Technical Help for the SL&IT Program
Frequently Asked Questions

To retrieve information about your various MU accounts visit the My Accounts web page, at:

https://info.mansfield.edu/myaccount

You will be asked for your 7-digit student ID number, the last 4 digits of your social security number, and the year of your birth to login to the site (see screen shot below). You will then be provided with logins and passwords for your MU email (Windows Live Hotmail), course software (Blackboard), library barcode number, and the registration system (WebAdvisor).

For New Students Only:

Account information is made available 24-48 hours after you are registered for your first class (not necessarily after you have been admitted).

Your 18-digit library bar code allows you to access library databases and electronic reserves. If you've lost the barcode or do not have a mouse pad you can either find it on the My Accounts page or look it up via the library, at:

http://lib.mansfield.edu/cfm/idlookup1.cfm

If that does not work contact either the library's Beth Williams (ewilliam@mansfield.edu / 570-662-4690) or the Information Desk (see below for contact information).

If you have any non-technical questions or concerns about the program (including requests for course adds or drops), feel free to e-mail your adviser:

• Deb Kachel (dkachel@mansfield.edu) will advise all LAPIS and Building Leaders scholarship recipients

• Larry Schankman (lschankm@mansfield.edu) will advise all remaining students

• Cindy Keller (ckeller@mansfield.edu) will offer advice specifically about certification, practicum and the culminating seminar courses

The standard login and password for Blackboard follows this rule:

Note: if Blackboard is unavailable try the backup server:

http://bb-mansfield.sytec.passhe.edu/

For assistance with Blackboard contact their outsourced Help Line, Presidium. They offer 24/7 support by Web or toll-free phone (866-766-5969). If you do not get the help you need from Presidium try emailing the MU Support Desk (Mon-Fri, 8-4).

If you try to access password-protected web applications, such as library databases, e-reserves, WebAdvisor, or Blackboard, you may need to adjust your Web browser's security settings. Also, avoid accessing password-protected sites from within Blackboard, as many security programs block a login from one site to yet another site, considering that suspicious activity.

The usual clue that access problems are security-related on your end is an error message about "cookies" or perhaps a blank screen. This generally means that the page or a required "popup" window was blocked or restricted by your browser or computer.

Cookies are tiny text files stored on your computer that web sites use to identify you, and in the case of security protected sites, help authenticate your online session (e.g. remember your password or even financial information that you have shared with the site). In almost all cases cookies are safe and secure.

There is no simple solution to security problems, as that depends on your software, to include anti-virus and spyware checkers, ad or popup blockers, or the browsers themselves. In most cases you can resolve the issue by adding the domain address of the blocked site (the last part of a URL, such as mansfield.edu, passhe.edu, or ebsco.com) as a Trusted or Safe site. Below are the procedures for the three browsers recommended for SL&IT course work. For video demonstrations, without audio, click the Show Me buttons.

Internet Explorer 7

Firefox 3

Safari 3

For more on browser security see our Help page on Web Issues, or for even more details on securing your browser, with procedures for many types and versions of browser, see Homeland Security's guide prepared by US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team).

To access the student email system (called Mounties at MU) go to: http://login.live.com/. If you have a personal MSN or Hotmail account avoid using the MSN Explorer browser. Instead use Internet Explorer.

If you are new, activate your account by following the instructions on your personal My Accounts page (see login information above). Select the link that reads, Windows Live@edu account and Email Address.

The standard student login and password for MU e-mail follows this rule:

Note that faculty logins are different: first initial, then first 7 letters of last name.

For technical help with MU email send a message to the Help Line via their form, at:

http://ct.mansfield.edu/contact-us/

You may also call them at (570) 662-4357 or send e-mail to helpline@mansfield.edu.

Unfortunately, many students cannot access Windows Live Hotmail (Mounties email) from their schools, due to aggressive filtering or firewall rules. If you are affected there are three alternative methods which may or not work for you. Check out our web guide, Hotmail Access Alternatives.

If you forget your Windows Live Hotmail password there are two ways to reset the password. The preferred method is from the My Accounts page. Next to your initial Hotmail password is a link to reset the password (see image below). Once you click reset you will open yet another page with a button for generating a temporary password.

Unlike the reset button in Hotmail itself (see further below), My Accounts will instantly provide a password on the screen. You should wait at least 30 minutes for it to take effect, and once you login you'll need to create a new permanent password.

