the entire semester. So, it's up to the instructor.

What if I can't make it to campus for a midterm or final?

Just make sure you let the instructor know ahead of time. With the proper arrangements, your instructor will most likely let you take a proctored exam at a mutually agreeable site. Then again, your instructor might even have everyone in the class take exams on their computers.

How do I register for an online course?

Just click Register to register online.

How do I log into Blackboard?

Read the login procedure.

When I try to log in, I'm getting error messages. What do they mean?

Below is an explanation of error messages you might receive:

"Could not login. The specified user name does not exist in the system." - This means that your Blackboard account has yet to be created. Often this is because you just enrolled in a class, and the process for creating your Blackboard account hasn't been completed, or you are enrolled in a class that is not using Blackboard.

"Could not login. You have not provided valid authentication credentials" - This means that you are in the Blackboard system, but your password is incorrect. Be sure you are using the correct default password format if you are logging in for the first time. If you previously were enrolled in a Blackboard course, your password remains, and you do not have to use the default password.

What if I forgot my password?

If you have forgotten your password, click the Forgot your password? link on the Blackboard login page. The link brings you to the Lost Password page, where you can reset your password. Be aware that you have to type your first and last name in with all uppercased letters on the Lost Password page because that's how they appear in Blackboard.

My course requires an access code. What's that all about?

Get information on access codes for Blackboard.

Do I really have to change my email address once I log into Blackboard the first time?

Yes. Follow these instructions for changing your email address in Blackboard.

What if I forget my User Identification Number and can't log in?

If you happen to forget or misplace your User Identification Number, you can always obtain it by logging into CLASS-Web with your old Student ID number and clicking the “What’s my new User ID?” link.

I suspect that a firewall problem is keeping me from accessing Blackboard. What can I do?

If you are trying to access Blackboard from home, you will have to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for assistance. If you are trying to access Blackboard from work, you'll have to contact your employer's network administrator.

Why am I being forced to log in twice?

This is because you bookmarked the incorrect page to login. Bookmark the gateway page of http://clpccd.blackboard.com. When you go to that page, click the Login button to go to the page where you enter your username and password.

Does it matter if I use a Windows-based computer or a Mac?

For most classes, no. However, if you are taking a Computer Science course that requires a specific operating system, such as Windows, you can't use a Mac. Check with the instructor of the course if you are unsure. Also, at this time, most of the proprietary course content used in the Math 55 and 65 online courses cannot be accessed on a Mac.

Is there a preferred browser for using Blackboard?

Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox work best with Blackboard. If you are using Windows XP, IE 6 or 7 will work. If you are using Vista with IE 7, the visual text box editor in the Blackboard Discussion Board will not be visible.

To remedy this, disable the visual text box editor by going to Tools – Personal Information – Set Visual Text Box Editor Options – Unavailable – Submit. This will disable the visual text box editor and give you access to the default editor, which should work. Alternatively, you can use Firefox. If you are a Mac user, you should use Firefox.

For Windows users, it is best that you have both browsers installed on your computer because if something doesn't work in one browser, it should work in the other.

How do I set up Internet Explorer and Firefox to work optimally with Blackboard?

Make sure your browser updates properly.

Internet Explorer 6:

  1. From the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  2. Click the General tab.
  3. Under Temporary Internet Files, click Settings.
  4. Under Check for newer versions of stored pages, select Every visit to the page, and click OK.

Internet Explorer 7:

  1. From the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  2. Click the General tab.
  3. Under Browsing history, click Settings.
  4. Under Check for newer versions of stored pages, select Every time I visit to the webpage, and click OK.

If you are having problems viewing the latest version of a in Firefox, clear your cache.

  1. From the menu bar, select Tools.
  2. Select Options.
  3. Select the Privacy icon.
  4. Click the Cache tab.
  5. Click the Clear Cache Now button.
  6. Click OK.

Is there a way I can test to make sure my browser plugins are working correctly?

Yes. Click to find out.

When I take a quiz/test/exam, the elapsed time on the bottom status bar does not display. How can I solve this?

