Navigating Through The Course

If you want to learn how to navigate through the course with the Lesson Menu, click here to go through the navigation tutorial.

Accessing Your Course

How do I start my Web course?
I lost my Course Access Code! (Password)
I enter in my Course Access Code and it displays an error message. (i.e. enrollment is being updated, course access code and social security number do not match, the access code entered is not valid, etc.)
When I enter my Course Access Code, it brings up a "Web Portal" but not my course content.
I am clicking on a site link in my course and it is not working or is slow.

Web site Problems

I click on a button or link in my course and nothing happens ("it just sits there"). Link will open a new window
I keep getting an "error on page" message in the bottom part of my browser. Link will open a new window
It looks like my Web browser wants to load something, but it never stops loading. Link will open a new window
When I bring up my course, I get an image in the middle of my screen, but nothing on the left.
When I bring up my course, I get a blank white page.
What is the "Flash Player" and how do I get it?

CD-ROM Problems

I put my CD in the drive, now what? It does not load my course!
I am trying to watch a video but I get an error message that my CD-ROM drive is not accessible.
I get a message like "The data the plugin requested cannot be found."
I am trying to watch a video and it does not work.

Your Course Content

I do not agree with a question's answer on a Speedback Assignment.
I don't understand some information in my course.
I have a question about enrolling in a course, missing materials, requesting an exam, taking the final, getting my grade or transcript, or getting an extension.
Where do I send my instructor graded assignment?
How do I contact my instructor?

Your Browser

What is a browser? Which browser should I use?
Does my course work with AOL?
How do I know if I have the latest version of my browser?

Watching Movies/QuickTime Movie Player

What is QuickTime? Why do I need it?
How do I know if I have QuickTime?
How do I install QuickTime?
When trying to play a movie all I see is a little red square, green circle, and blue triangle in the upper left hand corner.
How do I uninstall then reinstall QuickTime?
I installed QuickTime, but when I click on a movie link, no video plays.
I bring up the video, but no sound.

Submitting Your Assignments

What is a Speedback Assignment? What is a non-submitted assignment?
I am having trouble submitting my Speedback Assignment.
I think one of the answers or the feedback for my Speedback Assignment is wrong.
The feedback said I answered differently than I did on my Speedback Assignment.
I cannot access my answers from a previously submitted assignment.

Installation Instructions

QuickTime
Flash Player
Adobe Acrobat Reader

WebGrade Problems

I know I marked the right answer but it says the answer is wrong.
I marked an answer on the bubble sheet but when I was graded, the computer said I marked a different answer.
The feedback for my wrong answer does not match up with the question.
When I click on the Continue button, I get the error "Your Barid and SSN do not match."
My bubble sheet does not correspond with my assignment questions.
It says that the page cannot be found, that it cannot connect to the site, or that the server is down.
I get the error "Nonexistent lesson number coded, lesson="
I get the error "Lesson number coded is not computer graded"
I tried to get into WebGrade but I got an error message about a "key file."
I tried to get into WebGrade but I got an error message about "Unable to determine maximum answers."

Miscellaneous Issues and Questions

Is my Course Access Code the same as my course password?
What is the Bar ID?
When doing something on my course, my program shuts itself down with an error message (sometimes with a message about experiencing errors, or performing an illegal operation).
When working in my course, I get a page that says something similar to "Page cannot be displayed" or "We're sorry the page you have requested cannot be found."
Why isn't the course saving my place? Why did I lose my place from a previous session?
I cannot login to the discussion board.
The Discuss link brings up a page that says "this page cannot be displayed."
I finished my course and I want to access my grades, but it won't let me.
I have a question about SAM XP.
How do I request a final? Link will open a new window
I think the information you have on me is incorrect (student ID, phone number, address, etc.) how do I change that?
I can't read something I downloaded from my course (documents, etc).
How do I print out my course?
How do I contact Customer Service?
How do I contact Technical Support?

Didn't find what you were looking for? Our solutions didn't fix your problem? Let us know! Link will open a new window

To begin your course, follow these steps:

1. Go to the BYU Independent Study main Web page, click on "Start Web Course" at the top of the screen, input your 7-digit Course Access Code and click Continue. You should be able to find your code on the receipt you received with your materials. If you have lost your code, click here.

2. If your course did not appear after clicking Continue, look at the other questions under "Accessing Your Course" above to try and solve your problem.

