| How Do I ... |
| Please take the next few minutes to review information on various topics. Most of your questions should be answered. BUT if you still have questions or that you find something confusing, then simply send us an e-mail at information@GenealogicalStudies.com. | |
MY STUDENT'S BRIEFCASE
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| MY STUDENT'S BRIEFCASE | |
| How do I access my Student's Briefcase? |    |
| When you click on LOGIN or STUDENT LOGIN from anywhere in the site you will be asked for your E-mail address and your Password. Once you have clicked on OK, you will be able to have access to your Student's Briefcase. | |
| I've tried to Login, but it does not work? |  |
| Although you can access your Student's Briefcase from anywhere in the world, you must use the information that is in your file. In other words use the E-mail address and the password found in your profile. If you believe you are using the correct information and you still cannot login, please send us an e-mail. Your file may have been corrupted. | |
| How do I know when the course information will disappear from my Student's Briefcase? | |
| Each course has a scheduled start date and completion date. Look in your CURRENT courses. The EXAM DUE DATE listed on the right is the last date you will be able to access the course information in your Student's Briefcase. | |
| How do I ask a question about the course material? | |
| You can ask a question directly of your instructor by attending the chat session. If your question is urgent, simply send an E-mail to the National Institute. In the subject line, please indicate the course name. | |
| I'm a correspondence student, can I access the online materials? | |
| Yes, your Student Briefcase will contain all your information as if you were an online student. If you would like to start doing your courses online, simply follow the directions found here. | |
| MY PROFILE | |
| How do I change something in my profile? | |
| Once you have logged in, and you are in the 'My Briefcase' page, click on View Detailed Profile. The detailed information we have for you will be shown. If you would like to change something, click on Change Main Profile. Make your changes in the next window. Remember to add your password, otherwise you will not be able to complete your changes. When you are finished, click on Modify. | |
| COURSES --- REGISTRATION & CHANGES | |
| How do I sign up for a course starting next month? | |
| You can register for a course from many different areas. From your Student's Briefcase, simply click on the Register button to the left of the course name in the section Courses Starting Next Month. Complete the Registration process by answering the questions. | |
| Can compulsory courses from one certificate be used as elective courses for another certificate? | |
| Yes, many student complete two or more certificates by using compulsory courses from one certificate as elective courses for another certificate. Remember also, you do not need to repeat generic compulsory courses, in other words courses that are offered in all certificates. | |
| How can I see what courses I am registered in? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the My Courses section. In this area you will find your current courses and future courses. These links list your scheduled courses. If you click on Course Packages, this will list courses from a packages that have not been scheduled yet. | |
| How do I know when a course starts if I am already registered? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the My Courses section. In this area you will find your current courses and future courses. The scheduled date for each course is listed to the left of the name of the course. | |
| How do I know which courses are in progress? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the My Courses section. The page will default to your current courses. In this area you will find your courses in progress. | |
| How do I know which courses I have registered for in the future? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the My Courses section. Click on Future courses. You will find your future scheduled courses. | |
| How do I know which courses I have completed? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the My Courses section. Click on Completed courses. You will find all successfully and unsuccessfully completed courses. | |
| How do I know which packages I have registered for? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the My Courses section. Click on Packages. This area will list all packages you have registered for, if there are still courses which you have not chosen yet. | |
| I won't be available for a future courses, how do I change a date of a future course? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the My Courses section. Click on Future courses. Click on the date to the left of the course name. Click on the drop-down arrow to select a new date. Once you have chosen your new date, click on Change Date. | |
| How do I change a date of a current course? | |
| You will have 6 days from the date the course
starts to change the date of your course. Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to
the My Courses section. Your Current courses should be listed. Click on the date to the left of the course name. Click on
the drop-down arrow to select a new date. Once you have chosen your new date, click on Change Date. NOTE: You will not be able to change the date of a current course to a future date after the course has been in progress for more than 6 days. You will be able to re-register for the same course at a 50% discount of the fee for that same course at a future date. | |
| How do I change from one registered course to another course? | |
| You can change the course name for any future
course as long as the fee for the course you are requesting is either the same or is less than the fee for the course you
would like to replace. Also, if you have requested the Printed Course Material, you cannot change the name of the course.
If you meet these two requirements, you can change from one course to another. Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the My Courses section. Click on Future courses. Click on the name of the course. Click on the drop-down arrow to select a new course. Once you have chosen your new course, click on Change Course. | |
| I've purchased a package of courses. How do I choose my start date for each course? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the
Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the My Courses section. Click on Packages. Notice 2 columns on the right. This will
indicate the number of compulsory or elective courses left to choose for this package. Simply click on the name of the package.