Alternatively, you can reset the password in Hotmail from the login page. Here you click the link that reads: Forgot your password?

This will open a new window in which you enter your email address (include the word mounties) and the 6 characters of a scrambled pictograph (see below).

After clicking Continue a new password will be sent to your alternate email address, which you specified upon activation of the Hotmail account. If you do not have an alternate address you should use the My Accounts page else the new password will be sent to Hotmail (which you can't access!).

WebAdvisor is the online system for registration (adding and dropping classes) and grades. You will not receive grades by regular (snail) mail but via WebAdvisor, at:

https://webadvisor.mansfield.edu/WebAdvisor/WebAdvisor

Your login and initial password follow the format below:

Login: your MU email name (up to the @ sign)
Password: last 4 digits of social security number

For example, if your name was Mary Smith, and your SSN was 111-99-1234, your login would be smithm (if that was your email name) and password 1234.

Note that you must change your password after your first login to a 6-9 alphanumeric character (e.g. marion1). This password is good for 90 days, after which time the registrar re-sets it back to the last 4 digits of your SSN. If your password does not work, access the student menu and click on the link labeled, What's my password, then select Change password. This should reset the password back to the last four SSN numbers.

For help with registration issues, to include course adds, drops, withdrawal or WebAdvisor, contact your adviser or the Registrar's Office at registrar@mansfield.edu or 570-662-4202.

View our 5-minute Video demo of registration via WebAdvisor.

Electronic reserves (or e-reserves) are generally articles or book chapters from the library or instructor's personal collection. They are digitized and stored in a secure location within the library's online catalog, PILOT. For more information see the library's Guide to Accessing E-Reserves.

Note that you will need your 18-digit barcode and the Adobe Acrobat Reader to access these materials (see below regarding plugins).

MU no longer mails grades at the end of each semester. Instead, to view grades you must login to WebAdvisor and select Grades from the Academic Profile section of the Student menu, as shown below.

To verify receipt of specific clearance documents check WebAdvisor's Test Summary section, which includes Praxis scores as well. For more information on clearance documentation see our Clearances FAQ.

To access all databases, to include specialized resources available ONLY to school library students, use the link from the Library tab of any SL&IT web page, or go directly to http://lib.mansfield.edu/asp/db.asp?db=dblib. This list is NOT the same list as what's on the library's own homepage.

To access the library catalog, use the link to PILOT (either on the SL&IT or MU library web pages). If you try to access from a school, you may need to ask your network guru to open Port 8040 to the outside world, else the firewall may prevent access (PILOT does not use the web standard, port, 80).

E-Reserves is a function of PILOT. You may either use the direct link on the SL&IT Library tab or access PILOT above and click the tab marked Course Reserve. To access readings you will need to login and have a current version of Adobe Acrobat (see listing above for e-reserves).

To ask a reference or library question online visit the library's Homepage and click on the Ask Us icon. Reference librarians check e-mail several times during regular library hours (7:45 to 11:00 p.m.). Note: the Information Desk is closed during holidays and all mid-session breaks, and has limited hours during the summer.

The web design of Blackboard uses a technique called frames to aid navigation. In fact, each Blackboard screen is really three separate pages: the left column menu, the top navigation bar, and the main window in the center. Depending on where your cursor is on the page, when you click "File, print" your browser will print the currently selected frame, or perhaps none at all. To print desired text make sure your cursor is on the correct frame by simply highlighting the text with your mouse.

Also, most web browsers, to include Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Netscape, offer a great feature called Print Preview (under the File menu). This will allow you to not only see exactly what the print out will look like, it will also give you options for printing selected pages, an individual frame, etc. In general, printing from the preview mode will give you more control over what you print (e.g. no blank pages or pages that are cut off on the right side).

To print in Blackboard with Internet Explorer select the option Only the Selected Frame in Print Preview, AFTER first setting your cursor in the frame you wish to print (simply click on any word or sentence with the desired text). If you do not set your cursor in a frame you won't see the selected frame option in IE7.

Firefox and Netscape have no similar option, but you can right click anywhere in the frame you want to print to select This Frame, followed by Show Only this Frame, then print.

Safari does have a Print Frame option, but only from the right click menu. If you are a Mac user with a one-button mouse press the Control (CTRL) key while clicking to simulate a right click.

