CTools Online Help Document -- Common Questions

Online help for the new tools can be found by going to the Help table of contents. Click the Help link in the left-hand menubar on any page, then click Using the Tools in the table of contents. You may need to scroll down to find the tool you are looking for.

You can also click the little question mark near the upper-right corner of the pages of a tool to open the online help for that particular tool.

For a shortcut to the new docs, you can click one of the following links:

Message Center

Creating and Using Groups (Information about using groups can also be found in the "Annoucements" and "Assignments -- Creating" sections, under "Using the Tools" in this online help guide.)

Modules

Gradebook

Wiki

Resources -- Information about using the enhanced Resources tool can be found in the "Resources" section, under "Using the Tools," in this online help guide.

2. Where is the tab for my course? I don't see it.

Any classes you have registered for in the current term will automatically show up as a tab when you login to CTools.

Tabs

NOTE: A common misconception is that in order for students to access materials for a course, each student has to create a course site for that course. Only instructors create course sites and students are granted to access to the instructor-created sites.

If you do not see a tab for a class that you are looking for, it's usually because:

A) The site is not showing as a tab because the site is listed in the drop-down menu to the right of all the tabs. The drop-down menu is labeled "-more sites-". By default, tabs are listed in alphabetical order. If you are a member of many CTools sites, the tab you are looking for may have been "pushed" off the row of visible tabs and onto the drop-down menu. To access the site, click the drop-down menu, - more sites -, and then click the link for the course site in the drop-down menu. For help in managing the order of your tabs, see the next topic, below, "I have too many tabs for old and unused course and project sites. Can I get rid of them?"

B) If you recently registered for the class, there may be a delay of up to 24 hours before the change in the registrar's database is reflected in CTools. If you need immediate access to the site you will need to have your instructor manually add you to the site.

C) The site has not yet been created. You will need to contact your instructor for further information. If you have eliminated the first two reasons, above, for why you don't see a particular course tab, contact CTools Support to verify that the site does not exist. (To contact CTools Support, click the Getting Help link in the table of contents of this onine help, and then click "Contacting CTools Consultants.")

3. I have too many tabs for old and unused course and project sites. Can I get rid of them?

Unless you are the site owner, it's not possible to delete old course project sites from your Workspace. However, you can hide the tabs for sites you are no longer using. To do this:

A... Click on the My Workspace tab.

B... Click Preferences in the menubar.

C... Click Customize Tabs along the top of the main window.

You will see two small list boxes scroll bars. The list box on the right contains all the sites that are visible as tabs or in the pull-down menu with site names. The list box on the left, "Sites not visible in tabs," is a holding place for the sites you make not visible.

D...To remove a site from the "Sites visible in Tabs" box, select the site and click the left-pointing arrow to move the site into the "Sites not visible in Tabs" box. Then click the Update Preferences button. Sites made not visible this way can be restored at a later date by reversing this process.

If you would like to see a demo of this process, click this link:

Rearranging Tabs Demo

4. Is there a way to reduce the amount of email I get from CTools sites?

To reduce the amount of email you receive from CTools, go to My Workspace and click Preferences in the left-hand menubar. Select your low-priority preference for receiving announcements, site emails, new resource notifications, and syllabus change notifications. Then click the Update Preferences button to save your changes.

You may want to reduce the amount of mail even more. At present, there is no feature in CTools to do this, but you can set up a mail filter that will redirect all emails you receive that end in @ctools.umich.edu to a mail folder that you specify. You can also set it up so that emails with @ctools.umich.edu are filtered out, except those that are from a particular site or site(s), such as anthro@ctools.umich.edu.

For complete information on how to set up mail filters, see the ITCS (Information Technology Central Services) how-to document S4325, "Using Server-Side Filters to manage/Organize Your E-Mail (Including Accept and Block Lists)." Click this link to see the document:

http://www.itd.umich.edu/itcsdocs/s4325/

5. What is the CTools maintenance schedule?

CTools is periodically unavailable during scheduled maintenance windows in order to maintain the smooth running of the system. Regularly scheduled maintenance periods are:

- Tuesday, Thursday 5am-7am
- Saturday 3am-7am

If you are attempting to access CTools during these times, you will receive a status message indicating that the site is unavailable. Please be sure log off the system prior to the beginning of a maintenance window or you may lose your session and any unsubmitted data.

6. How can I avoid error messages when I print PDFs from CTools?

A. Please keep PDF files sizes to less than 10MB or smaller whenever possible to reduce download and print rendering times.

B. Update your desktop software to the latest PDF creation software where possible to ensure maximum compatibility.

C. Please select the grayscale option when converting your documents to PDFs. Use this option when your PDFs do not absolutely have to be in color. The method for choosing grayscale varies from one type of computer to the next and from one application to the next. Often the option can be found in the print dialog box that opens when you choose the Print command.

