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Online Technology and Skills

Prof. Spalding's Email:  aspalding@wayne.edu

Required Technology and Skills 

• Email. Students use email as their primary means of communicating with Prof. Spalding in this course.  Please carefully review the Email Protocols in Prof. Spalding's Class.
• Internet Access. An online course of study, by definition, requires Internet access.
• High speed Internet access is, of course, recommended at all times.  At a minimum, student should plan to take quizzes and exams from a good computer connected to a high quality high speed Internet access.  Campus computers (for example, computer lab or library computers at the Main Campus or the Oakland Center) are the most reliable.
• As a general rule, Windows XP works more reliably than Windows Vista for quizzes, exams, and WIMBA (see below).
• Users of the most recent version of the Firefox browser tend to fare better than users of Internet Explorer or other browsers.
• For other recommendations regarding quizzes and exams, carefully read both the Quizzes and the Exams pages of the syllabus from top to bottom.
• Blackboard. Students who register for this course are automatically enrolled into the online Blackboard section for this course. For information about Blackboard, carefully review the information and links available at both of the following two sites:
• Blackboard at Wayne State University (Computing & Information Technology)
  
• Blackboard Support (Office of Teaching and Learning)
  
• Scanner for Student ID.  Students are required to upload a scan of their Wayne State University One Card picture ID in color, on the Digital ToolBox assignment area of Blackboard.
• This requirement is for a OneCard as such. Not a drivers' license. Not a passport. A OneCard as such. If you are off campus, and you plan to do the online alternatives for the final exam Part Three, and the research presentation (or if you plan to receive credit for the First Digital DropBox Assignment), you'll still need to come to campus and obtain a OneCard.
• There are no exceptions to this requirement, so please don't waste your time and your instructor's time by asking.
  
• This is the only task for which a scanner is needed.
• Color scanners are generally available at computer labs and libraries, including several Wayne State University campus libraries, as well as at commercial copy centers. As always, in this graduate course at a top business school, it is in the student's interest, and it reflects well upon the student, if the student can demonstrate the virtue of resourcefulness.
  
• The due date for this task is found in the Schedule of Assignments section of the main page of the syllabus.
• The One Card should be scanned to a .jpg format, in color (not black and white), and should be named with the student's name.
• For example, Sally E. Kim's One Card should be scanned to a file named Sally_E_Kim.jpg, and uploaded at the Digital Drop Box assignment section of Blackboard.
• Upload the actual .jpg file itself;  do not embed or insert the .jpg file into a Word file, a .ZIP compressed file, a .pdf file, or other format.
• Do not email your color scan to Prof. Spalding.  Instead, upload it through the Digital DropBox assignment area on Blackboard.
• In the text box for the Submission, enter "OneCard Scan from ____________" (and insert your name).
• Attach your local scan file from your computer.  For the Name of the file, re-enter the same information as the link title: "OneCard Scan from ____________" (and insert your name).
• Before you hit the Submit button, you'll see your file name and link title listed:  this is your "receipt" or proof that your file is being submitted.
• Do not email or call to ask if your file came through.  Instead, make sure your file is listed as an Attached File, and Submit it.
  
• No need to add a comment in the Comment section.
• No need to ask Prof. Spalding if the scan has been received.  Simply log back into Blackboard (preferably from another computer, using a different browser, or after clearing the cache and cookies on your regular browser), and make sure that you can find your scan on your Digital DropBox and view it online.
  
• If you don't have a scanner, ask around:  it is likely that you know someone who has a home or office printers that include a scanner. Or, have your One Card scanned at a Kinko's, an office supply store, or similar retail outlet.  Again, ask around and be resourceful.
• If you live outside of the Detroit area, and cannot come to campus to obtain your OneCard in time for the deadline for the assignment, contact the OneCard office and have them send you a OneCard without your picture.  Then, scan both the OneCard and your driver license (with picture and home address outside of the Detroit area), and upload both scans at once.
• Remember that the deadline for the assignment is not deferred for any reason, including the need to obtain and scan your OneCard.
  

• Headphones with Microphone, and Web Cam. For students who choose to do Part Three of their Final Exam as an online oral exam (i.e., an informal 10 to 15 minute interview), rather than a formal in-person closed book closed notes written exam, and for students who wish to take advantage of online office hours (rather than rely on email), headphones with microphone, plus a web cam, are required.
• Headphones, rather than speakers, are required, in part to avoid feedback on the WIMBA system. But they are also required for privacy considerations and other reasons.
  
• Do not rely on the built-in microphone on your webcam, or the built-in speakers on your computer.  It is required that you use a headset with microphone.
• For a list of webcams that have been shown to be compatible with WIMBA, see: Cameras that are recommended for video use with Wimba video.
• These need not be expensive.  Headphones that include a microphone are available for less than $ 20, and web cameras are also available for less than $ 40.
  
