Courses on the Web FAQ's

How do I login?

You should use myFranklin login to access your courses, email, course schedule, and other personal information.

How can I change my password?

You can login to myFranklin and go to the My Account page to change your password.

I forgot my password, now what do I do?

MyFranklin allows you to reset your password. To do this, see the Forgot myFranklin Password page where you can tell us what you would like your new password to be. Then, for security reasons, you will need to provide us with your social security number and answer a Challenge Question. If you have previously taken advantage of the opportunity to set a personal Challenge Question, you can answer the Challenge Question that you set up for yourself. If you have not created a personal Challenge Question, the Challenge Question will ask for your student ID number, which can be found on the registration paperwork you receive upon registering for courses. If you have not set your own Challenge Question and do not know your Student ID, you may contact the Help Desk for assistance.

Why do I sometimes get a warning that I am being redirected to an insecure site or document, or that I am leaving a secure Internet connection?

Rest assured, Franklin University takes all appropriate precautions to ensure the security of our web users. We value security and your privacy, and therefore not only require you to enter a username/password combination to access sensitive information on our web sites, but also take appropriate measures to ensure that the information you send is encrypted during its transmission via the web. For that reason, anytime that we ask you to enter a username/password, we will provide a secure method for you to do so. The secure method then encrypts the data you enter and transmits the data from your computer to our server. This encryption ensures that the information cannot be read by others as it is passed from you to us. In general, the encryption of data is what makes a secure web transaction secure.

However, encrypting data puts extra load on the server and can slow down transmissions over the web. In an effort to not bog down the Internet, we do not encrypt every transmission that is sent from our servers. So for pages that do not contain sensitive information, we do not encrypt the transmission, which, in turn, makes the web experience a more enjoyable one for all of our users.

So, why the warning? Many web browsers (such as Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer) display a warning when the user makes the transition from a secure site to a non-secure site. The reason for doing this, presumably, is to protect the user from unknowingly passing sensitive information (such as a username or password), via the Internet in an insecure environment. This is a precaution to help you know when it is no longer safe for you to enter sensitive information on a web page and submit that information. When you see this warning message, you need to be aware of the fact that any subsequent information you provide will not be encrypted.

How do I log out?

To log out of myFranklin or a course, simply click the Log Out Link, which is available at the bottom of all myFranklin pages. Note that the Web Email Program functions as a separate program. To log out of your student email, click the Log Out button located in the left navigation of the Web Email Program. If you logged in to a course using the Courses on the Web login page, you will need to log out by shutting down all of your browser programs.

When do you schedule system maintenance?

For information about scheduled system downtime, please see our Regularly Scheduled System Maintenance policy.

How do I register for a course?

Note to EarmyU Students:You must register for classes through the eArmyU web site.

Undergraduate students may register for distance courses by any of the following methods:

The best way to register is with the new "real-time" registration option on myFranklin.
- Login to myFranklin
- Click the "Register for Courses" link under Course Schedule
- Follow the registration steps
Phone: 614-797-4700 or 1-877-341-6300 (toll free) ext. 4700 (Central Ohio Students)
Phone: 1-888-341-6237 (Alliance Students)
Fax: 614-224-8027 or 1-888-625-8678 (toll free)
mail: c/o Registrar
Franklin University
201 South Grant Avenue
Columbus, OH 43215-5399

Upon registering for an online course, students must send an email message to the course instructor with the following information: full name, complete email address, and a statement confirming access of the course syllabus. Students who fail to contact the instructor by the beginning of the third week will be reported to the Registrarâ€™s Office. Registered students who do not participate in class activities will be assigned a letter grade of "Z" at the end of the course. A letter grade of "Z" is considered to be a failing grade. (Zero (0) quality points are awarded for a grade of "Z.") This grade is used in the calculation of the studentâ€™s grade point average.

Registrations or additions of distance courses are not accepted without the instructorâ€™s permission after the second week of the trimester. Students adding or dropping courses via online registration must adhere to all University regulations.

Graduate student registration must be completed via your Graduate Student Services Associate.