3. With your online course up in this new window, you should see an image in the middle of your screen and various links on a menu on the left hand side. Read everything under all the links on the left, explicitly following the directions under "Computer Setup" and "CD ROM setup." (Make sure you have the correct CD in your CD-ROM drive. Careful! Some courses have two different CDs. Have the "Web CD 1" or similar disc in the drive.)

4. This would be a good time to add this course to your Favorites or Bookmarks in your browser. This will allow you to skip steps 1 and 2 above in the future and provide a direct link to your course.

5. Click "Begin Course" and follow the instructions. You will need to input your code one more time.

6. You are now looking at the content of your course. Learn how to navigate through your course by exploring the links to the left. Next, click on lesson one and you are now officially taking your course!

Your 7-digit Course Access Code is a number you should have received when you registered for the course. It also should have been issued on the receipt with the materials that were mailed to you. If you have lost this code please call the customer service desk at: 1-800-914-8931. They will verify your identity and re-issue your code to you. This process is normally quite fast and hold times are negligible.

Check to make sure that you are entering your 7 digit Course Access Code and/or Student ID (usually your Social Security Number) correctly without any spaces. Usually the course will only ask for your Student ID when checking grades and taking tests. If you are using the number pad on your keyboard, please make sure the "num lock" light is on. If you believe your code and/or Student ID is wrong, please call the customer service desk at: 1-800-914-8931. They will verify your identity and re-issue your code and/or Student ID to you. This process is normally quite fast and hold times are negligible.

If you have accessed a "Web Portal" this means that the code you entered corresponds to a "Paper Course." This type of course is not administered online, rather your course materials are paper manuals and books that are mailed to you. If you thought you had registered for an online course, please call the registration department at: 1-800-914-8931.

Throughout any course you will have many opportunities to visit course-related Web sites that are not administered by BYU. You can visit these sites by clicking a "Visit Site" button in the course material or by going to Student Resources in the table of contents and selecting the Sites page. Please keep in mind that BYU does not have any control over these external sites. It is possible that some of these sites may be down for maintenance, slow or busy when you try to connect to them. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to remedy a problem with an external site. If you discover that a site has moved to a new location, please let us know by using the Email button. When you do link to an external site, it will be displayed in a new window. You can return to your course by minimizing or closing the new window.

Check to make sure that you have the most recent version of Macromedia Flash Player (currently version 7): Please go to Flash Player Web site and click "install now" to get the latest version. (If this link does not take you there, just go to http://www.flash.com, and follow the instructions to install Macromedia Flash Player.)

Macromedia Flash player is a program that integrates with your Web browser. It allows you to see animation and adds a specialized feel for each course. The Flash Player is free and easy to install. Simply click here and follow the instructions to install your Flash Player.

The CD that came with your materials contains media that are normally supplementary to your course. In other words, in most cases the course is not contained on your CD. The course is accessed online and uses the CD to display video, documents and other digital media to amplify the BYU Independent Study experience.

To begin your course, follow these steps:

1. Go to the BYU Independent Study main Web page, click on "Start Web Course" at the top of the screen, input your 7-digit Course Access Code and click Continue. You should be able to find your code on the receipt you received with your materials. If you have lost your code, click here.

2. If your course did not appear after clicking Continue, look at the other questions under "Accessing Your Course" above to try and solve your problem.

3. With your online course up in this new window, you should see an image in the middle of your screen and various links on a menu on the left hand side. Read everything under all the links on the left, explicitly following the directions under "Computer Setup" and "CD ROM setup." (Make sure you have the correct CD in your CD-ROM drive. Careful! Some courses have two different CDs. Have the "Web CD 1" or similar disc in the drive.)

4. This would be a good time to add this course to your Favorites or Bookmarks in your browser. This will allow you to skip steps 1 and 2 above in the future and provide a direct link to your course.

5. Click "Begin Course" and follow the instructions. You will need to enter in your code one more time.

6. You are now looking at the content of your course. Learn how to navigate through your course by clicking on the links to the left. Next, click on lesson one and you are now officially taking your course!!

