Lost user ID or password
If you've lost your user ID or password, please e-mail Customer Service at help@ci.columbia.edu with your full name and the name of the e-seminar you are trying to access.
back to top
Login not working
Your user ID and password are case sensitive. They must be typed exactly as you entered them at enrollment. If your login is still not working, please e-mail Customer Service at help@ci.columbia.edu with your full name and the name of the e-seminar you are trying to access.
back to top
Description of an e-seminar
Columbia Interactive e-seminars are three- to five-hour learning experiences combining multimedia, interactivity, and collaborative discussion.
back to top
|
Viewing video
In order to view video you will need the free RealPlayer plug-in, version 7 or higher. To get the plug-in, download now, and look in the fine print for the "Free RealOne Player" link. Click on the link and follow the downloading instructions. Long download times (up to a half-hour) may be expected on a 56K modem.
It is not necessary or recommended that you purchase the premium versions of the RealPlayer plug-in that are featured on the RealPlayer site.
Macintosh users browsing with Internet Explorer may experience errors when playing RealPlayer files. If you are a Mac user, you may want to use Netscape Navigator 4.7 or higher instead.
Some users may be prompted to re-enter a user ID and password before playing a RealPlayer file. RealNetworks is working to fix this bug. You may either enter your user ID and password each time to watch the video or disable the RealPlayer application by following these directions.
Video bandwidth options
We offer video at two rates in order to accommodate users with
different connection speeds. If you are using a 56K modem, you'll need
to use the low bandwidth selection.
If you do have a high-speed connection (Cable, DSL, T1) and
you still have problems playing video, it's possible that
your RealPlayer preferences are set for a lower speed connection. On the other hand, if you are using a 56K modem and are experiencing "stuttering" video, then it is likely that your RealPlayer preferences are set to play at higher speeds.
To easily change your settings, follow these steps:
RealOne Player
- Launch the RealPlayer application.
- From the menu, select "Tools" and then select "Preferences."
- In the "Category" window, select the "Connection" tab.
- From the pull-down menu titled "Normal Bandwidth," select the type of connection you are using.
- Click "OK."
- Close the RealPlayer application and try replaying the video in the e-seminar.
Note: Directions may vary slightly for Mac users.
Previous RealPlayer applications
- Open the RealPlayer application.
- From the menu, select "View," and then select "Preferences."
- In the "Preferences" window, select the "Connection" tab.
- From the pull-down menu titled "Normal Bandwidth," select the type of connection you are using.
- Click "OK."
- Close the RealPlayer application and try replaying the video in the e-seminar.
Note: Directions may vary slightly for Mac users.
Note: Some factors that cause video and audio instability are not related to connection speed settings (e.g., high traffic over the internet may cause "congestion" and decreased connection speed).
back to top
Listening to audio
In order to hear audio, you will need the free RealPlayer plug-in. To get the plug-in, download now, and look in the fine print for the "Free Player" link. Click on the link and follow the downloading instructions. Long download times (up to thirty minutes) may be expected on a 56K modem.
Macintosh users browsing with Internet Explorer may experience errors when playing RealPlayer files. You may want to use Netscape Navigator 4.7 or higher instead.
Some users may be prompted for login. You may either enter your e-seminar user ID and password each time to watch the video or disable the Real browser by following these directions.
If you have the RealPlayer plug-in and still cannot hear audio, make sure the volume of your computer is turned on. If it is and you can't hear anything, make sure you have a sound card and speakers. If you have a Mac, they're both built-in, but if you have a PC check your computer's documentation. Almost any computer built in the past five years has a sound card. If your machine has a sound card but no speakers, you can use a set of headphones from a Walkman or portable CD player—if your computer has a headphone plug-in port. You can find that port on your monitor or the back of your CPU. Note: The headphone jack on the front near CD-ROM drives only works for audio CDs.
back to top
Watching interactive learning tools
To view some of the interactive elements in the e-seminar, you will need the free Macromedia Flash Player, version 5 or later. Download the latest version and follow the downloading instructions.
back to top
Viewing portable documents (PDFs)
Some e-seminar excerpts are portable document format (PDF) files that require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in. Download now and follow the downloading instructions.
back to top
Printing screens or documents
Many screens in the e-seminar have print buttons on them. If one does not, you can use the browser's "File" menu and select "Print." Alternatively, you may use Ctrl-P on the PC and Cmd-P on the Mac.