• Blackboard Live Classroom (WIMBA). Students can interact with Prof. Spalding during online office hours, and can take Part Three of their Final Exam, using the Blackboard Live Classroom communication tool (sometimes referred to as WIMBA).
• Using WIMBA.  To practice in a Dead Live WIMBA classroom, or to interact with Prof. Spalding during online office hours, Part Three of the Final Exam, students use Blackboard WIMBA Live Classroom, available at the Communication button on Blackboard.
• For technical information about the WIMBA Classroom system, see Wimba Classroom.
• WIMBA seems to work best when you are using the Firefox browser.
• Before attempting to use WIMBA, read through the information about WIMBA available at:
• http://computing.wayne.edu/blackboard/wimba-students.php
  
• Before browsing to Blackboard to use WIMBA, close all programs and then open your browser.
• Before browsing to Blackboard, clear the cookies, and the cache, on your browser.  If you do not do this, it is likely that you will not be able to transmit your webcam through WIMBA (even if the WIMBA "Setup Wizard" seems to indicate that your equipment is functional).
  
• Firefox browser users click on Tools, then Clear Private Data, and then make sure that both Cache and Cookies are checked before they Clear Private Data Now.
  
• Make sure that you do not have any webcam window or software open, other than WIMBA. Other webcam software and windows interfere with WIMBA.
  
• The WIMBA "Setup Wizard" does not test to see if your webcam is actually transmitting through WIMBA.
  
• It tests other things, but not this crucial feature.
• You can find out if you are broadcasting your web cam through WIMBA by making yourself the Presenter in the empty "Dead Live Classroom" set up on Blackboard for this purpose.
• Make sure your webcam is broadcasting through WIMBA when you are the "Presenter" on WIMBA.
• If you are unsure about this, read the WIMBA Help documentation.
• The most important step in making sure your webcam is broadcasting through WIMBA, is to clear the cookies, and the cache, on your browser prior to browsing to Blackboard to use WIMBA (see above).
• Before Using WIMBA
  
• Make sure you are using a headset with microphone, and a WIMBA-compatible video camera. The headset is required; speakers (built-in or otherwise) and non-headset microphones (built into the video camera or otherwise) are not allowed.
• There are several reasons for the headset requirement, including confidentiality of communications, feedback issues from speakers, etc.
  
• Students who attempt to earn credit for Part Three of the Final Exam without a headset (that is, by using computer speakers or by using a non-headset microphone) will lose credit.
• Students who attempt to engage in office hours without a headset (that is, with speakers or with a non-headset microphone) will be invited to leave the WIMBA classroom.
  
• Before logging onto Blackboard to use a WIMBA Live Classroom, make sure you have cleared the cache, and all cookies, from your browser.
• If you don't know how to clear the cache, and all cookies, from your browser, find your way to someone who can help you, such as a technician at a campus computer lab.
• If possible, it is also a good idea to reboot your computer before signing onto Blackboard to use the Live Classroom.
• Before signing onto Blackboard to use the Live Classroom, also make sure no other windows are open, including any other tabs or windows within your browser.
  
• Before you enter a WIMBA room, be sure to run the setup wizard (on the right-hand side of your screen) to make sure your computer, headphones and microphone are ready to use the Live Classroom.
• Make sure your browser allows pop-ups from wayne.edu, from  http://208.185.34.123, and from https://208.185.34.123
• Before you enter a WIMBA room, write down the dial-in phone number and the Student PIN Code, just in case you have trouble with  your audio and need to dial in for the audio. Plan to have your cell phone handy for this contingency as well.
• Synchronize the clock on your computer so that you have the exact Internet time showing.
• If you are not in the Detroit area, make sure you know what time it is in Detroit. You can verify this by checking the Detroit time at the External Links area of the Blackboard site for this course.
• Students who enter the Final Exam Part Three interview room early will lose points, since this can interfere with another student's interview.
• Make sure you are using your headset, and that your computer speakers are off. This is both to prevent feedback, and, to ensure confidentiality in your conversations with Prof. Spalding.
  
• Practice Using WIMBA in the Empty Room (Dead Live Classroom) before meeting with Prof. Spalding on WIMBA.
• Go through the "Setup Wizard" before entering for the first time. Even if you complete the wizard successfully, it is necessary that you make sure that you camera is transmitting properly (below).
  
• As soon as you enter the classroom, click on the Video icon  to the right of the Talk Button. (the Video icon is to the immediate left of the blue telephone icon).
  
