Technical Help for the SL&IT Program
Frequently Asked Questions

Unfortunately, many students cannot access Windows Live (Mounties email, formerly Hotmail) 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.

The preferred method to retrieve your Desire2Learn login and password is to access the My Accounts page, which displays login information for all needed MU resources. In general, the standard login and password for D2L follows this rule:

To access MU's student email system (Mounties Outlook Live) go to either http://mail.live.com/ or http://outlook.com/. Though you can use most popular browsers, this email program works best with Internet Explorer. For access from mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets (i.e. iPad and similar gadgets) see the Help Desk's FAQ for Mobile Email or view the helpful tips on the Mounties Outlook Live home page (to include login instructions for desktop mail programs).

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 My Accounts page will also display your email login and password.

For technical help with MU email send a message to the Help Desk 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.

If you forget your Windows Live (aka Mounties) password there are two ways to reset the password. The preferred method is from the My Accounts page. Next to your initial email 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 Windows Live 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 Windows Live 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 Windows Live account. If you do not have an alternate address you should use the My Accounts page else the new password will be sent to the very account you can't access!

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), course software (Desire2Learn), 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/faq/library-id-number-lookup/

If that does not work contact either the library's Nichole Book (570-662-4687 / nbook@mansfield.edu) 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:

• Larry Schankman (lschankm@mansfield.edu) will advise all remaining students (including Fulfilling the Promise students)

• Cindy Keller (ckeller@mansfield.edu) will offer advice on certification and the culminating practicum course/experience

For SL&IT student issues see our Academic Policies page, or MU's official Graduate Studies Homepage. See also our separate web pages regarding:

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.

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 WebAdvisor registration.

For assistance with Desire2Learn review MU's searchable Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page or submit a question to the MU Help Desk. Additional resources are available on MU's Desire2Learn Resources page. Students and faculty may also phone (877-730-6232), email, or chat with the less reliable third-party service, Perceptis (available 24/7), though they may refer many, if not most, questions back to MU.

The D2L tutorial is a fairly quick and basic introduction to MU's course management system. The guide consists of 12 web pages with explanations and screen shots to illustrate sample features in D2L. New students will 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

If you are a visual learner you can also view one of our two videos for students: a general Video Tour and a tutorial on using the Forum. Stay tuned for more.

The web design of Desire2Learn uses a technique called frames to aid navigation. In fact, each Desire2Learn 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.

Internet Explorer and Firefox offer a great feature called Print Preview, listed 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. To access print preview in Safari you have to select File, Print first, then click the button for Preview. 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 Desire2Learn 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 IE.

Firefox has no similar option, but you can right click anywhere in the frame you want to print, select This Frame, followed by Show Only this Frame, then print. Likewise, if the Google Chrome browser allows you only to right click the current frame to open it in either a new tab or window, then print normally.

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.

Desire2Learn allows you to create a profile that can be used in all courses. Starting from the My Home menu, simply select Profile and fill out the template (see menu below).

Note that many instructors might ask you to submit a template downloaded and edited locally using Microsoft Word. If asked to download a template be aware that you can NOT save Word documents directly on the web. If you edit a file from within Desire2Learn it will be saved to your hard drive, NOT to the Desire2Learn server.

To view another student's profile, click the Classlist menu item in the top right corner of the D2L navigation bar ("Navbar"), then click the profile icon to the right of any of your classmate's name.

You can use the Classlist to send email from the D2L server to anyone in your class. To send email to one person, click the name of your intended recipient. To send to many people at once, click the checkbox next to each person's name, or the top checkbox to select ALL, then click the mail icon (see below).

Note well: if you select more than one recipient D2L will automatically send blind copies (BCC) to each recipient to protect their privacy, in which case you should enter your own name as an intended recipient (To), since every message must have a name listed in the "To" field.

If you click a link, especially in a password-protected site and a blank page or screen appears, this is typically an example of either a popup window that is blocked on your computer, or an example of "mixed content" (i.e. a secure web site linking to content on a non-secure web site). There is no easy way to determine the cause, as it depends on your particular combination of browser settings and security software, to include popup blockers, spyware software, and Internet security packages. But for starters, make sure the domain for the site you are visiting is listed as a safe or trusted site in your security software (see the section below on Browser Security).

