En GB NLSUserGuide

NETg Learning Studio

User GuideNovember 2003

Copyright NoticeCopyright © 2003 Thomson NETg, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. Thomson NETg, Thomson, and the Thomson logo are trademarks used under license. All other brand names mentioned herein are used for identification purposes only and are trademarks of their respective owners.

User Guide NETg Learning Studio

Contents

INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................................1

INSTALLATION PROGRAM OVERVIEW...........................................................................................................1WORKSTATION SETUP FOR FULL-MOTION VIDEO........................................................................................2WORKSTATION SETUP FOR TEXT TO SPEECH IN A BROWSER PLAYABLE COURSE......................................3

LAUNCHING NETG LEARNING STUDIO COURSES..........................................................................4

LAUNCHING NETG LEARNING STUDIO COURSES FROM YOUR LOCAL WORKSTATION..............................4LAUNCHING NETG LEARNING STUDIO COURSES FROM THE CD-ROM......................................................5LAUNCHING NETG LEARNING STUDIO COURSES ON THE LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN)........................5LAUNCHING NETG LEARNING STUDIO COURSES IN YOUR WEB BROWSER................................................6

START-UP OPTIONS OVERVIEW...........................................................................................................8

STARTING THE FIRST UNIT..................................................................................................................10

NAVIGATION BAR.......................................................................................................................................10NARRATIVE TEXT BOX...............................................................................................................................11

STARTING A SPECIFIC UNIT, LESSON, OR TOPIC.........................................................................13

USING THE MAIN MENU TO DISPLAY CONTENT VIEWS.............................................................................13LAUNCHING CONTENT FROM THE COURSE MAP........................................................................................14LAUNCHING CONTENT FROM THE TOPIC INDEX.........................................................................................15PERFORMING A TOPIC SEARCH...................................................................................................................17

ASSESSING YOUR KNOWLEDGE.........................................................................................................19

ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW............................................................................................................................19SOCIAL SIMULATION OVERVIEW................................................................................................................19STARTING AN ASSESSMENT OR SOCIAL SIMULATION................................................................................21REVIEWING YOUR RESULTS.......................................................................................................................22USING MY LEARNING TRACK.....................................................................................................................24

DOWNLOADING CONTENT...................................................................................................................25

CUSTOMIZING NETG LEARNING STUDIO........................................................................................29

EXITING NETG LEARNING STUDIO....................................................................................................32

REMOVING COURSES FROM THE WORKSTATION.......................................................................33

TECHNICAL SUPPORT............................................................................................................................34

APPENDIX...................................................................................................................................................35

FINDING COURSE-SPECIFIC HELP...............................................................................................................35FINDING NETG LEARNING STUDIO HELP...................................................................................................35NAVIGATING IN 800X600 SCREEN RESOLUTION........................................................................................35TEXT TO SPEECH........................................................................................................................................35KEYBOARD SUPPORT..................................................................................................................................36FINDING THE INSTALLED JAVA VERSION ON YOUR WORKSTATION..........................................................40

Troubleshooting..............................................................................................................................................42

NETg Learning Studio User Guide

NETg Learning Studio User Guide

IntroductionThe NETg Learning Studio environment is designed to meet your individual learning needs. By providing strong instructional design in a versatile manner, NETg Learning Studio courses offer an interactive learning experience to increase your skills and job performance.

Easy course installation and a user-friendly interface allow you to quickly begin learning even if it is your first time using a NETg Learning Studio course. In addition, NETg Learning Studio offers many deployment options including browser playable, downloadable, LAN-based and local workstation courses. You will find a consistent and integrated experience regardless of whether you are learning over the Internet, within a corporate intranet, from the local network in your office, a standalone computer, or laptop.

NETg Learning Studio offers flexibility. You may choose what you learn and where you learn. An enhanced targeted learning feature allows you to execute a keyword search to locate a specific area of interest within the course. Based on the course installation and authorization of your training administrator, you may have the option of beginning your session online and, at any time, downloading desired content for offline learning. Finally, you have the flexibility to choose your learning environment. Customized user preferences may allow you to control the use of audio and video, tool tips, assessment feedback, and select the appearance (theme) of the course environment.

Installation Program Overview

NETg Learning Studio courses may be installed to the local workstation (for either CD-ROM or hard drive deployment), to a LAN server, or to a web server.