Students with prior financial balances or financial aid "holds" must contact the Business Office prior to registering.

How do I drop a course?

Undergraduate students may use any of the methods listed above for course registration to drop an on-site course.

Graduate student courses may be dropped by contacting your Graduate Student Services Associate.

What technology skills and equipment will be helpful to me to access the online materials for this course?

To successfully complete any online course, or to help you succeed in an on-site course using online materials, you need to:

have regular access to a multimedia computer;
have at least a 56Kbps Internet connection;
be able to create, send, and receive email, possibly with attachments;
be able to use either Internet Explorer version 5.5, 6.0, or higher, or Netscape Navigator version 6.0 or higher.

In addition, some online courses may require other items, such as:

Shockwave
RealAudio
a soundcard
a calculator
a CD player for your computer
access to a FAX
a VCR
an audio cassette player
a printer

How do I arrange for a test proctor, if necessary?

Students unable to take proctored tests in the Franklin University Student Learning Center must arrange to take such tests under the supervision of an approved proctor. Some suggested sources of proctors are individual professors or testing centers at other colleges and universities, as well as the human resources office of employers.

At least one week before the test is to be taken, the Test Proctor Form must be submitted. To access this form, please login to myFranklin and select the Test Proctor Form located in the Communications drop down menu of your course. After submitting the form, a link will be sent to the proctor assessment survey to the e-mail address provided in the form. The proctor must then complete the survey and the results will be reviewed by your instructor, who will either approve or disapprove of the proctor. As soon as the instructor completes his review, you will receive an e-mail informing you of his decision, as well as any additional comments regarding the proctor. If you have any questions, please contact your instructor.

Please contact your proctor prior to submitting his/her name to ensure availability.

How will I get my textbook and other course materials?

You may purchase your textbook and other course materials at the Franklin University Bookstore located on the downtown campus.

You may also phone or fax David Ricketts, manager of the Barnes & Nobles bookstore at Franklin University, or you may access the national Barnes and Noble web site.

If you order your textbooks from Franklin, you will be charged a fee of $4.95 for the first book and $0.95 for each additional book and your textbook(s) will be shipped to you via United Parcel Service ground service. (The fee for out-of-the-country shipping will be slightly more and shipment will take a little longer.) Phone: 614-341-6262 (local), 1-877-341-6300, ext. 6262 (toll-free); fax: 614-469-9039.

Is tutoring available for courses?

Yes. Tutoring services are available for a number of introductory courses, in-person at the Student Learning Center and at a distance. For the complete tutoring schedule visit the SLC website.

Email: fieldsc@franklin.edu
fax: 614-228-6670, attention: Chris Fields
phone: 614-341-6268, or toll-free at 1-866-341-6206

What supplemental learning materials are available?

Supplemental learning materials for specific courses are identified on the course syllabi.

What does the speaker/audio symbol mean?

The above "button-like" symbol, indicates there is an audio file to which you should listen. All such audio files will be in the RealAudio format. In order to play these files, you will need to have RealNetworksâ„¢ RealOne Player software, installed on your computer. The RealOne Player software can be downloaded and used at no cost. Once you have successfully installed the RealOne Player software, just click on any button like that above, to retrieve the corresponding audio file. RealOne Player will automatically launch and play the file.

For more information, go to Download Sites.

Why do I get an error window that says "no such interface supported" message when I try to view a Quick Question?

This is a problem only with some installations of Internet Explorer version 4 running on Windows 95. Here is Microsoft's solution from their knowledge base, article #Q180176:

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type the following line:
regsvr32 actxprxy.dll
Click OK, and then click OK again when you receive the following message:
DllRegisterServer in actxprxy.dll succeeded.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type the following line:
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
Click OK, and then click OK again when you receive the following message:
DllRegisterServer in shdocvw.dll succeeded.
Shut down and restart your computer.

How do I access the course bulletin boards? (And related questions)

Students and instructors can access a course bulletin board by logging into their course and then following the Bulletin Board link from the Communications menu. Students should login to their course using myFranklin, while instructors should use the Course Login page.