If you completed classes in the SL&IT program after 2006 you will notice that old courses still display on your Blackboard menu (even though you no longer have access to enter those courses). You can control the menu display by clicking the pencil icon to the right of the course menu and unchecking listings for old courses.

Note that Blackboard actually has two course menus: My Courses on the courses tab and Course List on the main welcome page, accessed by clicking the Blackboard7@Mansfield tab. Unchecking course listings removes them from your menu (though you can re-check them if you wish to display them again).

New students should complete the tutorial prior to beginning classes to quickly get an orientation to the course software and online learning. To access the tutorial, click on the link from any SL&IT web page (under the Help menu) or browse to:

http://libweb.mansfield.edu/graduate/tutorial/start.asp

Note: the tutorial has been greatly simplified over the years since we have experienced so many changes. Given the speed of change we will no longer develop sophisticated, highly interactive training tools. On the other hand, the tutorial will become part of a more comprehensive Introductory course for new students.

In addition to the tutorial above, new students should work through our Orientation Guide. This document complements the first two modules of the Introductory Seminar (LSC 5500), and adds tips on Office 2007 compatibility and a one-page guide, How Do I Begin a Course?

Students not required to take the Intro course (Antioch University and non-degree students taking only 1-3 courses) should work through as much of the guide as possible to familiarize themselves with Blackboard, MU email and other resources. Non Intro students will have access to the course for the first 3-4 weeks of the semester.

Several Web pages on the Internet require special software to view enhanced or specially formatted files. When used for the Web, these programs are known as Plug-ins. Our tutorial requires the Flash plug-in and e-reserves requires Adobe Acrobat. For more information on plugins, see the Web Browsers and Plugins page.

One of the most daunting challenges with online course work is the sharing of files. As long as you use a plain text editor, such as Notepad (Windows/PC), TextEdit (Mac OS X) or the editor in Blackboard, there should never be a problem. But if you use a word processor, especially the new Word 2007 (see below), there is a chance that others who try to read your file won't be able to open it unless they use the same software or unless you save it in a common format read by all word processors (e.g. rich text format—RTF).

Often, an older version of software (e.g. Word 97) cannot read a file created in a newer word processor (e.g. Word 2007 or Works 2000). If you have this problem, try one of these options:

Note: the latest version of Office (2007) uses a completely new file format than all previous versions. By default, if you click Save you will create a file using the new format, identified by the additional letter x in the extension (e.g. docx for Word, xlsx for Excel, and pptx for PowerPoint). The x indicates that the file uses the eXtensible Markup Language (XML), an advanced form of html, the language of the Web.

To share Office 2007 documents with users of older versions you need to save in the old format. Simply click the big round button in the top left corner of the screen (the Office Button) to access what resembles the old File menu in previous versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Click on Save As, then select the version corresponding to the older format (e.g. in Word select Word 97-2003 Document).

If you wish to never worry about compatibility, you can set the Save As option permanently by clicking the Office button, then Word Options (or whichever Office program you want to change), then Save. The options here will allow you to select Word 97-2203 as the default save format for all new documents. The only time you may want to save in the newer format is to use new, advanced features or save as a smaller file (since the new format compresses files, especially if they contain multimedia).

Globally Saving Word 2007 Files in Prior Format

If you use an older version of Office you can still open files saved in the new format by installing the free Office Compatibility Pack for Windows from Microsoft. Mac users can Download the Open XML File Format Converter for Mac from their Mactopia site.

For best results in Blackboard and the library, we recommend Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 (PC only), Firefox 3.5, or Safari 4. Older browsers may passably work, though many web pages may not display properly.

Note for IE users: IE 8.0 is not yet certified for Blackboard, though it should work fine. If you have problems, you can click an icon at the top of the page (shown below) that turns on compatibility mode, which imitates IE7 functionality.

Opera 10 should work reasonably well on both Macs and PCs but is less compatible than other browsers. Internet Explorer 5.2 was the last version of IE for the Mac and is no longer supported. Mac users should use either Safari or Firefox.