If you plan to install a course for local hard drive or CD-ROM deployment and you do not intend to use a Learning Management System such as NETg SkillVantage Manager, you may simply insert the course CD to begin the NETg Learning Studio installation program. Click the Help button on the installation screen for detailed setup information.

NETg Learning Studio User Guide 1

The NETg Course Management Tool is required to install a course to a LAN or web server. You may also use this tool to install courses for local deployment and configure them for use with a Learning Management System. See the NETg Course Management Tool User Guide or the Course Management Tool online help for detailed setup information.

Workstation Setup for Full-Motion Video

Some NETg Learning Studio courses support full-motion video. To take advantage of this video feature, some additional software must be present on your workstation.

A NETg supported version of the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE).

NETg Learning Studio will only play the MP4 video files within the Java Runtime Environment distributed by Sun. When you install a NETg Learning Studio course with video on your workstation, the course installation program will check for the presence of a supported JRE on your workstation. If none is detected, the Sun JRE on the course CD-ROM will be installed automatically.

See the Appendix for instructions on verifying the Java runtime software version installed on your workstation.

When the Sun JRE is installed on your workstation and you launch a course installed on your local hard drive, the Java icon appears in the upper-left corner of the NETg Learning Studio login dialog box.

If the NETg Learning Studio courses are installed on the web server and you launch them in your browser, the Java icon appears in your taskbar's system tray.

QuickTime version 6 or higher must be installed.

The Sun JRE must be installed before QuickTime is installed to successfully play course video.


In addition to the Sun JRE, NETg Learning Studio requires QuickTime software to play course video. When you install a NETg Learning Studio course with video on your workstation, the course installation program will check for the presence of a supported version of QuickTime. If none is detected, QuickTime 6.3 on the course CD-ROM will be installed automatically.

The default setting is to display the QuickTime icon in your taskbar's system tray when it is installed.

If full-motion video is not able to play due to incorrect workstation setup, a slow network connection, a User Preferences setting, or missing MP4 files, you will experience an alternative display mode such as a still picture slide show or onscreen (bubble) text.

Workstation Setup for Text to Speech in a Browser Playable Course

The Text to Speech accessiblity feature requires the presence of the Sun JRE (discussed above) and the Microsoft Speech API on your workstation. To verify the Speech API is installed, open the Control Panel and look for the Speech icon.

Text to Speech in a browser-playable course also requires the setup of the Chant speech files on your workstation. The Chant file installer is available on the web server. See your training administrator for the URL of the Chant file installation program.


Launching NETg Learning Studio Courses

Launching NETg Learning Studio Courses from Your Local Workstation

1. Click the Start button and point to Programs.

2. Point to NETg and click NETg Learning Studio.

If there are multiple NETg Learning Studio courses installed on your workstation, you will see the following window.

3. Select the course title you want to launch and click Start Selected Item.

4. You may be prompted for a user ID and password. If you downloaded the course from Web SkillVantage Manager, enter your Web SVM user ID and password here and click OK.


If you are launching the course from the local hard drive, enter a unique user ID and password to create a user profile for you. NETg Learning Studio will save your progress and scores under your user profile.

5. If you are creating a user ID and password on this workstation for the first time, you will need to re-type this information and click OK to confirm.

Note: This is the same method that is used to launch content that has been downloaded from a web server.

Launching NETg Learning Studio Courses from the CD-ROM

Once a NETg Learning Studio course setup program has been run on your workstation for the first time, the autoplay feature will immediately launch the course the next time you put the course CD-ROM into your CD tray. If the autoplay feature is not enabled on your workstation, you will need to follow the same steps necessary for launching a course from your hard drive. (See Launching NETg Learning Studio Courses from Your Local Workstation).

Launching NETg Learning Studio Courses on the Local Area Network (LAN)

If NETg Learning Studio courses are installed on the LAN file server, you can access those courses from your local workstation (assuming you have the appropriate network rights). When NETg Learning Studio courses are installed on the LAN, you can launch a course using one of the following methods:


Log on to your Learning Management System (If you are using NETg’s LAN SkillVantage Manager, see the LAN SkillVantage Manager Getting Started Guide for more information) and select the course you would like to take.

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Double-click the NETg Learning Studio shortcut on your computer's desktop.

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Follow the launch instructions provided by your Training Administrator.

