Study Tips & Tools

Previews

Online, narrated slide presentations
BIO 240 & BIO 241

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Quick start Accessing the Preview presentations Using the Preview player Navigating the Preview player Quick Check quizzes Possible issues using the Preview presentations PODCAST versions of the Previews

Required Previews

Students currently in Kevin's BIO 240 and BIO 241 courses should use the required Preview presentations (slide shows) at WebCT to prepare for class

• You are required to view the Preview presentations before coming to class.  This is NOT optional.

  • The Previews give you some of the essential concepts that may not be covered in class

  • We will build on the concepts in the Previews during class time, so you'll need to be familiar with them before class

  • I'll be asking you questions about the Preview material in class

  • The Learning Outline indicates which Preview files are needed at specific points in the course.

Tips for Previews

Take notes (on your outline) while viewing previews Review the preview later, when preparing for your online test Make sure you watch them before your class time that covers the topic of the Preview

Quick Start

• Go to WebCT

• Click Previews

• Click the title of the preview you want to view

• The preview will start automatically!

 

Detailed Preview Tips

Accessing the Preview presentations

• First, you need to make sure that your internet browser already has the ability to play Flash (*.swf) files. 
  
  
  • All the SCC campus computers already have Flash-capable browsers installed on them
    
    
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Firefox, America Online (AOL), Netscape, and some other browsers are already Flash-capable
    
    
  • If your browser does not automatically play Flash files, you can download the free Flash Player.  Click this button for more information:
    
    
•  You will need sound capability to hear the narration
  
  
  1. Make sure that your "volume" is turned up
     
     
  2. If viewing in the SCC Library or a computer lab, ask the attendant for earphones
     
     
• Navigate to the WebCT site and login
  
  
• Select your course from the list in My WebCT
  
  
• At the course home page, or on the left navigation bar in any page, select Previews
  
  
• From the list, select the individual Preview presentation that you want to view
  • Previews are identified by the icon
    
    
  • There are no additional passwords required to open each Preview
    
    
  • It may take a few seconds for the presentation to begin downloading, especially if you are using a dial-up internet connection.  Be patient, grasshopper.
    
    
  • Depending your browser set-up or internet security settings, you may get a "block" or warning messages about opening the file.  The file is harmless, so permit your computer to open it.
    
    
• The Preview will begin on it's own.
  
  
• Do not view all the Previews at the beginning of the course
  • As with the outlines, I sometimes update them, add to them, or fix errors in files just before you need them

Using the Preview player

• The player starts playing automatically
  
  
  • The "Are you ready?" slide will not advance until after you click the "I'm ready" button
    
    
  • Quick Check (quiz) slides advance as you click "continue" or "submit" or "finish"
    
    
  • Size of window
    
    
    • You can resize or maximize the browser window with the button in the upper right corner of your browser window OR by dragging the corner of the window to resize it
      
      
    • You can also increase the size of the Slide Window by clicking the Maximize View button in the Preview player (lower right corner). However, by doing so you will lose the Outline/Notes frame on the left.
      
      
• Timing
  
  
  • In the title of a Preview at WebCT, the approximate total time of the presentation is shown
    
    
  • All times shown have a "+" sign with the time (example, 22+ min) to tell you that it will actually take some extra time to answer the Quick Check quiz items as you proceed through the Preview
    
    
• Navigating the Preview player
  
  
  • Click on this screen shot of the Preview player to see the locations of important navigation tools:

  
  NOTE: The format of the player window varies with different versions. However, the image remains a good general guideline.

  • Slide Window
    
    
    • Where the presentation actually plays
      
      
  • Title
    
    
    • Displays the title of the Preview that you are currently watching
      
      
    • NO; it's not MY head pictured in the photo!
      
      
  • Outline
    
    
    • Table of contents of all the slides in the presentation
      
      
    • You can click on topics or individual slides to jump around and review certain parts of the Preview
      
      
  • Notes
    
    
    • The Notes tab is in the left frame, just next to the Outline tab. You can toggle back and forth between the Notes and Outline as needed.
      
      
    • Notes sometimes contains clarifications of what you are seeing in the Slide Window.
      
      
    • We are working feverishly to provide transcripts of the audio for a Previews.
      
      
      • To view the transcript during a presentation, keep the Notes tab open and use the scroll bar to read the whole narration for that slide.
        
        
      • You may Pause the presentation at any time to prevent it from moving forward before you are finished reading.
        
        
      • You may use the navigation buttons (see below) to move forward or backward if the slide timing does not match your reading timing.
        
        
  • Total time
    
    
    • Shows total elapsed time that you have been viewing the Preview
      
      
  • Navigation buttons
    
    
    • Left and right arrow buttons allow you to move directly to the next slide, or move backward slide by slide
      
      
  • Play/pause button
    
    
    • You can pause the presentation if you are interrupted or want to take notes before moving on.  Click the play button when you want to restart the Preview.
      
      
  • Slide timer
    
    
    • The slider moves along the timer bar as the slide progresses.
      
      
    • You can slide the bar forward to skip over the first part of the slide--helpful when you are reviewing a slide and want to skip to a part you missed.
      
      
    • You can slide the bar backward to repeat an animation or narration that you missed without having to restart the slide from the beginning.
      
      
  • View progress
    
    
    • Tells you how far along in the Preview you have come.
      
      
  • View notes
    
    
    • If there are any notes associated with a slide, this button will reveal them.
      
      
    • Most slides do NOT have notes.  The notes are in your learning outline.
      
      
  • Mute audio
    
    
    • You can use this to turn off the narration and sound effects.  For example, when you become totally annoyed at my voice or constant clearing of my throat and hesitations.
      
