Getting Started Hardware and Software Requirements Logging Into Your Course Password and User ID IS Online Courseware Home Page

Lesson Assignments Spend Some Time Exploring Lesson Assignment Return Address Information Lesson Assignment Submission Online Demo Course

Getting Started

ISO is Independent & Distance Learning's method for presenting Online courses to our students. In this section, we have put together some important information to assist you.  Please read through it—it should help you avoid any confusion or frustration as you work on your online course.

If you are not an adept Internet user, you may find it takes a little while to adjust to the constantly changing environment of the Internet and the challenges that are often associated with the new technology.

You need to learn as much as you can about browsing the Internet.  The best thing to do is start surfing the net (browsing the vast pool of information available on the Internet).  The more surfing experience you have, the better you will be able to take advantage of all the features our online courses have to offer.

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Hardware and Software Requirements

Because LSU Independent & Distance Learning online course materials are based on the World Wide Web, you must have access to a computer and the hardware and software resources needed to access the World Wide Web. Suggestions for each are listed below:

Computer

The computer must be robust enough to run one of the recent web browsers and download files in a reasonable amount of time.

Minimum Requirements:

Pentium 233 MHz (Recommended: Pentium 500MHz or greater)

64 MB RAM (Recommended: 128 MB RAM or greater)

52 MB hard drive space

Web Access

• You will need to be able to reach the World Wide Web, either through a network at your place of business or school or through a modem connection from home.  The modem should be at least 28.8 bps.  If possible, use an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that has a local access number, so that you can avoid long-distance charges.

Web Browser

• You must use a browser that is JavaScript enabled.  This option needs to be set in your browser. This option is normally found in the Tools menu in the Options or Preferences folder.

• Pop-up ad blocking software will disable JavaScript in your browser. You will need either to disable this software or allow our Web site (www.is.lsu.edu) the ability to use JavaScript. Most of the modern browsers have a pop-up ad blocker installed as part of the basic browser programming, so you will need to check the browser itself to make sure it is not blocking the use of JavaScript to open a new window. This option is normally found in the Tools menu in the Options folder.

You can download the latest browser from the links below:

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Logging into Your Course

Logging in to your online course is easy. From the LSU Independent & Distance Learning homepage, select “enrolled students” and then online course login. You can also login from the StudyNet homepage click "Login Now" You will be prompted for your user name and password (please read the section below entitled Password and User ID). The login screen will look similar to the one below:

Once you have successfully logged in to your course, your login ID and password will be retained by the browser until you exit the browser. This allows you to visit links outside the course program without having to login again. You can also bookmark any page in your course and the log in prompt will appear on the bookmarked page rather than at the start of the course.

When you visit outside links, be aware that the browser sometimes opens a second window. If you are having problems, check the taskbar to see if there is more than one copy of the browser open.

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Password and User ID

Your user ID and password will be assigned to you by LSU Independent Study.  For each course in which you are enrolled, you will receive a unique user name.  Your password will be the same for every course.

• Your user name is your enrollment number.
• Your password is the first two letters of your last name and last four digits of your social security number. The password is case sensitive, so make sure that the first letter of your last name is upper case and the second letter is lower case. For example, if my name is John Smith, and my social security number is 123-45-6789, my password would be Sm6789.

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ISO Courseware Homepage

Once you log in, you will arrive at the IS Online Courseware homepage:

NOTE: You will have a different homepage screen for each course in which you are enrolled.
NOTE 2: You can return to this homepage at any time by selecting Course Information (Just above your name.)

A homepage contains:

(1)	Four links:      Course Information - Click here to return to this Home Page.      Instructor - Name of the instructor for this course.      Lesson Assignments - Assignments and online submission of assignments.      Policies - Independent & Distance Learning's procedures and rules for all students.
(2)	Your name - Course department code and number.
(3)	Course Name.
(4)	Table of Contents - Contains a list of all of the books and supplemental material needed to complete this course. Read this section very carefully.

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After each lesson in your course, you must complete a lesson assignment.  You can print out or copy the lesson assignment questions from the online courseware or copy the questions from your print course guide into your offline word-processing program (at this time LSU Independent & Distance Learning can process only Word or WordPerfect files). You may then work on your lesson assignments at your convenience.  When you have completed your assignment and are ready to submit it, log back into your online courseware and click on the lesson assignment link located at the bottom of each lesson page.  Then you may submit your assignment, if you are eligible.  If you are not eligible, you will be prompted to try again the next week.

Eligibility to submit lessons is based on the number of lessons you are allowed to submit in any seven-day period.  Please refer to your course bulletin, study materials, or the LSU Independent & Distance Learning Web site (Policies and Procedures) for details on lesson submission limitations.

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Spend Some Time Exploring

When you walk into a classroom for the first time, the instructor gives you some tools to guide you through the rest of the term.  These may include a syllabus, reading list, description of assignments, and grading or evaluation criteria.  In your online classroom, these same tools are available.  Visit each of the links off the main page of your course, and see what is there. 

Ready to start?

To gain the maximum value from your study, we suggest that you use a systematic approach to completing your course.

• Examine the learning outcomes of the course, and make sure that you understand what you are expected to gain from it.
• Determine how you wish to work through your course by examining the course outline.
• Begin your study program by reading thoroughly the material in the first lesson.
• Follow any links that are provided to other parts of the courses or to outside references.
• Carry out the learning activities for your lessons.
• Make notes about the key issues.  Use the learning outcomes for each section as a guide.
• Print out your assignment questions from the online courseware, and answer them using your offline word processing program.
• Submit your assignment by uploading your single word-processor file (for file upload courses) or transfer your answers (for computer-graded assignments) into the online courseware and sending it to Independent & Distance Learning.
• Repeat this process for the next lesson.

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Lesson Assignment Return Address Information

For every lesson assignment you submit online, you will be asked to provide LSU Independent & Distance Learning with your most recent address information. This information is used to send your graded lesson assignment back to you when LSU Independent Study recieves it from your instructor.

You can also include a question about the course, the lesson, or a particular concept in the "A Note to Your Instructor" box.

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Lesson Assignment Submission

There are two methods of lesson assignment submission: computer graded lesson submission (scantron lessons) and file-upload lessons.

Computer-Graded Lesson Assignments

Computer-graded lessons correspond to the scantron lessons described in the print course guide. In general, these lessons consist of multiple-choice, true/false, matching, or labeling questions. LSU Independent & Distance Learning suggest that you mark your answers for your lesson in the printed course guide then log into the online course and transfer the answer from your print course guide to the online course lesson assignment submission system (pictured below). Once you have transfered all of your answers to the online submission system, the system will check to make sure all the questions have been answered and then it will grade your lesson assignment. You can then review your graded lesson assignment and print it out to help you review for your exams.

File-Upload Lesson Assignments

File upload lesson assignments are normally essay-based questions, but they may be a combination of essay, short answer, labeling, multiple choice, etc. LSU Independent Study requires that you answer all of the questions in a SINGLE Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, or Microsoft Excel file. You will upload that file to LSU Independent & Distance Learning for processing. Please note: in order to upload the file properly your file name must NOT contain any spaces.

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