How does this work?

When you login to your course, a temporary cookie is set which gives the bulletin board the necessary username and password information required to allow access to the course bulletin board(s) that you are entitled to access. This cookie will go away when you log out or completely shut down your browser. The next time you wish to access a bulletin board, you should once again login to your course, so that the necessary temporary cookie will again be set.

Why does it work this way? Why is there a separate bulletin board password?

The convenience of a single sign-on and a single password is one of the goals that drove the introduction of the myFranklin page for students. Each Franklin student is assigned a username - sometimes called an "email ID" or "email user ID". This is the one username that grants a student access to his/her student email account and to myFranklin. The student is allowed to set the password for that username. Ideally, then, that username/password should allow access to all the online tasks the student wishes to do, such as access email, courses, registration, financial account information, etc. Because this email username/password combination can grant access to personal and private information it is necessary for it to be treated securely by both Franklin University and the student.

Recognizing and valuing security, Franklin University systems allow users to enter username/password combinations only when the transmission will be encrypted. The encryption assures the security of the username and password during transmission.

However, because the bulletin board is a separate software system that transmits passwords insecurely (that is, in an unencrypted form), and because making it secure would adversely affect its performance, Franklin University does not want to allow the bulletin board system to use the same password that grants you access to all the other systems. Yet, the University wants to give you the convenience of not having to remember several different passwords. By having the bulletin board system continue to use its own separate password system, and by making our system set the temporary cookie with the necessary bulletin board password for you when you login to a course, we can give you the best of both worlds -- your assigned Franklin email account password is not compromised, and yet you do not need to remember a separate bulletin board username/password combination. (The only time you would need to know your bulletin board password is to modify your bulletin board profile. Modifying your profile is not required, and most students do not choose to do so. But should you decided to do modify your profile, and you cannot remember the necessary password, you may opt to have the password emailed to you quite easily by using the Forgot your Bulletin Board Password or Username? page.)

As you can see, Franklin University takes measures to assure the security of sensitive information, by making the transmission of username/passwords used to access sensitive information encrypted during transmission. However, it is also important that the user of our systems take measures to assure security.

There are several ways the user can treat his/her password safely and securely:

Create a password that will be difficult to guess by others who know you or by "cracking software," which uses well known words and names to guess passwords. Avoid names and words. A good practice is to make up a sentence that includes at least one digit and make a password by using the first letter of each word in the sentence or phrase. For example, "My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird" could be turned in to "Mfbi2KaM". You could remember it by thinking of the phrase, but cracking software would not likely guess it since it does not contain common words or names.
Do not using the same password for other sites where it may be passed "insecurely."
Change the password every so often, and especially if you suspect anyone may have gained knowledge of it.
Do not share the password with anyone.

How do I access a course chat room?

When you click on "Chat Room" from the Communications menu, you will see a page that contains not only a link to enter the course chat room, but also a link to read the help/instructions for the chat room. Please be sure to read this carefully. Also on that page are instructions for creating a temporary chat room when the Course Chat Room is in use by others.

How does the course email page work?

When you click on "Class Email" from the Communications menu, you will see a page that contains the name and e-mail address of the professor, and of any student who has logged into the course at least once. The Course Email web page is used for correspondence with those participating in the class, rather than creating an electronic address book.

Note: There are a few mail programs that do not properly support the javascript that enables mailing to all those who are checked on the email page. For example, some versions of Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express can not properly process a course email message if more than 20 names on the Course Email web page are checked. If your mail program does not properly support the javascript code you should create your own email list or change mail programs.

How do I use a course whiteboard?

When you click on "Whiteboard" from the Communications menu, you will see a page that contains not only a link to enter the course whiteboard, but also a link to read the instructions for how to use the whiteboard. Please be sure to read these instructions carefully. You can experiment with the whiteboard and the chat that is a part of the whiteboard software, anytime it is not in use for an official class or group whiteboard session. Your experimental drawings are not saved unless you save them yourself. And they can be cleared by using the clear button. So do experiment, not only with the drawing tools but with the whiteboard's chat, and be sure to refer back to the instructions to clarify any questions you may have.

