LONCAPA

(Learning On Line with Computer Assisted Personalized Approach)

We will be using LONCAPA to distribute and grade homework in Physics 201.

ACCESS: Every week some class material and homework assignments will be posted on: http://loncapa2.physics.sc.edu. I will usually allow about a week for completion of each assignment. You will usually get 15 tries at each answer. The login screen will ask you for three things:

Username: The network username assigned to you by the University (all in lowercase.)

Password: All nine digits of your student number.

Domain: "SC", which is already filled in for you.

NAVIGATION: Upon a successful login, you can choose to work with a main menu in the main window or request a remote control which will appear as a separate window to the browser window. It provides access to the various features of LONCAPA. If the remote does not appear when you log in, it is either behind the browser window or you are in the single window mode with a menu. A good arrangement of the windows will be to have both the Remote Control and the content window available next to each other.

After successful login, you will get to a screen with your currently available courses. Please select your course (phys201), just click select and you will go to the welcome page of the course (which contains a copy of the syllabus, messages and other links).

With the Remote Control you can move forward and backward in the content with the respective buttons; the COM button allows one to COMmunicate by sending internal mail; NAV helps navigate quickly through the material for the course; you can change your password by clicking PREF; EXIT will log you out of the system (a requirement if you do not want someone else accessing your account).

BROWSERS

-On PCs, latest versions of FireFox and Internet Explorer should work.

-On Macs, FireFox and Safari should work.

Your browser will need to have "cookies", "Javascript" and "Java" enabled. In some browsers you should allow pop-up windows.

For some course material, you will need the Apple Quick-time plug in.

If you can see the login screen, but have problems completing the login process click on the HELP link and follow the instructions.

A common problem is that pop-up blockers, or firewall privacy settings, are not letting information about the Remote Control through to your computer.  It is possible to run loncapa in a  window-based menu mode that does not use the Remote Control.  The HELP link on the login page will let you choose that setting. 

Report any technical problems as soon as possible to me at jwilson@sc.edu.

Homework Assignments and Help Sessions:

Each week you will have your own personalized set of homework assignments available on the LONCAPA server. There will be about 12 sets of homework during the semester.  You will normally have at least a week to do each  set, please work on them early, and often.

You are allowed multiple attempts (Normally a MAXIMUM of 15 TRIES) to successfully solve a homework problem, with no penalty. The computer stores all attempts. When you solve a problem, LON-CAPA will give you a receipt number. Record this number if you have complaints about un-credited homework, this will be the proof that you completed the problem!

WARNING: There is a deadline for the homework answers to be entered in the computer. Don't wait till the last day. The time on the computer is NOT necessarily the time on your watch. Waiting to the last half hour to do your assignment is not recommended. Additionally, the computer load can get pretty high at due times. Manage your time adequately, the best approach is to start problems early and come back to them often.  If you are stuck, get help!

I strongly encourage you to go to the tutoring sessions in the CAPA room where you can also work in groups with other students and have access to professors who can assist you if needed.

To obtain a printout of your assignment, you can either:

1. Visualize the assignment in the browser window and select print in the browser menu.

2. Or, use the PRT command on the remote and follow the instructions

Schedule of LONCAPA Sessions:

You can log into LONCAPA from any computer that has Internet access. Some computer laboratories require the user to have an account. It is your responsibility to get such an account.