Make sure the correct CD-ROM disc is in the drive. If it is, then set your CD path. To do this, find the CD-ROM setup page in the Introduction to the course. Some courses list this as "CD-ROM setup" on the left hand menu, and others will have a "CD-ROM setup" beneath the "Computer Setup" menu item. Follow the instructions to set your CD path. Make sure you have selected the correct drive letter. For Windows users: you can find the drive letter by clicking on "My Computer" (usually found on your desktop) and locating the drive that says "Webclips" (the course CD must be in the drive for this to work). For Mac users: select 'Mac' (or 'Mac OS X' depending on your version of the Macintosh Operating System) from the drop-down box. If an error still occurs, you will need to uninstall and reinstall QuickTime.

The course needs to know where to look for your CD. First, make sure you have the course CD in your computer. Then, complete the CD-ROM portion of your course. Some courses list this as "CD-ROM setup" on the left hand menu, and others will have a "CD-ROM setup" beneath the "Computer Setup" menu item. Follow the instructions to set your CD path. Make sure you have selected the correct drive letter. For Windows users: you can find the drive letter by clicking on "My Computer" (usually found on your desktop) and locating the drive that says "Webclips" (the course CD must be in the drive for this to work). For Mac users: select 'Mac' (or 'Mac OS X' depending on your version of the Macintosh Operating System) from the drop-down box.

Most questions can be answered here: /is/site/students (try the "Read Me First" link)
Direct all other questions to BYU Independent Study Customer Service. (Hours 6 AM - 6 PM MST Monday-Friday)

In all communications with customer service you will need to provide your course access code, course name, and relevant information (i.e. exactly what page or lesson you have a question about, etc.)
Phone: 1-800-914-8931
email: indstudy@byu.edu

You can find information about mailing your assignment here: /is/site/readme

You can contact your instructor by e-mailing indstudy@byu.edu, including the name of your course and professor in the subject, and your name and course access code in the body of the message.

Web browsers are used to view content on the World Wide Web. If you are reading this right now, you are using a Web browser! Common browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. We recommend Internet Explorer 6.0+ for accessing your course. Which browser am I currently running?

Often, America Online's built in browser does not handle certain course's content in a desirable fashion. Please use Microsoft Internet Explorer instead of AOL's browser. To do this you must have a current version of Internet Explorer. When starting your course, log on as you normally do to AOL, then minimize all of your AOL windows, and open Internet Explorer. It's that simple! Don't know if you have Internet Explorer? You can normally launch it by looking on your desktop or Start menu and double clicking on its icon.

Its icon is a big, blue 'e' with a ring around it:

We recommend using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+. To find out which browser version you are using, click on this link: Which browser am I currently running?
If this link does not work for you, you can also check by going up to the "Help" menu item on your browser, and (in Internet Explorer) go to "About Internet Explorer" and look for "Version." If you still need to get the most updated version of Internet Explorer, click here.

Apple's QuickTime player is used in most courses to play video and audio files related to your course. While these videos appear to play off of the Web, they are actually playing files from your CD-ROM drive (provided you have the correct CD in the drive and have configured it correctly. To find out more, click here). The videos provided in courses are normally for amplification and enrichment, and often (but not always) are not critical to your passing the course.

We need to find out if you have QuickTime installed correctly. Please click here. It may take a moment for the new small window to appear and completely load.

Follow these steps to uninstall then reinstall QuickTime:

1. First uninstall any version of Apple's QuickTime that might be on your computer. On a Windows computer, you do this by going to your Start menu then clicking on "Control Panel" or "Settings"->"Control Panel." This should bring up a window listing a number of different programs. Open "Add/Remove Programs." This may take a number of seconds to load up a list of currently installed programs. Once you see the programs listed, scroll up and down to look for anything that says "QuickTime" or "ITunes" (you may have one or both). Sometimes a program might be referred to as the "QuickTime Player" or "QuickTime Plugin." For each of these that you find, click the button that says "Change/Remove" or "Uninstall." (If you did not find anything to uninstall, skip down to step 3.) From that point, you will need to follow any instructions that are given to you in order to uninstall or remove that program. If it asks you whether or not you want to uninstall everything, select to uninstall everything. This will insure that you completely remove any previous versions of QuickTime. Sometimes you may need to close certain other applications that are running in order to properly uninstall (for example, make sure you have closed the window with the "apple" in it that might still be open). Follow the prompts and continue uninstalling other QuickTime or ITunes programs until you do not see any more in that window.