Why won't the course pop up menus work?

On the top page of the course, you will see 4 main categories for navigation: Overview, Instruction, Communications and Gradebook. These items are not to be clicked on but rather "moused over" which will bring up pop up menus. At this point these are only guaranteed to work with Netscape version 6.0 or higher, Internet Explorer version 5.5, 6.0, or higher, but not new beta releases.

No Menus? Occasionally due to the "flukes" of being on the cutting edge of technology (bugs in operating systems and browsers, and dropped information in network transmissions, etc.) the menus may not pop up any more. If this happens you should just simply use the browser's main Reload or Refresh button. That should fix it. If it doesn't you should go back to the login page to login again. If that doesn't work try shutting down your browser and reopening it again.

How do I decide whether I should take an online course?

Online courses offer two very important benefits. First, they offer you far more flexibility in terms of scheduling the time when you will work on the course. Secondly, all of the course work can be completed at the location of your choosing.

However, distance education courses require that you read well and learn well by reading, are self-disciplined and can manage your time effectively, are able to work independently, and have the appropriate background for the course. In addition, the opportunity for interaction with other students may be different from that in a traditional classroom.

For an online course, you should have a reasonable comfort level with technology. You must also have access to reliable equipment and be familiar with your Internet access provider's services.

Distance education courses require at least as much time as do classroom-based courses.

How will I interact with the professor of my online course?

You may use phone, fax, electronic communication (email, chat rooms, and bulletin boards), and traditional mail to communicate with your professor. However, email is preferred for routine communication. Each course will have specific procedures and technologies that best accomplish the goals of the course. These procedures will be described in detail in each course syllabus.

How will I interact with other students in my online course?

You may use phone, fax, electronic communication (email, Chat Rooms, and Bulletin Boards), and traditional mail to communicate with other students. In some cases students will arrange to meet in person in small groups. Each course will have specific procedures and technologies which best accomplish the goals of the course. These procedures will be described in detail in the course syllabus.

Will there be any on-site meetings, required or voluntary, for online programs?

Not for undergraduate students. All of the online courses are delivered entirely at a distance. However, each course will have some requirement for synchronous meetings online (e.g. class chat).

In the Online MBA program, students are required to attend two high-intensity, weekend-long residencies attached to the second and last course in the program. Please contact your Graduate Student Services Associate for more details.

How will assignments and exams be submitted and returned in online courses?

Distance courses will mostly use email to submit assignments. Some will use fax, traditional mail, and approved examination sites for the completion and submission of assignments. Each course will have specific procedures and technologies that best accomplish the goals of the course. These procedures will be described in detail in the course syllabus.

What are the phone numbers, the fax numbers, and email addresses for various offices?

Check the Contact Directory for all department numbers.

What assistance can I reasonably expect from the computer Help Desk?

Help Desk personnel will attempt to answer your technology questions, both with regard to software and to particular computer systems that are a result of a course you are taking at Franklin University. However, you will ultimately be responsible for knowing how to use your own equipment. You can contact the Help Desk by telephone, 614-341-6222, or toll free at 1-877-341-6300, ext. 6222; or by email, helpdesk@franklin.edu.

I've read the FAQs, but I'm still having problems. What should I do?

As mentioned above, occasionally due to the "flukes" of being on the cutting edge of technology (bugs in operating systems and browsers, and dropped information in network transmissions, etc.) you may get a message about not being logged in when you had been, etc. This shouldn't happen often but things like this are a part of "using the web".

If this happens you should try the following things in order until the problem is solved:

Use the browsers main Reload or Refresh button.
Go back to the login page and login again.
If that doesn't work try shutting down your browser and reopening it again.
If all else fails, sometimes rebooting your computer solves everything.

You can send email to helpdesk@franklin.edu describing any problems you can not solve, but please include EVERY DETAIL you can possibly provide, such as name, course, passwords used, type of browser and version number, what page you were on, what the message is, etc.

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