Chapter 9: Message Lists

Introduction Table of contents Chapters 1. Hardware and OS 2. Basic software 3. The Internet 4. Online learning 5. Starting the class 6. The DE/CATE site 7. Checking in 8 Class sites 9. Message lists 10. Quizzes, tests, exams 11. Gradebooks 12. Documents 13. Chat rooms and blogs 14. Class search engines 15. Student configurations Appendices 1. Basic skills checklist 2. CATE skills checklist 3. Moodle and WebCT 4. SRJC classes 5. Email accounts 6. A day in the life 7. Check your browser 8. Blog tools 9. I forgot my password 10. Current CATE news

For most online classes and for some face-to-face classes, the instructor will create one or more Message Lists to which students have access for text-based communications with each other and with the instructor. Here are some tips for using a Message List. Topics on this page A. General guidelines B. Submitting messages C. Receiving messages via email D. Message archive page E. Private messages F. More resources G. Self-assessment A. General guidelines Depending on the needs of a particular class, your instructor might create one Message List, several of them, or none at all. If there's more than one Message List for your class, then your instructor will provide directions about different uses for each. Almost without exception, Message Lists come in two separate parts: an input page (for submitting messages to a List) and an archive page (for reading messages submitted to a List). In most cases, each List will have one input page and one archive page. The instructor will provide navigational links to reach the Message List input page(s) and archive page(s) for your class. Generally these links will be part of the navigational buttons found near the top of all your class webpages. In most cases, input pages and archive pages will be password-protected, so you will need to use your private class username and password to access them. (You create your username and password when you go through the check-in procedure for your class.) B. Submitting messages Depending on how your instructor has configured a particular Message List, there could be as many as three different methods for submitting a message to the list. In all cases, due to security and privacy issues, it is always necessary to go to the appropriate webpage(s) created for this purpose by your instructor and it is always necessary to enter your private class username and password every time you submit a new message or reply to an existing message. These precautions ensure the following: Only you, your classmates, and the instructor can submit messages to the List All spam will be excluded from the List No attachments can be submitted to the List No viruses can be transmitted to the List Note that it is NEVER possible to send a message (or a reply) to a List using an email application (such as Microsoft Outlook or Eudora). Instead, you must always use the webpage(s) created for this purpose by your instructor. Submitting a new message via an input page In most cases, messages are submitted to a List via an input page created by the instructor. You will need to enter your private class username and password. Optionally, you can enter a subject line for your message. (And in some cases the instructor will have specified a prefix to the subject line which will be automatically prepended when the message is submitted.) Then you can type in (or copy and paste) the body of your message into the main text block. After completing those fields, you can click to submit your message to the List. It's always a good idea to proofread your message carefully before submitting it, because you won't get another chance to do so afterwards! If the system detects an input error when you submit your message (generally this means a typo in your username and/or password), the input page will be refreshed with red error messages explaining the problem. Don't be alarmed! Nothing is lost! Just correct the problem and click the submit button again. After successfully submitting your message, you'll see a page confirming your submission. At that point, depending on how your instructor has configured the webpage, you should have a variety of options such as a series of familiar navigational buttons near the top of the page, a "Return to message input page" link, and/or a "Go to message archive page" link. Replying to a message via an archive page In most cases, your instructor will configure the archive page for the Message List so that each message displayed there has a "Reply to Message" button. (In some cases, however, the instructor might not enable this option.) If that button is available, you can click on it to reply to a particular message. Replying to a message allows the system to keep track of "threading," which in turn allows you (and your classmates) to easily see which messages refer to which previous messages. This is the text equivalent of carrying on a back-and-forth conversation among a group of people. After clicking the reply button, you'll see the same form with the same fields as when using the input page to submit a message. The only difference is that here you'll additionally see the text of the message to which you are replying automatically included in the text block where you will type (or copy and paste) your response. If the system detects an input error when you submit your message (generally this means a typo in your username and/or password), the input page will be refreshed with red error messages explaining the problem. Don't be alarmed! Nothing is lost! Just correct the problem and click the submit button again. After successfully submitting your message, you'll see a page confirming your submission. You can click the "Continue" button to return to the message to which you replied, at which point you can continue navigating through the archive page. Submitting a message via a questionnaire Occasionally your instructor will create an online questionnaire for you to complete and submit. This questionnaire can contain any number of questions of various types (such as multiple choice), it can contain elements such as radio buttons and checkboxes for you to indicate your answers, and it might in general look quite like an online quiz or test. If so configured by your instructor, submitting the questionnaire will send your answers to the Message List just as though you submitted them via an input page. The only difference is that the questionnaire allows the instructor more flexibility in asking multiple questions and multiple kinds of questions all at once and ensuring that answers are given in a specific format. C. Receiving messages via email In some cases, but not always, your instructor will configure the Message List so that all submissions will be automatically distributed via email to you and all your classmates. If that's the case, you can use your email application (such as Microsoft Outlook, Eudora, etc) to read the messages when they arrive (which usually happens within a few moments of submission). This can be a handy way to keep track of your class message—as long as you can remember to retrieve and read your email frequently! One potential drawback of this method of delivering class messages is that some email accounts (such as Hotmail and Yahoo) might have such strict volume limitations that the mailbox overflows and additional messages are rejected. If your class Message List is configured to distribute messages by email, you should keep a close watch on your email account to avoid problems of this nature. If your class Message List is configured to send messages to you via email, but you're not receiving those messages, check the spam filter for your email account (most email accounts have some kind of filtering mechanism of this nature) and adjust it so that the class emails are delivered properly. Important note Even if the class Message List is configured to deliver messages to you via email, you can NEVER submit a message or reply to a message using your email application. In all cases, due to security and privacy issues, it is always necessary to go to the appropriate webpage(s) created for this purpose by your instructor. Opting out of email Assuming your instructor has configured the Message List to allow it, if you prefer not to receive class messages via email you can opt out of the List and just read the messages on the archive page. To opt out of email, use the Student Configuration Manager. 