      
  • Maximize view
    
    
    • Click on this button to remove the Outline table of contents and increase the size of the Slide Window.
      
      
    • To restore the Slide Window after maximizing the view, there will be a button to do so in the lower right corner of the maximized view.

Non-audio use of Previews If you are not using the audio portion of a Preview Presentation, you can still get the full content. Simply click the Notes tab just under the "head" icon in the left column. That will allow you to view the caption that goes with each slide.The caption includes the full content of the audio portion.

 

Quick Check quizzes

• The Quick Checks are there to make sure you are understanding the Preview
  
  
  • If you fail the Quick Check, then go back and review the previous sections before continuing the Preview
    
    
• The Quick Check quizzes are NOT for credit!  Your scores are reported to you only to see how well you did.  They are NOT recorded in WebCT.
  
  
• You may take the Quick Check quizzes over again by navigating backwards to a point just before the quiz that you want to retake

Possible issues using the Preview presentations

• Content is blocked when you try to open the Preview
  
  
  • Depending your browser set-up or internet security settings, you may get a "block" or warning messages about opening the file.  The file is harmless, so permit your computer to open it.
    
    
• No sound
  
  
  • Sometimes there is no sound on the first slide or two
    
    
  • Make sure your system has speakers or a set of headphones and they are turned on
    
    
  • Make sure the "volume" of the system is turned up and is NOT "muted"
    
    
    • Find the volume control in the lower system tray (speaker icon)
      
      
    • Find the volume control by clicking the "start" button, then "control panel," then "sounds and audio devices"
      
      
  • If you are using a public computer, ask the attendant for help
    
    
• The sound is distracting to others around you
  
  
  • Use headphones instead of speakers
    
    
  • Turn down the volume
    
    
  • Tell the others to go away and leave you alone
    
    
• The narrations seems to occasionally skip or break
  
  
  • It's probably just the instructor's lack of polish as a record producer.  Sometimes in the editing process, the narration of a slide or two must be redone and if any words or phrases cross over a slide transition, they may be broken.  In such cases, the break is annoying but does produce a loss of vital content.
    
    
• There are odd noises during the narration
  
  
  • These could be minor distortions that occur when the sound file is processed or is corrupted during downloading
    
    
  • Occasionally, my microphone picks up and distorts keystrokes or similar activities
    
    
  • Background noises in my office may be picked up as I record narrations (they are NOT burps or farts . . . I edit those out!)
    
    
• The slide show seems to be missing big chunks of information, as if a series of slides has been lost or skipped
  
  
  • The Preview slide shows only cover certain topics from outlines or Mini Lessons.  They do not follow each outline.  So if a topic is skipped, then ordinarily that topic will instead be discussed in the regular class time (and not in the Preview).
    
    
• You want to print the slides or whole slide show
  
  
  • Sorry; you can't do it.  This feature is not supported by the presentation program. 
    
    
  • You may go back and review any slide, but you may not edit them or print them or copy them individually.  Just like in class.
    
    
• If the Preview program does not open as expected, or fails to download:
  
  
  • Make sure the popup blocker in your browser, internet security program, or other program is turned off. 
    
    
    • This advice is useful for all WebCT features.  Many WebCT elements, including the download of files and the online tests use "popup windows" to operate.  If you block them, the WebCT system cannot work.
      
      
  • Make sure that ALL other programs running on your computer are CLOSED (and not merely minimized) before attempting to open the presentation. 
    
    
• I can't read the quiz because the letters are too small or distorted
  
  
  • This sometimes depends on the font size that you have set on your monitor.  But usually using the following tips will help without having to mess with your display settings.
    
    
  • Click on the "maximize window" icon (a single hollow frame or box) on the upper right corner of the window frame that the Preview player appears in.  That might fix it; if not, then try the next tip.
    
    
  • Click on the "maximize view" icon (a single hollow frame/box) on the lower right of the Preview player screen.  This will erase the content list on the left and increase the size of the slide so that you should be able to see the quiz more clearly.
    
    
• I can't read the labels on the illustrations or diagrams within a slide
  
  
  • See the tips listed in the item previous to this one
    
    
  • Some labels are too small because the figure I used to produce the slide did not reduce well.  But don't sweat it, because in that case I'm not counting on you seeing those labels.  If you need them at all they will be visible in the original (or similar) illustration from your textbook or other available resources such as your Learning Outline or PowerPoint slide.

PODCAST versions of the Previews

• Podcast versions are identified by the icon
  
  
  • When you click on the title of any podcast version of a preview, your computer's default media player will open the file and play it (e.g. Windows Media Player, iTunes, QuickTime, Real Player, etc.).
    
    
  • Use your player's controls to adjust volume, pause, etc.
    
    
  • You may save the audio file to your mp3 player (iPod or cell phone, for example) or to your desktop computer
    
    
    • To do this, you can't use the individual links in WebCT. Instead, you should read the instructions at the top of the page for accessing the podcast drop site—from which you download the mp3 files.
      
      
    • If you are using iTunes on your computer, when you save the file to iTunes, the file should automatically sync to your portable device
      
      
• Podcasts are AUDIO ONLY!
  
  
  • Because you will not get the critical images of the preview, I suggest that you use the audio-only podcasts as a quick refresher rather than the primary way that you experience the Previews.
    
    
  • Because the first slides slides of each Preview are not narrated, there will be silent gaps at the beginning of each podcast. This gives you time to take a deep breath, relax, and think positive thoughts before the narration begins!

It is illegal to distribute electronic or print copies of the WebCT preview presentations!