This problem has been seen in Internet Explorer 7. You can have the elapsed time display again by changing the settings below:

Internet Explorer 7:

  1. From the menu bar, select Tools.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. Select Security (tab).
  4. Select the Internet zone.
  5. Select Custom Level.
  6. Scroll down to "Scripting" (near the end of the list) and locate Allow Status Bar Updates via Script, and select Enable.

I'm having problems getting a Collaboration session to work in Blackboard. How can I solve this?

You will need to download and install the Java plugin.

Blackboard advises that if you are a Windows user and have a previous version of the Java plug-in already installed on your computer, remove the older version before installing the new one. To do this:

  1. Close all applications.
  2. Uninstall the current Java plug-in. Go to your Start menu, select Settings, then select Control Panel.
  3. Open Add/Remove Programs, and locate Java 2 Runtime Environment. Click it to highlight it, then click the Add/Remove button to remove it.
  4. Log into your Blackboard course, and launch the Collaboration tool.

I'm having problems whenever a new window opens in Blackboard. How can I solve this?

These problems are usually caused by popup-blocking software. Disable this software.

I'm having problems posting in the Discussion Board? How can I solve this?

If you are using Internet Explorer 7 with the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, you might not be able to see the text box--known in Blackboard as the Visual Text Box Editor--to make your posting. If this is the case, you might get a warning in a yellow bar at the top of the Blackboard window saying:

"This website wants to run the following add-on: 'Microsoft (R) Dynamic Editing Control' from 'Microsoft Corporation'. If you trust the website and the add-on and want to allow it to run, click here..."

Click on the yellow bar, and choose Run ActiveX Control. Click Run in the Security Warning box. The Visual Text Box Editor is now configured to operate correctly within this browser.

This might happen one other time. If it does, repeat the above procedure. It shouldn't happen again after that.

One alternative is to disable the Visual Text Box Editor by going to Tools – Personal Information – Set Visual Text Box Editor Options – Unavailable – Submit. This will give you access to the default editor, which should work.

Another alternative is to use the Firefox browser. Download Firefox.

If you are using Internet Explorer 7 with the Microsoft Vista operating system, you will either have to disable the Visual Text Box Editor or switch to the Firefox browser. Download Firefox.

How can I hide outdated courses and those long course IDs on the My Institution page?

Click the pencil icon to the right of My Courses. Uncheck the boxes under Show Course for the courses you want to hide, and uncheck the boxes under Show Course ID for the IDs you want to hide. Click Submit at the bottom.

A couple of notes:

  1. If the boxes under Show Course ID are already blank, click the Submit button anyway.
  2. If a course continues to show after you try to hide it, try unchecking the corresponding box under Show Announcements, then click Submit.

Will I need to use a word processing program for written assignments?

Yes. In fact, you should get into the habit of typing all of your assignments, regardless of whether they are research papers, emails, discussion board postings, etc., in a word processing program like Microsoft Word. That way, you can check your work for spelling and grammar errors before submitting.

Does it matter which word processing program I use?

Word is preferred, but you can use others.

How should I name the files that I will submit into Blackboard?

You should name the files the way your instructor wants them named. Regardless, before you upload a file into Blackboard, make sure that the file name does not include special characters (!@#$%&*). Blackboard only accepts files with upper- or lower-cased letters, numbers, and underscores ( _ ). If you are using a Macintosh, add a dot followed by the three-letter extension at the end of the file name. For example, email_assignment.doc.

I'm using Microsoft Word 2007 to submit assignments, but my instructor can't open them. What can I do?

Save your documents in the .doc format instead of the Word 2007 .docx format because your instructor might not have Word 2007 on his or her computer. Your instructor should be able to open any file in the .doc format.

To save in the .doc format while in Word 2007, do the following:

1. Click the Office button.
2. Click Word Options.
3. Click Save.
4. Beside Save files in this format, select Word 97-2003.
5. Click OK.

If your instructor sends you a file in the .docx format created in Word 2007 (or a fellow student does the same), and you are using an older version of Word, you can open the file after downloading and installing the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack. This works for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 file formats. This solution only works for PCs. There is a beta version of a Mac File Format Converter for Word documents only (not for Excel and PowerPoint).

What are the technical requirements for taking an online course?

Just click Technical Requirements to find out.

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Page last modified: April 25, 2008