If the right-hand side of the page is being cut off, you can reduce the print size, if you are using a Mac, or change the layout to "Landscape" following the directions below if you are using either a PC or a Mac. Follow the directions below:
On the Mac: Reduce the print size
- Select "Page Setup" option from the "File" menu
- Click the "100%" next to the "Scaling" option. Change the setting to "90%."
On the PC: "Landscape" format
- Select "Print" from the "File" menu.
- If you use Internet Explorer, click on "Layout" and then select "Landscape." If you use Netscape, click on "Properties" and then select "Landscape."
- Click "Print" (Internet Explorer) or "OK" twice (Netscape). These new print settings will remain until you close your browser.
On the Mac: "Landscape" format
- Select "Page Setup" from the "File" menu.
- Select "Landscape."
back to top
Saving documents
To save a PDF file, you may use Ctrl-S on the PC and Cmd-S on the Mac. Alternatively, use the browser's File menu to select Save. To save a web page or a transcript, you may use Ctrl-S on the PC and Cmd-S on the Mac.
back to top
|
Accessing the Discussion Forum
Depending on the nature of your subscription plan, you may not have access to the Discussion Forum. For further information, please contact Customer Service at help@ci.columbia.edu.
back to top
Interacting with other students
In many online e-seminars, you will communicate with other students in threaded discussion forums.
To see if the e-seminar has a discussion forum, look in the e-seminar navigation for "Discussion Forum" and follow the instructions to participate.
back to top
Interacting with the professor
At the discretion of the professor, he or she may participate in the Discussion Forums. The professor may also choose to provide an e-mail address to users.
back to top
Posting to the Discussion Forum
If your e-seminar has a "Discussion Forum" link, select it and follow the instructions to participate.
· To read messages, click on the highlighted text under the "Subject" heading.
· To post new messages, either click on the "Post a New Message" link or click "Post a Follow-up Message" at the top of the message you are currently viewing.
· Messages may also be viewed grouped by subject by clicking on the "Threaded Index" link.
back to top
Review of Discussion Forum postings
We do not review comments prior to posting them to Discussion Forums. However, we review existing comments and remove any inconsiderate or offensive postings.
back to top
Responding if you find a posting objectionable
If you read a comment that you find objectionable, please e-mail Customer Service at help@ci.columbia.edu and let us know the location and nature of the posting. We regularly reviews postings on the Discussion Forums, and will remove inconsiderate or offensive postings.
back to top
|
Making the text larger
The target resolution for e-seminars is 800x600 pixels. To change your resolution on a PC, right-click on the desktop and choose "Properties." Then, select the "Settings" tab and change the "Screen Area" slider. To change your resolution on a Mac, select "Control Panels-Monitors" from the Apple menu. Change the selection for the "Resolution."
back to top
Plug-in error messages
If you cannot view a video, slide show, interactive, or PDF, you will receive a plug-in error. You will need to download the appropriate plug-in. Please select one of these options to be taken to more detailed help information: RealPlayer Video, RealPlayer Audio, Macromedia Flash Player, or Adobe Acrobat PDF.
back to top
Browser scrollbars no longer work on the Mac
When Mac users with Internet Explorer 5.1 view sites that feature RealPlayer files embedded in the page, they will have difficulty scrolling through the window on that and subsequent pages. To circumvent this bug, users can hold down the Command (open apple) key and drag within the window. The pointer will change to show a hand. This allows the user to scroll through the window by "grabbing" it and pulling.
