Frequently
Asked Questions
General |
Communication | Computer
Requirements
General
Do
I need to be enrolled in a college or school to take this course?
Absolutely not! However, in order to get credit for this course
you will need to be enrolled through an educational institution.
You will also need to receive approval from that institution to
take the course for credit. Certainly you can take this as a non-credit
course for your personal development and mastery of medical terminology.
You may also wish to take it as a self-study course.
How
much of my time per week will this course take?
If you are enrolled in a course through an educational institution,
the time commitment with an online course is about the same as
that required in a regular class environment because the same
amount of material still needs to be learned. Typically, as in
a traditional learning environment, the more time a student spends
studying the material, the more comprehension and understanding
of the material will occur. However, when a course is taken online,
the student may save time if the "on-ground" classes
are decreased or nonexistent. As in a traditional course, you
will have assigned course materials and assignments. You will
have an instructor or faculty facilitator who will provide you
with a syllabus, post assignments and answer general questions
about the course. Your instructor may require you to participate
in online discussions at certain times of the day in a chat room
or may have you participate on a bulletin board by posting topics
or feedback at your convenience
If
you are an individual doing self-paced instruction the estimated
number of hours for completing this course are shown below. Of
course you may complete this course in a much shorter or longer
time period depending on how many hours you devote to the course.
Medical
Terminology for Health Professions by Ann Ehrlich &
Carol L Schroeder
|
96
hours (6 hours per week for 16 weeks)
|
Comprehensive
Medical Terminology:
A Competency-Based Approach
by Betty Davis Jones |
120
hours (6 hours per week for 20 weeks) |
Medical
Terminology: A Programmed
Systems Approach by by Genevieve Smith,
Phyllis Davis, and Jean Tannis Dennerll |
96
hours (6 hours per week for 16 weeks) |
|
|
How
much time and money could I save by taking this course online
if there are no "on-ground" classes?
To calculate how many hours this could save, multiply the number
of minutes it takes for a round-trip commute to campus and multiply
that by the number of times the trip would be made per week. Take
that amount and multiply it by the number of weeks the course
lasts. In addition, a student will also save the cost of the gasoline
that would have been used for commuting and even the money that
may have been paid for childcare.
Communication
How
will I stay in touch with my instructor and classmates?
Communication is essential in any learning experience. Whether
an individual is taking a self-study course or an instructor-led
course, there are several ways to communicate in the online learning
experience. Communication can be accomplished through e-mail or
the use of threaded discussions (bulletin boards or chat rooms).
Even individuals working on a self-study online course may at
some point need to communicate with a technical support person.
For instance, if the network connection goes down, or if the user
forgets his or her password, an e-mail to tech support can solve
the problem. (By the way, it's always a good idea to write your
password down where you won't lose it.)
What
is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication?
Communication happens in two basic modes: synchronous or asynchronous.
Synchronous refers to communication between two or more people
that occurs at the same point in time. Scheduled chat room discussions
are an example of synchronous communication. The message is received
at the same moment it is sent.
Asynchronous
communication, on the other hand, does not occur simultaneously.
E-mail is typically asynchronous since the person or persons you
send a message to may not be at the computer, ready to respond
immediately.
For
synchronous chats or instructional sessions via a bulletin board
to be most beneficial, participants should treat other participants
as if they were sitting in front of them. Participants should
give their full attention to the discussion. Learn the names of
the participants and acknowledge them by name whenever possible.
It may help if sessions are limited to groups of 15 or fewer.
Computer
Requirements
What
computer system do I need to have to access this course successfully?
All eCourses are PC compatible. If you are a Macintosh user, please
be notified that MAC browsers do not currently support this product.
If you have questions or suggestions concerning these requirements,
please contact help@delmar.com
Minimum PC Hardware Requirements
A Pentium PC - 233 MHz
32 MB of RAM
Windows 95 or newer operating system
Graphics adapter with 800x600 display resolution, 16 bit depth
or greater
56K modem
16 bit Sound Card and speakers needed for audio
Minimum
PC Software Requirements
For optimum performance, we recommend using Internet Explorer
v4.01 or higher to access this site. To use Netscape 4.06 or higher,
128-bit security is required, which is available as an upgrade
from Netscape (link is available under System Requirements in
our course). Other required plug-in links are also available from
the System Requirements section including:
Shockwave Player
Flash Player
How do I check my system requirements?
If
you are having problems viewing all the content in the course
because you have to scroll right and left to see all the content,
you may need to change your screen resolution or screen size.
