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ISA CyberU FAQs

If you are experiencing technical difficulties, please review the listing of troubleshooting solutions below. Should you not be able to resolve your problem through investigating numbered items below, please complete our Report A Problem form detailing your specific error. Upon receipt, our technical support group will get back to you as soon as possible to investigate or provide a resolution to your issue.

For other online course issues/questions relating to course content or material, please email lmshelp@isa.org. In order for us to better assist you and explain your problem, please attach a screenshot example of any material which is in question, if applicable.

ISA online courses are not compatible with the MAC OS

For all non-technical questions, you may contact ISA's Customer Service Department at info@isa.org or 919/549-8411.

Preview of ISA CyberU for New Users

1. What are the minimum system requirements for ISA online courses?
2. What do the courses provide?
3. How do I purchase the courses?
4. When I go to the link to access my courses, I'm asked to log in, but I never get a link to go any further.
5. The link still didn't appear. What do I do now?
6. When I click on "Launch", nothing happens or an error message pops up. What should I see?
7. When the course opens, I can't see all of the text on the screen and/or there aren't any arrows or Next buttons to get around inside the course.
8. When I finish my course, I don't see my score and it doesn't show up on my transcript.
9. When I try to play a pre-recorded Web seminar, Windows Media Player opens but it does not play the seminar. Instead, it says "Error downloading codec." What do I do?
10. When I try to view an online training course with video segments, I can see the text, but the video appears as a black box and never starts. -OR- I can see the video, but the sound doesn't play, even though I have the volume on. What do I do?
11. I use McAfee or Norton Internet Security software and I'm having trouble accessing the courses. What do I do?
12. I've tried the various solutions listed here, but the courses still do not work. How do I troubleshoot?
13. I have Windows VISTA on my computer/laptop and the courses will not open/launch. What do I do ?

The Basics

1. What are the minimum system requirements for ISA online courses?

2. What do the courses provide?

Each course provides:

• interactive audio and visual presentations.
• review questions throughout to check your understanding.
• access for up to 3 weeks from date of purchase. (Special one-year access options available for library or curriculum purchases.)
• a certificate of completion and Continuing Education Units (CEU) upon successful completion.

3. How do I purchase the courses?

If you are purchasing the courses for yourself, you can buy them through ISA.org at www.isa.org/distancelearning.

If you would like to purchase a list of courses for an employee training program, please contact ISA at info@isa.org or (919) 549-8411.

Accessing the Learning Management System (LMS)

4. When I go to the link to access my courses, I'm asked to log in, but I never get a link to go any further.

To access your courses, you first head to www.isa.org/onlinecourseaccess. If you have not logged into the isa.org site, you will be asked to log in after going to this link. After logging in, you should see a link to "Access your online courses". If you do not see this link, try going to www.isa.org/onlinecourseaccess again. The link should now appear.

5. The link still didn't appear. What do I do now?

If the link still does not show up, you may be having problems staying logged in. To check and make sure you are still logged in, go to the Update My Record page at www.isa.org/update_record. If that page shows your personal information, you are logged in to the isa.org site. If not, try the following solutions:

• If you are using Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options and click on the Privacy tab. Set the Privacy slider to Medium.
• If you are using Netscape, set the browser to allow cookies. Different versions of Netscape have this option in different places, but try opening Edit > Preferences and looking for an option called Cookies, Advanced, or Privacy.
• When you log into isa.org, check the "Save this password on my computer for automatic sign in" box. If you are concerned about staying logged in after you leave the computer, log out using the link at the top of isa.org.

Accessing the Courses

6. When I click on "Launch", nothing happens or an error message pops up. What should I see?

ISA's online courses open in a new window. Your browser toolbars may disappear. If no window opens or an error message pops up, here are two common issues to look at:

Do you have JavaScript turned on? If you do not, then the "Launch" link will not work. Check your browser settings and set JavaScript to "ON". (Internet Explorer refers to JavaScript as "Scripting".)

Do you have a popup blocker on your computer? It may be blocking the opening of a new window. Most blockers have the capability to add particular sites to a list of sites that have permission to open new windows. Add www.isa.org and isalaunch.claritynet.com to that list, and you should be fine.

Popup blockers come in several different programs, so it can be hard to find and turn them all off or to allow the proper URLs in every one. Here are some possibilities:

• Browsers often have popup blockers that come with the browser. The latest versions of Internet Explorer and FireFox both have popup blockers. You can normally find the settings for the blockers by looking in the browser menus for Settings, Preferences, or Options.
• Browser Toolbars often come with popup blockers as well. The Google and Yahoo! toolbars both have popup blockers. Since these blockers sometimes don't have the same options as the other blockers for allowing sites, we suggest turning their popup blockers off completely for the duration of the training session.
• Internet Service Provider (ISP) software sometimes comes with popup blockers. A good example of Earthlink's TotalAccess software. Each keeps the blocker settings in a different place, so you may have to look around for it or contact your ISP technical support.
• Internet Security software, such as personal firewalls and spam blockers, may include popup blockers. Good examples of such programs are Norton Internet Security, McAfee Internet Security Suite, and ZoneAlarm. You may need to search in the program's Help file to change the settings, since each has a different place for them.