Switching to Netscape 4.7 and above will eliminate this problem altogether.
back to top
Flickering bar at the top or bottom of video window
If you experience distortion, such as white flickering bars while viewing video, please follow these steps:
RealOne Player
- Close the window in which the clip appears. Locate the RealPlayer application on your computer. Click on the icon to launch RealPlayer. In RealPlayer, select "Tools" and choose "Check for Update" in the pull-down menu. A small window titled "AutoUpdate" will appear. Check RealPlayer's site for updates.
- Once "AutoUpdate" has finished, it should give you a menu of options. Select "Video Drivers Update," if it is an available option. Otherwise proceed to the section below: If "AutoUpdate" does not solve the problem.
- Click "OK."
- "AutoUpdate" will download a small file and automatically install it onto your machine.
- Attempt to play the video that was giving you trouble again. If it still does not display correctly, please proceed to the instructions below.
If "AutoUpdate" does not solve the problem
- Select the "Tools" menu and choose "Preferences" from the pull-down menu.
- In the "Category" window click "Hardware".
- In the "Video card compatibility" section, adjust the performance bar lower until "Enable optimized video and overlays" changes to read either "Enable optimized video and disable overlays" or "Disable optimized video and overlays."
- Click "OK."
Note: directions may vary slightly for Mac users.
Previous RealPlayers
- Close the window in which the clip appears. Locate the RealPlayer application on your computer. Click on the icon to launch RealPlayer. In RealPlayer, select "Tools" and choose "Check for Update" in the pull-down menu. A small window titled "AutoUpdate" will appear. Check RealPlayer's site for updates.
- Once "AutoUpdate" has finished, it should give you a menu of options. Select "Video Drivers Update," if it is an available option. Otherwise proceed to the section below.
- Click "OK."
- "AutoUpdate" will download a small file and automatically install it onto your machine.
- Attempt to play the video that was giving you trouble again. If it still does not display correctly, please proceed to the instructions below.
If "AutoUpdate" does not solve the problem
- Select the "View" menu and choose "Preferences" from the pull-down menu.
- Click on the "Performance" tab from the list of menu items.
- In the "Video card compatibility" section, deselect/uncheck "Use optimized video display."
- Click "OK."
Note: directions may vary slightly for Mac users.
If you have further questions or problems, please e-mail Customer Service at help@ci.columbia.edu.
back to top
Using the "Back" button on the browser toolbar
If the "Back" button does not take you to the previous page in the e-seminar, please use the e-seminar navigation buttons and tools instead.
back to top
Making a page load faster
Downloading files and viewing pages mostly depends on your modem's connection speed. You might want to try logging on when fewer people are online—such as late at night or early in the morning. Also, faster computers will be able to display and run applications quicker. If your machine seems to be having problems or you experience delays running Netscape Navigator 4.x or higher, you may want to download Internet Explorer 5.x/6.x (PC) or 5.x (Mac). As a general rule, Internet Explorer is less memory-intensive than Netscape Navigator.
back to top
JavaScript error messages
First, make sure that you are using one of the required browsers for this e-seminar.
For PC: Netscape Navigator 4 or above OR Internet Explorer 4 or above. For Macintosh: Netscape Navigator 4.7 or above or Internet Explorer 5 or above. Second, make sure JavaScript is enabled.
With Internet Explorer, look in "Internet Options–Security" in the "Tools" menu and use the "Custom Level" option to enable active scripting.