To check the screen resolution (screen size) of your computer.
1. In Windows, click the Start button, then select Settings, then
Control Panel
2. The Control Panel window will open. Double-click on the Display
icon.
3. This will then open the Display Properties for your computer.
Select the Settings tab, and in the Screen Area section of the
box, move the guide to 800x600 pixels for optimum viewing of content.
4. Click Apply. Your system may ask if it can resize your desktop.
Click OK.
5. You will be prompted that Windows has resized your desktop,
and asked if you want to keep this setting. Click Yes.
6. Click OK once more to close your Display Properties box, then
close your Control Panel window as well.
To check the memory (RAM) and OS version of your computer:
1.
In Windows, click the Start button, then select Settings, then
Control Panel
2. The Control Panel window will open. Double-click on the System
icon.
3. This will display your computer's general System Properties,
including the OS version and the memory (RAM). It may also mention
the processor manufacturer, but is unlikely to show its speed.
Your OS should be Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT/2000
How can I check my browser?
A browser is an online software program that allows you to view
web pages. Note: we recommend Internet Explorer to take full
advantage of the course features. If you run Netscape you will
need to install the 128-bit security plug-in to access this site.
To check your browser version in Internet Explorer:
1. Click Help menu on the browser toolbar (toolbar at top of page)
2. Select "About Internet Explorer"
3. A popup window will open and you will see the Internet Explorer
version you currently have installed. If you have a version lower
than 4.01 you can go to System Requirement in the course and click
on the link to download the Version 4.01or above.
To
check your browser version in Netscape Navigator:
1. Click Help menu on the browser toolbar (toolbar at top of page)
2. Select "About Communicator"
3. A popup window will open and you will see the Netscape version
you currently have installed. If you have a version lower than
4.06 and/or need the 128-bit security to access this site, click
the link in the System Requirements of this course.
What are plug-ins and why do I need them?
Plug-ins are online software programs that expand the capabilities
of your browser. In this course the plug-ins allow you to play
audio, view animations, and see reports. Some plug-ins require
that you restart your computer before they will work. If you have
problems viewing any graphics, animations or hearing audio, you
can click on the plug-in links in the Systems Requirements.
What
is the Flash plug-in and how do I get it?
The Flash plug-in enables your browser to view certain types of
animations, in this course, animated video clips.
Netscape 6 users: Flash is included as one of the default
Netscape plug-ins, therefore no extra download should be required.
Netscape 4.x users: Flash may not be included as a default
Netscape plug-in for some versions of Netscape Communicator. Therefore,
the user may be required to download the plug-in from http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/.
The user will be provided a link if Flash is not present.
Internet explorer users: If the plug-in for Flash is missing,
the user will be provided a link to download and install in one
seamless operation at http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/
What is the Shockwave plug-in and how do I get it?
The Shockwave plug-in enables the user to perform certain interactive
activities in this course, such as the Crossword Puzzles or Hangman
games.
Netscape 6 users: A Shockwave plug-in is not yet available.
Apparently, Netscape and Macromedia are working to resolve the
issue.
Netscape 4.x users: The user may be required to download
the plug-in from http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/
The user will be provided a link if Shockwave is not present.
Internet explorer users: If the plug-in for Shockwave is
missing, the user will be provided a link to download and install
in one seamless operation.
Note:
When the user installs the Shockwave Plug-in, Flash is automatically
installed, as well. However, the reverse is not true; Shockwave
is not automatically installed if the user installs Flash.
What are cookies?
Cookies are session information written to your computer by your
browser to help you keep track of where you left off when you
were last working on the course. If your bookmarks are not working
properly you may need to allow cookies to be written by your browser.
Note: we do not gather any information about you from cookies
you might receive while using this course.
To
check that your browser enables cookies:
Cookies should be enabled by default for Internet Explorer and
Netscape users. To check the settings:
Internet
Explorer Users
Go to Tools | Internet Options | Security Tab. The Internet Zone
should be highlighted, and the slider below should be set to Medium.
To check the settings for Medium, the user can click the Custom
Level button and scroll down to Cookies. They should automatically
be set to "Enabled". If not, the user can click the
"Reset" button, or enable them manually by clicking
the appropriate radio button.
Netscape
Users
Go to Edit | Preferences | Click Advanced
Select the radio button for "Accept all cookies"
Why do I get security box pop-up box every time I access a
new page of content?
The reason you get this security box is that your internet security
setting is probably set to a higher level than required. To stop
this box from appearing each time you load a page, click the checkbox
"In the future, do not show this message." See the box
below.