Courses for that package will listed. Choose the course you would like. (If there are no courses listed, you have selected a
package for which the courses have not been scheduled yet.) If you are choosing courses for an Elective package, at this point you will need to choose your courses from the course menu. Therefore click on Courses, then the Certificate grouping (or Alphabetical) and finally click on the course you would like. Click on Register. Although the fee for this course is shown, it will become $0.00 in the next step if your course is already paid for. Complete the registration. Notice that the amount is shown as $0.00. Click Register. The selected course will now be added to your Briefcase. Keep in mind that this process is just like registering for a course, but because you started from the Package area it will ignore the money. PLEASE NOTE: Be careful not to select a course you have already completed. The courses listed will not be the courses left in the package that have NOT been scheduled. This list will be of ALL courses in that package. It is up to you to check if you have already completed a course or not. | |
| What does it mean if a course is listed in my Student's Briefcase in red? | |
| A course listed in red in your Student's Briefcase indicates that payment has not been received. Once payment has been received, your file will be updated and you will then have access to that course. | |
| I have already registered for a course. How do I pay for it online by Credit Card? | |
| You may on occasion register for a course but not have your credit card handy to make the online payment. Simply register again for the same course and the same date. Your Student's Briefcase will be updated automatically once the payment has been processed. | |
| COURSE MATERIAL - ELECTRONIC FORMAT | |
| How do I read the course material? | |
| The course material is prepared using the Adobe
Acrobat 4.05. You will need the Adobe Reader to access these pages. (If your computer system does not have the Reader or that
you have an older version, you can download this free program from the Adobe's website. Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the My Courses section. Click on Current courses. Click on the name of the course. This will bring you to the weekly information for the course. Scroll down to the section Reading - Course Material listing all reading files. You will need a password to open this file, so make a note of it. This is not your student password but a specific file password. It is on the same line as the name of the file. Once you have made a note of the password, click on the file name. The Adobe Reader will then open, the password will be requested, and then the file will open. Please be patient, sometimes graphics makes the opening process a little slow. A TRICK: instead of writing down the password, simply copy it (Ctrl + C) and then paste it (Ctrl + V) into the password window. | |
| How do I know which week the course is at? | |
| When you open the course to enter the weekly information area, the system will automatically default to the weekly information area for the appropriate week of the course. The Week # is indicate in the title line Course Information. If you would like to view the weekly information in a past week, simply click on the appropriate link. | |
| How do I find the URL link for a Website mentioned in the course material? | |
| Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down to the Recommended Link section. | |
| How do I find the address for an organization or an institution mentioned in the course material? | |
| Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down to the Reference Addresses section. | |
| How do I access dates of historical importance for a course? | |
| Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down pass the General Course Information area to the list of Important Historical Dates section. | |
| How do I access maps for a course? | |
| Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down pass the General Course Information area to the Maps section. | |
| How do I access useful transcription forms for a course? | |
| Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down pass the General Course Information area to the Useful Transcription Forms section. | |
| How do I access the bibliography or other reading references for a course? | |
| Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down pass the General Course Information area to the Bibliography or Other Reading References section. | |
| How do I know what an abbreviation means? | |
| Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down pass the General Course Information area. Click on the link for Definitions & Abbreviations. | |
| How do I know what a specific word means? | |
| Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down pass the General Course Information area. Click on the link for Definitions & Abbreviations. This is not a dictionary, but we have listed many words that are applicable for your course. | |
| How do I find the schedule of fees appropriate for documents referred to in this course? | |
| Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down pass the General Course Information area to the Schedule of Fees section. | |
| COURSE MATERIAL - PRINTED FORMAT | |
| Is the Printed Course Material compulsory? | |
| No, it is not. Everything is available in the Online version. | |
| Is the Printed Course Material different than the Online Course Material? | |
| The presentation format of the printed version of the Course Material is different from the Online version. But all information contained in the Printed version is also in the Online version. | |
| Why do Students purchase the Printed version of the Course Material? | |
There are several reasons...
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| Is Printed Course Material available if I purchase a package of courses? | |
| Yes, there are many extremely popular Binder
Kits. The Basic Binder kit contains a 3" D-ring binder, tabs (Mylar covered) & course material for 9 courses. The Basic
Level Binder, also has a 9 generation 24 " x 36" pedigree chart. Binder Kits are available for configurations of packages of courses for all Canadian, English, Irish & US Basic packages, (for all levels) and also for Elective Courses packages. | |
| I'd like the Printed Course Material. How do I order it? | |
| To order the Printed Course Material, you must be registered for the course for which you want the printed materials and this course must be paid for. To order the Printed Course Material, click on the menu link Our Store. Click on the link Institute Material (click first on the Other Products button if the list is not open). Choose the appropriate department and the appropriate course material. | |
| ASSIGNMENTS | |
| How do I know if there are any assignments to be done? | |
| When you open the course to enter the weekly information area, the system will automatically default to the weekly information area for the appropriate week of the course. The Week # is indicate in the title line Course Information. Scroll down to the Assignment(s) for this week area. If there are no assignments, this area will not appear. | |
| How do I prepare my assignments before posting? | |
We strongly recommend that you set up a document
in your word-processing software to type your assignment. Why?