If the problem occurs in Desire2Learn, there is a known issue with the Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers. This occurs when you click a link in the Table of Contents (Content) and it tries to open an external web page outside of D2L.

If a blank screen appears in Desire2Learn and the cause is not a popup blocker, you may have to change a setting. D2L is a secured server (designated by the prefix https rather than http in its address), and in most browsers there is a built-in restriction for secured sites displaying content from non-secure servers. To allow a site to display mixed content you need to enable the feature as follows (see also the images below):

As yet another solution for Firefox (besides using another browser), you could install the IE Tab Plus add-on. This small application allows you to simulate Internet Explorer within Firefox. As an added bonus, IE Tab (or the more powerful Plus version) allows you to interact with sites that are designed exclusively for the IE browser, to include Microsoft's Windows Update page.

For additional help with D2L refer to MU's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page or their Desire2Learn Resources for Students page.

If you try to access password-protected web applications, such as library databases, e-reserves, WebAdvisor, or Desire2Learn, you may need to adjust your Web browser's security settings. Also, avoid accessing password-protected sites from within Desire2Learn, as many security programs block a login from one site to yet another site, considering that suspicious activity. If a link to a secure site opens within D2L and you cannot access it, let your instructor know s/he should make the link open in a new window (outside of D2L).

The usual clue that access problems are security-related on your end is an error message about "cookies" or 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. See also the Help page from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Internet Explorer

Firefox

Safari

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).

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.

For best results in Desire2Learn and the library, we recommend Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 or 9 (PC only), Firefox 6 or higher, or Safari 5. Google Chrome is fast overtaking Firefox in market share and updates frequently, though it, along with Opera ( and older versions of the browsers above) are not fully supported by all of our resources.

Note for IE users: if you have problems, you can click an icon at the top of the page (shown below) that turns on compatibility mode. That imitates functionality from older versions.

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 our narrated video Tutorial, featuring the four most popular browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari).

Alternatively, 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 entry on spyware and other non-viral pests (malware).

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 Desire2Learn, 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.

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 Desire2Learn for viewing. Common extensions include:

• .doc for Word (.docx for Office 2007)

• .xls for Excel (.xlsx for Office 2007)

• .ppt for PowerPoint (.pptx for Office 2007)

• .htm, html, cfm or .asp for Web pages

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 Office 2007 or higher 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 old announcement from 2006.

MU students may download for free McAfee Anti-Virus from MU's My.Mansfield site (login with your Desire2Learn login and password).

For Microsoft Office (both PC and Mac versions), students have an incredible deal through Microsoft's Microsoft Student Store. While the regular academic price for Office Home and Student edition is about $150, college students can download the Professional Academic version (retails at $499.99) for the low price of $99.95.

For other discounted software use your student (or teacher) ID to order from Academic Superstore (800-817-2347), Logisoft (800-554-2991), or Studica (888-561-7521).

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:

• NoodleBib (see next item below regarding initial creation of your account—for usage tips see our Video or their PowerPoint Tutorial)

• MLA Formatting and Style Guide (Purdue University's Online Writing Lab)

• Citation Machine (see our Video Demo for help)

• Online MLA Handbook (searchable version of the handbook, with added examples, ONLY if you purchased the 7th edition of the Handbook—scratch off the silver strip in the back of the book to reveal the activation code for free account registration)

Unless you have a personal subscription, the first time you use NoodleTools (NoodleBib) you must create an account via the library's Login page. By entering your student ID you will validate your student status. Thereafter you can access NoodleBib directly from http://www.noodletools.com.

Since free access, however, is based on your student ID you must revalidate your MU status annually. Simply return to the library login page and follow the link on that page to Revalidate Your Account. Library resources, including Databases, are linked on all of our web pages under the Library drop down menu.

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).

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 (the direct link is a rather long URL: http://cms2.mansfield.edu/library/find-articles/slit-databases-and-electronic-resources/). 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.

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 Desire2Learn, MU email and other resources. Non Intro students will have access to the course for the first 3-4 weeks of the semester.

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.