Launching NETg Learning Studio Courses in Your Web Browser

Courses may be installed on your organization's web server allowing you to launch them within your web browser. When NETg Learning Studio courses are installed on a web server, you can launch a course using one of the following methods:

Log on to your Learning Management System (If you are using NETg’s Web SkillVantage Manager, see the Web SkillVantage Manager Getting Started Guide for more information) and select the course you would like to take.

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Follow the launch instructions provided by your Training Administrator.

Important: NETg Learning Studio courses will not launch if you have enabled a pop-up blocker in your web browser. By default, Netscape 7.1 is configured to block pop-up windows. Follow the steps below to disable the pop-up blocker feature.

1. Launch Netscape.

2. On the Edit menu, select Preferences.

3. Expand the Privacy and Security category.

4. Select Popup Window Controls.

5. Uncheck the "Block unrequested popup windows" option.


A note about security certificates:

When you launch a NETg Learning Studio course, the browser or the JVM/JRE will display a prompt asking you to trust NETg software. If you do not choose Yes or Grant to accept the certificate, the Print, Notepad, and download features of NETg Learning Studio will not be available.


Start-up Options OverviewEach time you launch a NETg Learning Studio course, you will see the Start-up Options screen. The links on this screen provide you with quick and easy access to NETg Learning Studio functions. The available links depend upon the method you are using to access the course, and whether you are launching the course for the first time.

Start Tutorial -'Using This Course'

Clicking this link opens a new window containing an online tutorial about how to take a NETg Learning Studio course. This link only appears the first time you launch the course.

Start the Course

Clicking this link starts the first unit. You will only see this link the first time you launch the course.

Continue Using This Course

Clicking this link takes you to the page where you last exited the course. You will only see this option when you re-enter a course where you have previously accessed the course content.

Assess My Knowledge

Clicking this link takes you to a list of available course assessments and simulations.

Fast Track to a Topic

Clicking this link takes you to an alphabetical list of all topic titles in the course. You can perform a search for a specific topic title from this list.

Download and Learn


Clicking this link takes you to the Download From Course Map tab, where you can select topics to download to your workstation. This link is only available if you are accessing the course online and your Training Administrator has authorized download capabilities.


Starting the First UnitThere are many ways to proceed through a NETg course. The Start-up Options screen presents a “Start the Course” link the first time you start the content. You can view several pages of unit descriptions before launching the first page of Unit 1.

Navigation Bar

When you launch the content, you will notice a Navigation Bar along the top of the screen. From left to right, the button descriptions are as follows:

Audio

Click to display a drop-down list of audio options. You can choose to replay the audio for the current page or turn the audio feature on and off.

User Links

This button only appears when links are available to additional information supporting the course content. It will also be available if your training administrator created custom links to web pages or other files that are relevant to the course material. In some courses, the User Link menu may include Job Aids. Job aids are practical documents such as memory aids or forms that you can use in the course of your daily work.

Click to display a drop-down list and select the link that you want to view.

Print

Click to open the Print dialog box and print the current page. This button is disabled during assessments. If you do not accept the security certificate when launching a browser-playable course, the Print feature will not be available.

Notepad


Click to launch a text editor application. During instruction, you can use this feature to type and save your own notes. This button is disabled during assessments. If you do not accept the security certificate when launching a browser-playable course, the Notepad feature will not be available.

Page Back

Click to move backwards through the course one page at a time. You can also press the Ctrl and left arrow keys.

Page Number Indicator

This area displays the current page number and the total number of pages in the current topic. Click to view a drop-down menu of additional navigation options: Next Topic, Previous Topic, and Go To Page.

Go To Page opens the Page Jump dialog box. To select a page within the current topic, highlight a page number and click the Go To button.

Page Forward

Click to move forward through the course one page at a time. You can also press the Ctrl and right arrow keys.

Narrative Text Box

The narrative text for a static page appears in a small window against a white background. If the narrative text box has a title bar, you can click on the title bar and move the text box to another position on the screen.

If the narrative text does not have a title bar, it cannot be repositioned.


When your participation is requested on a page, the background color changes to yellow and you will see an interactivity (mouse) icon.


Starting a Specific Unit, Lesson, or TopicThe Start-up Options screen changes slightly after you launch the course at least once. NETg Learning Studio “bookmarks” the last content page viewed before you exited the previous session. The “Start the Course” link on the Start-up Options screen changes to “Continue This Course,” and clicking this link will return you to the bookmarked page.