With Netscape, look in "Preferences" in the "Edit" Menu and use the "Advanced" option to enable JavaScript.
back to top
Cookies are disabled
This e-seminar uses your browser's "Cookie" function to set and remember your video preferences. We do not use cookies to gather personal information of any kind. If your cookies are disabled, we cannot set your video preferences and you will see low-bandwidth video by default when you play a video clip. If you wish to enable your cookies, follow the instructions in your browser's help.
back to top
Broken link or site not found
While we make an effort to keep links to external sites up-to-date, they may change without our knowledge—or be temporarily offline. If you encounter a problem linking to an external site, please e-mail Customer Service at help@ci.columbia.edu with the name of the e-seminar and a description of the page with the broken link.
back to top
RealOne login prompt
The most recent version of RealPlayer is equipped with its own browser which requires your user ID and password to play certain audio and video files. You may either enter your e-seminar user ID and password each time or disable the RealOne browser by following these directions to change your preferences:
- Start the RealOne Player.
- In the "Media Browser" window, select the menu "Tools" and the "Preferences" option.
- Set "On Startup Display" pull-down menu to "Player only (no Media Browser)."
- Select "OK."
Note: directions may vary slightly for Mac users.
back to top
|
System requirements
For IBM-Compatible PC
Windows 95 or later. Windows XP users, please read this important information.
64 MB of RAM (128 or higher recommended)
Monitor: 800x600 pixel resolution recommended
Connection: Internet service and 56K modem minimum
Browser: Internet Explorer 4 or above (Internet Explorer 5 strongly recommended) or Netscape 4 or above. Netscape 6 is not recommended, click here for more information.
Sound Card (if you can hear audio you have a sound card)
Plug-ins: RealPlayer 7 or later, Macromedia Flash Player 5 or later, Adobe Acrobat Reader 5 or later
For Macintosh
MAC OS 8.6 or higher
64 MB of RAM (128 or higher recommended)
Monitor: 800x600 pixels resolution recommended
Connection: Internet service and 56K modem minimum
Browser: Internet Explorer 5 or above or Netscape 4.7 or above. Netscape 6 is not recommended, click here for more information.
Sound Card (if you can hear audio you have a sound card)
Plug-ins: RealPlayer 7 or later, Macromedia Flash Player 5 or later, Adobe Acrobat Reader 5 or later
back to top
Using Netscape
The Netscape browser is free. Download the latest version of Netscape or download the 4.7 version (PC or Mac) or higher and follow the simple download instructions.
We don't recommend Netscape 6 as it represents a major departure from previous Netscape browsers. As such, the web pages may not display as intended. These problems should not occur with earlier (e.g., Netscape 4.7) or later versions (e.g., Netscape 7 or above).
back to top
Using Internet Explorer
The Internet Explorer browser is free. Download Internet Explorer 5.x/6.x (PC) or 5.x (Mac) and follow the simple download instructions. PC users, please be aware that if you have a previous version of Internet Explorer, it will be overwritten when you download a later version.
back to top
Using AOL
If you use AOL, you will need to use Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. Among other things, AOL's browser has known compatibility problems with Microsoft's new operating system, Windows XP.
After logging on to AOL, open Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer in order to use the e-seminar. You may need to contact AOL to configure Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer to work with AOL's proprietary software. Both Netscape and Explorer are free to download and use. In this scenario, you are connecting to the Internet with AOL's network but using Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer to view the e-seminar. Just make sure you are still logged on to AOL while you are using Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer.
back to top
Using Windows XP
Windows XP has known compatibility problems with several programs, including Microsoft's own Internet Explorer 6 and Outlook. Windows XP also doesn't work well with AOL 6, McAfee VirusScan (through 5.21), Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2001, and Quicktime 5. It's impossible to say with any certainty that this is what is causing your problems. The best place to find out is to go to Microsoft's Windows XP Support Center Web site. If you're still having problems, you can e-mail Customer Service at help@ci.columbia.edu.
back to top
Using OS X
The e-seminars will work fine in Mac OS X or Mac OS 9.
back to top
|
Contact Customer Service
Please direct your comments, questions, and suggestions to Customer Service: help@ci.columbia.edu.
back to top
Providing feedback on e-seminars
We welcome feedback on your experience. To provide comments on a specific e-seminar, select "Feedback" in the navigation. To provide general comments, e-mail Customer Service at help@ci.columbia.edu.
back to top
|
|