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| How do I post my assignments? | |
| Enter weekly information area, the system will automatically default to the weekly information area for the appropriate week of the course. Scroll down to the Assignment(s) for this Week area. Click on the appropriate assignment name. Click on the Post/Edit button. A window will open. Insert your password. If you have prepared your assignment in your word processor, copy your assignment from your word processor into the clipboard. (click Edit, Click Copy or Hold Ctrl and press the letter C or follow the directions for your system.). Once you are at the window where your assignment is to be inserted, PASTE your assignment. (click Edit, Click Paste or Hold Ctrl and press the letter V or follow the directions for your system). When you are pleased with your assignment, click on Post Assignment. | |
| How do I make changes to an assignment I have already posted? | |
| Enter weekly information area, the system will automatically default to the weekly information area for the appropriate week of the course. Scroll down to the Assignment(s) for this Week area. Click on the appropriate assignment name. Click on the Post/Edit button. A window will open. If you have previously posted your assignment, your text will appear. Insert your password. When you are pleased with your changes to your assignment, click on Modify Assignment. | |
| How do I read assignments from other student? | |
| Enter weekly information area, the system will automatically default to the weekly information area for the appropriate week of the course. Scroll down to the Assignment(s) for this Week area. Click on the appropriate assignment name. Assignments from other students will appear. | |
| How do I read assignments from other students through my e-mail system? | |
| Students who wish to read other students' assignments may find it more convenient to read the assignments through their E-mail program. The setting for this function can be found in your Profile. Once you have logged in, and you are in the 'My Briefcase' page, click on View Detailed Profile. Scroll down to Profile Configuration. If YES is indicated, this means you will be receiving assignments by e-mail. If you do not want to receive assignments by e-mail, simply click on the YES. This will switch the setting to NO and you will not receive assignment by e-mail. To switch it back to YES simply click on NO. | |
| What does the blinking yellow light mean in the assignment WebBoard? | |
| This blinking light means this assignment was not posted the last time you looked at assignment area. | |
| Will other students always be able to read my assignment? | |
| There are three categories of assignments: public assignments, private assignments and recommendations. Your coursemates will be able to view your public and recommendation assignment submissions. | |
| What are private assignments? | |
| Reading of other student's assignments can be a valuable learning experience. But when an assignment is such that all answers should be the same, naturally the learning experience is diminished. Private assignments will not be view by others. If appropriate, you will receive an automated reply to your message advising you of the correct answer to that assignment for self-correction. | |
| How do I reply to assignments for Case Studies? | |
| Most Case Study assignments will be Private assignments. | |
| How do I send a reply to another student about information in their assignment? | |
| Occasional you will want to reply to comments made in a student's assignments. From the Assignment you would like to comment on, click on the Reply to Author icon beside the name of the student. Complete the information in the window. Click Post Reply. | |
| When are assignments due? | |
| Assignments do not have a set submission date. But, all assignments must be submitted before the course is over. The course is over when then exam is due. This date is posted in the Current courses section to the right of the course name. | |
| How can I see a list of all assignments? | |
| Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down to Assignment(s) for this Week section. You can view a list of all posted assignments to date by clicking on the Other Assignments button. | |
| Can I work ahead on assignments? | |
| If you have ordered the Printed course material you can prepare all your assignments for submission ahead of time. Simply save them in your word processor until the appropriate week. If you are receiving the materials online, you will only receive the appropriate materials for each week of the course. | |
| CHAT SESSIONS | |
| How do I know when a chat will take place? | |
| Chats are listed in your Student's Briefcase. Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down pass the General Course Information area. Click on the appropriate chat in the Chat Sessions section. | |
| How do I access a transcript of a previous chat sessions? | |
| Enter into the weekly information course area, scroll down pass the General Course Information area. Click on the appropriate chat session in the Chat Logs section. | |
| How do I access a chat room? | |
| To enter a chat session, go to the U of T WebBoard. Enter your login name and password. Click on CHAT in the Black bar. Click on any conference on the right. They lead to the genealogy chat room. Be patient, this step loads all the required software. You can try this any time. If you experience difficulties, let us know... | |
| Can I attend a chat if I am not registered in that course? | |
| All students are welcome to attend any chat session even if they are not registered in that particular course. | |
| Are chat sessions compulsory? | |
| Because we have students from all time zones, chats sessions are not compulsory, but they can be informative and fun. | |
| EXAMS | |
| When is the exam available? | |
| The exam is posted the week following the end of the course. If the course is indicated as a 6 week course, the exam will be available on the 7th week. | |