Using the Main Menu to Display Content Views

In addition to simply playing a course from start to finish, NETg Learning Studio can display other features such as the course structure and searchable topic lists, available assessment and simulation lists, and score summaries. You can launch a topic, assessment, or simulation from several different views. The main Menu list in the upper-left corner of the screen provides you with a selection of all available content views.


Launching Content from the Course Map

The Course Map is a hierarchical arrangement of content. The Course Map view is similar to the folder list in Windows Explorer. Units and lessons can be expanded or collapsed to control the level of content that is visible on this tab.

Completion Indicators

Course Map topics that have never been accessed are indicated with an unfilled circle. When an item has been attempted at least one time, the circle will appear half-filled.

When you have viewed every page of a topic (including the summary page), it will be marked Completed with a filled circle. If your training administrator has enabled this option, a Print Completion Certificate button appears at the bottom of the Course Map when you complete all course topics. Once you have completed the course, you may reprint the certificate as many times as desired.

Topic mastery is determined through assessments and simulations. See the "Using My Learning Track" section of this guide for additional information on topic mastery.


To display the Course Map, select View Course Map on the main Menu. Click the (+) icons to expand a unit or lesson. Click the (-) icons or use the Collapse View button to collapse units and lessons.

If you need additional information about this screen, click the ? button.

To launch content from the Course Map:

1. Switch to the Course Map tab.

2. Expand the units or lessons if necessary.

3. Point to the unit, lesson, or topic you want to start. The title text will change color.

4. Click the title.

5. Click the Start button to the right of the selected title.

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Click the Start Selected Item button at the bottom of the screen.

From the Course Map, you can click the other two tabs to switch to the Topic Index view or to the Fast Track to a Topic view.

Launching Content from the Topic Index

The Topic Index is a list of content topics, assessments, simulations, unit overviews and objectives, and unit summaries in alphabetical order. To display this list, select Topic Index from the main Menu.



To launch content from the Topic Index:

1. Switch to the Topic Index view.

2. Point to the content you want to start. The title text will change color.

3. Click the title.

4. Click the Start button to the right of the selected title.

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From the Topic Index view, you can click the other two tabs to switch to the Course Map or to the Fast Track to a Topic view.


Performing a Topic Search

You can use the Fast Track to a Topic view to search for and launch content that includes specific characters or words in the topic title. For example, if you want to launch a topic in a Microsoft Word course that relates to printing a document, go to the Fast Track to a Topic page and type “print” as the search term. Once you locate the topic that you need, you can launch it directly from the Fast Track to a Topic page.

To begin a topic search, select Fast Track to a Topic from the main Menu. You can also choose Fast Track to a Topic from the Start-up Options screen.


To launch content from Fast Track to a Topic:

1. Switch to the Fast Track to a Topic page.

2. Type your search string. The search string can be a whole word or just a few characters. The topic search is not case-sensitive.

3. Click the Search button.


4. Point to the topic you want to start. The title will change color.

5. Click the title.

6. Click the Start button to the right of the topic title.

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To start a new search, click the Clear Search button.


Assessing Your Knowledge

Assessment Overview

An assessment is a performance-based evaluation of your current skills and familiarity with course topics. The assessment questions may appear in different formats such as multiple choice, matching, simulation, or sequencing.

NETg Learning Studio courses may include one preassessment, assessments, and simulations for each unit. You may only attempt a preassessment one time. Also note that if you take an assessment for a unit, the preassessment for that unit will no longer be available. As you are taking a preassessment, you can only move forward one page at a time, and will only have one attempt at each question. If you skip a question, you will not have the opportunity to return and answer it later. Any skipped preassessment questions will be scored as incorrect.

Assessments can be taken as many times as you like. Each unit objective maps to a pool of questions, which are presented in a random order for each attempt. Assessment questions require you to complete a number of tasks. Although it may be possible to perform a given task using a variety of approaches, the course will only record a score as correct if you complete the task as instructed and employ the methods presented in the course.

Note: If you leave an assessment before you complete all of the questions, all remaining questions will be scored as 0. On the View My Results screen, a score will be recorded for the incomplete assessment and the Attempt count will be incremented.

Social Simulation Overview

Some NETg Learning Studio courses include social simulations, which provide a virtual work environment (scenario) where you can apply your new skills and gain practical experience. Each simulation begins with an overview of the scenario and a statement of the simulation goal.


