Vista Quick Start

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Vista Quick Start

• Distance Learning
• mxccedtech_at_gmail.com
• (860)343 5822/5783
• Chapman 633/632
• Middlesex Community College
• Visit http//www.mxcc.commnet.edu/distance

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Logon to WebCT Vista via myCommNet

• Go to my.commnet.edu and enter your NetID and
  password.
  
• NetID BannerID_at_mxcc.commnet.edu
• Example of NetID 09109109_at_mxcc.commnet.edu
• Password 8-digit NetID password
• Use the same password to access campus computers
  and remote e-mail (www.mail.commnet.edu).
  
• If you have never logged on to a campus computer
  or access to your college email at
  www.mail.commnet.edu, you use your initial
  password.
• Initial Password
• 1st three letters of birth month with first
  letter capitalized
  
• Ampersand character
• Last 4 digits of SS
• Example
• John Brown was born April of 1968 and SS is
  045-84-9583.
  
• His initial password is Apr9583
• Change password
• When you log on the first time, you will be
  prompted to change to a new password.
  
• At least 8 characters in length
• At least 3 of the 4 following criteria1. Upper
  case letters, 2. lower case letters, 3. numbers,
  or 4. special characters.
  

Having trouble logging on? Contact IT service i
n Wheaton Hall or call [phone].
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Best Performance in WebCT

• Before you work in WebCT, there are a few things
  you need to do to ensure best performance in
  WebCT.
  
• You need to disable all pop-up blockers in order
  to have WebCT window open.
  
• Once you are in myCommNet, click WebCT Vista at
  upper right corner to access myWebCT page.
  
• Close out myCommNet window. This is to avoid
  time-out messages from myCommNet when you work in
  WebCT.
  
• Click Logout at the upper right corner of
  myCommNet window. Close myCommNet window by
  clicking X sign.
  
• Click maximize icon in WebCT window to enlarge
  WebCT window.
  
• To get out of WebCT, do not click X sign to close
  WebCT window. Click Logout (upper right) in WebCT
  window instead. If you click X sign in WebCT
  window, you may not be able to get back to WebCT
  via myCommNet unless you wait for a few hours.
• To hide courses in MyWebCT page, click Edit
  (pencil) icon at the upper right corner of Course
  List column. Check the courses you dont want to
  display in myWebCT and click Hide button.

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Basic Features of WebCT

• My WebCT
• Course list, calendar, mail, bookmarks, file
  manager
  
• Section Page
• Three Views
• Build
• Teach
• Student View
• Course Toolbar
• Calendar, Mail, Discussions, Announcements
• Home Page
• Syllabus, Learning Module, Organizer
• An example of a WebCT course that uses common
  tools.
  
• Calendar, announcements, mail, discussions,
  syllabus, welcome, assignments, quiz, etc.
  

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Assigning a Template

• If youve never logged on, you will be asked to
  assign a template. You can choose
  
• MxCC Oncampus
• MxCC Online
• Blank
• Note We can reassign templates if you chose the
  blank one but would like an MxCC one.
  
• Note If you taught a course, we can roll it so
  it becomes your template

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Start Page-Three Views

• Build
• Tools to design the course
• Teach
• Conduct teaching activities
• (Gradebook, manage groups, track students,
  release tools or files, set tool settings).
  
• Student View
• See interface and use tools from student
  perspective.
  
• You may check Do not show this page again to
  turn the Start Page off.
  
• Click Start button to enter the course.

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WebCT Vista Home Page

• Home Page Tools added to Home Page
• Course Toolbar, Tools added to Course Toolbar.
• Build tab, Teach tab, Student View tab
• File Manager, Search, Content Import, Backup.

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Syllabus

• Convert MS Word syllabus to a web page (.htm or
  .html).
  
• Open the document in word
• Choose Save As
• Select Web Page-Filtered
• Make sure you have no spaces, ( ), , , or other
  characters in your file name. You can use
  underscore _ to separate words
  
• Ex Fall06_PSY110_syllabus
• Click Save

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Upload the File

• In Build Basic Tab, click File Manager
• Click Upload File
• Click Browse and navigate to the file
• Click Save

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Posting the Syllabus

• Click Build Tab, Basic View
• Click the Syllabus tool on the bottom left
  corner.
  
• Click Select File. The File Browser window
  opens.
  