• Once the video pop-up pops up, click the both the "Start Transmitting Video" button  (on the left, along the bottom of the Video pop-up, with an icon that looks like an eye) and the "Show preview video" button (in the middle, along the bottom of the Video pop-up, with an icon that looks like a small picture within a larger picture) to enable both of these buttons.
• The "Start Transmitting Video" button should now be orange , not gray. If you see yourself in the larger background of the video pop-up, your video is working. Proceed, below. If not, exit the room and exit your browser. Clear the cache and cookies (see above) and start over.
  
• The "Show preview video" button should also now be orange , not gray. You should not have any trouble seeing yourself in the lower picture-in-picture, since that does not go through the Internet. It's the background picture that needs to be working in order for you to proceed or to earn credit for an online Part Three of your final exam.
  
• The third button enlarges the WIMBA webcam image.  Do not click on that button to enlarge the video image: it will interfere with your ability to use the rest of the WIMBA features.
• If your camera is operating properly, you'll see the Presenter in the Live Classroom (yourself, or Prof. Spalding or, during Office Hours, possibly another student) in the larger (background) view, and your own transmission in the lower (picture-in-picture) view.
• If you do not see yourself in both the larger background picture, and the lower (picture-in-picture) view, your camera is not working. If you plan to use the WIMBA system for your Part Three of your Final Exam, you will not receive credit unless your camera is working properly.
• The primary reason that a camera is not working properly is that the student did go through all the steps described in the section "Before Using WIMBA" above. In particular, if the student did not clear the cache and cookies immediately before signing onto Blackboard to use WIMBA, the camera will likely not work properly.
• So, start over at the top of this page and try again.
  
• As necessary, make use of the Help function to train yourself to use the Live Classroom.
• After using WIMBA in the Dead Live Live Classroom, remember to clear the cache and cookies (see above) and start over before attempting to using WIMBA for Part Three of the Final Exam or for office hour appointments.
  
• Using WIMBA for Part Three of the Final Exam, or for Office Hour Appointments
  
• As soon as you enter the classroom, click on the Video icon  to the right of the Talk Button. (the Video icon is to the immediate left of the blue telephone icon).
  
• Once the video pop-up pops up, click the both the "Start Transmitting Video" button  (on the left, along the bottom of the Video pop-up, with an icon that looks like an eye) and the "Show preview video" button (in the middle, along the bottom of the Video pop-up, with an icon that looks like a small picture within a larger picture) to enable both of these buttons.
• The "Start Transmitting Video" button should now be orange , not gray. If you see yourself in the larger background of the video pop-up, your video is working. Proceed, below. If not, exit the room and exit your browser. Clear the cache and cookies (see above) and start over.
• The "Show preview video" button should also now be orange , not gray. You should not have any trouble seeing yourself in the lower picture-in-picture, since that does not go through the Internet. It's the background picture that needs to be working in order for you to proceed or to earn credit for an online Part Three of your final exam.
• After your Video is working, hold down the TALK button  and say "Hello, this is _______" and give your full name. Then release the TALK button and wait for a response. Do not just say Hello, but, instead, give your full first and last name.
• Allow for some delay (a few seconds) between your speaking and when you hear an answer.
  
• Remember to click and hold the TALK button every time you speak.
• When your WIMBA Classroom Session is Completed, click on the Exit link. The Exit link is above the WIMBA logo, which is in the lower right corner of the screen.
• For privacy purposes, students must properly exit the WIMBA classroom. Students who do not properly exit from their Final Exam Part Three interview will lose credit. This interferes with the privacy and communication between Prof. Spalding and the student who has the next appointment.

• Part Three of Final Exam. See the Exams page of the syllabus for details. Before you plan to take advantage of the online alternative to the in-person closed book closed notes Part Three of the Final Exam, be sure to read and master all of the recommendations and requirements for USING WIMBA  as described above.
• For Part Three of the Final Exam, do NOT enter the WIMBA interview room until your appointed time EXACTLY (to the second, not sooner, not later), based on Internet time. As explained on the Exams page of the syllabus, the (exact) time and the date of the appointment is established ahead of time.
• Occasional Online Office Hours.  Occasionally Prof. Spalding determines, as a result of email communications with a student, that a one-on-one conversation with that student is required or appropriate. In such a case, Prof. Spalding will, by email, invite the student to set up an appointment with him for a one-on-one conversation in the Online Office room on Live Classroom (with web cam enabled). The (exact) time and the date of the appointment is established by email ahead of time.
  
• Prior to the appointment, you must have scanned your Wayne State University One Card picture ID and and have Sent it to Prof. Spalding using the Digital Drop Box tool on Blackboard.
• Remember to make sure your video is enabled.  Prof. Spalding does not conduct one-on-one consultations unless he can see that it is really you.

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Rev. 09/15/2010  Copyright 2007 and 2010:  Albert D. Spalding, JD, CPA/CFF