To view an introduction to the character(s) you will be working with, click Simulation Information. Click the Page Forward button to proceed through the introductions and click Begin Simulation when you are ready to start.

Some simulations may follow an exercise format, where you will be meeting with an expert to learn about a topic and answer several questions related to that topic. Once you have answered all the expert’s questions, he or she will provide you with a chart that illustrates your performance.

In some simulations you may be interacting with one or more characters in a discussion. Your path through the simulation and its eventual outcome depends upon the nature of your responses, so you can participate in the simulation as often as you like and have a unique experience every time.

Depending on your setup, you may experience the simulation as a full-motion video or as a series of still pictures with the character dialog displayed as bubble text on the screen. (See the Introduction section of this guide for more information on video requirements.)

If you have Tool Tips enabled, you can point to a simulation character, his or her name and job description will appear to remind you of his or her role in the simulation.

To interact with a character, select a response from the available choices by clicking on it or by using the Up and Down Arrow keys and pressing Enter. Click the Speak button or press the Enter key to submit your response.


After you click Speak, you will be given feedback on the quality of your response. The feedback text appears in the narrative text box in addition to a feedback meter that identifies your response as appropriate (green and full), mediocre (yellow and middle level), or inappropriate (red and low level).

Depending on the learning objective, a social simulation may be scored or unscored. Your scores are used to determine your personalized list of strengths and opportunities for improvement. (See the "Reviewing Your Results" section for additional information on Strengths and Opportunities for Improvement.)

Note: If you leave a simulation before you complete the scenario, all remaining objectives for that simulation will be scored as 0. On the View My Results screen, the Attempt count will be incremented.

Starting an Assessment or Social Simulation

1. On the Start-up Options screen, click Assess My Knowledge and select an assessment or simulation.

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On the main Menu, click Assess My Knowledge and select an assessment or simulation.

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On the Course Map, Topic Index, or Fast Track to a Topic pages, select the assessment or simulation title.

2. Click the Start button that appears to the right of the item title.

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Click the Start Selected Item button.

3. Read the instructions and click the Start Assessment button.

4. Click the Page Forward button to progress through the assessment or simulation.

The results of each assessment or simulation attempt determine the lessons and topics that appear on your personalized Learning Track. (See the "Using My Learning Track" section for additional information.)

From the Assess My Knowledge view, you can click the other two tabs to switch to the View My Learning Track or to the View My Results pages.

Reviewing Your Results

At the end of an assessment, the View My Results page is displayed. You can display the View My Results page at any time to see all of your assessment or simulation scores by selecting the View My Results option in the main Menu.


Click an (+) icon to expand the assessment detail for a particular unit. Click an (-) icon to hide the assessment or simulation detail.

Your performance in a social simulation is used to determine your Strengths and Opportunities for Improvement. By default, a simulation objective is listed as a Strength if you achieve a score of 80% or higher. Your training administrator may change this minimum score requirement. A simulation objective is listed as an Opportunity for Improvement if you achieve a score that is below 80% or lower than the mastery percent value set by your training administrator. You can click a Strength objective or an Opportunity for Improvement to view additional information that may help your performance on the job.

To begin the next available assessment, click the Start Next Assessment button.


From the View My Results page, you can click the other two tabs to switch to the Assess My Knowledge or to the View My Learning Track pages. You can also click the Go to Course Map button to switch to the content view.


Using My Learning Track

Your Learning Track contains only the topics you need to review. This includes unscored topics that have been completed and scored topics that have not been accessed or mastered.

By default, a topic is mastered (and indicated with a checkmark) when you achieve a score of 80% or higher on the corresponding assessment questions. Your training administrator may change this mastery percentage. If more than one assessment (such as an assessment and a simulation) are available for a topic, the average score for all related assessment items is used to determine topic mastery.

Each time you complete an assessment or simulation, your Learning Track is updated. As items are mastered or completed, they are removed, so using your personalized Learning Track may help you to focus your learning efforts and significantly reduce your total training time.

The score from your most recent assessment attempt determines whether a topic is included in your Learning Track. If you have taken both a Preassessment and an assessment for a unit, the average of those scores is used to determine mastery. It is important to note that because you can take an assessment or social simulation as many times as you like, it is possible for a topic that was previously removed from your Learning Track to appear again if your most recent score falls below the proficiency level.