2. Restart your computer.

3. To install QuickTime, follow this link: Download QuickTime on the left hand column at the top select "Win 98/Me/2000/XP" and uncheck any boxes under "sign up." Click "Download QuickTime." Click Yes on any Security Warning that might come up. This should quickly start up a "QuickTime Setup" window that will have a various questions that come up. We recommend that you leave all the default options selected by clicking "Next" or "Agree" throughout the installation. Once installation has finished, be sure to read the instructions that appear, if any.

4. Restart your computer.

5. Click here to see if the installation was successful.

This could be caused by a few different reasons. First check to see if you can play the movies directly off of your CD. To do this open My Computer on your Desktop. Find a disc labeled "webclips." This should be there if you have your correct course CD in the drive. Open the disk and look for movie files. These are called ".mov" files, QuickTime movie files, or just movie files. Double click on one of these files. If a movie does not play, or if there is an error of some sort, you need to uninstall then reinstall QuickTime.

Make sure you have the most current version of QuickTime by clicking here.

Next, make sure you have properly told the course where your CD is. To learn how to do this, click here.

The course is designed to use the QuickTime 6 plugin. If you do not have this plugin, follow the instructions to uninstall then reinstall QuickTime. If you have already downloaded QuickTime 6, you probably need to change the settings so the computer will use QuickTime to play the media. Follow the instructions below to make the appropriate changes.

 

1. Open the QuickTime Player (Start->Programs->QuickTime) 2. Click Edit on the menu bar and choose Preferences 3. Then click on QuickTime Preferences... 4. On the top of the next screen, make sure Browser Plug-in is selected, and click the MIME Settings button. 5. You will see a screen similar to the one on the left. Make sure the Video and MP3 boxes have an X in them. If not, click those boxes and hit OK. 6. Go back to your course and try the audio again.

Make sure you have the most updated software and settings, to perform these checks, click here.

If you are playing some other kind of music in the background, QuickTime will not play the sound for the movies. Close the other music source. Also, make sure your speakers are plugged in and the volume is turned up. You may want to play another CD to make sure the sound is working on your computer. If that still does not work, uninstall then reinstall QuickTime.

A Speedback Assignment is very much like an end-of-chapter quiz. They correct your assignment instantaneously and provide feedback. These are normally located at the end of most lessons you will take. During the lessons, however, there are often numerous quizzes that are NOT graded. These are sometimes called "check your mastery," "self check" or something similar to that. The scores for these smaller quizzes are never transmitted to Independent Study and are included to help the student gauge his or her progress and understanding in the course.

If you are getting any kind of error when trying to submit or take your Speedback Assignment, please call 1-877-897-8085. If you are having a problem understanding a question, if you believe a question is incorrect, or if you have any other issues with the Speedback Assignment please call Independent Study Customer Service at 1-800-914-8931.

The feedback given on Speedback assignments will repeat to you what you answered and whether it was correct or not. If the feedback displays an answer that you did not choose, please call Technical Support at 1-877-897-8085. Please print the feedback for your records and verification.

The Adobe Acrobat Reader is a common program used to view and print documents, usually called "PDFs." To install the newest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader click here.

Contact customer service and provide your name, course access code, course name, lesson number, question number, and what you answered. You will need to explain which answer you marked and why you think it is the correct answer (refer to the course or textbook page number). Please have a printed copy of your answers and the feedback for verification.

Contact customer service and explain in detail what you think is wrong and why. You will need the following information for us to help you: your course access code, course name, assignment number and question number(s), and relevant information (which question it was, your answer, the given answer, and the incorrect question, answer, or feedback). Please keep a printed copy of your answers and the feedback for verification.

This error occurs when either the course access code or the student ID number you typed in does not match our records. You could have mistyped one of the numbers, so try it again before contacting us. If it still does not work, contact customer service and provide your full name, course access code, and social security number. Chances are the social security number or course access code you are using is not the same as the one in our records, so we will compare them and tell you what the difference is. If you do not feel comfortable sending your social security number (student ID) through email, you can call customer service and provide this information over the phone.

Contact customer service and provide your name, course access code, lesson number, and the difference between your printed assignment and the WebGrade bubble sheet. Include information regarding exactly which questions do not correspond and what the problem is (for example, question 30 only has "a" and "b" instead of "a" through "d" like my course manual shows, or the online assignment only has 22 questions while my course manual has 23).