(For additional instructions on how to handle this feature in several browsers and toolbars, see well-written pages on the Justis.com and the State of Michigan sites. Popup blockers can be found in many different programs, and as a result, it is impossible to give detailed instructions on how to find them all.)

If you think you have disabled all PopUp blockers and your course will still not launch, try holding down the Ctrl key while clicking the launch link. If holding the Ctrl key while clicking the launch link opens the page, it is likely that it is a pop-up blocker blocking the document from opening instead of a virus blocker or the firewall blocking the document from opening.

Course Problems

7. When the course opens, I can't see all of the text on the screen and/or there aren't any arrows or Next buttons to get around inside the course.

All of the courses require that your screen resolution be set to at least 1024 x 768 pixels. Otherwise some of the navigation or text may appear offscreen and you will not be able to access it.

To check screen resolution in Windows, right-click on any empty area on the desktop and select "Properties." On the window that opens up next, select the tab marked "Settings." There should be a slider near the bottom of that window labeled "Screen Resolution." Move it up to 1024 x 768 pixels and click "Apply."

8. When I finish my course, I don't see my score and it doesn't show up on my transcript.

When you finish the final test, a new window should open and show you your test score. If the window does not open, and you have popup blocker software, check and make sure that www.isa.org is on your list of sites that have permission to open new windows. When the window opens, the score is also stored in your transcript, so it is vital that the window opens.

Following the score confirmation window, the data should then be transferred to your transcript. Your transcript should now indicate the date/time of completion and last access of your course, as well as the latest (and highest) score received on the exam.

If it seemed like all the new windows opened, try re-accessing the class by clicking on Launch. Courses hosted off of the isa.org server are set to download the last score any time the course is opened.

9. When I try to play a pre-recorded Web seminar, Windows Media Player opens but it does not play the seminar. Instead, it says "Error downloading codec." What do I do?

Codecs are small files that Windows Media Player uses to tell it how to decode and display different video and audio formats. Since the pre-recorded Web seminars are in Windows Media (WMV) format, it is likely you either have an older version of Windows Media Player or the codecs have been corrupted in some way. If you have a current verison of Windows Media Player, go here to download and reinstall the codec package:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/format/codecdownload.aspx

If you have an older version of Windows Media Player -- before version 8, for instance -- try upgrading your version. That will also install fresh codecs. You can get the latest version here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia

If you continue having problems, check here for some other frequently asked questions about Windows Media Player:

http://msmvps.com/chrisl/articles/11303.aspx

10. When I try to view an online training course with video segments, I can see the text, but the video appears as a black box and never starts. -OR- I can see the video, but the sound doesn't play, even though I have the volume on. What do I do?

Many of the online courses ISA offers use video to provide an enriching educational experience. The videos require Windows Media Player and the appropriate video codecs to play, however. If you see the black box problem or you cannot hear the sound, you probably need the proper video codec. (First check to make sure the sound on your computer is on. Company computers often have the sound turned off.)

Try downloading the codec appropriate to your system. When you download it, double-click and run the setup. There are two available, depending on your operating system:

• Windows 2000 Video Codec with Windows Media Player 6.4
• Windows 2000 Video Codec with Windows Media Player 9.0
• Windows XP Video Codec with Windows Media Player 9.0

Further Troubleshooting

11. I use McAfee or Norton Internet Security software and I'm having trouble accessing the courses. What do I do?

Recent updates in both of these software packages are currently causing problems with some of our courses. If you are using either software package and have trouble accessing your courses after applying the other fixes in this FAQ, please shut off the McAfee or Norton Internet Security software. You can leave the antivirus protection on; the problem seems to stem from the firewall protection. We're investigating why this is happening.

12. I've tried the various solutions listed here, but the courses still do not work. How do I troubleshoot?

Here are some tips for troubleshooting:

• Do you have access to another computer in another location? Sometimes testing the course on another computer will give a clue as to the problem.
• ISA's courses all use Windows Media Player. If you are accessing the courses at work, check with your IT department to make sure Windows Media isn't blocked.
• Were you able to access the courses previously, but are not able to now? Remembering what changes have been made to the computer in between those times can save a lot of troubleshooting.
• Don't be afraid to get your IT support involved if you are accessing the courses from your company. They often know exactly what changes might have been made or what potential problems could arise.
• Try another browser such as Mozilla, Firefox, Netscape, or Opera
• If you are trying to open a PowerPoint file try holding down the Ctrl key while clicking the launch link. If holding the Ctrl key while clicking the launch link opens the document, it is likely that it is a pop-up blocker blocking the document from opening instead of a virus blocker or the firewall blocking the document from opening.

13. I have Windows VISTA on my computer/laptop and the courses will not open/launch. What do I do ?

Unfortunately, all online courses do not support the new Windows Vista platform. It is recommended that courses be taken in a Windows 2000 or XP system environment. There is no current information on whether or not these courses will be transitioned to operate in the new Vista environment in the near future.