7. I don't see a link for a particular site in My Courses.

CTools does not work with My Courses the way the original UM.CourseTools did. The best way to find sites for your courses is to open CTools and look for the site tab for your course.

Tabs

8. I'm having trouble with my browser's back button.

PLEASE DON'T USE YOUR BROWSER'S BACK BUTTON!

In the CTools, the back button won't always render the desired results. Please use the navigation buttons in CTools (e.g., Next, Cancel), instead.

CTools also has a reset button at the left end of each tool’s title bar (see image below). Clicking on this button will return you to the starting page of a tool.

9. Where is my course content? I don't see it.

If you don't see your course content, make sure you have selected the correct tab along the top of the main window.

10. I have a question about course content.

If you have questions about course content, please contact your instructor.

11. What is the different between a course site and a project site?

Because they are intended to facilitate communication and learning between students and faculty instructors, course sites are more restrictive in terms of access permissions within the various tools. In contrast, in keeping with their collaborative nature, tools access/permissions on project sites are generally available to all site members. Some tools designed strictly for course sites (e.g,. Assignments) are not available on project sites.

12. How do I set up a course site or project site?

Click the My Worksite tab if you are not in your workspace. Click the Worksite Setup button on the left menubar. Select the type of worksite you wish to create, and follow the on-screen setup steps. (Only instructors can set up course sites.)

13. Can I create a course site if I'm not faculty?

Non-faculty can create course sites. In most instances, however, a project site will better meet the needs of non-instructional users of CTools. Note that non-faculty cannot link a student roster to a course site or otherwise make the site “official” for an actual University-offered course.

14. How much space is available on my site for storage?

One gigabyte of storage space is available for your course or project site.

15. How do I add participants to my course or project site?

The steps for adding participants are detailed in the Online Help section Setting Up and Publishing a Site, which is under Creating a Site in the online help table of contents. In the Setting Up and Publishing a Site page, click the 6th link -- "Adding participants to a site" -- under "Click to see..."

Here is a shortcut to those instructions: Step-by-step

Here is a demo of how to add participants: Demo

16. I'm a UM-Dearborn student and I can't log in -- why isn't my password working?

At UM-Dearborn, you are issued multiple passwords, depending on the types of access requested. Passwords are required to prove (or "authenticate") your access to many University computer systems. Password security is very important! Do not share your password with anyone. You can be held responsible for actions taken by someone else if they use your account to access University systems.

LDAP -- This is the password used for accessing primary systems on the UM-Dearborn campus. You need your LDAP password when logging into:

1. Campus Email
2. Webmail
3. ITS computer labs
4. Novell file sharing
5. Unix home directories

Kerberos -- Your kerberos password is used to access many University systems in Ann Arbor. You need your kerberos password when logging into:

1. Wolverine Access
2. CTools
3. MichNet dial-in lines
4. UM Marketplace (buy, sell, trade)

Banner -- employees who use the Banner student information system are issued a password for accessing data. NOTE: Banner passwords are issued by the ITS Student Information Systems team. Requests can be submitted to telstarreq@umd.umich.edu.

Student Self Service -- students and faculty login to UM-Dearborn's online student self service site for applications, registration, payments, grades, scheduling, etc. You will need your uniqname and PIN number.

NOTE: PIN numbers are obtained through the Registrar's Office.

Kerberos and LDAP passwords will not be changed or reset without personal, University of Michigan identification. Users who wish to have passwords reset must come to the Computer Wing in person and provide valid University identification in the form ofreset. All passwords can be changed in the ITS Accounts Office during normal business hours. If the Accounts Office is closed, users can complete the 24-Hour Password Change Request Form, have their ID verified on the form by an ITS Student Counselor, and in most cases the password(s) will be changed the following business day. ITS Information:

Location: 1140 Computing Wing
Phone: (313) 593-5519
Email: helpdesk@umd.umich.edu

17. How do I add a folder in Resources?

In the current version of CTools, your site automatically has one top-level folder, which has the same name as your site -- for example, anthro 101. All new folders and resources that you create will be within this top-level main folder. (The following instructions can also be found in the Resources section of this Online Help, under Using the Tools in the table of contents.)

To create a new folder, do the following:

A... Click Add to the right of the folder you want the new folder to go in.

B…Pull down the menu next to "Add Item Type" and choose Empty Folder.

C...Choose number of folders you would like to create (1 to 10)

D...Type a title for each folder(s) (Required)

E...You can also type a description. (Optional)

F... For project sites only (not course sites): You can choose to have your new folder(s) visible to everyone, including non-members of the site (this is called publicly viewable).

Making a folder available to non-members will also make everything in the folder available to the non-members. To make your new folder(s) visible to everyone, check the "Display to non-members" box. Note that this only applies if your site has been published. If you leave the box unchecked, the folder and the resources within it will only be viewable by participants of the site.

F...Click Add.

Keyword: delete