Technical questions:

Thank you for reading this information! Print this page NOW and store it in a safe place so that you'll have the information available whenever you experience computer problems.

Please post technical questions to the Help! discussion topic. Members of the class who are technically proficient are encouraged to monitor the discussion and assist classmates.

Finally, NEVER SPEND MORE THAN AN HOUR trying to fix problems by yourself! UCF offers wonderful technical support free of charge--please save yourself some time and stress by availing yourself of the help available to you. See the list of useful contact information below.

When you ask for help, you are also doing a good deed: you are teaching UCF's tech help people about the kinds of problems students encounter in these courses. The more that is known about problems you encounter, the more that can be done to help prevent such problems in the future.

So DON'T STRUGGLE ALONE! Ask the tech people for help when you encounter glitches. (NB: your professor is not trained to do tech support, though she is happy to provide sympathetic moral support.)

Technical Assistance for On-Line Courses at UCF

Network outages: On occasion, you may be unable to access the course due to network outages. Most of the time, the problem is caused by something like a backhoe cutting a telephone line. Such problems are usually resolved within a few hours. Please don't panic if this happens to you--just keep checking the network, and eventually you'll be able to access the course again. Depending on where the problem has occurred, the tech support staff at your internet service provider or UCF's Help Desk (see "Useful Links" below) should be able to estimate when everything will be back to normal. When you are able, post your work along with an explanation of what happened.

AOL Problems: AOL users have historically experienced difficulties when they need to access information outside of AOL. Because of this, you are advised to use a different browser than the AOL web browser for this course.

Viruses: You won't have to worry about viruses because you are required to use a reputable anti-virus program to participate in this course. Good programs include those by McAfee or Norton. Please remember to update your virus definitions regularly (your software documentation will tell you how to do this). Every time you submit any attachments or mail messages that contain viruses, your grade for the course will be reduced by one full letter. See "Useful Links" below for more information about viruses.

Back-ups: Technical difficulties can cause serious problems, especially if you procrastinate. Back up your files regularly on store backup disks in a location separate from your computer. Use a surge-protected power source (one that also protects your phone/modem connection) and avoid using your computer during thunderstorms. A lightning strike could wipe out you and your computer.

Think of your computer as your "transportation" to the class. If you are enrolled in a face-to-face class and your car keeps breaking down, you will be expected to find another way to get to class. In a web class, if your computer keeps breaking down, you will be expected to find another way to access the class. Fortunately, public libraries and campus computer labs offer free Internet access. See "Useful Links" below for more information about campus computer labs.

If you experience repeated technical problems, consider dropping the course. Petitions for late withdrawal may be filed in UCF's Academic Services Office. (See "Useful Links" below for contact information.)

Plug-Ins: You will need two free browser plug-ins to use this course: Java and Shockwave. See "Useful Links" below for information about where to get these plug-ins.

Useful links:

Academic Services Office, AD 210, 407-823-2691, http://www.academicservices.ucf.edu

Computer Lab Information: http://www.computerlabs.ucf.edu

Computer Viruses: http://learn.ucf.edu/1courses/1virus.html

Distributed Learning at UCF Student Information Pages: http://online.ucf.edu/index.html

Help Desk: helpdesk@mail.ucf.edu, 407-823-5117, http://helpdesk.ucf.edu

Java Plug-In: http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/download.html

Shockwave Plug-In: http://sdc.shockwave.com/shockwave/download/frameset.fhtml

Techrangers: techrangers@mail.ucf.edu, 407-823-3808, http://techrangers.cdws.ucf.edu/

UCF Computer Store: http://www.cstore.ucf.edu

UCF Main Page: http://www.ucf.edu

UCF Library: http://library.ucf.edu