Medical Terminology Online by Delmar Cengage Learning

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.