If you are still on the View My Results tab, click the View My Learning Track tab to display your personal Learning Track. You can also select View My Learning Track from the main Menu.


Downloading ContentIf you are accessing a NETg Learning Studio course online, you may be able to download topics to your workstation if your training administrator has authorized this feature.

Note: If you do not accept the security certificate when launching a browser-playable course, you will not be able to download content.

To begin downloading content:

1. Launch the course in your web browser. (See Launching NETg Learning Studio Courses in Your Web Browser).

Note: If you launch a course in your browser that has been set to Download Only mode, some of the options in the main Menu and in the Help menu will not be available. After content has been downloaded, these options will be enabled again in the offline player.

2. On the Start-up Options screen, click Download and Learn. (This will take you to the From Course Map page.)

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Select one of the Download views from the main Menu. (Download from Course Map, Download from My Learning Track, or Download from Fast Track to a Topic).


3. Click the box next to the items you wish to download. The size of the content you select appears in the lower-right corner of the screen. If you want to download the entire course, click the Select All button.

4. You have the option of downloading course reference materials along with the selected content. Check the Download Course Reference Materials box if you want to copy this file to your workstation.

By default, if you click Select All the Download Course Reference Materials option will be checked automatically. After downloading, these materials can be accessed by selecting Course Guide on the Help menu. If additional course information is available, it will automatically be downloaded when a topic is selected for download and can be accessed through the User Links icon on the Navigation Bar.

5. You have the option of downloading the NETg Learning Studio help files and tutorial. Check the Download NETg Learning Studio Help box if you want to copy these files to your workstation.


By default, if you click Select All the Download NETg Learning Studio Help option will be checked automatically. Once you copy this information to your workstation for one NETg Learning Studio course, it will remain available for all subsequent courses. After downloading, this information can be accessed by selecting Quick Help on the Help menu.

Note: Purple shaded boxes indicate that content has already been downloaded. Yellow shaded boxes indicate that the content on the web server is more recent than the content that has already been downloaded.

6. If audio is available for the course and you wish to download the audio files, check the Include Audio box.

Note: Clicking the Select All button does not automatically check the Include Audio box.

7. If video is available for the course and you wish to download the video files, check the Include Video box.

Note: Clicking the Select All button does not automatically check the Include Video box.

8. Click the Download button.

9. If this is the first time you are downloading course content from a NETg Learning Studio course, the NETg Windows Player Installation dialog box will appear. Specify a location on your workstation where the course files and player should be installed. (By default, they will be installed to c:\Skillb.) Click OK.

A progress window appears as the selected content is downloaded. The window displays the name and size of the file being downloaded and the estimated time remaining to complete the download.

Once the first topic has been downloaded, you have the option of launching the course while the remaining selected content continues downloading from your online environment.


To launch the downloaded content from your workstation, click the Start Course button in the download progress window. The downloaded content will appear in a new windwo, not in your browser window. Note that you cannot close the browser window until the download is complete. If you launch the course while downloading, the original browser window will close automatically after all selected content downloads.

You may cancel the download at any time. If your web connection is terminated, you will still be able to launch all course topics that have been brought down to your workstation up to that point.

If your workstation does not have enough free disk space, a message similar to the following will appear:

“NETg Learning Studio requires X bytes of hard disk space. You currently do not have enough free disk space. Please free up some additional disk space and then click on the download button again.”

After the download is complete, you can launch your offline learning session at any time. (See Launching NETg Learning Studio Courses from Your Local Workstation).

It is important that you log back in to Web SVM following each offline learning session so that your scores and usage information can be uploaded.


Customizing NETg Learning Studio

The User Preferences page lets you customize some of the features of your learning environment. These preferences can be changed as often as you like while you are in the course. Some preferences may be unavailable if course audio or video is not provided or if other restrictions have been set.

1. On the main Menu, select User Preferences.

Options Description

Font Size This setting controls the size of the text that appears in the narrative text box. By default, this text will display in a 12 point font. Click the Select Preferred Font Size option, then increase or decrease the text size as desired.

Audio Play Options

(Only for courses with audio available)

For courses with audio available, you may choose whether the audio is active. Select Audio On to play the audio while you are taking the course. Select Audio Off to turn the audio off.

Note: The Audio Play Options only control the audio that accompanies the narrative text. You cannot control the play of audio that accompanies video files using this feature.

