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Student Technical Support

Teaching and Learning Center (TLC)

Student Tech Support, Canvas, Online/Hybrid/Traditional Classes

The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) at Richland Community College understands students’ need for flexibility regardless of whether they are just starting their college career or continuing their education, and works to create an innovative student-centered learning environment through Online, Hybrid, and Enhanced traditional courses. The TLC provides students, faculty, and staff with training, technical support, and the resources needed to enhance their educational experiences with a focus on commitment, respect, excellence, accountability, and diversity.

Definitions of Online Instruction

Students are expected to possess the computer skills necessary to type papers, browse and search the Web, access college information, and communicate through email. Beyond these basic expectations, Online and Hybrid sections offer alternatives to traditional faced-to-face classroom instruction.

Online Classes

In an Online class, all of the instruction is provided online and no face-to-face classroom instruction is required. Students may be required to attend an orientation or take proctored exams on campus or at an approved location near the student; please refer to the course schedule for more information.

Hybrid Classes

A Hybrid class is a combination of face-to-face classroom instruction and online instruction. A portion of the instruction is provided online, but some regular face-to-face instruction is still required. Face-to-face time requirements will vary between Hybrid courses and sections; please refer to the course schedule for more information.

Traditional Classes

In a traditional class, all of the instruction is provided in a face-to-face classroom setting. However, students may be expected to regularly supplement their learning through the use of technology. Examples include sections with online assessments, homework, or discussions.

Mandatory Online Student Orientation

All students taking courses using Canvas are required to complete the Canvas Orientation before they will have access to their course(s). For more information about the Canvas Orientation, please refer to the orientation section on the Online Learning page.

How do I Access my Course(s)?

To access your online, hybrid, or traditional face-to-face courses, log into Canvas (richland.instructure.com) with your username (NetID) and password. Your courses will show up under the “Courses” Link at the top of your Canvas home page. (Note: If you have not ever completed the Canvas Student Orientation, your courses will not appear until this has been done.)

Technical Requirements

Please refer to the hardware & software requirements for the Canvas Learning Management System.

Downloads

There are a lot of useful free or open-source programs and utilities available on the Web for online students. Listed below are links to some of them:

Utilities

Support Details – online scan of your computer to tell you what version of operating system and software you are running to assist tech support in helping resolve a problem.
WinZip – a program to zip and unzip files
CutePDF – This program allows you to create PDF files from almost any printable document
Floola – iPod or mobile phone manager for iTunes

Readers

Adobe Acrobat Reader
- NOTE: Be sure to UNCHECK the “Optional Offers” before installing the Reader program!

Productivity Software

WordWeb – WordWeb is a good thesaurus/dictionary resource; it shows pronunciations, definitions, synonyms, and antonyms of words; also, it gives examples of how the word can be used as a noun, verb, adjective, and/or adverb.
PhotoScape Image Editor – Photo editing software that enables you to fix and enhance photos

Browsers

Browser Plug-Ins

Adobe Flash
- NOTE: Be sure to UNCHECK the “Optional Offers” before installing the program!

Media Players

RealPlayer
Codecs.com Media Player Classic – Alternative to Windows Media Player
Codecs.com RealPlayer Alternative – Alternative to RealPlayer

Spyware/Adware/Malware Scanners

Malwarebytes – free spyware and malware scanner program
Spybot Search and Destroy – spyware and malware scanner program

Anti-Virus Software

Avast – free anti-virus program
AVG Anti-Virus – free anti-virus program
Bitdefender – free edition

Other Programs

Emsisoft Emergency Kit – not a preventative software program; a diagnostic scanner program for computers that have spyware/malware on them.

Hardware & Software Requirements for Canvas

You must be signed up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in order to access the Internet from home. Be sure to choose a provider that permits you to use a Web browser.. Some providers require the use of their own proprietary browser; these browsers may not provide all the functionality needed for your online course(s). If you are using a provider like this (for example, AOL), you must minimize that program and use an alternate Web browser to access Canvas.

The Internet browsers that work the best with Canvas are Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari. To download and of these browsers for free, please refer to “Browsers” in the “Downloads” section above

If you do not have home Internet access

For persons without home internet access, computers are available on Richland’s campus in many locations:

Learning Resource Center (Library)
Open Computer Lab (C150)
Academic Success Center (C148)
Richland Wireless Access on Campus (if you have a laptop with wireless capability)

Home Computer Requirements

Before beginning your online course(s), your computer needs to be up-to-date with the appropriate hardware and software requirements. Your home computer needs to have the following:

Operating System: Windows 7or higher or MAC OSX or higher
Network connection: Broadband, DSL, or Wireless high-speed connection
Browser Plug-ins:
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- JavaScript enabled
Anti-virus Software: Keep virus definitions updated and scan your computer on a regular basis.
- Note: It is strongly recommended that only one anti-virus program be used on your computer; if more than one is used, they will conflict with each other and cause problems.
Spyware Removal Software: Keep spyware/malware/adware definitions updated and scan your computer on a regular basis.
Application Software: Richland Community College uses Microsoft Office, which include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.
- If you do not have Microsoft Office: Office 2007 and 2010 documents are not compatible with older versions of Office (2000, XP, or 2003). However, there is a free “Compatibility Pack” available from Microsoft, that once installed on your home computer, will allow you to open Office 2007 & 2010 documents.
- If you do not have Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office is FREE for currently registered students through the Microsoft Student Advantage Program. Students should go to https://jics.richland.edu/MicrosoftStudentAdvantage/ and register for the program.
  - Note: Microsoft Office is free for students as long as they are currently registered at Richland. Once they are no longer a Richland student, they will not have access to the free program.