Microsoft Office (versions 2000 or higher) is the standard software suite used by instructors. Some classes will even require use of specific programs in that suite. Individual programs in the Standard edition include:

1. Word (word processing)
2. Excel (spreadsheets)
3. PowerPoint (graphically rich presentations)
4. Outlook (e-mail and more)

Note: if you use the new Office 2007 note that Microsoft has introduced a new file format that is not recognized by older versions (identified by an x at the end of the extension, such as docx or pptx). To assure compatibility please save your work in the older 97-2003 format. You can change the default to save all work in an older format, as the Microsoft Word example below:

• click the round Office button in the top left corner
• select Word Options (or other Office program)
• Select Save options
• change the format option to Word 97-2003 Document

We also require an anti-virus program, such as Norton or McAfee, AND anti-spyware software to protect your computer, as well as the computers of fellow students and instructors. For more information on anti-spyware (or anti-adware) software see either the article in Wikipedia or an announcement from 2006.

MU students may download for free McAfee Anti-Virus 8.5 from MU's My.Mansfield site (login with your Blackboard login and password). For discounted software use your student (or teacher) ID to order from Academic Superstore (800-817-2347), School World (800-554-2991), or Studica (888-561-7521).

When sending or uploading files as an attachment, be sure to name the file with a recognized extension (the 3-4 letter initials after a period; e.g. project1.doc). If you do not include the extension, files may NOT open properly in Blackboard for viewing. Common extensions include:

If you use one of the recommended browsers, but some web pages just don't work properly, it is possible that your browser's Internet security settings may be set too high, or you may need to clear your browser's memory cache. This problem is very common, and affects most web users at some time.

For instructions for clearing and bypassing your cache in many popular web browsers see an article in Wikipedia or view a detailed announcement from a couple years ago on this and other common browser problems (to include spyware). Also see the next entry on spyware and other non-viral pests (malware).

A growing menace to web users is the presence of spyware or more generally, malware (mal is the Latin root word for bad). A related Internet pest is adware. Regardless of their subtle differences, all of these web maladies characterize a type of software that snoops into your computer and transmits information about you or your computer to a third-party without your permission.

Sadly, many legitimate web sites, businesses, and marketing companies install this software on your computer without your knowledge to place advertising banners on web pages, examine your purchasing or web site preferences, give you new search tools to find their products, or otherwise help change your shopping habits.

Unfortunately, they often interfere with your computer, and most commonly, your web browser. Usual symptoms include sluggish performance, problems logging in to password-restricted web sites, obnoxious pop-up ads appearing when least expected, and in less common instances, computer crashes.

To get rid of spyware, there are basically two types of anti-spyware: free and subscription (i.e. not free). The best free software is Spybot, Spycatcher (Express) and Ad-Aware Free. The reputable free stuff works great, but beware of unsolicited pop-up ads and spam that suggest you download their free software to get rid of spyware, as quite often these solicitations actually install spyware programs themselves.

For $20-40, fee-based software runs in the background and stops spyware from installing in the first place, which is the better solution. We recommend either (1) Spyware Doctor, (2) Ad-Aware Pro (or Plus), (3) Counterspy, or (4) Spy Sweeper.

For additional information please see our Web Issues page.

Once you have created a masterpiece in College LiveText, such as your SL&IT student portfolio, you can share your work with others. In LiveText there are two types of users who can view your work. If the person with whom you wish to share your work is a subscriber (e.g. classmate or instructor) you can simply click the Share button in the document and enter their username.

If you do not know your sharee's username have no fear, as LiveText can look it up. Simply type their name and LiveText will automatically look up all users with similar names. Select the user from that list and click "Share." For further instructions either view LiveText's Help document on Sharing Documents (PDF) or view our short Video on sharing documents.

For guests and other non-subscribers you can create a Visitors Pass, which as the name suggests allows non-LiveText users to access your work. This is a two-step process. First you create a pass code for your visitor (which you can email or cite), then you link the document or portfolio to that pass.

To login your guest enters the pass code in the Visitor Pass Area (below the user login area). For further details see either LiveText's Word document, Creating Visitor's Passes (from their Help page) or our own Video Demo.

Note: sharing is not the same as submitting for review. The latter procedure allows an instructor or peer to create comments or sticky notes on your work and return it to you. Sharing essentially creates a permanent copy of your document in the other person's account.

There are several resources for helping students and researchers create perfect MLA citations. Besides the official MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, we recommend the following resources:

• MLA Update 2009 (via Purdue University's Online Writing Lab)
• Citation Machine (see our Video Demo for help)
• NoodleBib (requires login—see our Video or their PowerPoint Tutorial)

Note: if you purchased the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook there is a code in the back of the book that provides free account registration to their Online handbook (searchable version of the book, with some added examples). Scratch off the silver surface of the strip to reveal the activation code).