Video Options

(Only for courses with video available)

For courses with video, you may determine whether the course's video feature is enabled. If video is turned off, the course will present the video content in an alternative mode such as a still frame slide show.

Page Forward Options

(Only for courses with audio available)

For courses with audio available, select the Automatically page forward option if you want to advance to the next page when the audio for the current page is finished. This feature does not work when you are asked to use the mouse or type in text on the page. If this option is disabled, you need to use the Page Forward button on the Navigation Bar


Options Description

to proceed to the next page.

Note: The Automatically page forward option is not available if you are using the Sun JRE.

Tool Tips Display Select Show Tool Tips or Hide Tool Tips to indicate whether labels or other prompts are displayed when you move your mouse pointer over navigation areas of the learning environment or certain course content.

Assessment Feedback

The default amount of information you receive following an assessment is selected when a course is installed. You may have the option of changing this setting at any time to receive feedback in lesser or greater detail.

The Assessment Feedback setting has no impact on social simulation feeback.

Emphasis Pointer Types

Emphasis pointers appear on pages in the course to identify an area of the screen that requires particular attention. You can choose between two styles of emphasis pointers.

Interface Themes Select an option from the drop-down list to change the look of the NETg Learning Studio environment.

Text to Speech Options

If your workstation is conditioned to support the Text to Speech feature and the accessibility options have been enabled in the course, the Text to Speech options control the behavior of the speech engine. Check the Enable Text to Speech box to access all of these settings. You can turn the Text to Speech feature on and off using this checkbox at any time while taking a course.

Use the up and down arrows to change the voice playback volume and speed. When the Read Navigational Instructions box is checked, you will hear all available navigation instructions as you progress through the course


Options Description

such as "Please press the right arrow key to page forward." Uncheck this box to skip the reading of the navigation instructions.

Text to Speech volume and speed controls will be disabled if the Microsoft Speech API version 5 or higher is not installed on your workstation.

Please Note: If you are using a course in Download Only mode, the Font Size, Tool Tips Display, Assessment Feedback and Emphasis Pointer Type options will be unavailable. After content has been downloaded, these options will be enabled when using the course on your local workstation.

2. Select an option and change the setting as desired.

3. To save the setting changes and remain on the User Preferences page, click Apply.

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To save the setting changes and return to the previous view in the course, click OK.

Click the Default Settings button to restore all learning environment options to their initial (default) state. The default settings are as follows:

Default font size (12 points)

Full Feedback

Audio on

Video on

Show Tool Tips

Simple arrow emphasis pointer

Text to Speech off


NETg Learning Studio Standard Interface (Default)

Note: The Text to Speech volume and speed settings do not change when you click the Default Settings button. Any changes made to the TTS volume and speed settings within a NETg Learning Studio course affect other programs intalled on the workstaitn that use the Windows Speech API.


Exiting NETg Learning Studio1. Click Exit on the menu bar to close the NETg Learning Studio window.

-or-

Select Exit from the main Menu.

2. Click Yes to confirm.


Removing Courses from the WorkstationIf you have downloaded content from the web server or installed a course to your local workstation, follow these steps to remove it:

1. Click the Start button and point to Programs.

2. Point to the NETg menu.

3. Click Uninstall Course(s). The NETg Course Remove Utility window appears.

4. Select the titles you want to remove.

5. Click the Uninstall button.

6. Click Exit.


Technical SupportIf you have a problem with a specific page in a course and want to report the issue, you can find the page number using the following method:

On the Help menu, click Where Am I.

The Where Am I dialog box displays the topic’s filename as well as the current unit, lesson, and topic number. Have this information available when you contact a Product Support representative.

For assistance within North America, call 800-265-1900, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

For assistance outside of North America, call +44 208 987 3666, or send an e-mail to [email protected].


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Appendix

Finding Course-Specific Help

On the Help menu, click Course Guide.

Finding NETg Learning Studio Help

On the Help menu, click Quick Help.

-or-

Click on the ? button, if available.

Navigating in 800x600 Screen Resolution

If your screen resolution is set to 800x600 when you enter a NETg Learning Studio course, you may receive a warning message recommending that you change to a higher screen resolution before using the course. If you do not change your screen resolution, the menus and Navigation Bar will not appear at the top of the screen. These features will appear as icons along the side of the narrative text box or in a separate floating window.