| When is the exam due? | |
| The due date for the exam is posted in your Student's Briefcase in the Current courses section to the right of the name of the course. | |
| How do I find out what my mark is for a completed course? | |
| Your mark will be posted to your Student's Briefcase in the Completed courses section to the right of the name of the course. Your course will be moved to the Completed courses section the day after the due date of the exam which is indicated in the Current courses section. | |
| What if I disagree with the mark indicated in the completed course area? | |
| Please send an e-mail message to exam@GenealogicalStudies.com explaining the situation. Include the name of the course in the subject line. | |
| How do I complete my exam? | |
| When you open the course to enter the weekly information area, the system will automatically default to the exam if it is beyond the number of weeks available for this course. Click on the exam link. Complete each question by clicking on the appropriate radio button. If you need to leave the exam prior to completing it, your answers will be saved. When you have completed your exam, click on Submit. Once you click on Submit, you will not be able to make any changes. | |
| What do I do if I cannot complete my exam by the due date? | |
| An extension can be granted for a valid reason. Extensions must be requested in writing prior to the end of the course. | |
| CERTIFICATES | |
| How do I receive my certificates? | |
| You must successfully complete all compulsory courses to receive your certificate. Approximately two months after you complete your last course, you should receive your certificate. A list of certificate issued to you can be found in your Student's Briefcase. Scroll down to the section My Certificates. | |
| I would like to complete more than one certificate. Do I need to repeat the compulsory courses I've already complete? | |
| No, you do not. To help you complete more than one certificate, course have been packaged to include only the record courses from each level for your secondary certificate. | |
| STUDENT SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS | |
| How do I suggest a Website or another type of electronic link for other students to view? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the Student Suggestions & Recommendations section. Click on the link to open the form. Choose the appropriate type of electronic link. Complete the requested information. | |
| How do I suggest interesting books for other students to read? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the Student Suggestions & Recommendations section. Click on the link to open the form. Choose the appropriate type of book to recommend. Complete the requested information. | |
| How do I suggest Research CDs for other students to use? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the Student Suggestions & Recommendations section. Click on the link to open the form. Choose the appropriate type of CD link. Complete the requested information. | |
| How do I recommend a professional researcher or a genealogist? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the Student Suggestions & Recommendations section. Click on the link to open the form. Choose the appropriate Researching link. Complete the requested information. | |
| How do I let other students know that I am willing to do 'look-ups' in books I have access to? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the Student Suggestions & Recommendations section. Click on the link to open the form. Choose the appropriate 'look-up' link. Complete the requested information. | |
| How do I let other students know that I am willing to do research for them at a local institution? | |
| Once you are logged in, and you are in the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the Student Suggestions & Recommendations section. Click on the link to open the form. Choose the appropriate link for the type of research you are offering. Complete the requested information. | |
| EVENTS | |
| How do I find out when a lecture or workshop is going to be presented by an instructor or a student? | |
| When on the Student's Briefcase page, scroll down to the Calendar of Activities section. You will find a list of lectures with the Guest Speaker's name. Click on the name of the lecture for more information. | |
| I'm a student and will be giving a lecture. How can I let other students know where I will be lecturing? | |
| Send an e-mail to lectures@GenealogicalStudies.com with the following information: name of the lecture, name of the conference, date, time and location, main sponsor, are reservations required, the amount, if there is a cost, contact information such as e-mail, website and telephone number. | |
| Can I attend a Field Trip even though I'm not enrolled in the course on the subject of the Field Trip? | |
| Yes, everyone is welcome... | |
| MISCELLANEOUS | |
| What information is required when I send an e-mail message the National Institute? | |
| We receive a large number of e-mail messages.
Always include your complete name, your password and the e-mail address which is listed in your Profile. Keep in mind,
often we cannot tell by the header of your e-mail address who is sending us an e-mail. If you want to see what we see in
the header of your e-mail message, send yourself a message! PLEASE NOTE: Because of the large number of e-mail messages we receive, we cannot remember each electronic conversation we have had. To help us, when you are replying to a previous message, please always include the portion of the previous message to enable us to know know what the conversation was about. ------------- We would like to thank you for participating in our Online Genealogy Courses or our Genealogical Studies Certificate Programs. If you have any questions, please send them to information@GenealogicalStudies.com. We will be more than happy to help you... | |
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1-800-580-0165 |