1. Go to the Section homepage for your class. 2. Under the heading "Class Check-In" click the link "Student Configuration Manager." 3. Log into the Student Configuration Manager with your private username and password for the class. 4. Under the heading "Your Message List(s)" click the button corresponding to the appropriate Message List. 5. Under the heading "Opt-out" you should see two radio buttons. Otherwise there will be a message indicating the instructor has not enabled this option, in which case you can't opt out. 6. If the option has been enabled, click the radio button labeled "Opt out -- No, do NOT send me email from this Message List" then click the button "Confirm Editing Message List" at the top or bottom of the page. 7. You will no longer receive messages via email from this Message List. Note: If the instructor revokes the ability to opt out, then your opt-out settings will be ignored and you'll receive class messages via email. See Chapter 15 for more information about options available in the Student Configuration Manager. D. Message archive page Almost without exception, every class List will include an archive page where you can find, read, and reply to all the messages that pass through the List. Unless your instructor prefers otherwise, all messages will remain archived on that page until the conclusion of the class, so you can always refer back to any of them at any time. Sorting and displaying messages In some classes, a Message List might generate relatively little traffic and an archive page might accumulate fewer than a hundred messages during the class. In other classes, a Message List might generate considerably more traffic and an archive page might accumulate thousands of messages. Because some archives house so many messages, the archive page provides a plethora of options for sorting, finding, and displaying them. By default, an archive page shows an outline list of all messages on file. You can sort the messages into a variety of different orders, such as newest message at the top, oldest message at the top, by name of sender, by subject line, or by thread. You can also choose to show the text of all messages on file all at once on one page, although this option can be slow and bulky for a large archive. Instead of displaying all messages, you can choose just to display all the threads on file for the list. (A thread includes an initial message plus all messages sent in reply to that message or to other replies to that message.) Several sort options are available when viewing all threads, such as newest thread at the top, oldest thread at the top, thread with the newest message at the top, etc. Alternatively, you can choose to display just the messages for one thread. When doing so, you can display just an outline list of those messages, or you can display the text of all messages for that thread all at once on one page, although this option can be bulky for a lengthy thread. As always, you have sort options such as by thread, by newest message, by oldest message, etc. With this option, you also can choose to move directly to the previous thread or to the next thread on the list (based on the sort option you've chosen). Finally, you can choose to display one message at a time on the archive page. With this option, you also can choose to move directly to the previous message or to the next message (based on the sort option you've chosen) within the List as a whole or within an individual thread (depending on how you've arrived at the display for this single message). In addition, if your instructor has configured the List to include "Reply" buttons, then you'll find them whenever you view a single message, the text format option for a single thread, or the text format option for the List as a whole. Quite a lot of options? Yes, but these allow you to choose the manner in which you would prefer to peruse the messages for your class List. You can change the options at any time, and you can never delete anything or otherwise cause any damage, so you should experiment with the options to determine what works best for you at any given time. If you feel overwhelmed by all the choices, just accept the default display and click on each "Read" button to see individual messages. Whatever viewing options you choose, the system will remember your settings and use them again the next time you return to the archive page. Message status Unless your instructor has configured your class Message List in a manner that prevents it from happening, each message on the archive page will display a small icon to indicate its status: - Message already read - New message, not yet read - Old message, not yet read When you click the "Read" button to go to an unread message and read it, the status icon will automatically switch to "already read." You can also change message status manually. Simply clicking on the message status icon will toggle it from "already read" to "not yet read" or vice versa. (Note that you can't change whether the message is new or old; the system calculates that part of the equation.) Clicking the icon will also generate a small pop-up window to briefly indicate that you've successfully changed the message status; the pop-up window disappears after a second or two. The status for each message is stored in the system database so it can be displayed with the appropriate icon each time you return to the Message List archive page. You can also edit the status of messages, among other things, via the Student Configuration Manager which is accessible under the "Class Check-In" heading at the Section homepage for your class. See Chapter 15 for more information about options available in the Student Configuration Manager. E. Private messages Depending on how your instructor sets up the Message List, in some classes you will have the opportunity to exchange private messages with him or her. If private messaging is enabled, when you send a new message (not a reply to an existing message), you'll see a checkbox labeled "Make this a private message to the instructor." If you check the box, the message will be handled privately when submitted. In some cases, you might receive a private message from your instructor. If you reply to such a message, your response will automatically be handled privately. It's not possible to use the Message List to communicate privately with your classmates. Private messaging is strictly between you and the instructor. Private messages can be identified by this icon: A private message will never be dispatched as email (even if public messages on the List are transmitted that way). They are always posted directly to the class archive page. However, only your instructor can read private messages you send. Only you can read private messages your instructor sends to you. Other students won't be able to see your private messages, and you won't be able to see theirs. You should use private messaging wisely. The vast majority of messages should be sent to the entire class. Only a very few messages about personal matters should be sent privately. If you send a message privately to the instructor, in some cases he or she might decide it's really a public issue and either ask you to send the message again to the whole class, or else he or she might simply make a public response to your message. F. More resources Distance Ed homepage G. Self-assessment Take the self-assessment quiz to ensure you're comfortable with all the concepts and skills in this chapter. The quiz will open in a new browser window, and after submitting the quiz you'll immediately see your score. Practice exercise: Go to the archive page for your class Message List and experiment with different ways of organizing and viewing the messages there.

 

Distance Education office Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA USA Last Modified: Friday, 25-Jan-2013 10:04:15 PST	Email to CATE Webmaster