If you are using a school, work, or library computer: The computer you are using might use a proxy server to connect to the internet that will not let you access our secured site, which you would be doing by clicking on the Continue button. The problem is probably with your individual computer configuration. The person at the school, work, or library who manages your computers would most likely be able to fix this problem. You should be able to use WebGrade if you access it from a computer at home or other non-proxied location.

If you are using Internet Explorer 4 or 5: You need to update your browser to the most current version of Internet Explorer. Click here to find out which browser you have and how to update to the latest version of Internet Explorer.

This error occurs when you try to submit an assignment that does not exist for your course. Make sure that you typed in the correct lesson number. Contact customer service if you cannot resolve the problem.

This error occurs when you try to take an assignment through WebGrade that is not Speedback Assignment. Make sure that the assignment in your course manual specifically says "Speedback," since WebGrade only works with these assignments. While many courses have some assignments that are instructor-graded and some that are Speedback, there are several courses that do not have any Speedback assignments.

Please contact Technical Support and be ready to report the exact error message you are getting.

Contact customer service and provide your full name, course access code, lesson number and course name. Also include the exact error message and if there was an "L" and a one- or two-digit number displayed. That error message will help us solve the problem much more quickly, because it tells us exactly where the error is occurring.

Your Course Access Code is sometimes referred to as your course password or Bar ID. They are all the same. Your Course Access Code is a 7-digit code that was displayed immediately after registering for your course. The code should have also come on the receipt that was with the materials that were sent to you by mail for your course.

These types of problems are fairly common for computers running Windows 98 or older. These errors are almost always caused by certain configurations or other issues with your computer. The very first thing to do is to restart your computer. This can resolve a number of issues that could be causing the problem. The next thing to do is to identify which programs you have running that might be causing the problem, this can sometimes reveal the source of the problem. If you get this error when watching a video with your course, try uninstalling and reinstalling QuickTime. Also, following the steps on this page regarding updating your browser and Windows can resolve a number of issues.

Sometimes, getting a message that says "this page cannot be displayed" means that your internet connection is not working properly. However, if you are able to view this page then your internet connection is probably not down! More than likely you have found a "broken link" if you get that message. This means that you have clicked on a link that took you to nowhere, or to a page that no longer exists. If prompted, please report those bad links to us. If the information you are trying to access is critical, please let Technical Support know about the issue immediately.

In order to save your place in the course, a small text file (called a cookie) is stored on your computer as a virtual bookmark into your course. However, these cookies are often deleted and updated, so it is possible that every visit to your course might not return you to your last place. Also, if you have set your browser to not accept cookies, then a bookmark cannot be placed. To change your cookie handling settings, click on "Tools" on your browser window, then on "Internet Options." Click on the tab "Privacy" and make sure your setting is at Medium. This will allow your browser to accept most safe cookies.

The discussion board system is separate from your course login information. To login to a discussion board, you will need to first click on "New User." Follow the directions in creating a new account. You will then be able to login to the discussion board. You are only required to have one user account with our discussion board. You can use that same account to login to other discussion boards of courses you are enrolled in. The discussion boards are monitored frequently; any vulgar or inappropriate messages will not be tolerated.

If the Discuss link is not loading a valid website, please contact technical support.

Once you have completed your course, you can no longer access the course materials like you did before. This also changes the way you might normally go about accessing your grades. You can access your grades for a few months after your course by going to the main Independent Study Web page, clicking on "Check Grades" at the top of the page and entering the appropriate information.

All questions regarding SAMXP for the ISYS and MCOM classes should be directed to the SAMXP administrators at: isys100@byu.edu or mcom100@byu.edu.

Check the extension of the item you downloaded. An extension is usually the last 3 letters of a file. For example, the file "courselesson.wwe" has the extension "wwe." Here is what you will need for the following extensions:
.pdf - to view these files, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.
.doc, .rtf - to view these files, you need to have Microsoft Word or another word processing program installed (see openoffice.org).

In High School courses, to print your course, go to Menu->Student Resources. Look through the pages in the menu until you find "Print The Course." You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to view and print these files.

Independent Study Technical Support (Hours 6 AM - 6 PM MST Monday-Friday):
Email: Click here to send email
Online chat:

Phone: 1-877-897-8085

Didn't find what you were looking for? Our solutions didn't fix your problem? Let us know! Link will open a new window