• Check the box next to the file you just uploaded
• Wait till the syllabus file is loaded.

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Updating the Syllabus

• 2 ways you can update the syllabus in
• HTML editor- tricky but automatic
• In Word (youll need to re-upload it)
• Open MS Word first and open the syllabus file.
• Once your syllabus is updated in Word, you need
  to upload it to Vista.
  
• In Build tab, click the gray down arrow next to
  the Syllabus. Select Edit.
  
• Click Browse button.
• Keep Basic View selected, click My Computer.
  Locate the syllabus file and double-click on it.
  
• Click OK when prompted Do you want to replace
  them?.
  
• To review the syllabus, click Teach or Student
  tab and click Syllabus icon.
  

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Updating in HTML

• If the MS Word syllabus is converted to a web
  page (.htm) file in Web Page, Filtered format,
  you may edit your syllabus file in Vista on the
  fly.
• In Build tab, click File Manager at the upper
  right corner.
  
• Check the syllabus file, click the Edit File icon
  (pencil icon).
  
• Check On in HTML Creator.
• Revise the syllabus with the formatting tools in
  HTML Creator window.
  
• Click Save.
• All clean HTML files in Vista can be edited in
  exactly the same way

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Announcements

• Click Teach tab and then click Announcements on
  the course toolbar.
  
• Click Create Announcements button.
• Type the title and the message.
• Select all by checking Select All Roles.
• Or select to whom you would like this
  announcements delivered.
  
• Timed announcement will be eliminated from
  Teach/Student view after the ending time.
  

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Announcements

• Select the dates and time of posting and stopping
  the announcement.
  
• You may check A pop-up message to display the
  announcement as a pop-up message.
  
• Click Send button.
• After the announcement message is sent, in
  Student View, there will be a green check mark
  next to Announcements.
  
• The posted announcement cannot be edited but can
  be deleted.
  
• In Build tab. Go to the Announcements tool.
• Click the delete icon. Click OK to confirm.

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E-mail

• E-mail in Vista is INTERNAL. This means that you
  can only check, send, receive messages within
  your Vista course.
  
• Pros No spam
• No need to know whose email is
  purrfectgurly38_at_hotmail.com
  
• Cons You must sign on to use mail
• No mail forwarding.

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Accessing New Mail

• New Mail is indicated by this icon
• on the course toolbar or the MyWebCT home page
• Go to Mail tool
• Teach Tab click the Mail icon on the Course
  Toolbar.
  
• My WebCT click the Mail icon on the upper right
  corner.
  

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Mail Structure

• In Mail page.
• Delete a message Click the delete icon.
• Create a subfolder Click Create Folder. Type the
  folder name and click Create.
  
• Move a message to a subfolder.
• Select the message. Select the subfolder. Click
  
  

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Reading Mail

• Click the message subject to open it.
• While you are reading messages, you may click
  Refresh Now button to refresh the Mail screen in
  order to receive new messages.
  

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Replying to Mail

• Reply a message
• Click Reply button.
• Type the replied message.
• Click Send button.
• Reply to All reply to all the recipients.
• Click Reply to All button.
• Type the replied message.
• Click Send button.

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Sending Mail

• Click Create Message button.
• Click Browse for Recipients... Button.
• To show all students on one page, click Edit
  Paging link. Enter max number of students in your
  course. Click Save.
  
• Check
• To box to whoever you sent
• CC box to whoever you send a copy
• BCC box to whoever you send a blind copy
• Click Save.
• Type the subject and message.
• Click Send button at the bottom left corner.
• Attach a file to an email message.
• See instruction for slide of Discussions-Attach
  a Document.
  

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E-mail MaintenanceDelete, Create a Subfolder,
Move

• In Mail page.
• Delete a message Click the delete icon.
• Create a subfolder Click Create Folder. Type the
  folder name and click Create.
  
• Move a message to a subfolder.
• Select the message. Select the subfolder. Click
  
  

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Explore Basic Features in My WebCT

• Calendar Post items for all classes.
• Email Check emails for all classes.
• Content Change the tools/displays
• Color Change color scheme of My WebCT
• Layout Change the order of features on each
  column.
  
• Edit with icon.
• Show/Hide Classes, Calendar, To Do List, Personal
  Bookmarks, Campus Bookmarks (not available
  currently).
  
• Help Shows help instructions related to the page
  you are on.