Text To Speech

Text To Speech is a screen reader feature that assists visually impaired users in navigating NETg Learning Studio courses. When this feature is enabled, the Text to Speech software identifies the text, buttons, menus, and other screen objects and relays audio cues about the currently selected area. The audio cues, along with the keyboard shortcuts listed below, improve NETg Learning Studio usability.


Keyboard Support

NETg Learning Studio provides learners with full access to screen options and menus using the keyboard.

To navigate: Press:

The Start-up Options screen Tab to move between the options.

Enter or Spacebar to invoke a selected option.

The main Menu and Help menu Alt + M or Alt + H to pull down the top-level menus. Once a menu is pulled down, use the right arrow or left arrow keys to move between the top-level menus.

Up arrow or down arrow keys to move vertically through the items in a pull-down menu. Press Enter or Spacebar to invoke a selected menu option.

In addition to the up and down arrow keys, you may press the first letter of the menu item to select it. If there are multiple menu items beginning with the same letter, continue pressing the letter to alternate the highlighted item.

The Exit menu Alt + E to exit the course.

The Course Map, Topic Index, Fast Track to a Topic, Assess My Knowledge, View My Learning Track, and View My Results screens

Tab to move between buttons and into the shaded box

Up arrow or down arrow to


To navigate: Press:

move vertically within the shaded box.

Right arrow or left arrow to expand and collapse a tree structure.

Enter or Spacebar to invoke a selected option.

The Navigation Bar Ctrl + Right arrow to move to the next page within a topic.

Ctrl + Left arrow to move to the previous page within a topic.

Tab to move between the elements on the Navigation Bar.

Enter or Spacebar to activate the Print or Notepad icons when they are selected.

When the Audio or User Link icons are selected, press Enter or Spacebar to pull down the menu. Use the up arrow or down arrow to move through the pull-down menu and press Enter or Spacebar to invoke a selected option.

When the Page Number Indicator or Utilities menu is selected, press Enter or Spacebar to pull down the menu. Use the up arrow or down arrow to move through the pull-down menu and press


To navigate: Press:

Enter or Spacebar to invoke the menu option.

Topic Vignettes (Slideshows) Press the right arrow key to invoke the View Example button.

During the slideshow, press the right arrow key to go to the next slide. Press the left arrow key to go to the previous slide.

The User Preferences screen Tab to move between the options and change the Font Size value.

Once you have tabbed to a radio button option, press Spacebar select or deselect that option.

Once you have tabbed to the Interface Options list, press Up arrow or down arrow to navigate list and press Enter or Spacebar to select a theme.

Once you have tabbed to the Accessibility Options On option (if available), press Spacebar to select or deselect that option. If this box is checked, all of the other Text to Speech options below will be available.

Tab to the Text to Speech Volume option and use the up and down arrows to increase or decrease the volume.


To navigate: Press:

Tab to the Text to Speech Speed option and use the up and down arrows to increase or decrease the voice speed.

Tab to the Navigational Instructions On option and press Spacebar to select or deselect that option.

The login screen (off-line mode) Tab to move between the User ID field, Password field, OK and Cancel buttons.

Enter or Spacebar to invoke the OK or Cancel buttons when selected.

Warning messages Tab to move between the buttons (Yes/No or OK/Cancel).

Enter or Spacebar to invoke the selected button.

Finding the Installed Java Version on Your Workstation

1. Click the Start button.

2. Click Run.

3. In the Run dialog box, type cmd and then click OK. A DOS window will appear.


4. In the DOS window, type java –version and then press the Enter key.

If the Sun JRE 1.4 is installed on your workstation, you will see the following results in the DOS window.

5. Close the DOS window.


Troubleshooting

Problem Workaround Description

User experiences video distortion in a NETg Learning Studio course.

This problem is due to a QuickTime acceleration conflict with the system's video hardware and/or video drivers.

Follow these instructions to disable QuickTime video acceleration:

1. Open the Control Panel.

2. Open the QuickTime program.

3. Select Video Settings from the drop-down list.

4. Uncheck the "Enable Direct Draw Acceleration" option.

5. Close the QuickTime Settings window.

In Netscape browser, web course fails to launch and a prompt appears that Java is required.

Install a JVM/JRE after receiving the prompt, and the course still fails to launch.

If Netscape is started without Java present, the only way to launch subsequent courses is to have the Java console open at the next course launch.

A JVM/JRE must be installed before Netscape is installed to prevent this course launch failure.


En GB NLSUserGuide

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